The Gibson L-00 has a special place in Gibson’s history, dating back to the early 1930s and becoming one of the company’s most beloved small-body guitars. The L-00 Studio Walnut is Gibson’s modern take on that classic design, combining the traditional L-00 body shape with a Sitka spruce top and walnut back and sides.

This is a particularly gorgeous example of Gibson’s L-00 Studio Walnut, born September 28, 2021, at Gibson’s Bozeman, Montana workshop. It is number 271 of 365 produced, making it a relatively limited-production version of Gibson’s historic L-00.

The L-00 Studio Walnut combines the classic small-body Gibson design with a solid Sitka spruce top and solid walnut back and sides, along with a mahogany neck, walnut fingerboard and bridge, traditional hand-scalloped X-bracing and a nitrocellulose finish. It has Gibson’s comfortable 24.75” scale and is equipped with the Fishman Sonitone pickup. It comes with its original Gibson hardshell case — a seriously killer case in its own right.

The Sitka spruce top on this guitar is particularly beautiful, with very straight, fine grain and exceptional silking that gives the top a wonderful three-dimensional, almost shimmering appearance. The solid walnut back is equally attractive, with rich honey/caramel colouring, long, flowing grain and subtle figuring through the lower bout. It’s a really handsome combination that photographs well but is even more impressive in person.

The walnut gives this L-00 a distinctive character — dry, clear and woody, with a surprisingly full voice for such a compact guitar. Tonally, I find walnut sits somewhere between mahogany and rosewood: it retains the dry, immediate response of mahogany while adding some of the clarity, depth and complexity associated with rosewood. The result is a small guitar with a surprisingly sophisticated voice.

It has that immediate Gibson L-00 response — dry and woody, but with excellent clarity, a little more low-end depth and a somewhat more “hi-fi” quality.

Specs

• Gibson L-00 Studio Walnut
• Born September 28, 2021, in Bozeman, Montana
• 271 of 365
• Made in Bozeman, Montana
• Solid Sitka spruce top
• Solid walnut back and sides
• Walnut fingerboard and bridge
• Mahogany neck
• Advanced Response neck profile
• 24.75” scale
• 1.72” / 43.8 mm nut
• 16” fingerboard radius
• 19 frets
• Traditional hand-scalloped X-bracing
• Nitrocellulose finish
• Tusq nut, saddle and bridge pins
• Mini Grover Rotomatic tuners
• Fishman Sonitone pickup
• Original Gibson hardshell case
• Antique Natural finish
• includes strap button ready to install if you choose.

My time with it

I was searching specifically for a Walnut L-00 and looked at several before finding this gem at a Long & McQuade about seven months ago. It was brand new, but had been hanging high on their wall and had clearly been neglected a little. It needed some humidification, but other than that it was immaculate.

Once it was properly settled in, I put a lot of playing time into it, including approximately 100 hours with a Tone Traveller, and the guitar opened up beautifully. It became noticeably more resonant, responsive and expressive.

I used it extensively for recording, and one of the things that always impressed me was how easily this little Gibson would punch through a mix. It has excellent note separation and a focused, woody voice that seems to occupy its own space in a recording. I often found that it needed very little EQ to sit naturally in a mix, which is one of those qualities that makes a guitar especially useful in the studio.

I really love this guitar. The top is sensational, and the back is one of the nicest pieces of walnut I’ve ever seen on a guitar. I’m letting it go because I recently lucked in with a vintage B-25 and, besides my resulting credit-card balance, I now have more guitars than I can reasonably keep. I’d rather see this one being played and appreciated by someone who will enjoy what it has become.

It’s a beautifully seasoned-sounding little Gibson with plenty of character — one of those guitars that rewards you every time you pick it up: small, comfortable and incredibly responsive, with that unmistakable Gibson voice.

The guitar has been used, but remains in immaculate condition. It has been properly humidified, thoroughly played in, and is ready to go to someone who will appreciate what a cool little Gibson this is.

Note, US shipping includes duties. If the duties are higher, and the shipping cost are more, the buyer will need to pay extra for them, or if shipping turns out to be less, I will refund the difference.