Rare Vintage 1948 - 1951 , Gibson McCarty Pickguard fits L-7, L7C, L-4, L-5

Gibson McCarty Pickguard 1948 - 1951, fits L-7, L-7C, L-4, L-5

Serial Number: N/A

The Gibson "McCarty" pickguard (or "finger rest" pickup) 1948 - 1951 was designed primarily as a floating, electrifying, no-drill assembly for high-end acoustic archtop guitars. Tested works perfect ! It has been setup for a 1/4" plug in.

CONDITION: It is fantastic condition, no cracks or breaks, Includes Bracket.

The  Gibson L-7 history is defined by its transition from a purely acoustic archtop to a "dual-purpose" instrument through the integration of the McCarty fingerrest pickup. Originally introduced at the June 1948 NAMM Convention, this pickguard-mounted assembly allowed players to amplify their 17-inch L-7 without cutting into the hand-carved spruce top or compromising its acoustic resonance.

The McCarty Pickguard AssemblyThe "McCarty unit" was an ingenious solution developed by Ted McCarty to quickly expand Gibson's electric line by retrofitting existing acoustic models. 

• Design and Patent: Ted McCarty filed the patent for this pickguard-mounted pickup in 1948, and it was officially granted on September 11, 1951 (Patent #2,567,570).
• Pickup Configuration: The unit featured either one or two thin single-coil pickups—often called the Double McCarty in its two-pickup version—mounted directly to a five-ply floating pickguard.
• Technical Specs: These pickups used 3/8" alnico rod magnets and were thinner than standard P-90s to fit the space between the strings and the guitar top. They provided a glassy, articulate tone with less mid-range than a traditional P-90.
• Controls: The assembly included built-in volume and tone knobs, a pickup blend knob (for double versions), and an input jack mounted directly to the pickguard, requiring no modifications to the guitar body

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