-
I am wanting to order a 2018 L-5 in either "burbon-burst" or "wine-burst". Will this take longer to get from factory, will it be more expensive, and WHO is the best people to order from for good price. I had prostate cancer surgery about 6 weeks ago and am very serious about this. You guys can get me to where I need to go. NOT interested in a used guitar as it is almost impossible to get one in the pristine condition I want. Naturally I would like to get it asap considering. Also, any feedback on weather or not the florentine cutaway takes anything away from the amplified sound? I would really appreciate all your experience and expertise here.
Respectfully submitted.
-
08-27-2018 12:44 PM
-
At least a 8-12 month wait. Up charge for a non production color is $1K. The Florentine cutaway will be a serious upcharge also. You want a made to order L5 in 4 months at a great price get a Campellone. Much higher quality too.
Of course if you must have the Gibson logo expect a year wait and well over $10K. The Music Zoo would give you the best price or Chicago Music Exchange. No refunds on custom orders.
-
Mickey - are you just looking for the CES or would you consider the L5 Wes Montgomery?
Originally Posted by Mickey
-
Only a CES...not interested in Wes Montgomery....help me out here Vinny
-
All things equal, I doubt the cutaway shape would have much if any effect on the electric sound.
-
Mickey, Don't overlook a Tal Farlow if one becomes available to you. You can save a lot of money and get a GREAT guitar.
And MOST importantly, I hope you make a full recovery from your Cancer. Stay Strong.
Joe DeNisco
-
Thanks all for best wishes.....but for now I am focusing on this Bucket List Item. A must have. Any more input on best source for this?...Please....most phone calls are a waste of time because the dealers think you are wasting theirs....how much should I be expected to put down up front on a custom order?
-
Mickey, I'd be shocked if one of our resident saints wasn't already on the phone trying to take care of this for you.
Hang in there.
Joe D
-
Custom order you will have to put down 50% unless you have a long standing with a particular dealer. Originally Posted by Mickey
IMO with the disarray Gibson is in right now this is like the worst time to order one especially custom.
There will be no price wiggle room. Plan on $12K for what you want $6K upfront.
For something like this The Music Zoo is who I would chose. They have a long history for custom order Gibson’s.
MF and Sweetwater are the only dealers that have new L5’s right now and they are not custom. MAP prices too. You might get 10% off max. Depending where you live sales tax too.
-
?Sorry about your health situation. Hopefully The Lord squares it away in your favor.
Take what the guys said to heart about a custom order from Gibson, with all the turmoil this is how most of us feel - financially it's gonna cost you a LOT and who knows what Gibson will go through while you wait...
Just the same I hope a NOS one pops up and you can start playing it now.
Big
-
I doubt Gibson will build you a custom L-5CES right now. Could be wrong, and a year or two ago they would have, certainly. Right now, though...
-
I take it you want 2 pickups. If you like Byrdlands I have one in brand new unplayed condition and I do mean dead mint. All my L5’s are single pickup. LOL in your quest.
-
Talk to Steve at Wildwood guitars. If any Gibson dealer can make this happen, he can.
-
This may seem a little off topic, but do you mind me asking youse what you're playing right now ???
Thanks...
Big
Originally Posted by Mickey
-
First of all, all the best Mickey. And try to keep in mind there are a lot of ( 'c-word' ) survivors out there, and try to remind your family of that too. Once they heard you say that word, they forgot a lot of what you said after that, even if it's good. ( three guesses how I know ). Originally Posted by Mickey
Now about ordering that guitar, maybe another example will help. I have to believe it'd be like wanting to order a brand new loaded custom Corvette in the middle of GM's restructuring. All the legitimate questions you'd have would be about impossible to answer. " Who would actually make this ? ", " When would it be completed ? ", " How do I know they'll make good on this commitment ? " etc etc.
Imagine yourself * selling* a product like this to a customer - - who insists on a contract with a performance bond and penalty clauses - in real hard money. And every hour of every day it's late, it costs you serious money. Then you call the factory and your contact suddenly got laid off overnight and the new guy doesn't know if they'll be starting a second shift to finish these orders, 'cause he's new, and his Boss has been reassigned, etc etc etc.
And that's just one example of a horror story. This new Gibson order at this time could - will probably - have other nightmares, but they'd be similar.
Just MHO Mickey and good luck.
-
Mickey,
With all due respect to my friends on this forum who are advising you to not follow your dreams (and they do have a point, there is serious risk making a special order from a firm that has filed for Chapter 11 BK protection), Gibson is still open for business and a great Gibson archtop is as good a guitar as there is and ever was.
My dad died from prostate cancer. He was diagnosed at age 60 and did the radiation treatment and hormone treatment. He made it to 72. I have been getting checked since age 45 (I turn 61 this year), so far so good. But the fact is that life is short. If you want a new L-5-CES in a custom color, I say go for it! Life rewards those who take risks (and also penalizes them at times) and seeing as the average survival rate for prostate cancer is 15 years from diagnosis, I would say you are not in a position to wait and see how the Gibson drama plays out.
Here is hoping that you beat all the odds, make it to age 90 and get a magnificent new L-5CES!
Cheers,
Marc
-
I would want to know who is still at the Crimson shop now. If James Culbertson is still there I would be comfortable knowing the L5 would be built right.
If he was part of the layoffs cut the rope and come up with a plan B.
Wildwood is also a stand up shop. I bought 2 L5’s from them. They are very price firm though. You will pay a tad more.
I can guarantee a Florentine cutaway will be at least a $2K upcharge.
5 years ago I asked the Crimson shop to build me a 1948 ES350 replica. They wanted $12K MAP and it is plywood.
With my dealer discount it would have been $9.5k plus tax.
I had the Crimson shop build me a custom single pu 175 in 2010. It was $800 more than a Memphis dual pu 175.
-
.....or has it already been decided there will even be a Crimson Shop ? I do not know and apologize if that had been confirmed here and I missed it.
If the new owners and management looked at the Crimson Shop figures, what would they see ? Did they have their own/separate P&L statement ? And if so, were they making money ? I would guess they weren't.
And who gets laid off, or quits, and is it the very capable guy you've dealt with for years ? The best dealer of any product is only as good as what he's told by manufacturing, and there is just bound to be a learning curve when there's a bankruptcy. Some learning curves are less painful, but there's still pain.
-
Soooooooo many good hearted guys on this post. Thanks for all your encouragement and experience. I am grateful and touched. My grandfather died from Prostate cancer and my father had it when died. For the last 25 years i have been diligent to have my PSA checked EVERY 6 months. A year ago it was fine...well within safe numbers....for the last 25 years I have run 3 -5 miles daily to keep in shape and hopefully on top of things.
But in one 6 month period I went from 2.5 to 19.2. That fast! I decided to go the most aggressive route...complete removal of Prostate. Recovering nicely....not sure about residuals yet, but most difficult thing is the incontinence. So I set here with little else to do but play guitar. Yes, an NOS would be great, problem is the
finish i want is either Burbonburst or Wineburst. Not likely to find one of those on a shelf somewhere.
I will try Wildwood. No one.....NO ONE....has yet to tell me there would be any difficulty getting one. Am I wrong in thinking that the dealer would stand behind the quality?
-
Why don't you give Gibson a call. I wonder if they couldn't tell you if a Ces in either of those colors had been produced over the last couple of years. Maybe they could direct you to a likely dealer. It seems like the Wes L5 has been favored over the l5ces lately but that's just my observation. Gibson should be able to tell you the real story. I would hope that they would bend over backwards to get your needs met. If it comes to ordering one I would contact 3 large dealers and have them all get you a quote. Get what you want. Best of luck to you.
-
Lawson, isn’t your nicest looking L5CES I’ve ever seen in Bourbon Burst? Originally Posted by skiboyny
-
Great idea - contact Terry. [email protected] he has always been helpful. Originally Posted by skiboyny
-
Yes Terry went to bat for me big time when Gibson banged up my L5 doing the neck refinish. Hopefully Terry wasn’t laid off too.
I think Lason’s L5 is wineburst which is a one off. Bourbon burst was only done on the solid formed model.
-
-
Meanwhile, this one is at a highly rated Reverb seller in Japan. It has engraved pickup and truss rod covers, and some of the most gorgeous coloring and grain I’ve ever seen on any Gibson. Just a thought. Good luck in your quest!
Gibson L-5 CES Quilt 2015 Cherry Sunburst Gibson L-5 CES Quilt 2015 Cherry Sunburst | G'CLUB | Reverb
Reply With Quote
“Shearing style”
Today, 05:26 PM in Comping, Chords & Chord Progressions