Gibson L-00 Special Vintage Sunburst
All about the Gibson L-00 Special
The L-00 in Gibson history
The Gibson L-00 was first introduced in 1932 and remains the best-known and most popular small-body acoustic model in Gibson's illustrious history. The new L-00 Special is crafted by Gibson's experienced luthiers in Bozeman, Montana, and offers guitarists a US-made Gibson acoustic at a very affordable price.
Tonewoods and construction of the L-00 Special
The L-00 Special features genuine, solid mahogany back and sides. The guitar has a solid Sitka spruce top. Gibson's traditional Scalloped X-Bracing provides a balanced tone with excellent dynamic range. Both the top and the back feature single-layer cream binding. The narrower shape of the L-00 body delivers a focused, nuanced tone and gives it a tighter, more centred bass response. The sound is ideal for fingerstyle and blues, but also suits many other genres and playing styles.
Neck construction and fretboard
The slim Utile neck is joined to the body with a dovetail joint and, as with all Gibson acoustics, is glued with hide glue. It features a comfortable, fast-playing SlimTaper profile. The rosewood fretboard has a 12" radius and is fitted with simple mother-of-pearl dot inlays and 19 standard frets.
Features and design details
The classic rosewood bridge is fitted with a TUSQ saddle. The nut and the bridge pins are also made of TUSQ. Smooth-turning Grover Mini Rotomatic tuners provide solid tuning stability. The L-00 Special is finished in satin nitrocellulose lacquer in Vintage Sunburst or Wine Red. It is equipped with an active L.R. Baggs Element Bronze piezo pickup under the saddle and an active preamp with an easily accessible volume control in the soundhole.
Matte nitrocellulose lacquer finish in Vintage Sunburst
Classic rosewood bridge with TUSQ saddle and TUSQ bridge pins
Simple tortoise pickguard in classic Gibson design
- Back / Sides: Mahogany
- Binding: Cream
- Body Shape: Size O/OOO/OOO
- Body Shape: Parlor
- Body finish: Satin
- Bridge: Rosewood
- Bridge-Pins: Tusq
- Color/ Finish: Vintage Sunburst
- Colour: Sunburst
- Construction / Acoustic: Solid
- Controls: Volume
- Country of Origin: USA
- Cutaway: no
- Finish: Satin
- Finish: Matt
- Fretboard: Rosewood
- Fretboard Inlays: Mother of Pearl Dots
- Frets: 19
- Includes: Gigbag
- Neck Mount: Dovetail
- Neck Profile: SlimTaper
- Neck finish: Satin
- Nut Width: 43,8 mm
- Pickguard: Tortoise
- Pickup Details: L.R. Baggs Element Bronze
- Pre-amp system: L.R. Baggs Element Bronze
- Saddle/Cross piece inlay: Tusq
- Scale Length: 24,75" (629 mm)
- Strings: 6 string
- Strings thickness ex factory: .012 - .053
- Top: Sitka Spruce
- Top Bracing: X-Bracing
- Tuning Machines: Grover Mini Rotomatics
The L.R. Baggs Element Bronze pickup system for amplified sound
All Gibson Special models are equipped with an active L.R. Baggs Element Bronze piezo pickup under the saddle and an active preamp with an easily accessible volume control in the soundhole. This makes the guitar stage- and studio-ready. A Gibson Premium softshell case is included.
Unlike typical saddle-mounted pickups for acoustic guitars, which usually rely on string compression to produce their sound, the L.R. Baggs Element System was designed to capture the actual movement of the guitar top.
The heart of the pickup is a flexible sensor film only two thousandths of an inch thick, which picks up even the subtlest nuances of the guitar.
About the Gibson Special acoustics
The Special models bring the famous Gibson tone to guitarists who, despite a smaller budget, don't want to give up the distinctive Gibson logo and the "made in USA" badge. With the new Hummingbird Special, J-45 Special and L-00 Special models, Gibson presents reinterpretations of three classic models that are inseparably linked with Gibson's history. Price-wise these guitars sit below the Standard series but above the visually simplified Studio models.
About Gibson
The American Gibson Guitar Corporation, founded in 1902 by Orville Gibson in Kalamazoo, Michigan, first became known for the production of mandolins and banjos. Today the company’s headquarters are in Nashville, Tennessee, and Gibson is one of the world’s most renowned and respected manufacturers of electric guitars.
The model Les Paul, named after its creator Lester William Polsfuss, is one of the most famous and best‑selling electric guitar shapes of all time and established the single‑cut guitar form, which has been copied, adopted and reinterpreted by numerous other manufacturers. The Les Paul is mainly prized for its sound, characterised as warm and full. The humbucker pickup largely responsible for that sound, in its now common design, was developed by Seth Lover at Gibson.
In the early 1960s the Gibson SG appeared as another solid‑body electric from Gibson. Originally intended as the successor to the Les Paul, it became — helped by Angus Young of AC/DC — another rock‑history icon and is the basis for the double‑cutaway guitar type.
With the Flying V and the Explorer Gibson is responsible for two body shapes that, although they were far ahead of their time when introduced in the late 1950s, have over the years also achieved legendary status. They still serve as the foundation for a host of heavy guitars today, for example from makers such as Jackson or ESP.
The Gibson Custom Shop produces custom orders, high‑quality one‑offs and precise replicas of famous models and legendary instrument years. These are often subjected to an artificial ageing process called relicing.
Almost as long as the company has existed, acoustic guitars have also been produced. The J‑45, the Hummingbird, the L‑00 and the SJ‑200 are among the world’s most beloved steel‑string acoustics and were the instruments of choice for Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and John Lennon.
Besides the instruments already mentioned, you can of course also buy picks, bags and cases or merchandise from Gibson with us.
We are particularly proud to host a Gibson Flagship Store in our Frankfurt branch. There you’ll find not only a large selection and exclusive models to try out in person, but you’ll also benefit from the expertise of our Gibson‑trained and certified staff when choosing the perfect guitar.
