1908???  YES.

In 1990 I was teaching guitar lessons at Consentino’s Music store in Lawrence, MA.  The store had been open since 1910 and had been passed down through the family.  One day a man who looked to be in his late forties walked into the store with an interesting story.  He claimed that this guitar belonged to his great grandfather who purchased the guitar from this very store around the time it opened.  He said that the guitar had been in storage for decades and he was interested in selling it.  The guitar was unplayable and in poor condition with numerous cracks, lots of nicks and worn paint.  The store owner and I both knew very little about vintage Gibson guitars and the owner told him that he was not interested in purchasing the guitar outright.  An arrangement was made to sell the guitar on consignment at the store.  The asking price?  $40.00

I originally could not have been less interested in this guitar.  I did not even think that it was authentic.  I noticed later in the day that the woods all appeared to be very high quality as were the other materials.  The guitar had brass tuners & bone pegs, inlay & trim.  I decided to take it home with me not knowing its true value.  It stayed in my closet for years untouched.  I eventually had it appraised by Gruhn guitars.  Gruhn believes that it is a Gibson L-00 prototype as it has some features that were never included on an L-00 and some that were not introduced until the L-1 or L-2 models. 

I later found that the FON (Factory Order Number) stamped on the block read simply 208.  According to Gibson records, FON 208 was produced sometime in 1908 - 20 years prior to the introduction of the L-00. This is much closer to the date that the seller’s great grandfather told him that the guitar was purchased.  Gibson could not believe the FON number when I told them what it was. They didn't keep records that far back.

I had this guitar repaired and made playable by  my late friend  Jim Mouradian, Boston’s best luthier.  I was astounded at how good this guitar sounded.  Virgin growth wood and thin finishes can’t miss.  I didn’t think that this story could get any sweeter until I found someone on EBay selling an original Gibson 1920s chipboard case for an L-00.  I bought the case and it fits perfectly.  This is a guitar that was way ahead of its time.

Sound: 9.0

Playability: 9

Overall design: 9

1908 GIBSON L-00 PROTOTYPE