Gibson L-5

Gibson L-5 CES VSB, built in 1990

  • No pickup (up to 1951)
  • 2 x P -90 Single Coil (up to 1951-1957 )
  • 2 x Humbucker (since 1957)
  • 2 × volume
  • 2 x tone
  • 1 × 3- pick-up selection

The Gibson L-5 archtop guitar is a model of the U.S. musical instrument manufacturer Gibson Guitar Corporation. The Model L -5 was first produced in 1923 and is being built by Gibson up to the present. The L-5 is from the design form an acoustic guitar with 17 inch wide hollow body ( Hollow Body); Since 1951 she is either offered with or without electromagnetic pickups. At its launch the model offered several innovations in guitar that are still considered standard for the construction of archtop guitars.

The L -5 is the most durable guitar model in the range of Gibson. It is made to this day according to traditional rules of craftsmanship are made ​​entirely of solid wood by hand, is due to their high production expense and quality in addition to the model Gibson Super 400 to the highest quality issued by this company.

History of development

Since the end of the Nineteenth Century had Orville Gibson, founder of Gibson Guitar and Mandolin Factory, structure forms transmitted from the Streichinstrumentenbau on stringed instruments to improve their sound quality. These included the predecessor models of the L-5: the already produced since 1903 guitar style 0 ( from 1908 called Special Grand Concert Guitar Style 0, Artist's Model), which was the market leader until the introduction of the L -5, and in 1910 introduced guitar model L- fourth Both instruments already had handmade, arched top and back, but still had the typical early Gibson models sound hole in shape of a horizontal ellipse and a glued to the ceiling fingerboard. These models were unchanged until the early 1920s on the market.

From the year 1919, Lloyd Loar, who had begun his career as a mandolin player, composer and arranger, and as an employee of an Italian violin construction company, head of the development department of Gibson. He began his activities there with the development of three new models from the family of mandolins, named K -5 ( Mando Cello ), H -5 ( Mandola ) and F -5 (mandolin ). Loar continued the Gibson over twenty years earlier, begun acquisition of design features from the string instrument. He devoted special attention while on the vibration characteristics of the instrument covers. So that they could swing as freely as possible for better sound transmission, he took over from the violin making the construction of the free -floating above the ceiling fretboard end. Also the spread in plucked from the family of lutes pickguard ( pickguard ) received a "floating" suspension without contact with the ceiling. Another innovation was an adjustable in height dock. The most striking feature introduced by Loar changes were adopted by string instruments sound holes in F - shape on both sides of the ridge.

After the mandolin models provided with the same new guitar model L-5 was introduced in 1923. In addition, the L-5 had the Truss Rod previously used for the first time in the year. This lies in a groove in the longitudinal direction inside the neck steel rod was developed by Loar Contribute to counteract the train of the strings on the neck. The tension of the rod was set at its exit under the saddle on the top plate via a threaded nut. The Gibson had long been a patent on this design. The neck of the instrument, combined with previous guitar models at the level of the twelfth covenant with the body was free at the L- 5 full 14 frets. In 1925 the body was made in maple and birch wood replaced the previously used. In the following years, only cosmetic changes were made until 1934, the body was extended to 17 " width to " Advanced ".

With the introduction of the new model from Gibson L-5 was officially offered under the cumbersome name The Master Line Guitar L- 5 Professional Special Grand Concert model. The instrument was initially only available in the two-tone body paint sunburst and cost in Year U.S. $ 275; approximately twice as the previous model L- fourth The first edition of about 100 pieces were hand-signed by Loar on an attached label in the corpus.

Identification of L-5 compared to similar Gibson guitar models

A safe, since no visible damage to the instrument hardly variable identifying the Gibson L-5 CES over other, very similar looking electrically amplified archtop models of Gibson is the inlay ( inlay ) in the front of the headstock. This inlay in the form of a stylized flower pot with plant ( flowerpot inlay ) is used by Gibson since 1951 exclusively for the models L-5 Byrdland and; the latter being a shallower by about half than the L- body 5th

Models

  • L-5 - the basic form of the instrument.
  • L-5 C - L- 5 Cutaway without pickup.
  • L-5 CES - a model with cutaway and two humbuckers pickups as shown in the info box.

Consistent finishes the L -5 Sunburst, Tobacco Burst ( a variant of the sunburst finish, see photo in infobox ), " nature" ( color code " CESN " - Cutaway Electric Spanish, Natural), wine red and black.

Guitarist with the main instrument Gibson L-5

  • Wes Montgomery, American jazz guitarist, played an L-5 CES with a pickup
  • Tuck Andress, American jazz guitarist
  • Scotty Moore, American rockabilly guitarist (with Elvis Presley )
  • Maybelle Carter, American country guitarist
  • Rue Protzer, German guitarist, composer and bandleader ( Rue de Paris)
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