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Home - Museum of Vintage / Significant Instruments -  Archtop Guitars -  Gibson L-75 Century of Progress 1933

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Gibson L-75 Century of Progress 1933

Gibson L-75 Century of Progress 1933

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Gibson L-75 Century of Progress 1933 (L-75 COP)


The image of the official poster for the fair was designed by George B. Petty.

A Century of Progress International Exposition was held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Chicago in 1933-34.

To commemorate the event, in 1933 Gibson introduced some special pearloid adorned “Century of Progress” guitars and mandolins. Most often seen are the L-00 shaped flat top Century models that persisted through the 30’s beyond the closing of the fair in 1934.

This 1933 L-75 archtop was only made for a short period in 1933. It has the same small bell-shaped body as the 1933 round sound-hole L-50 pictured elsewhere in this museum. It measures 14 7/8” across the lower bout, 17 ½” long and 3 ¼” deep. It’s the same familiar compressed body shape more frequently seen on the budget Kalamazoo KG-11 flat tops during the 1930’s.

The L-75 line began with this Century model later losing the pearloid and morphing through several size variations in the 1930’s. All had mahogany backs and sides as opposed to the usual maple seen on most of Gibson’s archtops.

This example has a carved spruce top, a carved mahogany back and sides. Banjo style mother of pearl motifs are set in rosewood and inlayed in the pearloid fretboard and headstock. Quite a unique instrument.

courtesy of D Buetttner

The picture of a catalog page is from the Gibson 1937 catalog.


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