-
I have an Aria L5 copy that seems to be solid wood, no laminate? Seems like different woods than the Gibsons I see, they all look like spruce tops, not sure what this is made of but the inside grain matches to outside. Beautiful and loud.
-
03-10-2013 02:16 AM
-
Eastman guitars are very nice but I don't believe they make anything modeled after an L5.
Originally Posted by Single-coil
-
If it was good enough for Bireli, then I guess it's a pretty decent L5 copy. Originally Posted by helios
I've been checking Ebay regularly for that guitar but I've never seen one. Too bad Yamaha discontinued it
-
Golden Eagle all the way. It's not an L5 copy, it's an L5 with a bunch of different appointments.
-
Heritage guitars: much less expensive - definitely !
I remember that comparison you're referencing. You posted close up photos of comparisons of two guitars. In your assessment, based upon the comparison of only those two guitars, do you really believe that "One shouldn't expect a Golden Eagle to be constructed with the same quality as an L5?? Seems like a very broad generalization to me. You've been playing L5CES' since 1959, and they were all perfectly flawless and had superlative tone? That's amazing! How many Golden Eagles have you actually sampled?One shouldn't expect the Golden Eagle to be constructed with the same quality as an L-5 and it isn't. I posted close-up photos that noted some of the differences in workmanship.
I've played many of each. I've owned Two L5CES' and one L5 Wes. I have since sold one of the L5CES' . . a 1969, which was somewhat of an exception due to the laminated back. I still own a 1994 L5CES (which is just about as perfect as a guitar can be) and the Wes. I had to go through 4 other L5 Wes' before I found one that wasn't a turd. The one I have now is a great guitar. But, it's not a bit better than any of the Golden Eagles I've owned . . and not nearly as good as two of them in particular. I currently own three Golden Eagles. Their all absolute winners, and I would put their quality of construction and fit and finish up against any L5CES. Tonality is something that I wouldn't care to debate you on, because it's so subjective. However, I did own an L4CES, with a mahogany back. It sounded nothing at all like any Golden Eagle I've ever played.
I too am "a Gibson guy" as you said that you are. That's why I own 7 of them, including the two L5s. However, you'd be very hard pressed to get me to understand or agree with the broad generalization of your comments. I will however say this . . . the L5s are definitely more consistent in their dimensions. Everyone of them is going to measure 17" X 3-3/8" X 21". You'll find Golden Eagles to be anywhere from 17" to 16-3/4" wide . . 3-1/4" to 2-3/4" deep . . and 20-1/4" 20-1/2" long
Please do not think that I am taking a defensive position here because I am affiliated with Heritage. Also, please do not think that I feel you are bashing Heritage. Not at all. I just think that you are basing your opinion on a very small sampling of Heritage Golden Eagles.
There were some people, in another forum . . . else where . . who would also take issue when I pointed out the exact same thing, in reverse. . . when there were opinions stated that Golden Eagles are better than L5s. When you have two models of guitars, that are built to the levels of quality of a Gibson L5 and a Heritage Golden Eagle . . . one can and should only compare individual guitars against each other. Not the entire brand and model offering. I have no doubt that there could be times that a certain and individual Heritage GE will show fewer signs of shoddy workmanship and have better tonality, both acoustically and amplified than a certain and individual L5 might . . . . and I also believe the opposite to be true as well. But, you can't judge the entire offering of either brand based upon such isolated tests and comparisons as the one you did.Last edited by Patrick2; 03-11-2013 at 08:34 AM.
-
The Yamaha AE1200s does a pretty good job; it's a solid top, but probably pressed or machine carved rather than hand-carved. Laminate back and sides I'd guess. A friend who replaced his long-loved ES175 with a Gibson custom shop L5 was pretty sick when he compared it to my Yamaha mainly because the L5 neck felt too big and also the tone from the Yamaha was more mellow, I guess this was probably because the Yamaha was 30 years old and his L5 still needed to be played in. Plus of course his L5 cost maybe 7 times more than I paid for the Yamaha.
-
excellent archtops they are. I've owned 4 of them. no better buy exists for an archtop if you're fortunate to buy it right. Recent going rates for them has almost doubled from just 2 years ago. Originally Posted by sunnysideup
-
I went ahead and bought the Gibson myself .. actually 2 ... one L5CES blonde and an L5WES sunburst
Both are great guitars ... I'm sure some folks at TGP would find all kinds of problems with them and tell me they suck .. but I like them
That said ... the Yamahas and other Japanese L5 copies can be really nice
The Heritage Golden Eagle can be a great guitar and then there's Campellone and few other luthiers that can beat Gibson's prices and deliver high quality
All depends on what one is after
These guitars all have their own voice IMHO and should be judged individually ... even teh best makers don't hit a home run every time and some of the cheaper copies can be very nice
-
Agreed, no-one's in any doubt about the quality of the classic US archtops, but the days of the the dominance of the big 3 Gs are well and truly over. In Europe in particular they are so unbelievably over-priced, especially Gibson.
Borntobop you might appreciate this one, it's an Ibanez similar to yours, nobody could figure out what the model was, it was possibly a prototype, made in 79 I think. A previous owner put the George Benson bits on. I never had a chance really to play it much before the big sell off a couple of years ago; it always reminded me of Johnny Smith, the Yamaha was pure Wes. It's appeared on this and/or the Ibanez site before via the previous owner. Lousy photo this time ...
-
Gorgeous Ibby! The bridge base side markers suggest a model 2471 with swapped tuners and tailpiece. Essentially like a 2460 without pups. The new headstock script suggests a possible
early 80s. I've seen plenty of 2471's originally acoustic that had JS style floaters. Considering they were laminate its surprising they weren't issued with pups. I'm searching for another 2460 but this time in sunburst. These Ibby L5 knockoffs are great players.
-
Well, I can tell you all for certain who "made" the best L5 copy (at least, the best I've ever seen and better than most Gibson L5s I've ever seen) . . . . but, I won't. I'm "sworn to secrecy" . . . as it were. However, I will say this . . . if one would put this particular copy . . . (also read as unauthorized replica) . . . side by side in a visual and tonal (blind) taste test . . . they'd more than likely be very surprised by the outcome. This was not something that was done for monetary gain. When the guitar was completed, it was given to its current owner (free of charge), who will keep it for life as a commoration to his love for the builder and to the builder's skills and talents.
Shame on me . . . because, I've already said more than I should . . . . but, this particular example of the L5C was one of the best L5Cs I've ever seen or played.
-
I lived in Europe for a while and understand the pricing issues there. Thanks to the ever present VAT, even the European/UK made products I looked into while living there were the same price there as I would pay stateside. Originally Posted by sunnysideup
Street price on the Gibsons in the US are still intimidating, but they are at least competitive with a blinged out Campellone or similar custom build and significantly cheaper than a Collings AT-17, Monteleone, or top of the line Benedetto. The stateside MSRP may be $14K US on an L5, but the dealers can sell them at $8500 and still make about the same amount of profit as they would selling an LP standard at full MSRP.
-
Heritage Eagle?
-
Actually, it's the Heritage Eagle Classic that best matches up with an L5CES. Originally Posted by TSP
-
I would love to have an L-5...
Even if I had the money, given the spotty quality of Gibsons these days, I would have a hard time shelling out that much money without spending some quality time with the guitar before the purchase.
Any advice on a cheaper alternative?
I've been looking at this,
Ibanez Artstar Series AF255BM Hollowbody Electric Guitar Blue Lagoon | Guitar Center
Then, there's the Epiphone Broadway.
I find the Ibanez more attractive than the Broadway. (I like blue guitars)_
Seems like some manufacturer would pounce on the demand for a less expensive L-5.
-
Well the Ibanez is less than 16" wide and 24-3/4 scale. An L-5 is about 17" and 25-1/2 scale. So if you want a similar feel, that wouldn't be it.
Last edited by Woody Sound; 02-18-2014 at 04:34 PM.
-
That's why I like to ask knowledgable people for advice. Thank you for the info. I've never played an L5 but I love the sound from the youtube clips I've seen. I have an Eastman T185 and a Gibson ES137.
I prefer the shorter scale.
-
Buy an Ibanez model 2460...a knock-off "lawsuit" style archtop...they come up on feebay occasionaly. Also the Aria Pro 1000C, the Greco Johnny Smith, the Aria Pro II PE180, the Epi Emperor early 80's vintage...there's one of these on the forum for sale pages as we speak...great buy, and they don't appear often. Word is the top on the Epi is solid spruce...all the others above are laminated spruce...great L5 type tone though, in my experience.
2b of course would simply purchase a used Heritage Golden Eagle if I had a budget $2500-$3k....keep an eye on the Heritage Owners Club forum used sale pages, as they'll appear occasionally...and feebay.
-
2Bop, wouldn't you recommend the Cremona as a viable alternative?
-
For sure...but finding a used Cremona is not so EZ. I lucked out and find both a 16" and 17", but each of those were fluke finds...John Reynolds Golden Fretted in NJ has one on consignment for $17-ish...who knows what kind of discount may be had on that one...surely a great jazz archtop...but without the L5 look-alike features of the others I mentioned. Originally Posted by ESCC
-
I would stay away from those Ibanez "lawsuit" guitars. Those ibanez L5 clones are not very good and command tremendous $$$. They sound nothing like an L5 and are not made as well as the George Benson (and other) premium archtops they began making in late '78 and beyond. Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
I actually think you can get very L5-ish tones out of a 24.75" scale guitar and even laminates such as the Ibanez GB200, Guild X-500, etc.
The Heritage Eagle classic too is the best L5 clone IMO. I have a heritage eagle classic thinline and it's very L5-ish but doesn't have the dynamic range of a thicker guitar. The thicker heritage eagle classics sound like L5s.
Here's a clip of mine:
Last edited by jzucker; 02-18-2014 at 07:08 PM.
-
Nice playing!!! Thanks for the replies.
I do like the shorter scale and that soft venetian cutaway. I don't mind buying used and my budget right now is $2000.00
If I can sell my Gibson Firebird, I'll have another $1100.00 in my budget.
-
I have a Ibanez AFS85 that I've played a few hundred gigs with and I am partial to Ibanez hollowbody guitars. They have a AF200 model that sells for around $2300.00 I wouldn't mind finding one of those used.
-
you should be able to find a GB 200 for around $2-2.5k and it'll do a really nice L5 impression but with the short scale. The heritage eagle classic is a better choice and I sold one for $2200 a few years back but you rarely see them for that anymore.
There's one on reverb.com for $3200 with a floating pickup
-
I like Jack's suggestions of the Ibanez and Guild models. I think the GB200 is a really nice sounding guitar. I have Benson's "Absolutely Live" DVD (see YouTube,too) and I really like the sound with that guitar. What I thought was kind of interesting on that DVD is that on all the tunes that are strictly instrumental he opts for the GB200 over the GB10.
I have a Guild X-175 from the 70s and tonally it sits in that zone between an ES-175 and an L-5. An X-500 with its maple neck and ebony FB would get you closer.
Since you like Ibanez guitars why not check out the new Ibanez LGB30? I can't tell very much from the YouTube's of this model, but it might be something to consider.
Reply With Quote
Melody between melody
Today, 03:25 AM in Chord-Melody