Gibson TG-1 Flat Top Tenor Guitar (1933), ser. #509 (FON), original black soft shell case.

Gibson TG-1 Model Flat Top Tenor Guitar (1933), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 509 (FON), sunburst top, dark back and sides finish, mahogany back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, original black soft shell case.

This is a rare, attractive and beautiful sounding Gibson tenor guitar, the rather obscure final version of the TG-1 built in 1933. The finish on this guitar still has the hand-rubbed Cremona brown sunburst look of a 1920's instrument, something Gibson had all but phased out at this time. The headstock logo by contrast is a plain white paint stencil, sitting over an plain dot-inlaid fingerboard and Grover "pancake" banjo tuners. The body is the same size as the first larger-pattern 6-string L-1's from this time period, so this is a noticeably larger instrument than earlier small body 1920s TG's with a much more powerful sound.

The TG-1 was listed in 1933 in Gibson's catalog at the newly reduced price of $35 ("Was $50") but is only a *slightly* more deluxe model than nearly identical the $25 TG-00. The catalog differences? Binding on the back, along with (originally) white bridgepins and endpins, which Gibson valued at a $10.00 upcharge! This year the depression was at its worst and while both were very well-designed and offered a great value in sound, at the time 10 bux was a LOT of money. Soon enough logic prevailed and the TG-00 was the sole surviving stock flat-top tenor model in the Gibson line.

The FON code on this guitar's heelblock is 509, one of the few documented 1931-3 batches of TG-1's. As noted the top finish is lovely blended Cremona sunburst, there is single-ply white celluloid binding around the top and back. The delicately X-braced spruce top is ornamented with a dark "firestripe" tortoise celluloid pickguard and three-ply B/W/B sound hole ring. The back and sides are finished in dark mahogany as is the very slim soft "V" profile neck with an unbound rosewood fingerboard.

A very unusual feature of this guitar is an oddity we have also seen on 6-string Gibson flat tops from the same 1932-33 period: the fingerboard is elevated off the top, like an archtop guitar. This cantilevered design shows up inexplicably on some L-00's around this time, and then just as quickly disappears. Why Gibson tried this is lost to history; this is the first 4-string tenor guitar we have seen with this construction.

We're not sure if the odd fingerboard configuration helps, but this TG is super light and responsive with a powerful ringing tone sweeter and warmer than some that never gets harsh. This one shows some play time and repair but remains intact and singing, one of our favorite Gibson tenors ever!

Overall length is 38 1/8 in. (96.8 cm.), 14 3/4 in. (37.5 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 5/16 in. (11 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 22 5/8 in. (575 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/8 in. (29 mm.).

This rare TG-1 tenor is a veteran player that shows its age but has character to spare, for sure. The original finish has some general wear everywhere including typical fine checking, dings, dents and scrapes overall but really nothing too serious. The top has very little pick wear, The back has some noticeable scratches but not much belt buckle wear. The headstock face has a chip in the "G" of the Gibson logo. The original geared banjo tuners are still intact and functional.

The guitar is a completely solid player but there are some noticeable older repairs. The top has a prominent grain split running from the back edge past the bass end of the bridge all the way into the upper soundhole rim. This is solidly sealed with strip cleats underneath but not touched up so quite visible. There is a smaller grain split to the top off the front soundhole rim between the first and second string, running back under the elevated fingerboard. Another runs back off the rear edge of the soundhole rim under the upper edge of the pickguard, with another shorter split above it stopping on the outer edge of the soundhole ring.

The back has a sealed grain split running back off the front edge about 2" below the heel and a very small sealed grain crack below the center line, glued up long ago with no overfinish. There is a small bash mark and attendant crack to the upper side along the inside turn of the bass bout.

The rosewood bridge appears either re-worked or a repro, and some spruce pulled up in front that was visibly reglued. There are a few internal repairs related to someone gluing and clamping this bridge without a proper caul long ago. The main X-brace has been sloppily reglued on the bass side around the bridge. Both main x-brace legs just by the bridge have shallow crush marks along the top from a clamp, incurred when the bridge was reglued. The original small maple bridgeplate is intact and unaltered.

The neck was reset some time ago, leaving some light overfinish work around the heel and running up the back of the neck. The original frets have been polished out, the bone nut is original. The action is very comfortable and this is a fine playing instrument, very responsive with an even and very punchy sound, one of the best 4-string Gibsons we have had. Overall this is a veteran but still lovely example of this fairly rare and mostly forgotten Gibson tenor guitar, in the battered but cool original chipboard case. Overall Very Good + Condition.