Vintage 1938 Gibson L-5 Sunburst Archtop Guitar With OHSC - Frank Ovanin Collection

Here at Truetone Music, we are fortunate enough to see a lot of interesting instruments coming in through the door.  Every now and then, some have quite the backstory.  That's what we have here - a trio of instruments that belonged to The Banjo Man.

Born in 1914 in Cleveland, Frank Ovanin quickly fell in love with music and learned to play the banjo.  By age 12, he was playing live to help support his family.  After high school, he started touring the country and started to gain notoriety as a banjo player.  By the 1930's, he transitioned to the guitar, mandolin, stand-up bass, violin and virtually anything else with strings.  This led to a variety of gigs, including with the Tell-Tone Trio night right here in Santa Monica!  Throughout the next few decades, Ovanin embarked on a successful recording career, countless TV appearances, and stints in Las Vegas.  This led to playing with legends such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Milton Berle and Sammy Davis Jr.  Over the years, he released several albums, including the Banjo Party, which is still in circulation today.  Thus, to this day, Frank Ovanin is known as "The Banjo Man".

Be sure to check out the photos we've included in this listing, to see him and these instruments, including some with the stars mentioned.  (photos supplied by his family)

Frank Ovanin played a variety of instruments, but only owned a few in his time - he did not have a vast collection.  He kept what he had, and when he passed away in 2002, the instruments went to his family, eventually being inherited by his granddaughter, which is how they ended up here.  Now, for the first time, they are available to be played again.

We are excited to present this vintage Gibson L-5.  Built in 1938, this was Frank Ovanin's main guitar his entire career.  It was recorded on multiple albums and played on-stage for countless performances, including with some of the biggest stars of the day. That in itself makes it special, but regardless of the association, it's a relatively rare and incredible vintage guitar.

Originally introduced in 1923 by Gibson, then of Kalamazoo, Michigan, it was one of the first guitars to feature f-holes.  The L-5 was designed under the direction of acoustical engineer and designer Lloyd Loar, and considered Gibson's premier guitar during the big band era.  The carving, bracing and tap-tuning processes involved in building the L-5 are similar to those used for a cello.  It featured an archtop body composed of maple for the back & sides and spruce for the top, along with a maple neck capped by an ebony fretboard.  Early models were produced with a 16" lower bout width. From its introduction until the 1940s, the L-5 came in different configurations (all strictly acoustic).  Starting in 1935, the L-5 was produced with a 17" body, which became the standard.  That's what we have here.

It's a rare bird - according to Gibson's records and guitar historian André Duchossoir, only 146 of this version were made in 1938. 

The L-5 has for multiple generations been seen in the hands of many performers. Think Scotty Moore with Elvis, Wes Montgomery and Maybelle Carter.  Let's not forget something iconic: Howard Roberts used his L-5 to record the opening bars of the iconic theme for The Twilight Zone.  And, here we have Frank Ovanin's L-5, which has its own history.

The tone of this guitar is incredible.  Warm, articulate and dynamic, it's exactly what you'd want out of an L-5.  As soon as we started checking it out, we noticed a few things: the bottom end is really tight and controlled, the guitar has a very smooth midrange, and best of all, there is a clear, bell-like treble on the top end that helps lead work sing.  It being a big body, you get the projection you want, but the maple keeps it bright and cutting, so it never gets muddy.  It's very well balanced across the tonal spectrum.  This guitar has a great clear sound that any player will be impressed by.

We believe this vintage Gibson L-5 to be all original other than a few parts.  First, the tuners - they were converted to Waverly's many years ago.  Second, the truss rod cover - it was replaced by a custom one that reads "Frank Ovanin".  Other than that, everything appears to be original.  That's something you don't see very often when it comes to something built nearly 90 years ago.  We do question the pickguard, as it is accurate but quite clean, so we can't say for sure. 

The original hardshell case is included. Considering how much it traveled over decades, it's impressive that the case is intact.  More so, we were amazed at how good of shape the guitar itself is in.  While it does have wear, it's minimal, considering its age.  We'd rate the condition as excellent.  The guitar has the original finish that has stayed rather clean over the years, and aged quite nicely - there's a great vintage patina on this one.  It has been fully vetted and setup by the tech in our shop that really knows these instruments, and is ready to go.  

It's a rare find to come across a vintage, pre-war Gibson L-5 like this, especially one with such a history.  It's a one-time opportunity to be the next owner of the Banjo Man's guitar.