Rare Beauty: Gibson’s Gorgeous L-5 CES

Fri, May 19, 2006

Gibson L-5 Ces ArchtopWhile we’re on the topic of historic archtop guitars… Gibson’s L-5 CES, which was first released to the world in 1951, is to this day one of the premier jazz guitars on the market — overshadowed only by its bigger, and even more expensive brother, the Super 400 CES.

These are truly gorgeous guitars, though I have to warn you, the price tag for the L-5 CES isn’t for the faint of heart — you could easily spend over $7,000 on one.

Still, there’s a method to the madness: rumor has it that the high-grade of spruce and maple used on this instrument is becoming quite scarce, allowing for only a handful of these guitars to be made each year. On top of that the L-5 is literally bound from head to foot; including neck, body, f-hole, and even peghead binding.

The Gibson L-5 CES Features—

  • High-Grade Carved Spruce Top
  • High-Grade Maple Back & Sides
  • High-Grade Walnut & Maple Neck
  • Ebony Fretboard With 20 Frets
  • Pearl Dot Inlays
  • Schaller Tuning Machines
  • Dual ‘57 Classic Humbucker Pickups
  • Two Volume & Two Tone Controls
  • 3-Way Pickup Switching
  • ABR-1 Ebony-Base Bridge
  • L-5 Tailpiece
  • Gold Hardware

And the L-5 CES includes a Gibson hard case, and comes in natural, wine, ebony, and natural sunburst finishes.

Posted Under: Commentary, Gibson, Guitars, Uncategorized

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