What Was John Denver's "Old Guitar"?

**lawson-stone** · 07-26-2019, 07:43 AM

I was a big John Denver fan as a young man and always loved his song "This Old Guitar." He tells the story of his grandmother giving him a 1910 acoustic Gibson "f-hole" jazz guitar, which was lost for a time, then found again, inspiring the beloved song.

Video exists of him playing something that looks like an L4 or L50 or the like, but nowhere can I find a Gibson guitar made before 1910 that does not have a sound hole.

Does anyone know what John Denver's "old guitar" was? Or is this likely a story partly true, partly romanticized?

Urban legend has it that the guitar was cremated with Denver after his death, but other reports claim the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, AZ has it. IN all this, I have never heard anyone state exactly what model Gibson guitar this was.

Anyone know?

**Greentone** · 07-26-2019, 08:17 AM

Lawson,

As you likely know, the first guitar to feature f-holes was Lloyd Loar's Gibson L5 of 1923-24.

When Denver referred to his...looks like a '35 L50...as built in 1910, that's back when we all used to talk about 1946 Telecasters and things. The histories of luthiery were less settled then.

Again, Denver's guitar looks like a smaller body L50, hence pre-1937.

**lawson-stone** · 07-26-2019, 09:37 AM

Originally Posted by Greentone

Lawson,

As you likely know, the first guitar to feature f-holes was Lloyd Loar's Gibson L5 of 1923-24.

When Denver referred to his...looks like a '35 L50...as built in 1910, that's back when we all used to talk about 1946 Telecasters and things. The histories of luthiery were less settled then.

Again, Denver's guitar looks like a smaller body L50, hence pre-1937.

The funny body shape makes me think a Gibson L47

**oldane** · 07-26-2019, 09:47 AM

It looks lot like my L37 from 1934.

**Greentone** · 07-26-2019, 09:52 AM

Yeah...looks to be a L37 from mid 30s.

**Wildcat** · 07-26-2019, 10:33 AM

According to Wikipedia he got the guitar from his grandmother when he was 11 years old. Denver was born in 1943, so 1954 when he got the guitar. The date on this video was 1974, 20 years later.
I was never a big fan as I was a teenager, 15 years old in 1974, into Deep Purple and Black Sabbath during his popularity. AM was everywhere and didn't find FM rock until early 70s. The AM radio was a constant companion for my mother sitting at the kitchen table.

**sgosnell** · 07-26-2019, 10:54 AM

I listened to AM radio all the time, as did everyone I knew. TV reception wasn't reliable until the mid '60s without a huge antenna on a 100' tower, and then the picture was mostly snow. On the radio we got the Grand Ol' Opry, baseball, all sorts of radio dramas, and later I listened to rock 'n' roll out of Chicago or Tulsa, and the powerful Mexican stations along the Rio Grande. The radio was almost always on. When FM came along, it was as faint as TV, and there wasn't much to hear so few people in our area bothered with it. FM is in the middle of the VHF TV band, and when in the Army we used to tune in local TV stations on our FM radios. I listened to Denver, because he was all over the airwaves for a long time, and unavoidable.

**Wildcat** · 07-26-2019, 11:07 AM

+1

Originally Posted by sgosnell

I listened to AM radio all the time, I listened to Denver, because he was all over the airwaves for a long time, and unavoidable.

**Wildcat** · 07-26-2019, 11:11 AM

My first car out of college was a brand new 1980 silver Ford Pinto station wagon. I had to install a FM converter just below the dashboard.
My girlfriend in college had a Ford Pinto Station wagon. Lots of room. She had a female Great Dane named Katie. Yikes!

**sgosnell** · 07-26-2019, 11:29 AM

Mine was a 1970 Ford Maverick. $2000 out the door, which I thought was a huge amount of money.

**Longways to Go** · 07-26-2019, 05:07 PM

I had a '74 Maverick. I guarantee it was no Mustang.

A couple of days ago a dude rode by in a really sweet '66 Mustang Coupe. Nice restoration with mild rod treatment. I gave him the thumbs up and then he swung around into my driveway to show it off. He said it was going to be his wife's anniversary present -- he was in the process of hiding it in his dad's garage up the block for a few days. Fun moment. I hope his wife likes it, cause really it seems like a fairly solid investment.

If we were talking Chevy's, this discussion would be Nova vs Chevelle -- sort of.

**lawson-stone** · 07-26-2019, 05:30 PM

Way to hijack a thread guys. But I think I got my answer.

**sgosnell** · 07-26-2019, 05:48 PM

Once you release a thread into the wild, it's free, and you no longer own it.

Anyway, sorry for the off-topic stuff. I know nothing about John Denver's guitars.

**cellocolin** · 07-27-2019, 06:30 PM

Originally Posted by lawson-stone

Urban legend has it that the guitar was cremated with Denver after his death, but other reports claim the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, AZ has it. IN all this, I have never heard anyone state exactly what model Gibson guitar this was.

This guitar is, in fact, on display at the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM). It is on loan to the museum from the John Denver Estate.

**Wildcat** · 07-28-2019, 09:16 AM

Sincere apologizes for hijacking your thread. I have been finding a lot of reflection lately about my past. (I maybe forced into early retirement at 62.) But John Denver hit a "button" for myself and some others. Bottomline the guitar appears to be from the 30s, based on knowledgable people, and not 1910 as Denver's grandmother said.

Originally Posted by lawson-stone

Way to hijack a thread guys. But I think I got my answer.

**Greentone** · 07-29-2019, 08:05 PM

Hey, Wildcat. I hope you don't get forced into early retirement--if that's not what you desire. If you do, I hope you find another line of work you enjoy--quickly.

**Wildcat** · 07-29-2019, 09:06 PM

Thank you.
Last August I had 4 months left on a 24 month probation period for the Federal government. The Tuesday before labor day weekend my 38 year old supervisor pulled me into a conference room .5 hour before my quitting time. She fired me. Totally expected. I was 60 at the time. The problem is health care. Never really thought about it much in the past. That medical gap before you get to Medicare is huge.
I like the work I do and I wasn't thinking about retiring alot. So I am going on a year this August. Haven't really had a solid job offer since.
End of September I can sign up for an early retirement with social security. 4 months before my 62. Then in November I can sign up with Obamacare.

Originally Posted by Greentone

Hey, Wildcat. I hope you don't get forced into early retirement--if that's not what you desire. If you do, I hope you find another line of work you enjoy--quickly.