WOW! Gibson L-00 Maple/Adirondack Red Spruce Custom Shop

Gibson Custom Shop L-00 Red Spruce Maple — Summary

This  guitar is a Gibson Custom Shop L-00 Red Spruce Maple, as confirmed by the factory label inside the instrument. The label specifically identifies the model as “L-00 RED SPRUCE MAPLE” and gives the serial number 22604010.

The serial number indicates a 2024 Gibson. Using Gibson's acoustic serial-number system, the number identifies the guitar as having been produced on the 260th day of the year, which was September 16, 2024. The final three digits, 010, represent the production/ranking number assigned by the factory.

The guitar is an unusually elaborate version of Gibson's classic small-body L-00. Rather than the mahogany traditionally associated with the L-00, yours combines a red (Adirondack) spruce top with figured maple back and sides. The photographs clearly show exceptionally attractive flame figuring in the maple, particularly across the back. This combination gives the guitar both a distinctive appearance and a different tonal concept from the familiar mahogany L-00.

The red spruce top is prized for its strength, responsiveness and ability to handle a strong attack, while maple is generally associated with clarity, note separation and a relatively quick, articulate response. Consequently, this L-00 should retain the intimate, immediate character of the small L-00 body while offering considerable projection, clarity and definition.

The instrument has the familiar 24.75-inch Gibson short scale, making it comfortable to play, while its Custom Shop construction and premium woods place it well above a conventional production L-00 in terms of materials and craftsmanship.

An especially interesting point is that Gibson has used the “L-00 Red Spruce Maple” designation for Custom Shop instruments in more than one year, so yours appears to belong to a specialized Gibson model/run rather than being a one-off guitar assembled from unrelated components. Documented earlier examples indicate that Gibson has produced this red-spruce/maple combination in the Custom Shop previously.

In short, this stunning guitar is not simply a fancy version of the standard L-00. It is a relatively unusual Custom Shop interpretation of the L-00, combining the historic small-body Gibson design with premium red spruce and highly figured maple.

Identification: Gibson Custom Shop L-00 Red Spruce Maple
Serial: 22604010
Year: 2024
Production date: September 16, 2024
Top: Red/Adirondack spruce
Back & sides: Figured maple
Scale: 24.75 inches
Origin: Gibson Acoustic Custom Shop, Bozeman, Montana