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OK...so I could not turn down the offer I had from my dealer. A new previously "unsold" L5 CES in Vintage Sunburst to be delivered next week "on approval". Evidently they have had it for a couple years. Hopefully it is ok. He offered it to me for $5875.00.....I did not even get a chance to dicker. Course they have to pay to send it to my local dealer so if I don't accept it, they have to pay to send it back. I was hoping some of you L-5 guys could give me a heads up on what to look for as far as quality control, construction, YOUR experiences as owners of L-5's. I am not adept enough to look at a neck to see if its straight or not but I can examine the finish....Just thought you guys could warn me of anything I should look for.....I must admit the price discount worries me a little. I was going to get the used 1990 for over $6500.00
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07-12-2018 03:14 PM
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Its sunburst.
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The neck, the neck, the neck. Oh, and, the neck.
Originally Posted by Mickey
Seriously, with the strings at tension, give it an eyeball right down the line, from the 1st fret to the end. On both sides of the fb. Look for humps, curves, high/low spots, especially around the 14th fret, near the neck-body joint. Also, be sure the neck is not curved "sideways," with a section of either e-string too close or too far from the end of the fret. Hopefully they will let you test the truss rod by giving it a slight loosening/tightening. (Bring your own tools for removing the tr cover, and a tr wrench.) Play the strings all the way up the fb looking for buzzes, chokes, etc.
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Good for you so far !! Now, I'd spend some of that waiting time locating a local luthier. You're looking for the go-to guy where the local pro's take their stuff. If you don't already know one, you may need one eventually, and this would be as good a time as any to find ' that guy '.
Then he can look at it and if it needs some attention that could possibly make us panic, he'll know the correct fixes, if any, and their costs. Then what we'd originally thought of as a disaster, can sometimes become an easy fix.
Good luck !Last edited by Dennis D; 07-12-2018 at 06:09 PM.
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That sounds like a great deal ....
And +1 on finding a luthier to check it out and set it up for you ... odds are good he/she will be able to make it work quite well for you
The change in local temperatures and humidity could be enough to require some set up tweaks
If you are in a dry or extremely humid environment you may want to look into some options for controlling humidity in you storage room
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Great price ! Congrats.
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+1 Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
Have a good luthier check it out, play it a bit and if you and the luthier like it, you have scored.
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I must admit I am in pins and needles waiting for the arrival of my new L-5. I just hope its not a pipe dream. I was told by Wildwood that I could get a custom order here in about 3-4 months.....course i would take that with a grain of salt. I WAS happy to hear that in his opinion they were built as well today as ever. Would a NOS 2015 be considered within the "golden era"? Who would have been managing the custom shop at that time? Was Jim still around?
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Yes Culberson. Originally Posted by Mickey
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Great
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One of my things with any guitar, not just L5, is looking for neck twist. If you press the first and around 14th fret down on string one and then string 6 there should be the exact same amount of relief in the neck, judged by measuring or eying out the space between the fret and string in the middle of where you are pressing the string down. If you want low action then a discrepancy between the relief on each side can indicate a slightly twisted neck and will not let you get the strings as low without issues as a non twisted neck. I would not expect that on expensive guitars but sadly I still see Gibsons selling new and used with this issue. Other issues like shrinking wood in multi piece necks are hard to predict but if it is a few years old look for lines in the finish around there to see if any shrinking has begun. Originally Posted by Mickey
It’s all well worth it though. The L5 is considered to be the best jazz guitar by so many for a reason. I have and have had a lot of other very nice guitars and although some are fine instruments the L5 is always the one I pick up unless I am playing outside or in some questionable environment and need to bring a laminate guitar.
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Woah, Mickey, that is a sweet price for an NOS. Take it to a good tech or repairman or luthier who knows archtops. Check their credentials. Are you within driving distance of Soundpure?
It needs a good set up, no matter what. Let it settle down to your climate before doing anything to it. I would not worry too much. The Crimson Custom Shop turned out consistently good guitars. 2015 marked the end of the euphoric period of good sales that led to the beginnings of Gibson's current troubles.
$5875 is a great price for an NOS L5CES. An NOS has the Gibson CS warranty. You could probably get your money back or make a profit when you decide to sell.
Get it checked out.
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Mickey,
You will be knocked out by a 2015.
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[QUOTE=Jazzstdnt;There was a dealer who posted a nice LeGrande here recently (Chicago based?). It had perfect book matched flame maple on back. You know the guitar is great. I would only accept the best looking figuring]
I purchased that LeGrand. Wonderful instrument!
Albert
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[QUOTE=AKA;883834]
Wow - - good for you ! Originally Posted by Jazzstdnt;There was a dealer who posted a nice LeGrande here recently (Chicago based?). It had perfect book matched flame maple on back. You know the guitar is great. I would only accept the best looking figuring
Congrats and enjoy it good health for a long time !
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Walnut laminate shrinkage is extremely common on modern Gibson 5 piece necks. The fact that Gibson uses kiln tried wood and doesn't use a proper sealer on the walnut you are almost lucky not to have some amount of walnut shrinkage on new L5's. This problem is seen a lot on Custom Shop necks from 2010 to present. I have had it happen personally right away or 3-5 years later. It doesn't feel nice for sure. It must get to the point to were the lacquer starts chipping and cracking before Gibson will warranty fix it.
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[QUOTE=AKA;883834]
Alright man! I'm a LeGrand man myself, playing mine now. Enjoy! Originally Posted by Jazzstdnt;There was a dealer who posted a nice LeGrande here recently (Chicago based?). It had perfect book matched flame maple on back. You know the guitar is great. I would only accept the best looking figuring
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