"The Ultimate Archtop"
2014 Gibson Custom Shop 'Crimson' Series L-5 Double Cutaway

2014 Gibson L-5 Double Cutaway.

This magnificent 17-inch-wide, just under 2 1/2 inch deep, L-5 'Double-Cutaway' weighs just 7.50 lbs. and has a perfectly book-matched carved spruce top with a two-piece, book-matched, highly-flamed maple back and highly-flamed curly maple sides. Nine-ply binding on the top of the guitar, five-ply binding on the back, and single-bound f-holes. Three-piece highly-flamed curly maple neck with two center mahogany strips and a scale length of 25 1/2 inches. Multi-bound ebony fretboard with a small, graceful point at the end, 20 medium frets, inlaid pearl block position markers and inlaid small 'tortoiseshell' dot side markers. The nut width is just over 1 11/16 inches and the neck profile is a very comfortable 'medium' starting at 0.85 inch behind the first fret and rising gently to 1.00 inches behind the eleventh fret. Multi-bound headstock with inlaid pearl "Gibson" logo and pearl "L-5" flowerpot inlay. Two-layer black over white plastic bell-shaped truss-rod cover with "Custom L-5" engraved in white. Black-painted headstock, rear face with black widow's peak. Individual Gibson 'Schaller' M6 tuners with tulip shaped metal buttons. Two Gibson 'Custom Bucker' Humbucking pickups with perfectly matched outputs of 8.34k and 8.32k. Gold plastic bell-shape "Bell" control knobs. Multi-bound tortoiseshell pickguard. Gibson 'Nashville ABR-1 style bridge on height-adjustable ebony base, each side with an inlaid pearl 'dragonfly' and tailpiece with "L-5" engraved at end and silver-plated, engraved metal insert. Inside the bass 'f' hole is the Gibson orange oval label with Style "L5 Double Cutaway" and the serial number "11484003" written in black ink. Inside the treble 'f' hole is a tan 'elongated-oval' label with 'The top, back, tone-bars and air chamber of this instrument were tested, tuned and the assembled instrument tried and approved" dated and signed in black ink " April 9 2014 James R. Culbertson". All hardware gold-plated. This guitar is in mint (9.50) condition and is complete with the Gibson Custom "Crimson" Certificate of Authenticity, the Gibson Gold Warranty, and all the of the original hang-tags etc. Housed in the original Gibson five-latch shaped, black hardshell case with padded maroon plush lining (9.50).

"The ultimate archtop evolves again as the L-5 Doublecut from Gibson Custom, an elegant and iconic instrument reimagined for the player of the 21st century. Orville Gibson invented the archtop guitar in the 1890s, but most aficionados will tell you that the form achieved its zenith in 1922 with the Lloyd Loar-designed L-5, a glorious carved-top guitar with a subtly elegant look, a huge tone, and the first violin-style f-holes seen on a six string. But Gibson didn’t stop there. The premier archtop continued to evolve throughout the century, adapting to amplification, gaining a cutaway and humbucking pickups in the ’50s, and landing in the hands of legendary players such as Wes Montgomery, Hank Garland, and even Scotty Moore along the way. Now the L-5 Doublecut sends it soaring once again, in a stunning marriage of tradition and innovation.

Hand-crafted by Gibson Custom with a view toward all the essentials of the finest archtop acoustic-electric guitars, the L-5 Doublecut has a carved Sitka spruce top matched to a back and sides made from highly figured maple, all rendered in a graceful double-cutaway body with a depth of 2 3/8”. A five-ply maple and walnut neck is topped with a one-piece ebony fingerboard, while two Custom Bucker humbucking pickups purr with all the mellow warmth and defining clarity of the finest late-’50s PAFs.

Equally known for its understated elegance as for its superior tone, the Doublecut continues in the L-5 tradition, with 7-ply top binding, 3-ply back binding, 5-ply fingerboard and headstock binding, and a multi-ply-bound pickguard. Inlays include a mother-of-pearl logo and floral emblem on the headstock, block fingerboard markers, and petite floral inlays on the ebony bridge base. All hardware is gold plated, including the Schaller™ M6 tuners and engraved L-5 bridge with silver insert, and the guitar is available in your choice of two classic finishes: Slow Iced Tea Fade, or Vintage Sunburst. Includes a hardshell Custom Shop case and Custom Crimson Certificate of Authenticity." (www. gibson.com).

The 2014 MSRP on this guitar was $14,939