1948 Gibson L-12 #A-1509

Introduced in 1930, the L-12 was initially conceived as a fancier alternative to the ground-breaking L-5. Originally a 16" guitar with art-deco "Picture Frame" inlays, the L-12 was enlarged to 17" in 1934 and given the "Advanced" designation, just like the L-5. In 1939, the X-bracing was substituted for proper archtop parallel top braces. In the '30s, the L-12 was an oranate guitar, but by the late-'40s, it wasn't quite as over-the-top. Interestingly, it was the first Gibson model to feature the iconic split parallelogram inlays on the fingerboard.  In 1948, the L-12 was identical to the L-5 in size, finish, body materials, scale length and bracing—only subtle cosmetic details set it apart. 17" wide across the lower bout, 25-1/2" scale, a carved Spruce top, and figured Maple back and sides—the L-12 even had gold hardware and a full-body sunburst like the L-5. The model was made until 1955, and relative to the L-5 and plainer L-7, it was made in much more limited quantities. In some yea