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Well, new to me anyway...so much for getting out of guitars. But in fairness to myself, I'd been seeking a replacement sunburst L5CES to the '98 I sold several years ago. I acquired an '01 CES in natural, but its voicing wasn't to my liking...I'd been spoiled by the smokier voicing of the '98.
I'm also drawn to the deeper brown shadings of the '95 - '01 L5's. And since I most desired a sunburst limited to certain years, and at the right price, I had to wait for the right guitar to avail itself. Well, she finally did.
She's incoming, but I'm looking forward to comparing her voice to my former '98, which possessed a noticeably smokier 'jazz' tone compared to that '01CES. Fingers x'd!
Now my 4th L5, including a WesMo, which was too bright for my tastes, I've decided to stick with the Gibson brand of archtops from here on out. Reason being, the market has changed in the 6 or so years since I began guitars. My thinking is, if I'm going to have X amount of dollars in an archtop I figure it might as well be one with a stronger demand than others I've previously owned.
Seller's pix
Last edited by 2bornot2bop; 06-08-2016 at 01:14 AM.
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06-08-2016 12:57 AM
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[QUOTE=2bornot2bop;659361]...My thinking is, if I'm going to have X amount of dollars in an archtop I figure it might as well be one with a stronger demand than others I've previously owned.../QUOTE]
Took you long enough. That's what I have been trying to tell ya from Dias Uno!
Congrats on the incoming. Steve Swan's, innit? Jzucker bought a 1976 L-5CES from him...and returned it. But I don't know Jack...
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We don't need another 19 page thread to prove that Gibson's rule. They just do. Congrats 2B. Archtops are the king of Guitars and an L-5 is the king of archtops. I hope it has the tone that you seek.
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I really love the subtle gradations of the sunburst and the deep red-browns from the Jim Hutchins period. I don't know who did the spraying and whether it was one person or a team but they were all remarkably consistent in that period. Looks good enough to eat. My 2012 LeGrand has hard-edged and black-blue sunburst. Not my favourite.
Looks nice, 2bop. Hope it sounds and plays well too.
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[QUOTE=Jabberwocky;659368]
Ty! I know...and you were right!
Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
So much so, it was but a few days ago I was looking at Gibson threads and thinking, had I only kept the Gibson's acquired over the past 4 years, I'd own a decent assortment of archtops not commonly available at today's prices. Well, what's that saying about 'there's no time like the present'...still, it's been a fun journey.
Thanks J-Dub for your assistance and continued encouragement along the way!
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That's stunning 2B. Congrats and enjoy!
Chris
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I have my bats-in-the-belfry-bees-in-the-noggin hypothesis about that. The cosmetically nicer flamey maple that Gibson selects for Naturals with all the tight cross-grain tendrils of flame is of a harder denser stiffer quality, and the closer grained Sitka spruce chosen make for a brighter tighter sounding guitar. My guess is that less highly flamed maple, with wider, less consistent flame has a lower resonant tone, and that coupled with the wider grained Sitka spruce used for Sunburst guitars make for a warmer smokier sounding instrument. Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
Or it could just be the colours playing tricks.
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Beautiful Gibby! Enjoy!!
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Congrats !
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Actually a very reasonable hypothesis. Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
I wondered too if in fact that '01 Hutchins CES, with it's finer woods, actually had a thinner top which when plugged in revealed a brighter tone if only in comparison to the sunburst CES?
Perhaps not, for I'll remember the words of the luthier while inspecting and setting up the sunburst '98 said: "I've worked on and played a lot of these, but I've never heard one quite like this."
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i recently auditioned a blond ces and a sunburst ces in the presence of an experienced luthier (who worked at the shop)
before i even tried the sunburst he outlined just the view jabber set out above
he expected the blond to be tighter and brighter than the sunburst - and it did seem a tad brighter to me
as if i needed another reason to prefer sunbursts
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Congrats 2b. Looks amazing. The L5CES really has that quintessential electric jazz tone that I haven't heard from any other guitar. Not even from the Heritages. The Heritage eagles are not worse in any way and have their own unique voice that is, however, different from the L5CES. Actually, I got one just like this last year (never posted a NGD though) and it is a blast! I hope this one is everything you want it to be!
enjoy for many years to come,
cheers,
FrankLast edited by Frank67; 06-08-2016 at 11:21 AM. Reason: typo
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Ah yes, 'Tobacco Road' indeed! To my eyes, your new-to-you L5 CES appears to have the perfect touch of red to bring out the beauty of the burst. I hope it sounds as warm as Wes. Play it in good health.
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Welcome back, 2bop. You have come back to North American archtop guitars with style, this time around. What a nice L-5CES.
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One of the nicest L-5CES I've seen. Wow!
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2b,
Welcome back to the "Cant Get Enough Guitars Nut-bag Club".
That is as good as it gets. An L5 has always been the pinnacle. Often imitated and NEVER duplicated.
All Guitars in general are investments. Not all of them are "good" investments. Gibsons are Great investments.
What else can you buy that you can use every day of the week, and then 6 years later, sell for as much if not more than what you bought it for? A Gibson, and in particular, an L5. When you pick one up and place it on your lap, you know that you are holding something that is special and has been built to last forever.
I'm happy for you 2B. Bigtime..
JD
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Which reminds me of the famous statement Agatha Christie made about being married to an archaeologist, Max Mallowan: Originally Posted by Joe DeNisco
"The nice thing about being married to an archaeologist is that the older I get, the more interesting he finds me!"
(Drops mic)
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Hi my name is 2b and I am a Guitaroholic.......hi 2b. :-) Sweeeeeety L5 !
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Every time I try and get out they pull me back in....
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That's beautiful ..... congrats
The debate over the sunburst vs. blonde tone is interesting
My L5CES is blonde and my L5WES is sunburst ..... because Wes' L5 was a sunburst
... I could have had a beautiful blonde WES when I bought the sunburst .... my CES is rather mellow and my WES is only slightly brighter
Recently I've been looking at Super 400s ... and there are a few out there in the $5K to $8K range that I could afford if I am able to sell some solid bodies
I find the 70s Super 400s to be quite tempting mainly because of their price ... and the 76 sunburst I played was quite nice
Most of the 70s blondes have rather plain backs ... as do most of the sunbursts ..... I wonder if that increases the chances of a 70s blonde S400 having a more mellow sound than a recent one with lots of flame
This is also interesting since the black s400 I recently played had a heavenly tone .... unfortunately they were asking $10K for it ... and it had a Bigsby .... and it is no longer on Reverb so I assume it has been sold
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Whoa !!!!!
Heart be still..............................
Last edited by jazzimprov; 06-10-2016 at 10:11 AM.
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The tonal variance on these things is pretty amazing. My teacher's '69 L5, with "inferior woods" to my 03 Wes Mo, has a more pleasant "plugged in" tone to my ear. But his can not compete with the Wes Mo acoustically in any way. If I put round wounds on the Wes Mo, there is no need for an acoustic archtop (certainly in a parlor setting.) Both are amazing but each certainly has it's own character!
Enjoy them for their individuality, but in the end, they are unmistakably L5s to be sure!!
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Congrats 2b, very sweet.
In the past you have had some outstanding Heritage archtops that compete with the best (IMO), but I understand your position on ROI, no denying Gibson's strength in that respect.
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I totally agree with you Jabber. I also believe the quilted ones to be even softer and mellower. Congratulations 2Bop. Hopefully this is the end of your searching. That Hutchins burst is awesome. He did a quilted back L5c for me in "Tobacco Burst". Beautiful. The Triggs and Hutchins eras were some of the best Gibson I've ever seen. I don't know who was doing the spraying but that person knew what he or she was doing. Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
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You guys see guitars as good investments? Hmm? I buy guitars because I can't resist buying guitars. Some folks just sit there and drink. Some drink and buy guitars.
I'm always tickled when guitars appreciate, but I never count on that. This is especially true, these days with changing demographics and all. Seems to me that young people aren't the musicians that their forebears were. Just sayin'.
STILL...I think 2bop has it about right: if you are going to put $$$ into archtops, Gibsons are the Martins of the archtop world. They seem to hold up, structurally and financially. I don't think I've ever gotten too clobbered on Gibsons I've sold--not that past will continue to be prelude.
Take my Unity, for example. I love it and think intrinsically it is the bees knees. It looks, sounds, and plays like no other guitar I've ever owned. OTOH, I don't expect that folks will in twenty years much remember Aaron Cowles, the luthier who built Unity guitars. (Never mind the fact that Aaron Cowles was the luthier who built all the master model guitars at Gibson for many, many years--mandolins, too.) Long-term, upside investment potential...ehhh?
One thing I know: I wish I bought ALL the Roland TR-808 and E-MU SP 1200 drum machines I saw back in the 80s. They were a couple hundred $$. Now, they are $5K and up. Their demand in rap and hip-hop (which means virtually every style of music from country to pop, these days) makes those small, dedicated synths the Stratocasters of today.
Picking collectibles, though, is like picking stocks. We just don't have good foresight.
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