Nick Lucas was one of the most popular American entertainers in the world in the 1920s. Known as The Crooning Troubadour, he performed on the vaudeville circuit, played solo and also played jazz with big bands, played command performances for European royalty, and was among the very first musicians to play and record guitar solos. He was also one of the first radio stars to perform with a guitar, and his recordings influenced the likes of Merle Travis. Today, his artistry is recognized as contributing to the popularity of the guitar, which is perfect for vocal accompaniment and an excellent solo instrument. Frank Campbell, Gibson’s General Sales Manager at the time, approached Lucas and tried to convince him to switch to playing Gibson guitars. Lucas said he would–if Gibson would build one to his specifications, and Gibson readily agreed. The result was the Nick Lucas Special, which was introduced in 1926 and was Gibson’s first artist signature model. One of the things that Lucas requested was a compact but deeper body for better bass response. The Nick Lucas Special went through a range of variations in body woods, bridges, and other features, but they all had a deeper body in common, which contributes to the model’s unique voice, which is rich and surprisingly full and complex for a small-bodied instrument.
Now, Gibson Custom is proud to introduce the 1929 Nick Lucas Special Light Aged. Based on those early artist models, the mahogany body has a similar shape as the Gibson L-00, but it is significantly deeper, with an approximate 4.082” body depth at the head and 4.52” depth at the tail. The bound body features multi-ply top binding with gold sparkle and multi-ply back binding. The top is thermally aged red spruce, and the L-2 style rosette also features gold sparkle, which is one of the visual hallmarks of the Nick Lucas Special. The mahogany neck joins the body at the 12th fret and has a C-shaped profile. The bound rosewood fretboard is equipped with 20 frets and is adorned with mother-of-pearl Nick Lucas inlays with engraved details. Gold Waverly tuners with ivoroid oval buttons are installed on the headstock, which also features a vintage-style “The Gibson” logo in mother-of-pearl. The rosewood rectangular open slot bridge has a bone saddle, and the nut and bridge pins are also bone. The Argentine Grey finish features Light Aging from the artisans of the Murphy Lab. The Murphy Lab Light Aged finish treatment, paired with lightly aged hardware, simulates decades of light play wear, giving it the unique character, vibe, and feel of an original example from the Gibson Golden Era. The 1929 Nick Lucas Special Light Aged comes packed in a red line-style hardshell case. Here’s your opportunity to own one of the most distinctive-sounding acoustic guitars that Gibson has ever produced–a small-bodied masterpiece with serious depth and a big sound to match.
