Gibson L-3 Guitar: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This guitar was made by the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1925. It is a six course (6x1) guitar, serial #80612, model L-3, with a spruce top, maple sides and back, and a mahogany neck. The guitar bears the printed label:

PATENTED Feb. 1, '98 [/] Patented March 30, '06 [/] Other Patents Pending [/] Gibson GUITAR Style 13 [/] Number 80612 is hereby [/] GUARANTEED [/] against faulty workmanship or material. Should [/] this instrument, with proper care and usage, go wrong, [/] we agree to repair it free of charge at our factory, or [/] to replace it with another of same style or value. [/] GIBSON MANDOLIN-GUITAR CO. [/] (Manufacturers) [/] Kalamazoo, Mich., U.S.A.”

The L-3 guitar was manufactured from 1906-1933. This guitar, without case, sold for $100.00 in a Gibson catalog from 1929.</P

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1924
• maker: Gibson Co.
• Object Name: guitar
• Measurements: overall: 39 in x 13 3/4 in x 4 1/2 in; 99.06 cm x 34.925 cm x 11.43 cm
• place made: United States: Michigan, Kalamazoo
• ID Number: MI.69.13
• accession number: 282345
• catalog number: 69.13
• Credit Line: Gift of Marjorie A. Cope
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.