Strings suitable for this guitar Dean Markley 2502B (Dean Markley Nickelsteel Electric - Light) D'Addario EXL140 Nickel Light Top/Heavy Bottom (D'Addario XL Light Top Heavy Bottom) Thomastik-Infeld JS111 (light flatwound jazz swing electric guitar strings) D'Addario EXL120 Nickel Super Light (D'Addario Electric Super Light) D'Addario EJ22 (D'Addario Electric Guitar Strings Jazz Medium) D'Addario EJ20 (D'Addario Electric Guitar Strings Jazz Extra-Light) D'Addario EHR360 (D'Addario S/Steel Half Round Electric Guitar Strings Jazz Medium) D'Addario ECG24 (D'Addario Chrome Flat Wound Electric Guitar Strings Jazz Light) D'Addario EHR350 (D'Addario S/Steel Half Round Electric Guitar Strings Jazz Light) Thomastik-Infeld JS110 (flatwound extra light jazz swing electric guitar strings)

1976 Gibson L-6S Deluxe

The Deluxe version of the L-6S was shipped from 1975 to at least 1979. The last price list it featured in was from June of that year, however Gibson did continue shipping most models for a little while beyond the last price list appearance, and although no shipping figures are available, it is likely some were still shipped in 1980 and maybe 1981. So the guitar pictured is an early one. Tobacco sunburst is the rarest finish for this model, with just 164 guitars shipped (less than 5% of the total) and just 23 shipped in 1976. For further details, see the L-6S production totals.

The hardware on this guitar changed very little over the course of it's production. Pickups are plastic-covered super humbuckers, part numbers 13654 and 13655. The bridge is a German-made Schaller tune-o-matic, as used on most solid body Gibson guitars of the mid seventies. Kluson machine heads and Gibson speed knobs. The case (see image below) is a fibreglass Gibson 'Protector' case, which came as standard with the L-6S Deluxe in the late seventies, although 1976 and early 1977 price lists only list a faultless (plush) case.

The Gibson logo on the L-6S Deluxe is a decal, and in between 1975 and early 1977 the serial number was a decal too. This is an eight digit number with the first two numbers representing the year. Interestingly, the decal on this guitar has faded considerably, except for the first two digits ('00' representing 1976), underlining the fact that these are separate from the rest of the serial number.

Images courtesey of justgreatguitars.com