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  1. #1

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    Found a James Hutchins signed 1988 Gibson L-5 CES that I'm considering.
    Gibson Custom L 5 1988 Sunburst Guitar For Sale Rome Vintage Guitars

    Here on the forum I've seen that Hutchins is held in high regard and mid-2000's models signed by him appear to get good reviews. Are the 1988 models considered comparable (better or worse)?

    Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

    Advance thanks,
    v281

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  3. #2

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    James "Hutch" Hutchins was a great guy. But there is no extra value to be attached to a Hutch signed L5CES, I aver. Hutch was the first Custom Shop Supervisor under the then newly reorganised Gibson under Henry J. and yes, he oversaw the renaissance of Gibson archtops which had languished under Norlin Gibson. It is also true that when Hutch was Shop Sup, the maple had a particular figure to it, and the finishes, especially sunburst, had a particular colour tone.

    But the guitars aren't any better or worse than what came under Shop Sups Mark McGuire and Philip Whorton. James D. Culberson took over the signing off on the labels when Hutch retired. Culbersons are no slouch either. I don't know who took the talk about Hutch and went running off with it in a direction for which it was never meant. Nobody ever suggested that Hutch signed labelled guitars were any special; they had a characteristic look and style, if you want to call it that, but that was it. Dealers, huh!

    I wouldn't put too much stock on the Hutch signed label. Judge that 1988 L5CES on how it plays and sounds.

  4. #3

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    It seemed to me like he signed the better looking wood. I doubt that translates to better sound or playability. A collector would probably find more value in it.
    Quote Originally Posted by v281 View Post
    Found a James Hutchins signed 1988 Gibson L-5 CES that I'm considering.
    Gibson Custom L 5 1988 Sunburst Guitar For Sale Rome Vintage Guitars

    Here on the forum I've seen that Hutchins is held in high regard and mid-2000's models signed by him appear to get good reviews. Are the 1988 models considered comparable (better or worse)?

    Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

    Advance thanks,
    v281

  5. #4

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    This isn't going to be a popular answer here but I owned a couple Hutch signed L-5s in the late 80s and played several others. While they were good guitars, they weren't any better or worse than most others I've owned or played.
    I believe there were a few yrs in the mid 80s when Gibson wasn't making carved top guitars, maybe that coincided w the move to Nashville.
    That said I haven't owned or played many late 70s-early 80s or more recent L-5s or Super 400's to compare, just a few and those were about the same to me.
    No offense to those that own Hutch signed guitars, they obviously have a following, I really dont know why.
    They're well made but I didn't notice anything special about them compared to other eras.

  6. #5

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    Meaningless.

  7. #6

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    I have a Hutch signed CES from 2003 and two Culberson signed WesMos. The tiger stripe on the back of the CES is one of the best I've ever seen, but I doubt that is because of Hutch. Otherwise, I wouldn't say that any one of them is better than the others.

    Gibson L-5: Does the model year of a James Hutchins signed L-5 matter?-37659__11_1024x1024-jpg

  8. #7

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    Collectors seem compelled to justify the prices they pay for whatever they collect, and will seize on almost any facet of the item to assist in that. The Venn diagram of players and collectors is not a perfect circle.

  9. #8

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    I have a 1996 L-5 Wesmo and a 1997 Super 400CES. Both are amazingly great guitars, from the Hutchins era, but have no extra labels or signatures. Nor did they come with certificates of authenticity in those days. They just came with great looks, great tone and great playability.

    At some point, one must decide if they are buying guitars or autographs.

  10. #9

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    I believe Wintermoon is correct, i.e., that following the move to Nashville there were no carved guitars for awhile. (The folks who did that stayed in Kalamazoo.) After a spell, though, Gibson got their act together again and put out good stuff. The first L-5CES guitars I remember from the Tennessee days look just like the one in the OP's link. I played one of the early efforts down on Canal St. in Werlein's Music, back in the late-80s. My initial thoughts were, "yep, it's an L-5CES; glad Gibson is doing this, again." I did note that the finish was a bit rougher than the L-5 instruments of the pre-Nashville period. Particularly, around the fingerboard extension over the body I noticed that the finish was reminiscent of the sunburst/not much top coat 'n buff that was found on the ES-125 and ES-175 guitars in that area. I had never previously associated this with the L-5CES or Byrdland guitars, where more attention was paid to the finish, all the way around. (Super-400 CES, too) The guitar played and sounded great, though. I did figure that Gibson had lost the supplier of the old tailpiece insert--the insert was a wooden affair with "L-5" diagonally inlayed.

    I, too, figure that the value of these guitars is rooted in how they play, sound, and look--after 30 years. Label...meh.

  11. #10

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    When Gibson moved to Nashville from Kalamazoo, they took the "Green Monster" - the hand-operated machine used to rough-carve the tops and backs of their carved archtop guitars. They continue to use it, as far as I know. The machine operation and subsequent carving/sanding is done by veteran Gibson employee Richard Ickes and perhaps others as well.

    Buried in here (2014):
    The Making of a Gibson Custom Guitar – by Ted Drozdowski Durban Rock Radio
    "At the Custom Shop, programmable machines in the rough mill initially carve the necks and the bodies of some models. But all begin as blocks of wood on the Custom Shop shelves and are cut to shape and routed for various pickup configurations, electronics, etc., on site.
    As you would expect, most jobs are highly specialized and require the expertise of staffers like Richard Ickes. The dean of the wood shop with 36 years of service, Ickes came to Nashville with the company when it moved from Kalamazoo, Mich., in 1985. Although Ickes pinch-hits throughout all the woodworking areas of the plant, he’s best known for painstakingly carving the tops of hollowbody archtops like the L-5 and L-4 on the very carver he used in Gibson’s original location.

    “They had these same machines way back in the 1930s, and I learned on them,” says Ickes. “They were originally steam powered, but were converted to electricity before I came on in 1973. It takes a while to get the hang of them, but it comes. You learn how to change the fixtures that get fitted in place on the table of the machine. And you make all the adjustments by hand to get the correct radiuses and curves and thicknesses of the tops, and then guide the carving.”
    After the tops are carved they still have uneven surfaces. Those are belt and hand sanded to smoothness and then the bracing that supports the tops is hand-cut and shaped from strips of wood to exacting specifications for each model, and glued in place.
    The wood shop is also where the sides of hollowbody guitars — maple, mahogany or laminate strips cut to vintage spec depths — are soaked in a warm-water-based solution and then bent and dried on metal forms. Then the side, tops, and bottoms are glued together and bound in place with rope-like strands of cloth while they dry and set.
    Between Ickes’ vintage lathes — the same machines that were used to make Wes Montgomery’s L-5 and the Custom Shop’s binding area are the computer controlled machines that cut and route out Les Pauls and other solidbody classics that comprise most of the facility’s orders.

    and here (2018):
    Beyond Wine: Visiting Gibson Guitars’ Nashville Custom Shop (Jul 2018) | Vinous - Explore All Things Wine
    Rough Mill Operator Richard Ickes, who has been with Gibson since 1963, is one of many veterans on the floor....Next up is one of the archtop production areas. The original steam powered carvers, now powered by electric motors, are still in use, as are some of the original molds, like this Super 400 form, which dates back to 1938. The machine does the first rough carve, and the bodies are then finished by hand.
    Attached Images Attached Images Gibson L-5: Does the model year of a James Hutchins signed L-5 matter?-greenmonster-2-jpg 
    Last edited by Hammertone; 05-16-2019 at 12:29 PM.

  12. #11

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    Jabbs, thanks for coming back to us. It feels like old times. Especially with Wintermoon and Greentone posting. (I still think you guys are related).
    The thing we can not quantify here is the number of examples under each of the different Supervisors that were rejected by the buyer or dealer and never made it into the second hand market. That is the hidden piece of information that will never really allow us to determine who had the their shit together more or less than the other.
    Every L5 that I've ever played or owned was magical and I only bought one brand new. All made to a level of "substantialness" that differentiated it from any other guitar, especially those guitars that were copies.

    JD

  13. #12

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    Don't know much about Hutch of L5 years, but that is a really nice sunburst.

    But I also saw this on their site, so....

    Gibson L5 1959 Sunburst Guitar For Sale Denmark Street Guitars

  14. #13

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    Joe's right. I never played a bad L-5. Only good and "gooder."

  15. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by Woody Sound View Post
    Don't know much about Hutch of L5 years, but that is a really nice sunburst.

    But I also saw this on their site, so....

    Gibson L5 1959 Sunburst Guitar For Sale Denmark Street Guitars
    That is listed as an "L5" but is actually an ES-5 Switchmaster

  16. #15
    Darn it! I was hoping y’all would talk me out of pursuing this, but you’re just a group of enablers aren’t ya? Lol
    Seriously, though, thanks for all the insights and replies - they are greatly appreciated.

    As indicated in a previous post on the forum I’m in the market for a L-5 CES or WesMo, unfortunately there are very limited opportunities to try them out where I’m located so I have to take advantage of opportunities presented when I travel. The last one I had a chance to try/play was back in February in London - it was a 2004 CES, in great shape and a fetching red color, unfortunately it didn’t “speak to me” and I didn’t seem to bond with it (hard to tell if it was the strings (I’m used to flatwounds and they weren´t), the set-up or feel of the neck), although I certainly loved the tone/sound of it.

    Clearly, the feel, sound and playability of the instrument is what I’m after and going to be the deciding factor - although it would be nice if it was from an era of known quality production at Gibson and couldn’t hurt if it was signed by someone recognized for attention to detail and high quality standards

  17. #16

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    Remember those signed labels are done before the guitar is fully assembled. The label only states that the top and the tone bars have passed inspection. A lot goes on after that label was signed. Many of my Gibson Archtops have a model year serial no. that is a year past the label date on the inside.

  18. #17

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    My two favorite guitars (in my posession) are a Hutch signed 2003 L5CES and a Culberson signed 2014 LeGrand. If i had to chose between the two i couldn't ... .

  19. #18
    Found another one here that looks promising and I’m planning on taking a look at tomorrow

    Gibson L-5 CES 1991 vintage sunburst | Your Music | Reverb

  20. #19

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    Enablers? I think everyone on this forum likes L5 guitars.

  21. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by djelley View Post
    That is listed as an "L5" but is actually an ES-5 Switchmaster
    That was my point.

  22. #21

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    Well, it's no Chancellor, but the L-5 is a swell guitar.

  23. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Greentone View Post
    Enablers? I think everyone on this forum likes L5 guitars.
    Absolutely, I know you all do and was just kidding (always a risky thing to do in print-especially as
    english is a 2nd language for me). This is precisely why I sought your advice and opinions.

    I feel quite privileged and thankful to have the opportunity to learn from the decades of collective experience forum members so willingly share here about all things jazz. I’ve only recently started my jazz journey and have a lot to learn.

  24. #23

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    v281,

    Enjoy your journey. Don't be a stranger on the forum. We are all committed to jazz and to jazz guitar. In that sense we _are_ all enablers!

  25. #24

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    Here’s my 2006 Hutch. I have not have the opportunity to play many L5’s to compare to, but this one is pretty spectacular. As mentioned here and in previous posts, the wood and finish on the Hutch era carved arch tops was exceptional.

    Gibson L-5: Does the model year of a James Hutchins signed L-5 matter?-0eb63f44-7194-406b-b4cf-0652c357da8d-jpgGibson L-5: Does the model year of a James Hutchins signed L-5 matter?-f4f9f9a0-3f13-4b16-b78b-b1dc27a5a39e-jpgGibson L-5: Does the model year of a James Hutchins signed L-5 matter?-5131d1a9-4706-4060-830f-92de8c7b7222-jpgGibson L-5: Does the model year of a James Hutchins signed L-5 matter?-85c1c6a9-965a-4d8c-b2e8-e01fcfc088b3-jpg

  26. #25

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    One thing to note on most of the Gibson's made in the 90's is the headstock inlays delaminated. Not all. Nothing to do with playability but a cosmetic flaw none the less like the one you are going to check out Gibson L-5 CES 1991 vintage sunburst | Your Music | Reverb.
    Also the tailpiece on that 1991 looks off center.