Gibson launched another important model in 1934, a new version of it’s L-5 archtop. It now had a 17-inch body.

As rivalry between archtop manufacturers grew more intense, the hunt was one for additional features that could increase market share. One such innovation was the cutaway body, invented by Gibson, and introduced as an option of the L-5 and Super 400 models in 1939.

As a contemporary ad explained, this “Gibson First” provided scope for “more notes, more chords, [and] faster, smoother runs”. The concept proved extremely successful, and cutaway models were soon outselling conventional archtops.

Other companies were soon offering cutaway models of their own.