The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Hey gang - so what's the latest?

    They don't seem to show them on their website (unless they have a double-secret website). But Sweetwater shows that they can get you one, on special order. They look to be very obscure and limited at the moment.

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  3. #2

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    Where exactly do you see this? Maybe I’m blind but I couldn’t find a page on Sweetwater describing the ability to order a custom Gibson archtop

  4. #3

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    Pops right up on Google

    Access to this page has been denied.

  5. #4

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    That sounds hopeful

    I was worried they had stopped completely

    If they are still building custom archtops that's great IMHO

  6. #5

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    They will never be selling me one at the prices listed that is for sure. The used market looks pretty good.

  7. #6

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    The Sweetwater price is probably MAP ... which I would agree is way too much

    My philosophy on buying new Gibsons is never pay MAP, much less list price … with rare exceptions i.e. something really unique or special

    Actual sale price will probably be another 10 or 20 percent less ... maybe even 30 percent … the retailers have a lot of room to play with prices on theses guitars if they really want to move it

    Still high

    But getting closer to what someone might actually pay if they want to buy new or just don't want to hassle with trying to find a good deal on a used guitar in good shape

  8. #7

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    Everybody knows that you only pay 65-75% of MAP. It's been that way since the 1970s, at least.

  9. #8

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    So what actually would you expect to pay for this guitar. Listed MSRP at $15k they have it a 10.5K?

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by deacon Mark
    So what actually would you expect to pay for this guitar. Listed MSRP at $15k they have it a 10.5K?
    Probably 10K. With used Burst CES examples going for 6K-7.5K , I would say 10K for a brand new one is about right.

    Factoring in real inflation (today's cost of tonewood and metal plus today's cost of skilled American labor), I would say that 10K is about right compared to the $800 or so price tag one of these would have been in the early 70's.

    A Gibson sunburst L-5CES was expensive in 1972 and is still expensive today. The difference is that back then, cheap Asian made guitars were not very good, nor as cheap as they are today. So guys who have become used to reasonable quality Asian made guitars (made mostly by machines and near slave labor) bitch about the cost of Gibson guitars.

    You get what you pay for, and bitching about it never helps.

  11. #10

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    I agree, $10k.

    It also helps if you buy more than one, over time, from the same dealer. They seem to like "regulars".

  12. #11

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    The stock Sweetwater photos seem to show Indian Rosewood fretboards. It is clearly IRW in the photos of the L5CESN. This is the Made 2 Measure programme and I hope that there are enough archtop guitar lovers to keep the order books open. The Gibson Custom Shop produced some very interesting guitars between 1989 and 2018. Henry J was not all bad; I hope JC gives the Custom Shop free rein to come up with new models to keep things fresh and interesting.

  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jazzstdnt
    I agree, $10k.

    It also helps if you buy more than one, over time, from the same dealer. They seem to like "regulars".

    Yes, they currently have that L5CES listed for sale at $10,5. +/-

    And FWIW, I tried to find another new L-5 CES currently available in the US, and couldn't find one.

    I just have to believe there aren't going to be any crazy deals on new Gibson archtops because there's no inventory. And I also think they won't be building many new archtops that aren't already sold.

    MHO

  14. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dennis D
    Yes, they currently have that L5CES listed for sale at $10,5. +/-

    And FWIW, I tried to find another new L-5 CES currently available in the US, and couldn't find one.

    I just have to believe there aren't going to be any crazy deals on new Gibson archtops because there's no inventory. And I also think they won't be building many new archtops that aren't already sold.

    MHO
    Maybe. But what is a "crazy deal" on a L5 in your opinion? $10K - $10.5K or something lower?

  15. #14

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  16. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jazzstdnt
    Maybe. But what is a "crazy deal" on a L5 in your opinion? $10K - $10.5K or something lower?
    I don't know what a crazy deal is going to be...it may very well be $10.5K....But for now $10.5 is the only deal in town...on maybe the only new L-5 in town......

    So if there's almost no new ones to buy, which there pretty much aren't, you can't expect a lot of discounting.

  17. #16

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    I'm not aware of a time when there was "a lot of discounting" on new L5s. I'm not sure why there ever would be.

    There was a time a few years ago when the biggest of the big dealers had maybe 10 in stock at a time, but that was a rare time indeed. Now it's back to the way it was in the 80's.

    If they're not gonna sell like Les Paul's then they're not going to make as many. Seems about right.

  18. #17

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    Now I'll be real curious to see how soon L-5's start showing up at dealers, or if they even do....I sure hope they do.

    Bottom line, pick any decade you want - I think you'd be hard pressed to find a time when there were any less new L-5's to buy than right now.

    MHO

  19. #18

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    And for a $50 gig where you can actually use it, LOL!

  20. #19

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    How many L5s are in a store might change but 50 dollar gigs never change.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

  21. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by jads57
    And for a $50 gig where you can actually use it, LOL!

    Well, that would be $50 more than what they'll pay us to drive a new Cadillac up and down the street. Thirty years later, you might make a small profit off the L5. Maybe. Depends on how scarce they are. But that Cadillac...

  22. #21

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    Great guitar, but at this price point i don't see many musicians actually getting one, specially nowdays with so many other choices available at much better pricing. People used to be able to buy them new for 4-5000 $ a few years back.

  23. #22

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    I got the last new Tal Farlow that was made in 2018 and paid top dollar. $4600.00. If you want new now you must preorder and not a lot of wiggle room on the price. You will not see new L5’s hanging in music store anymore unless a dealer decides to special order one. The fact that the 175 has been discontinued is a big sign of the death of archtops.

  24. #23

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    I don't believe that fine carved archtops will ever die, but they may go into a coma.

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by Alter
    Great guitar, but at this price point i don't see many musicians actually getting one, specially nowdays with so many other choices available at much better pricing. People used to be able to buy them new for 4-5000 $ a few years back.
    Lower pricing for sure, but "better", not so sure.

    You get what you pay for, and when it's time to sell, you have what you have (or don't have), and it takes n days to sell (or is it months?).

  26. #25

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    Lower pricing for sure, but "better", not so sure.
    Yeah, i wouldn't disagree on that. I would still probably buy one if i could afford one, certainly a 175. But add being lefthanded to that...