Conference napalm::guitar

1301.0. "The Gibson L-5S" by MOSAIC::WEBER () Tue May 09 1989 17:04

    In 1971, Gibson introduced a new solidbody guitar. Looking something
    like a flashy  Les Paul, priced higher than any other solidbody
    at the time, the L-5S was an attempt by Gibson to capture an emerging
    market for upscale instruments with a unique slant.
    
    In 1965, the idea of a "jazz" solid would have been laughable. The
    archtop sound of Wes,  Kenny and Barney defined jazz guitar. By
    the late 60's, players like Larry Coryell, Jerry Hahn and Mike
    Bloomfield had intermixed jazz and rock sounds quite thoroughly.
    Gibson's own Les Paul guitar had originally been designed for jazz
    and blues playing, but in the '60's had become firmly entrenched
    with a rock image, so Gibson decided to add "jazz" features to a
    new instrument.
    
    The body is  16.5" x 13.5" x 1". This is somewhat wider and shorter
    than an LP, and half as deep at the rims. The front of the body
    is highly arched and the back has a moderate arch. Despite its
    thinness, the all-maple body makes it quite heavy. Top and back
    are of two or three piece book-leafed, solid matched maple, often
    stunningly curly: the best of these will put a '59 "Burst to shame.
    Since the"rims" are really the edges of the top and back, these
    have matching curl.
    
    The control access panel on the back is a cut-out piece of the back
    wood, inset and held in with gold-plated screws. This is quite thick
    and tightly fitted so that removing it  is often difficult and likely
    to leave scars in the finish, but it is a lot prettier than the
    usual plastic plate. 
    
    The neck is laminated, usually very curly, maple with an ebony
    fretboard. Inlay matches the L-5 namesake, with an abalone flowerpot
    and Gibson logo on the headstock, and abalone block position markers.
    The scale length differs from the L-5 by being  24.75", like a Les
    Paul. Neck width has been uniform at 1-11/16" at the nut and 2-1/16"
    at the 12th fret. Early models tended to have deep, round necks
    similar to those on a '50's L-5C, but from the mid-'70's had a flatter,
    shallower, extremely comfortable profile. The neck joins the body
    at the 17th fret, which, coupled with the thin body and deep cutaway,
    produces outstanding upper fret access for such a conventional-looking
    guitar. The fretboard extension past the neck joint is raised well
    above the body on solid wood, unlike the L-5 archtop, which has
    an unsupported end. The neck ends in the traditional L-5 point.
    Virtually all of these guitars have volutes and many of these are
    much larger than those typically found on an LP. I have a 1981 model
    from the last production lot and it is the only one without a volute
    that I've ever seen. 
    
    Body, headstock  and neck binding are identical to that of the L-5.
    The body side binding is the same width as L-5 binding, making the
    sides appear to be wall-to-wall binding, especially in the cutaway.
    The complete absence of a "fingerrest" (pickguard) is unusual for
    a Gibson, and is about the only design flaw  IMO, though the body
    shape would require an extremely small one.
    
    The original version of the L-5S used two low impedance stacked
    humbuckers identical to those on the LP Recording, Professional,
    and Personal, but with standard Gibson controls (2 tones, 2 volume,
    toggle). The pickups were slanted and gold-plated. Since the lo-z
    pickups were cased in plastic, when the gold wears off the result
    is rather unattractive. I've already discussed the lo-z fiasco in
    another note, but needless to say the squeaky-clean sound of these
    was not what jazz (or any other) guitarists were looking for, and
    by 1975 standard "Super" humbuckers were used.
    
    The bridge is a "wide-travel" (Schaller) TOM and the original tailpiece
    was an L-5 style trapeze, cut down to fit the narrow rim. This
    tailpiece helped contribute to the "jazz" sound. Tuners matched
    whatever was being used on Gibson's carved tops (Kluson Sealfasts,
    followed by Schallers and finally "Cranks"). In 1978 the tailpiece
    was changed to a TP-6. Knobs were top hats and the output jack was
    face-mounted, since the rims were too thin for a standard jack.
    
    Originally, the only finish offered was cherry sunburst, but eventually
    antique sunburst, fireburst, natural, antique natural and ebony
    were also available. Like the L-5, sunburst models had sunburst
    sides, backs and necks .
    
    While not wildly popular, these guitars sold steadily throughout
    the '70's, and were used by a diverse range of players: Kerry Livgren,
    Paul Simon, Jorma Kaukonen, Pat Martino, Billy Butler, and both
    of the Davies brothers are a few of the guitarists who used these
    regularly  on stage. The TP-6 models are extremely flexible guitars
    which combine the muscle of a Les Paul with the bite of an SG, while
    the L-5 tailpiece models have a warmer sound with less sustain.
    
    The only identification of the model numbers on these guitars is
    on the truss-rod cover and trapeze tailpiece. In typical Gibson
    fashion , standard L-5 parts are used, so these guitars were often
    mis-identified as a "Custom L-5 ". They are also sometimes confused
    with the L-6S, which has a similar body shape, but is a much cheaper
    and less desirable model.
    
    When production ceased in 1981, the discounted selling price was
    around $1000 new, and until recently, the price for a really nice
    one was in the $800-$1000 range. Like many other Gibsons, prices
    have been rising and have gone as high as $1750, with average ones
    around $1000. Condition is extremely important,  as is the model
    type: those with humbuckers and L-5 tailpiece have been the most
    expensive, followed by the TP-6 models, with the lo-z models a distant
    third. Personally, I prefer the TP-6 models from a players point
    of view, but the ones with the L-5 tailpiece are the most attractive.
    These are greatly underrated guitars that combine outstanding sound
    and playability with unusually sumptuous  trim for a solidbody,
    and are well worth considering as an alternative to another boring
    Les Paul. ((((:-))))
    
    Danny W.

    Interesting note. I have always found these guitars very striking.
    
    Every time I read one of your notes, I can't help but wondering
    just how many guitars you own.
    
    	The ones I remember you mentioning include
    
    	2 ES355's
    	Ovations solidbody
    	Les Paul Recording Bass
    	Heritage archtop
    	Les Paul equipped with Roland synth
    
    	Care to enlighten us as to the rest of your collection ??
    
    	Mark
    
    

    Danny, what's the difference between an L-5S and an L-6S?  (I've never
    seen an L-5S; are they even similar?)  Thanks.
    
    Dave

   >> what's the difference between an L-5S and an L-6S?
    
    that would be L-1S or in this case 20%!
    
    :)

    There's little relationship between the L-6S and the L-5S except a
    vaguely similar body shape. The L-6S has an uncarved body,
    no binding, dot inlay, different electronics, different headstock and
    almost no value.
    
    Danny W.

    I regularly comb vintage lists, mags and shops and I can't remember the
    last time I saw an L5-S.  Are people hoarding these?  Are they so good
    no one wants to sell?
    
    /rick

    Thanks, Danny.  Rick, my guitar teacher has an L-5S, and he likes it
    (as much as he likes anything - he's Mr. Cynical).  But I think he's
    keeping it because its value seems to increase steadily; in other
    words, it's an investment rather than a player.
    
    Dave

    I see L-5S's for sale every few months or so. Gruhn has had several
    this year, and some of the other dealers I regularly talk with have had
    one.
    
    Most of the ones I come across are from private parties (i.e.:
    collectors). These guitars are enough off the beaten track that many
    dealers don't know what to do with them.
    
    Prices have been up somewhat: it's hard to find a decent one below
    $1800 and I've seen them priced up to $2500 for one with humbuckers and
    an L-5 tailpiece.
    
    Danny W,

    Continuing the "where can I buy one" thread, Gruhn has 4 (!!) blonde
    and one sunburst L-5S in his current list. Prices run 2-3kbucks.
    
    Danny W.

    I gave Gruhn a call.  The Cherry Sunburst is a low impedance model
    (bummer).  The Blondes (only 3 left) are all humbucker/TP-6, all around
    $3k.