Gibson L-48 With Pickup And Hard Case – Used Gibson Acoustic

This guitar is in Very Good condition, with players wear.  Overall a solid guitar.

This 1951 Gibson L-48 has remained in excellent cosmetic condition over the last 66 years. It is an all-mahogany flatwound-strung full hollow guitar, with an incredibly comfortable V-neck profile. This guitar has a rich heritage and history provided by the son of the guitar’s original owner.

History:

History provided in excellent detail by the guitar’s former owner:

This beautiful guitar was purchased new by Wilbert H. Upton, originally from Tilson, NY – where he was born in a farmhouse on October 17, 1917. Mr. Upton was an accomplished guitarist and had his own country band, the Novelettes, that played in taverns in upstate New York prior to the World War II. Music carried down in his family; his grandfather was first violinist in the New York Metropolitan Opera.

Mr. Upton always wanted to own a new Gibson guitar and saved up to purchase one during the 1950s. He was always requested to bring his guitar with him when invited over to friend’s parties, and one of those friends was legendary drummer, Gene Krupa, who lived at the time in Yonkers, NY.

Mr. Upton grew up in the depression and enlisted in the U.S. Army prior to WWII. He became a Sergeant in the Army 1st Division artillery. He was part of the invasion of North Africa, Sicily, and Normandy. During his service, he earned two Bronze Stars for heroism. After the war he worked as an engineer for the Bendix Corp. in Teterboro, NJ, where he helped develop auto pilot systems for the U.S. Air Force. He later worked on the guidance systems for NASA’s Apollo program that landed the first men on the moon.

Mr. Upton lived to the age of 93, and always had a great sense of humor and a million stories to tell. He is survived by his son, Robert, who is selling this guitar with the hope that someone will appreciate the quality of this guitar and the incredible history that goes behind it by the man who owned it.