# Vintage Gibson LG-2 "Banner" (1942-1946)



## JethroTech (Dec 8, 2015)

This vintage (1942-1946) Gibson LG-2 "Banner" was a recent find. When I arrived at the seller's house the guitar was badly out of tune, the strings were 10 or 15 years old according to the owner and it smelled of nearly 80 years of damp basement. Overall, it was very solid and almost completely original. The tuners and the saddle were replacements but all the original parts were in the case. I plunked my money down and drove it straight across the city to my favourite luthier for a "going over". Andrew repaired a couple of long hairline cracks in the back, re-glued a couple of loose braces and gave it a re-string. It now plays and sounds exactly like it should. 

With it's 1-3/4" nut, baseball bat neck and small body; this guitar checked a lot of boxes for me. It's super responsive with a pick or your fingers and has a chime, sustain and bottom end that you feel right through your chest. I love the lacquer checking on the body and the way the binding has yellowed beautifully over the years. Anyway, I grabbed a coffee and took it and a couple of other guitars for a drive/photo shoot in the country yesterday which, I will highly recommend, is a great way to spend a beautiful fall day. Here are a couple of shots.


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## Strung_Out (Sep 30, 2009)

That's a beauty! And I love the dedication (and idea) of taking a couple guitars for a country drive and photo shoot.


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

Man, that is spectacular!


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## Tom T (May 3, 2016)

Man that is a beauty! Congratulations. Those 40’s LG-2’s are some of my favourite guitars. Yours is pre 46’ - the banner logo was gone in 46, with just the script logo remaining. Enjoy it in good health!


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## gretsch4me (Jun 2, 2018)

Looks like it sounds as good as it looks. Spectacular find. Congrats! 

Sent from my SM-A520W using Tapatalk


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## MS41R8 (Sep 26, 2016)

Amazing !!!!!


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## libtech (May 27, 2008)

Thats a damn nice LG2!


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## JethroTech (Dec 8, 2015)

Strung_Out said:


> That's a beauty! And I love the dedication (and idea) of taking a couple guitars for a country drive and photo shoot.


It really was an awesome way to spend a Sunday morning. I highly recommend.


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## tonewoody (Mar 29, 2017)

Stunning!

The modern version of a valiant knight releasing the fair maiden from the dungeon. 
-
re: "_smelled of nearly 80 years of damp basement_". How did your luthier address that issue? Genuine question.


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## JethroTech (Dec 8, 2015)

tonewoody said:


> Stunning!
> 
> The modern version of a valiant knight releasing the fair maiden from the dungeon.
> -
> re: "_smelled of nearly 80 years of damp basement_". How did your luthier address that issue? Genuine question.


To be honest, it still has a smell to it. Normally I can get the bad smell out of a guitar or case by leaving it in the sun on my patio for a few days. It's amazing what that will do but with the daytime temperatures this time of year hovering around 5C to 8C I'm a little reluctant to leave them out there so it might have to wait until spring to REALLY try and get the smell out.


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## tonewoody (Mar 29, 2017)

JethroTech said:


> To be honest, it still has a smell to it. Normally I can get the bad smell out of a guitar or case by leaving it in the sun on my patio for a few days. It's amazing what that will do but with the daytime temperatures this time of year hovering around 5C to 8C I'm a little reluctant to leave them out there so it might have to wait until spring to REALLY try and get the smell out.


Thanks. I wish there was a quick fix for this issue....


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## Jalexander (Dec 31, 2020)

That’s a beauty. I had a very beat up ‘64 L0 restored. It’s still not much to look at, but it’s an amazing guitar to play. Yours is a whole other level… the ideal small body model and the prime years. I have played a Banner era Gibson and those baseball necks are perfect for the thumpy thumbpicking that guitar is begging you to play on it.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Love teh burst paint job. Congrats, G.


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## MBee (Feb 22, 2021)

What an amazingly clean looking old guitar. Congratulations on a great find!


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