The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by Danny W.
    <

    <note that with the Kahler it was a much more attractive instrument than the one in the OP>

    The last L-5S I owned was from ’83, a beautiful blonde that was the only one I ever saw without a volute. This was a really nice guitar.


    '83:
    Attachment 91437

    Attachment 91438

    I have not been able to locate photos of the Kahler version, although I'm sure I must have them somewhere.
    That wood is outta the park!

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #27

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    In case anyone is curious about the sound of the Low Impedance pickups in a jazz context, here's a clip of of my LP Recording a few years back. I think it's a Quilter amp I was using at that time.


  4. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by icr
    Sounds good to me. I always wanted one. Especially since I do a lot of direct recording.

    Please tune that thang, it hurts!

  5. #29

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    Quote Originally Posted by Woody Sound
    That wood is outta the park!
    That was a really nice guitar!

    Danny W.

  6. #30

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    Quote Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
    It could just be the resolution on my iPad screen, but the top looks like two of the lines between the new pickup surrounds could be cracks. Is this just a digital photo artifact?
    Yes, there are some cracks there. The seller sent me a pic showing all the routing under those giant pickup surrounds. It’s not pretty!
    I’m going to route out that whole area, inlay new maple, and cut new pickup holes. Then the top gets painted black.
    It’s going to be a long hot summer here in Arizona, this will be a nice indoor project!

  7. #31

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    L5-S Frankenstein-dllrbd8jztjjuuukygs3-jpeg

  8. #32

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    So it was a burst with low i pickups. Must've been a pretty baby. I'm excited to see what this rejuvenation will become. They're certainly a unique and handsome guitar deserving of the reconstruction efforts.
    I hope it gets played, and loved!

  9. #33

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gilpy
    Yes, there are some cracks there. The seller sent me a pic showing all the routing under those giant pickup surrounds. It’s not pretty!
    I’m going to route out that whole area, inlay new maple, and cut new pickup holes. Then the top gets painted black.
    It’s going to be a long hot summer here in Arizona, this will be a nice indoor project!
    I once had the use of a milling machine. I had a sad and forlorn 80's Ibanez that had one of those Floyd Rose type trem bridges (huge routed cavity for that) and I routed a shelf, put in a new top area over the cavity and some nice crafty bridge posts. I too lacquered it but with a transluscent burst so the grain wasn't opaqued out. It came out really well and it turned land fill into a really beautiful players' guitar.

  10. #34

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gilpy
    Yes, there are some cracks there. The seller sent me a pic showing all the routing under those giant pickup surrounds. It’s not pretty!
    I’m going to route out that whole area, inlay new maple, and cut new pickup holes. Then the top gets painted black.
    It’s going to be a long hot summer here in Arizona, this will be a nice indoor project!
    Why not redo the top as a Cherry Burst with an opaque yellow for the center that hides the wood?

    I would also replace the cracked tailpiece with a TOM, making it more like the last generation L-5S which probably was the best choice in any case.

    Whatever you decide, I look forward to seeing the results of your restoration. I have always liked that model and this one, with a bit of work, can become a real winner. Congrats on the purchase!

  11. #35
    I had the humbuckers with the L5 Tail. I guess you would call that the 2nd variant.

  12. #36

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    I always thought black L-5s s looked wicked, and I'm not a fan of those mismatched 3 piece tops. But when I get the guitar in hand I'll have a better idea what to do. A sunburst is still a possibility, as is a stop tailpiece. I'm having fun already thinking about it!

  13. #37
    If I understand correctly there was a progression of three versions:

    1: Low Imp pickups, L5 tail.
    2: Humbuckers, L5 tail.
    3: Humbuckers, Tp6 stoptail.

    I could be missing something along the way. At some late point, even later than the start of version 3, Gibson wised up and started putting 2-piece bookmatched tops on this top of the line guitar. Why they didn't from the beginning (other than cost) I don't know.

  14. #38

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    Mine was early 70's with h/b's, 3 piece top and L5 tp. Beautiful figuring. On the downside the neck was always cold and the guitar was neck heavy.
    Kevin Peak of Sky, toured with 2 of them. One was 2 p/u and the other had 3 p/u. Both were the same cherry sb as mine but mine had nicer figuring.
    I agree that black finish with pearl inlay (not Abalone) would be my ideal, with probably 3 p/u.
    Alternatively, a black Les Paul Personal (shape) with same specs.
    DG
    Last edited by daveg; 05-18-2022 at 03:16 PM.

  15. #39

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    How does this stuff happen? Looks like they wanted to replace the original pickups with humbuckers.
    Or to replace orginal top with plastic.. but they did not have enough plastic

  16. #40

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    Quote Originally Posted by entresz
    In case anyone is curious about the sound of the Low Impedance pickups in a jazz context, here's a clip of of my LP Recording a few years back. I think it's a Quilter amp I was using at that time.
    Cool sounds. I'd love to hear the same thing on a guitar with a CC pickup, simply because ... you play like Charlie Christian! Probaby a lot more hum would be involved. OK, a guitar with a CC pickup, and a Hum Debugger.

  17. #41

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    Got the guitar today. I think I did good on this one!
    Aside from the obvious cosmetic issues, the guitar is in good, playable condition with a nice medium-full neck shape and a good refret. After a little setup it plays great!
    I was surprised when I picked it up....the guitar weighs exactly 8 pounds. The sides, back and neck are a really nice aged-looking sunburst. The maple on the top looks quite good, better than I expected from the pictures. I may try to inlay some flame maple to fix the top. If It doesn't look good I can always paint it black.

    The modifications to this guitar were obviously done by a skilled repairman. The pickups are patent number T tops and the wiring has been redone with Alembic 250K pots. The middle position is out of phase so I'll have to fix that. The guitar has the vibe of one that was played a lot, by a pro. There are two mysterious holes and a notch in the tailpiece. Maybe there was some early guitar synth gizmo mounted there. All the electronics have that fuzzy corrosion that you see on a guitar that hasn't been touched for many years. Should be a fun project!

    L5-S Frankenstein-img_1392-jpg

  18. #42

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    ...and the story on the one in the background?

  19. #43

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    That’s where the “bad” guitars go....the woodpile.

  20. #44

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hammertone
    ...and the story on the one in the background?
    Its called relicing

  21. #45

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gilpy
    Got the guitar today. I think I did good on this one!
    Aside from the obvious cosmetic issues, the guitar is in good, playable condition with a nice medium-full neck shape and a good refret. After a little setup it plays great!
    I was surprised when I picked it up....the guitar weighs exactly 8 pounds. The sides, back and neck are a really nice aged-looking sunburst. The maple on the top looks quite good, better than I expected from the pictures. I may try to inlay some flame maple to fix the top. If It doesn't look good I can always paint it black.

    The modifications to this guitar were obviously done by a skilled repairman. The pickups are patent number T tops and the wiring has been redone with Alembic 250K pots. The middle position is out of phase so I'll have to fix that. The guitar has the vibe of one that was played a lot, by a pro. There are two mysterious holes and a notch in the tailpiece. Maybe there was some early guitar synth gizmo mounted there. All the electronics have that fuzzy corrosion that you see on a guitar that hasn't been touched for many years. Should be a fun project!

    L5-S Frankenstein-img_1392-jpg
    Very cool guitar! Congratulations, and play it in good health!

  22. #46

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    Beautiful. I, for one, hope you keep the grain and figure visible no matter what you decided to finish it with. It's not bookmatched and flamed like some but I think it's even better. All those complementary and contrasting figures play off of each other and make you really look at that top, not just take it for something spectacular. It's a beautiful shape and it's really classy. Personally, I still imagine an inlet plate type of pickup surround, cut and laid into the top, and maybe wood pickup surrounds? Anyway it's a great canvas for some one of a kind highlighting for a one of a kind guitar. I hope you get along with it and can't keep your hands off of it.

  23. #47

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    Blasphemy!

  24. #48

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    Progress!
    L5-S Frankenstein-img_1493-jpg

  25. #49

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    L5-S Frankenstein-img_1498-jpg