A Specially-Ordered Custom-Color Mid-Sixties L-5 CES

This 17-inch-wide specially-ordered custom-color L-5 with a natural top and 'walnut-stained' neck, back and sides, weighs just 7.40 lbs. and has a nut width of just under 1 11/16 inches and a scale length of 25 1/2 inches. Perfectly book-matched carved natural spruce top with a one-piece curly maple back and curly maple sides. Five-piece book-matched curly maple neck with two mahogany strips, and multi-bound ebony fretboard with a small, graceful point at the end of the fretboard. Twenty original 'small' frets, and inlaid pearl block position markers. The neck on this guitar has a medium to thin profile, very similar to that on a '61-'62. Nine-ply binding on the top of the guitar, five-ply binding on the back, and single-bound f-holes. Multi-bound headstock with inlaid pearl "Gibson" logo
(with open 'b' and 'o') and pearl "L-5" flowerpot inlay. Black plastic bell-shaped truss-rod cover with white binding and with "Custom" engraved in white. Black-painted headstock rear face with widow's peak. Individual Kluson Sealfast tuners with bell-shaped metal buttons. Two Gibson patent-number humbucking pickups (with the "L" toolmarks on the feet still clearly visible) with rectangular black labels with "PAT NO 2,737,842" on the underside and outputs of 7.99k and 8.04k. Four controls (two volume, two tone) on the lower treble bout, plus three-way pickup selector switch on the treble horn. Gold plastic bell-shaped knobs with metal tops. Style number ("L5-CESN") and serial number ("844353") on the orange oval printed label inside the bass f-hole (no 'Union Made' stamp). Original multi-bound tortoiseshell pickguard. Rosewood bridge with pre-set compensating saddle on rosewood base and gold-plated flat plate tailpiece with engraved "L 5" and small hole at the bottom center (for allen wrench tension adjustment). All hardware gold-plated. There is a minimal amount of belt buckle scarring on the back and a few very small marks on the body, but overall, this guitar is in exceptionally fine (9.00) and totally original condition. Housed in its original Gibson black hardshell case with orange plush lining (9.00).

The color-scheme of this guitar is highly unusual, but we have been able to identify another similar example in Tony Bacon's, The History of the American Guitar from 1833 to the Present Day, pp. 66-67. "Overall, it appears a pristine example of a natural-finish Super 400 of the 1960s. However, a look at the back of this guitar...reveals an unusually dark color compared to the normal yellow maple tones of back and sides. The instrument label says that it is a 'S-400CN WAL,' and in fact the guitar's back and sides are maple with a dark stain, possibly walnut (hence the 'WAL'). At least one other example is noted in the company's records for late 1969."

"Timeless elegance. A jazz icon. The inspirational archtop guitar. These are just a few of the descriptions that fit Gibson’s L-5. Add to those a historical antecedent: the L-5 in various forms has been in constant production since late 1922, longer than any Martin, Gretsch, Epiphone, or National model...Originally conceived by acoustic engineer Lloyd Loar, the L-5 was the first guitar with design principles incorporated from carved instruments of the cello family. It represented a complete break from existing guitar design. Sporting simple appointments such as dot fingerboard inlays and a dark sunburst finish, the guitar was elegantly finished with a pearl 'flower pot' inlaid in the headstock below the Gibson logo, and a karat at the end of the fingerboard. The timing of the L-5’s introduction was nearly perfect since the guitar at that time was growing in popularity, but had yet to graduate from being just an instrument of vocal accompaniment to use in ensemble and orchestra settings. The 16" wide L-5 provided volume lacking in Gibson’s roundhole archtop guitars, and by the early 1930s the instrument had grown in popularity and sales enough to cause rivals Epiphone and Gretsch to introduce their own carved top/back instruments. In ’34, Gibson upped the ante by introducing 'advanced' versions of the L-5, which increased the width of both the upper and lower bouts. While the advanced version was a little fancier, with larger fingerboard inlays and more binding, there was still an elegance to the details that made the instrument stand out. Certainly by the early ’40s the L-5 was a staple in jazz band and orchestral settings. At 17" across the lower bout, it was a perfectly sized instrument. Loud enough for orchestral use, but not so large and difficult to handle as Gibson’s Super 400 or the Epiphone Emperor, the L-5 was extremely popular among musicians in jazz, country and western, and large orchestras. Demand for the guitar was such that after World War II it was one of the first models rushed back into production, even though some materials were in short supply. There were other detail changes along the way; a natural-finish option, a cutaway option, fancier tailpiece, and better tuners, but the instrument was otherwise unchanged until the original non-cutaway model was discontinued in 1958...The cutaway model soldiered on until ’82 when it was supplanted by the L-5CES...Today, the L-5 is one of the most collectible guitars from Gibson’s pre-war period. It is sought not only for its historical importance, but also for sound and playability, for its elegant design, and for its influence on the music of yesterday and today" (Eric C. Shoaf, "Gibson L-5: Loyd Loar's Timeless Masterpiece" at http://www.vintageguitar.com/brands/details.asp?ID=154).