2015 Gibson L-5 CES vintage sunburst

[Groyniad]

not done one of these before but i couldn't resist this time. this is the ngd to end all ngds.

here's a list of the instruments i've had in the last ten years

gibson super 400 - 1998
es 150 - late forties
es 175 - 1953
jim hall - sadowsky
comins classic 17'' one mounted pickup
campellone standard 16'' floater
andersen electric archie (the one up for sale now on the forum!)
andersen vanguard (16'' one mounted pickup)
campellone standard 17'' thinline
andersen custom model 17 (acoustic archtop - european maple)
andersen model 17 (red - the one up for sale now on the forum!)
campellone standard 17 (sold on the forum recently)
andersen streamline (sold on the forum recently)

sadowsky LS 17

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and now - glory be to the jazz gods:

brand new L5 CES sunburst

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i've never had more than two or three instruments at any given time. now my only two guitars are the LS 17 and the L5. i play mainstream jazz in drummerless trios mostly in small venues. i've moved away from the glorious acoustic archtops of mark campellone and steve andersen because i ended up wanting a more classic electric archtop sound. if i could possibly have kept one or both of them for personal home use i certainly would have done - they were simply glorious instruments.

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so after i got my grail gibson - the 53 175 - and discovered that i preferred a modern japan made guitar (which annoyed me quite a bit at the time) - i left gibson behind for over ten years. now i've come back to gibson - but knowing a good deal about what the non-gibson guitar world has to offer. putting aside acoustic tone and acoustic feel (if you're playing bebop what's the use of these things unless you is alone at home?) - the point about good gibson guitars is that they sound and feel just the way you want them to. enough has been said about this - what made me want to play jazz guitar was the sound - and its a gibson sound (full stop).

but here are the surprises

- i've had guitars from comins and andersen that cost 8k-10k new. this is the same price bracket as a new gibson L5. the consensus seems to be that you pay a lot for the gibson name and the guitars are not made to the same high standards that the best luthier-made guitars are. this is just wrong. my new L5 is at least as well made and finished as my comins classic or my andersen model 17. from a purely technical point of view it is at least as good as they are. and from a design-aesthetic point of view it is way better. it captures an uber-cool art-deco look that beats the luthier made guitars hands down. so in terms of value - even at today's prices - the gibson is at least as good as the one-man-shop instruments.

- set up. this new L5 is just the best playing instrument i've ever touched. all the endless complaints about gibson finishing and set-up seem crazy to me after owning this guitar for two days. the gibson plek thing works very well indeed. this new L5 plays like a dream all over the neck - especially above the 12th fret. total perfection - way better than my LS 17 (which i got in unplayed nearly-new condition).

- latest generation of L5s:
the reason i went for a new instrument was that i saw what they've done to tweak the sunburst since Hutch left and Whorton took over. omg. the instruments retain ALL the gravitas of the classic periods - but they beef up the colour contrasts. what looks like jet black lowlights are in fact super dark cherry - and there is an exquisite halo of dark cherry between the darkest and the lightest areas. i've never seen anything like it - no one-man-shop has come up with a colour-scheme i've seen that comes anywhere near it. the amber coloured areas are also exaggerated very subtly and have a lemony tone. the pictures in some places (dave's guitars) miss this feature completely - whereas others capture it (music zoo). as a player rather than a collector my love of sunbursts is embarrassing to me - but there's nothing i can do about it. i've died and gone to sunburst heaven. one photo will have to do by way of explanation.

what's the best thing about it?

the tone/feel (amped or not)

despite the two pickups the acoustic tone is just incredible. it has a heft and solidity to the tone that i've never experienced before. it feels to me that this must be mostly to do with how good the top and the back and the neck are (so that's simple then). it lets me play as hard as i like without reaching the tone-ceiling - or being forced to play more quietly by lack of 'headroom'. i don't think there are any tricks here. the wonder is that they seem to be able to give this feature to every L5 they make (i felt it in the L5 p that i tried straight away).

[Jabberwocky]

Ha! Ha! Great review, Groyniad.

Congrats on a beautiful axe! Any day with a Gibson archtop in your lap is a very good day.

[rpguitar]

Of course I'm biased in my love of Gibson, but I appreciate that your write-up openly took your wide perspective and experience into account.

I'm curious how much your new L-5CES weighs... if you are able to report on that.

Congrats on such a fine instrument, and I hope your honeymoon period lasts a long time!

[Bsck1]

Great post. I really enjoyed the excitement conveyed in your words! No matter how mature, how experienced, there are events that bring us back to the youthful giddiness of a Christmas morning. Enjoy.

[Bluedawg]

Sounds like you got a good one ...

Then again I'm a Gibson fanboy so I tend to like them all ...

I have a few Keeper Gibsons that include an L5 CES and an L5 WES ... and a Le Grand ... so I'm glad to see someone enjoying there L5 as much as I enjoy mine ....

You'll have to get back with us after a few months to let us know if the "honeymoon" wears off or not


Looks like I will be joing the Campellone club soon, though, ... I came a cross a good deal on an 18 inch acoustic Campellone archtop ..... hopefully it will arrive safe and sounding good in the next couple of weeks

[kenbennett]

That's a beautiful guitar. Gotta love Gibson.

[Groyniad]

such great replies - thanks everyone! especially Bsck1 - what a nice response!

roger- it weighs a tonne. must be closer to 8 than 7 pounds - when i know i'll tell you.

i should have mentioned this in the post: there is endless hype about lightweight archtops - the inimitable mr archtop. com (whose name will never find its way into my mouth again) goes on about it all the time - but it just has to be phooey.

the feeling of weight under the pick and of heft in the note just has to be related to the weight of the body. the guitar feels nicely resonant - but not like any of the other resonant instruments i've had.

btw it sounds from my post that i killed myself to buy this because it had a nice colour. that's wrong.

i tried three in scotland (never seen any in any shop before - suddenly thanks to guitar guitar - scotland now has a range of all the best gibson archtops to try!!) - every single one felt fatter smoother and better amplified than anything i'd ever played before. so i knew that it would be great. almost all my other guitars were bought untested - on the strength of their reputations alone.

and thanks ltkojak for putting me onto this instrument through the forum! everyone made fun of me for asking about a new L5 - then ltkojak found one in a shop in milan that was an incredible deal.

[Woody Sound]

- latest generation of L5s:
the reason i went for a new instrument was that i saw what they've done to tweak the sunburst since Hutch left and Whorton took over. omg. the instruments retain ALL the gravitas of the classic periods - but they beef up the colour contrasts. what looks like jet black lowlights are in fact super dark cherry - and there is an exquisite halo of dark cherry between the darkest and the lightest areas. i've never seen anything like it - no one-man-shop has come up with a colour-scheme i've seen that comes anywhere near it. the amber coloured areas are also exaggerated very subtly and have a lemony tone. the pictures in some places (dave's guitars) miss this feature completely - whereas others capture it (music zoo). as a player rather than a collector my love of sunbursts is embarrassing to me - but there's nothing i can do about it. i've died and gone to sunburst heaven. one photo will have to do by way of explanation.

Would love to see a pic of the front too. Often the spruce takes on a slightly different color tone.

[Groyniad]

thanks for asking!

[Jabberwocky]

Hubba. Hubba. Love the Gibson Antique Sunburst.

[jads57]

Congratulations on a great guitar!

[LtKojak]

thanks ltkojak for putting me onto this instrument through the forum! everyone made fun of me for asking about a new L5 - then ltkojak found one in a shop in milan that was an incredible deal.

You're welcome!

Yours very truly,

[rpguitar]

That's a great burst. Looks like a 50s or 60s guitar.

My '99 L-5CES is really close to 8 lbs, too. I think it's like 7'13" or something. This bothered me for a long time, as I'm a little obsessed with lightweight guitars. However, an archtop's weight is very much related to its response. The CES gets its thick tone from its solid construction, and that includes its heft.

I've learned to accept this.

[Stringswinger]

I have owned almost 100 guitars over the years. The only thing IMO that can touch a great Gibson archtop is a great DA. At the end of the day, Gibson wrote the book and the L-5 is the standard by which we judge all others. Congrats on the new guitar. I hope it inspires you to play for many years to come!

[gcb]

That guitar looks like a time traveller from Gibson golden days. An L5 reminiscent of the ones Wes played.

Heritage has a similar finish called "sunsetburst" that I like.

Beautiful guitar.

Congratulations!!

[bananafist]

How nice to read such a great report, and great that you are so pleased with it. It looks a cracker from the photos.
So many things in life, especially as one gets older, don't live up the anticipation, but clearly, this does! Happy playing!

[Groyniad]

thanks everyone for being so friendly and positive - i appreciate it!

roger and gcb - i'm really glad someone else picked up on the retro appeal of this particular finish. it looks like golden age gibson to me - though i'm not sure they had the hint of cherry back then. maybe so

i do feel exactly like a little boy at christmas - i've been hunting for so long, and i've gone far and wide (jazz guitar wise) - its not just a great pleasure, its a relief too.

i think the headroom issue is huge - both with comping patterns and with single notes, everything i do (if i fret and pick properly) makes a clear full sound even when i play hard. with almost all the other guitars i have to be a bit gentle to keep within the tone-ceiling of the instrument. i'm not that good at gentle.

the other huge thing is the t-o-m bridge and the incredible sustain it generates. if i had an acoustic archtop i'd try one on it - and i will try one on the LS17. i prefer the look of ebony - but i don't really care how it looks when it has so much sustain and such delicacy. despite its weight there's a refinement to it which is new to me - and it has a lot to do with that t-o-m saddle for sure.

[Jabberwocky]

And you still haven't told us about the strings that you got on it and the plectrum that you have been using...

I'll have what you're having...

[Greentone]

Groyniad,

YEAH! Now, that's a jazz guitar. What a beauty. You've tried 'em all and discovered that the good old L-5CES is where it's happening. The L-5 sure has the jazz fire in its belly.

I agree that the new Gibsons have fit and finish that leaves nothing to be desired. Your guitar evinces this in spades--as your photographs attest.

Honestly, I have never played a bad L-5...only some in the Norlin-to-Nashville period that weren't finished quite as well as I would have preferred, or needed a set up. Gibson has come around, though.

[Jabberwocky]

If you wish to preserve the shiny bits, a light dusting of Renaissance Wax, a micro-crystalline wax developed by the British Museum, SHOULD keep them shiny for a good long while.

By the way, I love how even the Flower Pot Headstock Inlay (I bow to general consensus) and Gibson logo are so well-done.

[ESCC]

I'm having serious L-5 envy!

Congratulations Groyniad, that beautiful guitar is good for at least one, possibly two new songs!

[Groyniad]

until these things appeared in a local shop (i posted about all this at the time) - i had never even seen - never mind played - an electric L5. (except in rudy's once)

it was very badly presented (though brand new). bad strings - no set up (i had to raise the bridge to play it) - very unfamiliar amp etc etc. but i was convinced by it almost immediately.

the tom bridge and metal tailpiece (and the long scale) - give it great sustain - the slightest touch rings on and on, and the top end of the guitar is crystal clear. the scale and weight of the body give it fullness and presence.

what contemporary luthier would have the nerve to make an archtop that big and heavy, with a metal bridge and tailpiece and two pickups, and top-end wood? obviously - they mostly like to make acoustic 17'' archtops with floating pickups. and that's a different ball game altogether.

[destinytot]

Enjoy!

[Max405]

Sorry I didn't get on all day.
What a beautiful guitar Gronyiad!!!!
i love everything about it and you review of it was stellar. It's hard not to get excited about such an amazing guitar and you didn't let us down!!!
love it buddy.

[citizenk74]

Congratulations on a classically beautiful instrument! Play it long and well in good health!