1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner
1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner

1943 Gibson LG-2 Banner

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Sale price
$6,499.00

During the World War II era, Gibson labeled their headstocks with the "Only a Gibson is Good Enough" banner, and the LG-2 was one of the streamlined models introduced for wartime production. The LG-2 was the first of the LG line, and while its small body looks similar to some prewar Gibsons, it has a wider waist and a wider upper bout, which give it a shape and geometry almost like a classical guitar. It also has a rounded heel and rounded neck profile, which was a modern advance from '30s Gibson L-00s that often had V-necks. 

Most importantly for tone, the LG-2 combines graceful slope shoulders and wider body with X-bracing under the hood. This gives it a dynamic, responsive feel that balances perfectly with the throaty, Gibson thump you expect. Relative to postwar examples, the war-era LG-2s are lightly built, which translates to serious tone. With this lovely '43 in your hands, it only takes one chord to convince you that indeed "Only a Gibson is Good Enough."

This 1943 Gibson LG-2 has seen some repairs over the years, but thanks to the work involved, it's in remarkably playable condition. It's hard to imagine there are many examples that play as comfortably and easily as this one, and the rich, articulate sound it produces will blow you away. 

As is typical of lightly-built wartime Gibsons, the top belly-ing looks to have caused some problems over the years, but fortunately luthier John Baxendale (of Colorado Guitar Co./JC Baxendale Guitars) was able to get this old LG-2 into fine working condition. He made a new bridge plate for it and reglued the bridge to fit the top securely. He also reset the neck, refretted the original Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard, and carved a new intonated bone saddle for the bridge. As result, it plays so nicely you might mistake it for a reissue, but of course it packs the nuanced tone you can only get from a vintage original. And the played-in vibe and mojo are authentic—this is a real relic!

As for structural repairs, what's most obvious is a headstock repair. It involved some finish  work to mask the witness line, but it's neat, 100% stable, and doesn't cause any tuning issues. Other than that, there are two repaired top cracks that run from the bridge toward the end block, and there is also the typical crack along the edge of the pickguard. All three are neatly repaired, and there are no issues with the bracing. This '43 LG-2 has new tuner buttons, a new nut, and it includes a new hardshell case.

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