Well-known guitarists who used a Gibson L-5S?

[Bob_Ross]

Personal fetish of mine: I happen to really dig the Gibson L-5S solidbody guitar that was produced circa 1973





...but I almost never encounter any well-known guitarists who used them, other than:

- Pat Martino
- Paul Simon
- Mark Farner
- Keith Richards
- John McLaughlin
- Kerry Livgren
- Dick Wagner
- Billy Butler

(full disclosure: ...and it took me a ton of research just to come up with all of ^^^those names!)

Anybody else play these guitars?

[AllanAllen]

Both Keith Richards and Ronnie Woods used them.

[Gilpy]

There weren’t many made, they were expensive, and not everybody likes all that bling.
I love mine. Great guitar!

People come up to me at gigs and say “what kind of Les Paul is that?”

[jads57]

Sure wish they didn’t weigh more than a Les Paul! Beautiful Guitars and love the long scale length as well.

[John A.]

IIRC, Jorma Kaukonen used one for a while.

Not a particularly well known name, but a great NYC player named Steve Bloom plays one:

[Midnight Blues]

I'm not sure for how long, but Randy Rhodes had one and for some reason, it seems like I'd seen Jan Akkerman and Steve Miller with one too.

My wife and I were in Nashville in November and I saw a couple of nice ones at Ghrun Guitars.

[ThatRhythmMan]

Both Keith Richards and Ronnie Woods used them.

They didn’t make a lot of them, but Wood also had a signature L5S.

Access to this page has been denied


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rpjazzguitar]

One thing about them is that the pickup is not over the 24th fret node. That's because the fingerboard has a pointy end where the node is. So, some people say that the guitar doesn't sound as good as it would if the pickup was in the "right" place.

I can see why that would affect open strings, but not fretted notes. Maybe somebody can explain that?

The guitar is also pretty bright, supposedly because of the maple construction.

The only jazz player I know to use it was Pat Martino. I understood that he liked it because it could handle the very heavy strings he used. I don't know for sure if that's true.

Paul Simon played a black one in One Trick Pony. I don't know if he used it in his live shows.

I went in that direction because I found it physically comfortable to hold and very nice looking.

BTW, the early ones, even after the low impedance pu's were discontinued, had trapeze tailpieces. Later, they went to stud. I preferred the trapeze.

[AllanAllen]

They didn’t make a lot of them, but Wood also had a signature L5S.

Access to this page has been denied


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I played one of them at Chicago Music Exchange, it was really nice, but heavy.

[Bob_Ross]

One thing about them is that the pickup is not over the 24th fret node. That's because the fingerboard has a pointy end where the node is. So, some people say that the guitar doesn't sound as good as it would if the pickup was in the "right" place.

I can see why that would affect open strings, but not fretted notes. Maybe somebody can explain that?

I've had this discussion a lot, though usually in the context of describing the sonic difference between Paul Reed Smith's 22 vs 24 fret models. On those PRS guitars the scale length is the same, so on the 24 fret guitars they have to move the neck pickup rearward so that it is no longer directly under the 24th fret octave node.

What this does to every note on the fingerboard, regardless of whether it's fretted or open, is change the absolute distance -- as well as the relative distance (relative to any other notes on the fingerboard) -- from where you stop that note to the pickup polepiece. In the same way that changing the location of where you would pluck a string (even by a small amount) alters the timbre of any note on the fingerboard, so too does changing the location of where on the vibrating string length the pickup is sensing the movement.

[John A.]

One thing about them is that the pickup is not over the 24th fret node. That's because the fingerboard has a pointy end where the node is. So, some people say that the guitar doesn't sound as good as it would if the pickup was in the "right" place.

I can see why that would affect open strings, but not fretted notes. Maybe somebody can explain that?

It has nothing to do with the 24th fret node per se. It's because the further back toward the bridge you position a pickup the brighter it gets. A 175 (20 frets), LP (22 frets), 335 (22 Frets) and L5CES (20 Frets + the pointy thing) all have the same neck pickup position. An L5S has 22 frets + the pointy thing, which pushes the pickup further back toward the bridge, about the same spot as on a 24-fret guitar or an SG (which needs to have the pick routing further back because of the way the neck is attached to the body). It results in a somewhat more scooped/ less mid-rangey tone than if it were in the same spot as an L5CES. Now look at pictures of the Ron Wood signature L5S -- no pointy thing, and the neck pickup is in the same spot as on a LP (note spacing between the pickups, which is different from a "real" L5S).

The guitar is also pretty bright, supposedly because of the maple construction.

And the pickup position

The only jazz player I know to use it was Pat Martino. I understood that he liked it because it could handle the very heavy strings he used. I don't know for sure if that's true.

Possibly, though his Gibson signature model is the same shape as an L5S, so maybe he just liked the shape.

[Gilpy]

Guitar players love to theorize about why guitars sound the way they do. But as much as we like to generalize, guitars are individuals, like people.

“The L-5s is heavy”. Some are, mine is exactly 8lbs.

“They’re maple and ebony, so bright sounding”. I think it’s more that the notes sound cleaner and more defined. More so than a Les Paul, less bright than a Tele (a guitar that so many jazzers love)

”The neck pickup is not in the optimum position “. The polepieces on my L-5s are only 5/8” away from the 24th fret position. If you can hear the difference, I wish I had your ears. My guitar has a really nice neck pickup tone.

I think cost, limited availability and personal taste have more to do with the L-5s’ lack of popularity. They’re so uncommon that most guitarists will never have the opportunity to try one. Hence the theorizing.

[rpjazzguitar]

I appreciate all the comments. Live and learn.

[Danny W.]

Rather than repost my L-5S comments:

L5-S Frankenstein

Post #15

Danny W.

[Skip Ellis]

Pete Mitchell was using one with Ernest Tubb when we opened for them in the late 70s

[Bob_Ross]

Rather than repost my L-5S comments:

"About the same time I was driving past a music store in Allston, MA and saw what looked like a dark sunburst L-5S hanging in the window."

Mister Music on Harvard Ave?

[daveg]

Kevin Peak of SKY used two in concerts. There is YouTube footage showing both on stage. He used the two pu almost exclusively and the three pu as a spare. It is the only three pu version I have ever seen and can be seen briefly at the end of this video.

Mine was a beautifully made example with hi-impedance pu's but was unfortunately neck heavy which is a common complaint.

DG

[AllanAllen]

“The L-5s is heavy”. Some are, mine is exactly 8lbs.

To me, 8lbs is a heavy guitar.