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A clear view of the laminate
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04-07-2020 09:01 PM
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Originally Posted by nickyboy
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Do t most of the higher end Gibson Archtops get the Stinger treatment ? Citation getting maybe different style? Danny W and a couple others should chime in here since theyve owned quite a few!
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Naked headstock, showing the veneer, from one of the more sadly modified L-7 guitars, for sale on ebay at a dumb price.
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With a little too much time at my hand (for obvious reasons) I loosely started looking out for this classic guitars. Only to find out I know nothing about them. Some questions arouse from my searches on Reverb and E-Bay Classifieds:
What years are good and why – what are the differences?
What would be a fair price for a guitar made in this years?
What the hell is a "Hutchins Label"?
We are playing soul jazz with a good volume (well, if we ever get to play again ;-) so any hint which L5 may be suitable for that context is welcome. I understood that earlier L5s are made for a good acoustic tone, while at some time they changed that in favour of better amplified tone and playability in loud situations – when would that be?
Maybe you can help me out with online and offline resources – I found only one book by Adrian Ingram on this guitar – quite expensive. Is it worth it?
Maybe you can also give me some hints about retailers (in the EU)?
Are there any similar models, copies etc. that are desirable?
Thanks.
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Wes played one and it costs waaay more than I want to spend on a guitar...
They sound and look great though!
(not very helpful, I know, sorry)
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Acoustically, it's surprisingly quiet. It shines when amped. Tone for miles, very comfy neck. You can get loud before feedback sets in (thick top!), but it definitely is not suited for metal... A lot depends on your amp's positioning. It's not a guitar to use with massive overdrive, not built for it; if you want that kind of sound, I would stick to solid bodies or semi-hollows.
Of course, there are loads of great archtops out there, but an L-5 is in a class of its own. Recent crimson custom shop l-5's are really good, with great attention to detail. I sent you a pm regarding the L-5 CES I'm selling; for you to decide whether it's the right guitar for you. "worth it" is of course a very relative concept, I think it is, (it's an iconic guitar, for some the ultimate jazz archtop), but sound, look and feel are personal preferences, so YMMV ...
Very best regards,
Bruno.
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I've never heard anybody get Wes' sound on anything else.
But, perhaps someone else has and will let us know.
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Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
I'm not chasing Wes' tone – frankly, Melvin Sparks fostered my interest, playing loud funk on a L5 and even a Super 400. That made me curious.
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Start here:
Home - Gibson L-5
The Adrian Ingram book is a derivative cash grab, consolidating a bunch of information from other sources with a bit of new information. Not useless, though, and you'll certainly learn a lot by reading it, given your ground zero current level of knowledge about the L-5. Tom Van Hoose' book on the Super 400 has a significant section (over 1/3 of the book) on the L-5. It could certainly use an update but is still an excellent book, a must for anyone interested in the Super 400 or L-5 models.
There are several articles about the L-5 in old issues of Vintage Guitar magazine as well as (now defunct) 20th Century Guitar magazine.
The L-5 has significantly evolved since its introduction.
You ask some big questions.
More to come.
Of course, a thread like this is worthless without pix.
Here's my L-5. It's an L-5P from 1948, custom-made with the setup of a '48 2-pickup ES-350. It's been a bit modified since then. Nice guitar.
Last edited by Hammertone; 04-23-2020 at 09:05 AM.
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The Hutchkins label refers to luthier-supervisor James Hutchins, who worked for Gibson for 45 years (he passed away in 2010 at 72). The L4s and L5s he built, finished or at least signed off are considered super good. If your Cologne is Köln, you might want to get in touch with Ernst Weinbach, owner of Liberty-Music in Neustadt (Pfalz). A jazz guitar specialist, he has been liquidating valuable archtops from private collections and might know what's coming up for sale. Last year, he had both a L4 and L5 signed by Hutchins. At the other end of the scale, there was a decent L5 up for sale at the flea market outside Mannheim's Guitar Summit last September. The asking price was 5,500 IIRC. Can't remember the seller's name, just that he is a photographer by profession. He did put the guitar under shelter when it started raining...
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Originally Posted by Little Jay
DB
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Originally Posted by guavajelly
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1999 Gibson L-5 Wes Montgomery
Asking: USD5895. Joe ships anywhere...
NB Some normal playwear includes a few pick marks near the guard and some scattered nicks here and there, with a short, non-structural hairline crack in the side near the tailpiece, now soundly resealed.
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Originally Posted by DB's Jazz Guitar Blog
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Oddly enough the prices of the used Wes version is higher than the used CES version. Lately, since gibson doesnt make them anymore prices have been raising (10-20%?).
I remember that 5000 $ was a normal price a few years ago. Nowadays you can only find not good condition for this price.
Nothing compares to an L-5, maybe there are better quality or worst in people opinion, but the L-5 sound is almost impossible to copy at that price (6000$).
For similar try Campellone, Triggs, Heritage...
Keys to the sound is the carved wood, the set full humbucker pickup, the 25,5 scale, the thick top, and the deep of body.
I tried making a luthier made chinese copy, the result was very good, but since the top was lighter the amplified sound was less fat.
I dont know if Gibson dedigns can be bettered, maybe you can copy them, but if they do something it has a reason. Even the position of the knobs might be there to mute the top.
I would desire nevertheless a 1 3/4 nut width version.
Enviado desde mi LG-H870 mediante Tapatalk
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Quote: "Nothing compares to an L-5, maybe there are better quality or worst in people opinion, but the L-5 sound is almost impossible to copy at that price (6000$)."
Which is why when I pick one up and play one in a store, I can't put one down!
Which is why when I found a cool L5 CES for $5 K that wasn't ridiculously priced, I grabbed it and paid it off slowly. I still have it, and the pain of the credit card debt is long forgotten.
Which is why many modern players have used them: Larry Carlton, George Benson, Lee Ritenour, Jeff Golub, plus.
Even jazz rockers have used them through the years, guys from Moby Grape, Sons Of Champlain, plus.
By the way, where would I look on mine to see if "Hutch" has signed it? I haven't noticed anything like that, but maybe I haven't looked in the right place.
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Originally Posted by Jimmy Mack
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I didnt thought there was nothing special about any eras... Hutchins sound the same to me than Crimson. Some says Jim Triggs era to be more resonant than Hutchins ones.
Enviado desde mi LG-H870 mediante Tapatalk
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They're all different.
Sorry if this ruffles some feathers but I think a signature on a label is highly overrated.
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I've seen so many advertised as "Hutchin's built", but iirc that is not what the orange label says. It says something like built, tuned, etc. under Hutch supervision.
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I have played many L-5's from a Loar signed 1925 up to my 2003 L-5CESN.
Not all are great, most are very good and some are great.
I have a 1996 WESMO and a 2003 CESN. Both are superb electric guitars.
My bandmate's 1928 L-5 is probably the best acoustic guitar that I have ever played and I own three vintage D'Angelicos.
If you like archtop guitars, a great L-5 is pretty hard to beat.
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heck i liked the l5-s too!!
ala pat martino...& keith!
cheersLast edited by neatomic; 04-18-2020 at 06:43 PM.
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What makes 50’s era L5s so pricey, beside the fine woods they used ?? Even the one I just bought, a Refinished ‘56 CESN with staple P90s was high for what it is. One pic as a teaser until my tech puts it all right. Seriously does the year matter that much. Check out listings on Reverb fellas.
Originally Posted by wintermoon
Transcriber wanted
Today, 04:35 PM in Improvisation