Gibson L-5 Alternatives

[lawson-stone]

If you hunt you can find a really nice Aria Pro II PE180, made in the 70's by Matsumoku. They came out under other brand names too, like Bradley. Very nice guitars. Laminate bodies dimensionally like L5ces, neck and headstock inspired by the Super 400. Ibanez also made a near exact clone of the L5ces.

Here's my Aria Pro II PE180.

[DMgolf66]

If you hunt you can find a really nice Aria Pro II PE180, made in the 70's by Matsumoku. They came out under other brand names too, like Bradley. Very nice guitars. Laminate bodies dimensionally like L5ces, neck and headstock inspired by the Super 400. Ibanez also made a near exact clone of the L5ces.

Here's my Aria Pro II PE180.

I actually have the version of this guitar for sale, but made under the name Navigator. Has silver hardware instead of gold. Everyone seems to really dig them.

[Hammertone]

...Many Archtop guitars sound "too acoustic" (incl. Campellone), but the Heritages sound similar warm as L5 but with a different touch. I love acoustic guitars (have 2 of them), but exactly because of this I am searching for a very different sound.

Many Campellones have been made as purpose-built electric guitars - fully carved, but with set-in pickups and fairly muted acoustic characteristics, remarkably similar to what Gibson has done with most of its L-5WES and L-5CES models over the past few decades.

[Archie]

This is going for likely well under £1000 if you don't mind the damage.

1979 Aria Pro II L1000 L 1000 L-1000 L5 Archtop + Case | eBay

Bit heavy and doesn't have a solid top but you'll get your money back when you've got the funds for an L5.

You could try for an Yamahas AE1200

Message this guy and offer him £1100. He's a reseller though so likely won't have the margins to accept.

Yamaha AE1200s Archtop guitar 1988 Very good condition PICS & VIDEO ADDED | eBay

These Guild De'Armond's are some of the better stuff to come out of Korea.

DeArmond De Armond X155 By Guild | eBay

Bare in mind the above are quintessential budget L5 Copies. Quite heavy and dull sounding. They sound good plugged in but not very good unplugged.

You could always spring for an Eastman or Peerless but I've never enjoyed them personally.

2005 Eastman AR905CE Uptown Electric Archtop Guitar | eBay

If you can stretch to £1500 I've got an Ibanez GB-20 you can have.
I've also got an American Guild SF3, which is around £1200 but not really an L5 substitute.

Drop me a PM if you're interested. I was gonna put them up for sale soon.

[gitman]

Vintage! 1986 Heritage Eagle Archtop Jazzbox Sunburst + | Reverb

I've seen these go for under 2 Grand which can't be beat. All solid woods, the right/classic dimensions, clean looks -
Alternative : the Guild X-500 (pressed wood but still with a solid top)
The japanese models by Aria, Yamaha etc. are all plywood, most of them pretty heavy and so they just lack some the dynamic
range and response a lot of players want. When you're playing bebop in a loud-ish group that won't be such an issue but when you want to hear all the little nuances of your chords and lines, the difference between the attack of a heavy pick and your fingertips etc. then you want a guitar that can translate all of that. It pays off to wait, save up and learn as much as you can in the meantime...

[fasteddie]

Check out a Heritage Golden Eagle.

+1 on Heritage Golden Eagle. I have one. Fantastic guitar, and built in the original Gibson factory.

[brad4d8]

Vintage! 1986 Heritage Eagle Archtop Jazzbox Sunburst + | Reverb

Guild X-500 (pressed wood but still with a solid top)

X-500 top is laminated, X-700 and A-350, A-500 and Artist Award are solid, and,IIRC, carved. A models were originally totally acoustic, suspended p/u may have been an option.

[brad4d8]

Vintage! 1986 Heritage Eagle Archtop Jazzbox Sunburst + | Reverb

Guild X-500 (pressed wood but still with a solid top)

X-500 top is laminated, X-700 and A-350, A-500 and Artist Award are solid, and,IIRC, carved. A models were originally totally acoustic, suspended p/u may have been an option. X models were their electric counterpart with laminate tops.

[garybaldy]

This is going for likely well under £1000 if you don't mind the damage.

1979 Aria Pro II L1000 L 1000 L-1000 L5 Archtop + Case | eBay

Bit heavy and doesn't have a solid top but you'll get your money back when you've got the funds for an L5.

You could try for an Yamahas AE1200

Message this guy and offer him £1100. He's a reseller though so likely won't have the margins to accept.

Yamaha AE1200s Archtop guitar 1988 Very good condition PICS & VIDEO ADDED | eBay

These Guild De'Armond's are some of the better stuff to come out of Korea.

DeArmond De Armond X155 By Guild | eBay

Bare in mind the above are quintessential budget L5 Copies. Quite heavy and dull sounding. They sound good plugged in but not very good unplugged.

You could always spring for an Eastman or Peerless but I've never enjoyed them personally.

2005 Eastman AR905CE Uptown Electric Archtop Guitar | eBay

If you can stretch to £1500 I've got an Ibanez GB-20 you can have.
I've also got an American Guild SF3, which is around £1200 but not really an L5 substitute.

Drop me a PM if you're interested. I was gonna put them up for sale soon.

I was going for that Yamaha as the seller is half hour drive from me. Was hoping to get the price down (he did drop a bit) and then thought I'm struggling more with a 251/2" scale guitar. Would have been a nice thing to have though.
ps I was also watching the Aria - seemed a lowish price even with the binding issue.

[garybaldy]

This is going for likely well under £1000 if you don't mind the damage.

1979 Aria Pro II L1000 L 1000 L-1000 L5 Archtop + Case | eBay

Bit heavy and doesn't have a solid top but you'll get your money back when you've got the funds for an L5.

You could try for an Yamahas AE1200

Message this guy and offer him £1100. He's a reseller though so likely won't have the margins to accept.

Yamaha AE1200s Archtop guitar 1988 Very good condition PICS & VIDEO ADDED | eBay

These Guild De'Armond's are some of the better stuff to come out of Korea.

DeArmond De Armond X155 By Guild | eBay

Bare in mind the above are quintessential budget L5 Copies. Quite heavy and dull sounding. They sound good plugged in but not very good unplugged.

You could always spring for an Eastman or Peerless but I've never enjoyed them personally.

2005 Eastman AR905CE Uptown Electric Archtop Guitar | eBay

If you can stretch to £1500 I've got an Ibanez GB-20 you can have.
I've also got an American Guild SF3, which is around £1200 but not really an L5 substitute.

Drop me a PM if you're interested. I was gonna put them up for sale soon.

Ref the Yamaha, the offer price to me was not close to £1100 and that was even if I collected.
It's relisted at £1450. He's in no rush.

[lawson-stone]

Here is a side-by-side of 3 17" archtops: L5ces, Aria Pro II PE180, and Epiphone Broadway. All 17", all 25.5" scale, all 2 humbuckers, the Aria and Epiphone are laminates and the Ephiphone is a bit shallower rim than the other two. All guitars are stock except the Epiphone has a Steward MacDonald Parson Street Golden Age pickup.

[Rob MacKillop]

Great video, Lawson. I actually liked the Aria most of all.

[thelostboss]

Way back down-thread somebody mentioned the Ibanez SJ500. This was replaced by the SJ300, which I have, I would be interested in others feelings/thoughts about these. I really enjoy it but don't really know enough to give an informed opinion.

Cheers

[lawson-stone]

Great video, Lawson. I actually liked the Aria most of all.

It seems like a move toward a Tal Farlow sort of vibe. I adore that guitar.


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