J.J. Cale's 1919 Gibson L-4 acoustic guitar. ...

Description

J.J. Cale's 1919 Gibson L-4 acoustic guitar. Dark mahogany, non-cutaway with oval soundhole. Originally introduced in 1912, this 96-year-old arched-top and back L-4 weighs just 4.00 lbs. Sixteen inch wide and 3.25 inch deep body with "walnut-stained" maple back and sides and a two-piece carved spruce top with a triple-bound oval soundhole with an inlaid diamond-pattern in the center. Two-piece mahogany neck with a walnut center-strip, a fat nut width of just under 1.75 inches, a scale length of 24.5 inches and a wonderful really thick deep "V" profile. Brazilian rosewood fretboard (with pointed-end) with 20 original thin frets (the neck joins the body at the 14th fret) and inlaid pearl dot position markers. The body is single-bound on the top and back. Walnut-veneer headstock with inlaid "Gibson" script logo and bell-shaped single-layer black plastic truss-rod cover with two screws. The back of the headstock also has a walnut veneer. Original open-back strip tuners with oval white bone buttons. Compensated ebony bridge on height-adjustable ebony base, original trapeze tailpiece engraved "Patented July 19.1916" with tortoiseshell bar and six later white plastic string pins (the original very worn ebony pins are in the case). The tailpiece is secured to the end of the body by three screws and the original ebony strap-pin. Inside the sound-hole is the oval white Gibson label with Style "L4" and serial number "49794" written in pencil. There is one small surface crack on the bass side, lower bout of the back and the original pickguard has been removed. There is lots of checking and playing wear but there are no other cracks, repairs or modifications whatsoever and the guitar is in excellent plus condition. Housed in the original five-latch shaped, black hardshell case with purple padded felt lining. This amazing piece of musical history was owned and played by legendary guitarist and songwriter J.J. Cale and comes with (2) photographs of Cale with the guitar (and famed guitar purveyor Norman Harris) with the guitar (sans pickguard) in the nineties. The guitar was purchased in the early 1970s by Harris who showed it to J.J. Cale. Cale immediately bonded with the guitar and used it for many years until selling it back to Harris in the nineties. Harris then sold the guitar to the renowned guitar collector Hank Risan. Grammy Award-winning songwriter, singer and recording artist J.J. Cale's influence has been widely acknowledged by figures such as Mark Knopfler, Neil Young and Eric Clapton who described him as "one of the most important artists in the history of rock."

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