This is a fantastic playing and sounding example of a early "Advanced" 17 inch Gibson archtop guitar. In the Gibson lineup, the L-12 was just below the flagship L-5. In 1935, they increased the size of their archtops across the board to compete with Epiphone and keep up with the demand for louder guitars to be used in a big band context. These early examples were X braced which gives them a more delicate, refined tone that works wonderfully with a softer touch or even fingerstyle. In 1939, Gibson changed from X bracing to parallel bracing on their archtops. It has a unique dry, woody tone that can't be replicated by any modern instrument.   Structurally, the instrument is in excellent condition with no cracks on the top or back. The sides show a few minor repairs, and the pickguard has two plugged holes. The neck angle is perfect and the neck was recently refretted so it plays easily without buzzing. There is a very old light overspray on the body which can be removed if desired since it has not bonded with the original nitrocellulose underneath. It comes in a beautiful tweed Geib case that is worth quite a bit on its own. All in all, this an inspiring package for the player looking for the early jazz/western swing sound with modern playability.