Gibson L-5 or Super 400 or ES-335?

**Jonathan0996** · 05-23-2018, 09:28 PM

Originally Posted by Jim Soloway

Please don't take this the wrong way. I'm not trying to be rude or difficult but I think you're going about this in entirely the wrong way.

What he said. I suggest you go to a guitar store with a good selection of instruments and play several mid-priced guitars. Between say $1K and $2K. Don't even play anything pricier. Pick the one that speaks to you and take it to a good luthier for a setup. Maybe you'll want a different one in a couple years. But you'll be way better off owning several different guitars over the course of your musical development than trying to commit to a "keeper" right now. Owning different guitars over time is part of the development process for a musician.

Find a good teacher and pay him the money you saved on the guitar. Play the hell out of that first guitar and see where you're at in a couple years. By then you'll have a much better idea of what you want a guitar to do for you. Good luck; have fun; kick butt.

Oh, and if you decide to disregard this advice, please take very good care of your new guitar. It's guys like you who create a healthy used guitar market for guys like me.

**Uncle Vinnie** · 05-24-2018, 08:56 AM

I'll throw this into the mix.

I've never owned an archtop, been playing my Les Paul Deluxe and Fender Telecaster, but for the last year since I decided to buy an archtop, I've been doing my research and going to music stores and playing ... and re-playing guitars I've been considering, everything from an $1,100 Godin to a $10,000 Gibson and everything in between.

Guess what? I decided to go with the $1,100 Godin ... not for economic reasons but purely from a playing/sound standpoint: It fits my hands and body habitus better than the others, especially the fretboard which is wider than the others I've played and it has a 16" radius and is perfect for my fat stubby fingers, all of which make it a better player than even the $10,000 Gibson.

I have to admit, when I began looking for an archtop, my mind went straight to "GIBSON", specifically a '50s ES-175 with a P90 pickup, just because all of my jazz guitar heroes played one. I'm glad I checked out other brands and their features.

So, if you haven't tried a Godin, pick one up and play it for a while. You might find yourself liking it.

**Jabberwocky** · 05-24-2018, 10:54 AM

I dare not gainsay the OP as I do not know the depth of his experience. Since lower priced jazzboxes have been mooted I'd have to suggest an MIC Ibanez for your consideration. You can take your sweet time to look for your keeper L5 while you build your chops on the Ibanez. You can find an Ibanez under $600.

Part of the fun of an L5 is digging into its long history. I am a fanboy; I have yet to find an L5CES that I don't like. One of my bucket list guitars is the L5CES from 1969 to 1972 with the burnt (by time) cherry red finish. Yeah, a Norlin Gibson. No reason other than that I like the burnt cherry red.

**Bwalsh9** · 05-28-2018, 01:27 AM

Thanks to all who posted some great advice for me on this thread ..
i went with my gut after holding and playing a few ...
i went bananas ..,I’m almost 64 years old ...time to live
the last two days I’ve bagged an L5 ...and today a 175 and a Henriksen the Bud ...
why not I kept saying ...feels right ..I’m not getting any younger .
i need to play more and get better .

i needed everyone of your comments

thanks Guys !

**Jabberwocky** · 05-28-2018, 01:32 AM

You know what you gotta do now, BWalsh? You gotta show us what ya got! Pictures are mandatory after all the advice we ladled out to ya.

Heh! Heh! Just happy you scored an L5 and an ES-175 of your liking. Picures are nice but optional.

**Stringswinger** · 05-28-2018, 02:05 AM

Originally Posted by Bwalsh9

Thanks to all who posted some great advice for me on this thread ..
i went with my gut after holding and playing a few ...
i went bananas ..,I’m almost 64 years old ...time to live
the last two days I’ve bagged an L5 ...and today a 175 and a Henriksen the Bud ...
why not I kept saying ...feels right ..I’m not getting any younger .
i need to play more and get better .

i needed everyone of your comments

thanks Guys !

Congrats! You chose well and are quite set.

And that is what the money is for........

**Bluedawg** · 05-28-2018, 02:06 AM

Originally Posted by Bwalsh9

Thanks to all who posted some great advice for me on this thread ..
i went with my gut after holding and playing a few ...
i went bananas ..,I’m almost 64 years old ...time to live
the last two days I’ve bagged an L5 ...and today a 175 and a Henriksen the Bud ...
why not I kept saying ...feels right ..I’m not getting any younger .
i need to play more and get better .

i needed everyone of your comments

thanks Guys !

Very cool

Did you find these in the PHX area? …. I live about 3 hours away and get up there now and then and am always looking for new guitar pushers to visit

One of our regular contributors from the Phoenix area has enough L5s and other Gibson archtops to open his on Gibson archtop store …

Rainbow Guitars in Tucson used to have several Gibson archtops, but they dropped Gibson and are down to only a couple last I checked … still a great store to visit

I love my L5s and my 175 but the 2011 Super 400 I picked up in 2016 is my favorite

Good Luck and enjoy

**rio** · 05-28-2018, 02:54 AM

Photos - we need them! An L5 and a 175 is basically all you will ever need. I mean really one or the other but both will let you cover the vast majority of jazz sounds you hear on records. Congrats!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

**rpjazzguitar** · 05-28-2018, 04:06 AM

Originally Posted by Uncle Vinnie

I'll throw this into the mix.

I've never owned an archtop, been playing my Les Paul Deluxe and Fender Telecaster, but for the last year since I decided to buy an archtop, I've been doing my research and going to music stores and playing ... and re-playing guitars I've been considering, everything from an $1,100 Godin to a $10,000 Gibson and everything in between.

Guess what? I decided to go with the $1,100 Godin ... not for economic reasons but purely from a playing/sound standpoint: It fits my hands and body habitus better than the others, especially the fretboard which is wider than the others I've played and it has a 16" radius and is perfect for my fat stubby fingers, all of which make it a better player than even the $10,000 Gibson.

I have to admit, when I began looking for an archtop, my mind went straight to "GIBSON", specifically a '50s ES-175 with a P90 pickup, just because all of my jazz guitar heroes played one. I'm glad I checked out other brands and their features.

So, if you haven't tried a Godin, pick one up and play it for a while. You might find yourself liking it.

Nowadays, I try to think about the right tool for the job rather than which model is better. So,
if the Godin felt and sounded good - and it's a well regarded brand for quality - that's the right guitar.

I have, several times, bought gear because one of my heroes sounded great with it. I was perfectly well aware from my own and others' experience that this doesn't really work. But, a few weeks ago I did it again. The great player whose equipment I wanted would probably sound more like himself with my old equipment than I'll sound like him with his equipment. Oddly enough, I don't regret a single purchase.

Not that anybody asked, but there are only a handful of players who sounded so great I wanted the same gear - and only a few times I actually bought it. The larger group is Jim Hall, Wes, Pat Metheny (Bright Size Life era), Carlos Santana, Jack Wilkins and Mark Knopfler. As it turned out, I never sounded like any of them, although not for lack of trying. I bought a Mesa Boogie because of Carlos and a Comins GCS-1 because of Jack. I can't lift the Boogie anymore and I'll never sound like Jack, although the guitar gets me a little closer.

**jockster** · 05-28-2018, 05:13 AM

Uncle Vinnie, which Godin did you get?

Cheers, Simon

**Longways to Go** · 05-28-2018, 10:36 AM

Wow! Talk about jumping in at the deep end !!!

I'm looking forward to NGD and NAD posts.

My crystal ball sees the search for a boutique hand-wired tube amp in your near future . . .

**Bwalsh9** · 05-28-2018, 12:09 PM

Will show pics when they get here on Wednesday...one from Atlanta ...and the other from NC
i have the amp ...that little bud is a shocker how dynamic that sound is in a little box ...
so yeah I’m pretty excited .
thanks

**Bwalsh9** · 05-28-2018, 12:40 PM

The L5 is a 2014 ...couple of minor dings ...looks new
the es 175 is a 2004 and is in excellent shape
yes orcered on line but after discussions with both sellers ....I pegged them for honest with guarantees thrown in .
sometimes you gotta go for it Gents !

**Timbelmont** · 05-28-2018, 01:32 PM

This depends on several things...you say you're a beginner. A beginner jazz guitarist, or just a beginner guitarist? What if you spend $$$ on a Gibson L5, only to discover your interest in jazz guitar is waning and you go back to your Strat' or whatever. These are questions only you can answer.

Like a lot of people here, I own several guitars. I play an L5 most of the time these days, and my second player is a Stratocaster...obviously very different guitars. Most here will advise you not to spend 10K on your first "jazz" guitar, but then again you're making the final decision.