What's "wrong" with this Gibson L-5?

**wintermoon** · 02-20-2022, 08:28 PM

somebody snapped this up the same day it was listed but a major change was made to the guitar in it's life and no mention of it from the seller.
perhaps they didn't know.
first one to identify the change gets an atta-boy from me

Gibson L-5 1949 Natural | Tom's Gear Garage | Reverb

**Hammertone** · 02-20-2022, 08:34 PM

Wow! Worth it, though. Presumably done by Gibson.

**Stringswinger** · 02-20-2022, 08:47 PM

Headstock logo looks too modern for 1949. Perhaps it is a later guitar?

**wintermoon** · 02-20-2022, 08:49 PM

close but no atta-boy yet

**wintermoon** · 02-20-2022, 08:50 PM

Hammer, I shoulda prefaced it w/you're out cause I knew you'd know

**ThatRhythmMan** · 02-20-2022, 09:06 PM

Originally Posted by Stringswinger

Headstock logo looks too modern for 1949. Perhaps it is a later guitar?

Look at the other side of the neck.

**wintermoon** · 02-20-2022, 09:11 PM

Another one I shoulda prefaced as being out

**ccroft** · 02-20-2022, 09:24 PM

I'm no L5 expert. Never seen one live. But it has a too many piece neck. Also...maybe re-bound and refinished. Hard to tell how many plies of binding in photos, but it looks like not 7.

**customxke** · 02-20-2022, 09:31 PM

1960s neck seems anachronistic

**wintermoon** · 02-20-2022, 09:46 PM

Originally Posted by ccroft

I'm no L5 expert. Never seen one live. But it has a too many piece neck. Also...maybe re-bound and refinished. Hard to tell how many plies of binding in photos, but it looks like not 7.

Correct, '49 body, renecked from original 3 piece to 60's 5 piece.
atta-boy ccroft

good job
thanks to HT and TRM for not completely giving it away and SS was on the right track

**floatingpickup** · 02-20-2022, 10:40 PM

New neck. Should be a 3 piece neck. (Two pieces of maple with a thin dark piece in the center).
Keith

**Hammertone** · 02-21-2022, 12:09 AM

Like this (old blonde L-7 neck w/replaced tuners):

**hotpepper01** · 02-21-2022, 03:34 AM

This one was offered for sale for weeks at a local site in the Netherlands for Euro 8500. And it was said by the seller that is was renecked in 61 by Gibson. Funny part is that is still offered for sale at that site as I write this by a guy named Sam, but located in Luik, Belgium. I had an eye on it.... seems odd to suddenly sell it so much cheaper... fishy? It could also explain why the reneck was not mentioned in the Reverb add. Here is the link to the add at local Dutch Marktplaats.
? Gibson L5 natural 1949 — Snaarinstrumenten | Gitaren | Akoestisch — Marktplaats
Update: not sure who really has the L5. I know where I would have put my money at. So what is "wrong"? I say one of adds is likely a fraud.

But I do hope that the guy that bought it on Reverb is safe.

**Jimmy blue note** · 02-21-2022, 07:46 AM

The first thing I look at when I see a person's face is the indication of life's time line telling the story in wrinkles. The first thing I look at on an old guitar is the tint of the lacquer and tiny signs of checking on yellowed UV darkened maple.
Aside from the neck, when was this work done? Because for something that old, how did they keep the back looking so "new"? The lacquers I've known Gibson to use will age a blonde guitar steadily to a golden amber and playing that guitar over that long an age will evidence itself with tiny check marks on most of the instruments I've seen. I know this isn't poly (which doesn't really age that way) but is there a story about the re-finishing that they're not telling?
It may be the light, or the photograph itself, or the angle, or any number of factours, but I, for one, would like to know "How does an instrument that old manage to look so young?"
Who is your plastic surgeon?

**RJVB** · 02-21-2022, 08:16 AM

Originally Posted by hotpepper01

This one was offered for sale for weeks at a local site in the Netherlands for Euro 8500. And it was said by the seller that is was renecked in 61 by Gibson. Funny part is that is still offered for sale at that site as I write this by a guy named Sam, but located in Luik, Belgium.... But I do hope that the guy that bought it on Reverb is safe.

The discrepancy in location is a bit weird but not necessarily alarming. It's quite possible that the guitar was in Luik and then got taken in consignment and sold by the dealer in Scheveningen. It wouldn't be the 1st ad to be forgotten, I've been guilty of that myself.

Is a good reminder btw to modify my own Reverb ad ... my violin is currently in consignment at/with the builder.

**hotpepper01** · 02-21-2022, 08:56 AM

Originally Posted by RJVB

The discrepancy in location is a bit weird but not necessarily alarming. It's quite possible that the guitar was in Luik and then got taken in consignment and sold by the dealer in Scheveningen. It wouldn't be the 1st ad to be forgotten, I've been guilty of that myself.

Is a good reminder btw to modify my own Reverb ad ... my violin is currently in consignment at/with the builder.

Could be. I contacted the seller in Belgium and he claims he still has the L5 and that it is not on Reverb It puzzels me who has it and who has not

**gitaarklas** · 02-21-2022, 10:18 AM

Could be. But the seller in Belgium has been active for years on the site.
He advertises also here on a Belgian thrustworthy second hand website.

② Gibson L5 natural 1949 — Snaarinstrumenten | Gitaren | Akoestisch — 2dehands

So maybe it's the Reverb seller that's suspect, he has no feedback.

Same pictures though.

**RJVB** · 02-21-2022, 10:38 AM

Wow, there's a Belgian clone of marktplaats.nl, good to know

3rd location though (I haven't checked if it's a Luik suburb).

**Woody Sound** · 02-21-2022, 10:39 AM

I believe mine from similar vintage had a 2-piece.

**grahambop** · 02-21-2022, 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by gitaarklas

a Belgian thrustworthy website

are we still talking about guitars?

**339 in june** · 02-21-2022, 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by RJVB

Wow, there's a Belgian clone of marktplaats.nl, good to know

3rd location though (I haven't checked if it's a Luik suburb).

Flémalle is Liège (Luik) suburb
Consistent for the name, the price, the description mentionning the neck change .....
Seems legit to me, at least compared to a Reverb account created in 2022, showing the exact same pictures, but slightly underpriced

**bluenote61** · 02-22-2022, 02:05 PM

You can see on the better (and more) pics provided on marktplaats.nl that the logo is lacking the dot on the 'i'.
I suppose the neck to be from 68 onwards, in 61 (as written in the ad) the logo still had its dot.