Gibson L-5 Studio thoughts and pricing

[Maxiumburn]

You asked about a studio L5 and I told you what I thought.
If you don't like it tough. Music is not taste is not for analysis.

[Maxiumburn]

"Musical taste is not for analysis."

[Hammertone]

I prefer unadorned to heavily adorned archtops - minimal binding, purfling, inlay and so forth. Having owned and played L-5 Studio, L-5CES, L-5WES, L-5C, L-7, L-12 and L-7C guitars over the years, I personally like the look of the L-5 Studio. I'd like it more if there were no fingerboard dots.

De gustibus non disputandum est.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

I prefer unadorned to heavily adorned archtops - minimal binding, purfling, inlay and so forth. Having owned and played L-5 Studio, L-5CES, L-5WES, L-5C, L-7, L-12 and L-7C guitars over the years, I personally like the look of the L-5 Studio. I'd like it more if there were no fingerboard dots.

De gustibus non disputandum est.

Is that Latin for I'm jonesing for a Sadowsky Jim Hall?

[Hammertone]

Well played.

Roger has some good-looking laminated archtops built for him in Japan.

He's doing great work, but I prefer the sound of carved spruce archtops and I find his archtops on the expensive side.

[Patrick2]

Well played.

Roger has some good-looking laminated archtops built for him in Japan.

He's doing great work, but I prefer the sound of carved spruce archtops and I find his archtops on the expensive side.

Hey Stephen!! Speaking of good looking arch tops . . . how's that big beautiful blond Super Eagle acoustic doing?? I'm going up to the plant in K'zoo week of Sept 19th. Want anything "special"?

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Hmm... Forget the price, I think you'd like these carved archtop from Peter Hopkins:

[Little Jay]

Sometimes I realy don't understand Gibson... my ES-333 is about the same story as the L5 Studio: it's a less fancy ES-335, plays like an ES-335 and sounds like an ES-335 and actually looks just like an ES-335 (just no crown-inlay and MOP-logo on the headstock), but I couldn't even buy half an ES-335 with what I paid for it!Maybe sometimes, every now and then, Gibson does care for people who don't have that amount of cash or don't want to spend so much much money for a gigging guitar...? Or they are just teasing us, showing they can make great guitars for less money, but quickly stop production of those models after a short period........

[SamBooka]

Sometimes I realy don't understand Gibson... my ES-333 is about the same story as the L5 Studio: it's a less fancy ES-335, plays like an ES-335 and sounds like an ES-335 and actually looks just like an ES-335 (just no crown-inlay and MOP-logo on the headstock), but I couldn't even buy half an ES-335 with what I paid for it!Maybe sometimes, every now and then, Gibson does care for people who don't have that amount of cash or don't want to spend so much much money for a gigging guitar...? Or they are just teasing us, showing they can make great guitars for less money, but quickly stop production of those models after a short period........

Same story with my ES165.
A 175 with crappy hardware and only one pickup (which I prefer anyway).
Used about 500-700 cheaper than a 175 (them bridge pickups are expensive).

[stevedenver]

that red hopkins has IT! what a beauty-and for 10K it should be

ps didnt bid high enough on the studio-made up my mind as to what would be a price at which i would love that guitar



approaching 3k and the guitar menu opens up a quite a bit

but...someone got a GREAT guitar-2002 was a particualry great year, imho, for gibson QC and woods

[Maxiumburn]

Sadowskys guitars are average. A lot of his have maple tops which in a big archtops sounds less pleasing than spruce top guitars.

Eastman guitars are a great value and are now of equal quality.

[crystalmountain]

Just joined the forum because I found this thread. Hi!
I have an L5 Studio and it sounds great. It has a little bit less of that archtop 'thunk' sound that laminate tops have, e.g. the 175. In my experience it sounds slightly more metallic and electric unless you roll the volume and tone way back. I have never played the L5 CES etc.
I found the dot inlays tacky and had them redone for a couple hundred dollars: Gibson L5 Studio | crystalmountain

I did not buy it; it was a graduation present from my folks. I only use it with the neck pickup with the volume rolled way back to 3 or 4, through a Fender blues junior, and I like the sound I get. A friend has an old 175 and he plays with his fingers through better amps, so it is hard to compare styles, but if I were buying an archtop on a budget I would probably spend more money to get a used 175 over my studio. IMO the carve top does not mean the holy grail of tone. But the studio is a great guitar.

I agree some of the models look tacky. Not mine, IMO, but I don't think it looks as good as the 175.