Gibson L5 Wes Montgomery new via local retailer

[manolo_asdf]

Good morning,

I am looking for a Gibson L5 Wes Montgomery and unfortunately in Germany nearby this guitar is not available via a local dealer. I like second hand but I prefer to have guitar seen / played in reality. Also for its price I am very sceptical of having it sent to me directly. Therefore I want to involve a local retailer, which will then sort out the order with Gibson Custom shop directly.

My questions:
- Are there quality issues with newly built Gibson Custom Shop guitars (I read several sources that Gibson has major quality issues)?
- How different are Gibson L5 guitars (will a new crafted L5 sound very similar to a L5 from let's say 10 years ago)?

Thanks a lot.

[manolo_asdf]

At mods: Can you remove this Thread? I see my question is kind of fitting to thread Quality control: Gibson vs the Rest I will use now.

[vinnyv1k]

IMO the L5’s built from 2000-2016 are some of the best ever.
The 90’s were very good also but many had the pearl delaminate on the headstock meaning the Gibson logo and flower pot. Otherwise great also.

[jads57]

It always depends on the individual guitar, but generally the most recent Crimson Series Gibson Archtops imo are the best ever! Phillip Whorton was the head of the Crimson Custom Shop.

I would also recommend Mark Campellone as a great alternative. There is currently one at Archtop.com for sale that would be a great Wes L-5CES

[339 in june]

Check out Thomann
Gibson Wes Montgomery VSB – Thomann France
in Germany
They do have a 30 days return policy with no question asking
From experience, their estimated leadtime for delivery is quite reliable, (even if I don't figure how they manage it with Gibson archtops)

[manolo_asdf]

Thanks for the Thomann hint, I overlooked it recently. Indeed a good option because they are very customer friendly when it comes to returns.

[vinnyv1k]

Thomann is great. On one of my L5’s the gold plate failed on the the tuner tulip knobs. I could not get replacements from Gibson but was able to get new ones from Thomann in Germany sent to me in California. Wasn’t cheap but worth it. Great company even with the different language between us.