15" v. 16" archtop

[RJVB]

Actually, "cool" is a good description of the sound of the smaller archtops I've heard (I think only examples by Maegan Wells, so a priori not the shabbiest). Then again archtops often sound like they lack warmth, and I have to assume that's more down to the player/recording than to variation among samples of the same model.

(I'm talking about the unplugged sound evidently.)

[Rickco]

Splitting the difference:

Attachment 110679

At 15.5" x 2.625" these fit me (5'4" and shrinking) perfectly, play & sound great.

Those are all that dimension? Were they all custom? I didnt know there was an L5 that size...I want one

[Woody Sound]

Those are all that dimension? Were they all custom? I didnt know there was an L5 that size...I want one

I think Grant Geissman switched to one from his big florentine. ICBW.

[ccroft]

I think Mr Kleinhaut's new Ribbeke is a 15", and it sounds fantastic to me. All his posts in the last 4 months have it. Seems he likes it a lot!

[Danny W.]

Attachment 110704

How do you decide which one to play?

The two one-pickup sunburst ones are the most acoustic. They stay out on stands at home, the one with a floater gets played through a Fractal Audio Axe-FX III in our great room, the one with a set-in pickup through an Acoustic Image amp, currently a Series 1 Clarus SL-R into a Ten2 EX in our den. The red one does virtually all my big-band rehearsals, dances and outdoor gigs, and some indoor concerts ones too. The two-pickup pair do indoor concerts on a "what do I feel like playing tonight?" basis.

Those are all that dimension? Were they all custom? I didnt know there was an L5 that size...I want one

Yes, they are all the same size. These were a catalog item for Gibson ca 2002-2005 and appear in the 2004 Historic catalog, although they were likely made in the Custom Shop. The official designation is L-5CES Signature. The floater version adds "Lee Ritenour" to that name. The Lee Rit version continued to be offered for a number of years. It seems unlikely that Gibson made more than about 30 of the non-Rit version.

[Rickco]

Man! just when I thought I was over it! Great shots of the band,thanks for sharing

[Blkat]

How do you manage the 18"? Unless you are quite tall with bigger hands, I would imagine an 18" would be quite awkward.

Doug

I just read this in an interview with Kenny Burrell from a few years back...

Q: The Gibson Super 400 has been your trademark guitar for many years. When did you first begin playing one, and what attracted you?
KB: It was probably in the late 1960s. I’d been using a D’Angelico New Yorker, which was the same size as a Super 400 (18? body). I like that body size – and where my elbow rests.


Q: Earlier, you had a Gibson ES-175 and then a custom L-5 CES with a Florentine cutaway. That was years before the Florentine cutaway on the L-5 and Super 400. How did it come about?


KB: Gibson made me an L-5 with a deep cutaway in the late ’50s. They did it reluctantly. I played that guitar for a while, but it was too heavy. It had a much bigger block; they thought the body wouldn’t hold the neck with the deep cutaway otherwise. The 175 was too small and always felt clumsy; I couldn’t grab it comfortably with my arm. The Super 400 feels perfect for me.


Seems there's more to consider than just body size.