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After having never quite saved enough dough for an L-5 as I had to buy things like a kitchen, a sofa and carpets, I eventually had clearance to start looking for my first Gibson, and plumped for this. It's 1972 so not supposed to be the pinnacle of Gibson's production for quality, but to me it is a lovely instrument. The burst is attractive, its has solid woods all round, the woods have some figure, the nut is 43.5 mm across, it still has those lovely sealfast tuners and the holly headstock veneer with older style Grecian urn design. For me the only aesthetic improvements could be if it had the earlier truss rod cover and the rod type pickguard bracket, but it is what it is, I have no intention of changing anything apart from the pick guard which although it looks perfect, has obviously caused some tarnishiing on the pickup covers, screws and the pickguard bracket. It plays very nicely and sounds amazing, very controlled, no notes seem to dominate, and the sound is very clear. Now I have such a serious guitar looking at me I am going to have to learn to play properly.
Last edited by plasticpigeon; 11-11-2015 at 05:55 AM.
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11-11-2015 05:52 AM
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Great looking guitar
I hope she sounds and plays as well as she looks
Enjoy !
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Nice! Enjoy the guitar. Nothing like a L5
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I'm sure that sweet guitar will be inspiration enough.
Congratulations.
BTW, nice rug man, it really ties the room together.
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Put any caveats and apologies back in your pocket, man, a '72 L-5CES is a stellar guitar! Once you're sure the setup and frets are up to snuff, you can really get down to business. I did need to have my '75 refretted and worked up a bit, but it is a really sweet guitar - lightweight compared to modern models and great acoustically.
Take a few better pics and share 'em. Congrats!
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Absolutely gorgeous. Play it in good health!
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Like Roger says, there is nothing wrong with an early '70's L5. My main gigging guitar is a 1975 L5CESN and it's great. I also have older ones to compare it to, and the '75 holds its own against the others. I love the colour of yours. Enjoy it.
Originally Posted by rpguitar
Keith
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Ha ha, good one! Hopefully it won't get micturated on :-) Originally Posted by ColMc
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Are you kiddin, that's a beautiful L5 example. And a nice substantial neck width. Structurally, those brackets are far better than the rods. The bridge might not be orig. Show us the back. Here's a shot of Bruce Forman's L5 standing next to Barney Kessel's ES350.
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Yes Woody, I am overjoyed at both finding one and being able to afford one, it is just that some people are really critical of the Norlin guitars, luckily I don't have that prejudice and I think this one is very nice!!!! Here is the back, dodgy pic again as the light levels are quite low. Amazingly there is no strap button so it is almost unmarked. I think the bridge base might be original, but I would expect a tune o matic would have been original wouldn't it?
Last edited by plasticpigeon; 11-11-2015 at 10:48 AM.
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Lovely L5. Nothing better than a L5 for tone IMO. Congrats !!!!
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Gorgeous! Enjoy!
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Very nice, congratulations. Now you're going to have to learn at least one new song!
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Congratulations on your Gibson L5. That's a serious instrument, and looks beautiful. I far prefer Gibsons with less pronounced figuring, and the colour has an unmistakable vintage aura about it. I hope it gives you many years of musical enjoyment, and that you find the 1000's of tunes that the guitar holds within it.
Best wishes,
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Don't get much better than that!
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No, it really doesn't.
Gorgeous coloring. Classic Jazz Guitar in every way. Great, Great, great.. Enjoy it. Be proud.
JD
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Very nice! Bob
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Awesome guitar. Welcome to the club!
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Wow.. who owns the Kessel guitar now? Originally Posted by Woody Sound
Are you kiddin, that's a beautiful L5 example. And a nice substantial neck width. Structurally, those brackets are far better than the rods. The bridge might not be orig. Show us the back. Here's a shot of Bruce Forman's L5 standing next to Barney Kessel's ES350.
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I can say that my fav humbucker is an embossed Gibson like yours. They are T Tops and smoke anything hb I have ever owened. Originally Posted by plasticpigeon
After having never quite saved enough dough for an L-5 as I had to buy things like a kitchen, a sofa and carpets, I eventually had clearance to start looking for my first Gibson, and plumped for this. It's 1972 so not supposed to be the pinnacle of Gibson's production for quality, but to me it is a lovely instrument. The burst is attractive, its has solid woods all round, the woods have some figure, the nut is 43.5 mm across, it still has those lovely sealfast tuners and the holly headstock veneer with older style Grecian urn design. For me the only aesthetic improvements could be if it had the earlier truss rod cover and the rod type pickguard bracket, but it is what it is, I have no intention of changing anything apart from the pick guard which although it looks perfect, has obviously caused some tarnishiing on the pickup covers, screws and the pickguard bracket. It plays very nicely and sounds amazing, very controlled, no notes seem to dominate, and the sound is very clear. Now I have such a serious guitar looking at me I am going to have to learn to play properly.
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You got a terribly unfashionable Norlin-era burnt tomato-red Norlin-era Gibson L-5CES with those naff witch hats!!!
...Not really...
Congrats, man. Looks nice. Being from the maligned Norlin-era keeps the price down. You know how it is with us lowballers; we'll say anything to get a lower price.
It has got forty-years and counting for the wood to "dry out". Another myth perhaps but time does something to wood and glue and magnets. Starting to come together now after 40-years of gassing off the Norlin provenance.
Make nice sounds with it.
Edit: Got to score me one before the word gets out and prices start moving northwards.
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Congrats ! Now you own the Gibson flagship in jazz. At first I too was a little bit reluctant about L5s from the 70's. All my concerns have been wipped out after I tried several of them. They are L5s, they are the mothers of all jazz guitars and Gibson has always put everything they have in them.
Enjoy your new baby.
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Just a heads up! Assuming that getting the notes and fingering right are more important than the tempo or timing. Timing is equally if not more important than getting the notes right. Also, one of the best pieces of advice that you can get is no matter what tempo you're playing something at, play it as if it's the greatest piece of music ever written.
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Yes Jabberwocky, I've been following these things for a few years and prices seem to have been slowly dropping, not sure why when other models are reaching crazy prices. At present it is possible to buy 40+year old instrument in near perfect condition for half the price of a new one!!! That has got to be worth thinking about. To quote Charlie Parker "Now's the time".
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Here's my early 70's L-5; love it.
Can I surmise from the gold knobs that is older than theOP's 1972? I haven't checked the pots or pickups yet.
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