1993 Gibson L-5 Wes Montgomery Archtop Electric Guitar Tobacco Sunburst Near Mint w/ Case
$7,999.99
$7,999.99
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Up for sale, a 1993 Gibson L-5 Wes Montgomery signature model archtop in near mint, 100% original condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case. A pillar of Jazz guitar, and an artist that defined the late '50s and 1960s with a wide palette of records in the vein of Bop and Soul Jazz before turning out more pop-oriented Jazz records in the '60s, Wes Montgomery is a figure of unparalleled taste and inventiveness. With a unique style and picking technique that often explored heavy use of octaves, Montgomery's stylings would eventually become known as the “Naptown Sound.”
Upon its introduction in 1951 as the electrified version of Gibson's L-5C, the "CES" L-5 has been the gold standard for Gibson archtops, with solid carved tonewoods used throughout. Boasting a full 17" lower bout with a carved, tight-grain premium spruce top and a bookmatched fiddleback maple back, the size of this archtop yields rich textured tones with a distinct woody quality and complex midrange character. Naturally, the solid ebony fingerboard and ABR-1 bridge impart a glassy note attack and superior articulation integral in round, present tonalities in every register and the kind of note separation essential to complex Jazz chord voicings. The Wes Montgomery L-5 is unique for having a single neck position '57 Classic PAF humbucker, sweet and full in its delivery and accentuating the smooth sounds of a set of 12-52 flatwound strings. The guitar weighs 7lbs 4oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, dialed in for low action and spot-on intonation.
The three-piece maple neck with walnut stringers has deep, straight flame figuring extending the profile length, predominantly on the outer thirds. The neck shape is a modestly slender C carve with ideal roundness in the shoulders to feel inviting and comfortable, offering a hair more heft as you travel up the fingerboard, measuring .825" deep at the 1st fret and .965" at the 9th. The ebony fretboard features multi-ply binding and pearl block inlay with factory fretwire that retains its full factory height and well-rounded crowns, showing only very light wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-3. The guitar plays effortlessly up the 25 1/2" scale, and the carved bone nut measures 1 11/16" in width. The headstock is framed by multi-ply binding, featuring a clean torch inlay and set of Gibson-branded and Schaller-made gold tuning machines with metal tulip buttons.
All of the original electronics function as intended, with a clean PAF sticker on the baseplate of the '57 Classic, and Master Volume and Tone knobs to govern the humbucker, capped with original amber bonnet knobs. The gold hardware is bright and clean, including the ABR-1 bridge and etched trapeze tailpiece with "Wes Montgomery" text oriented vertically. The marbled transparent bound tortoise pickguard is intact, with very light pick scuffing across the guard, extending faintly to the treble side cutaway.
The original high gloss Tobacco Sunburst nitro lacquer finish highlights the extremely deep and three-dimensional curls of fiddleback maple extending evenly across the bookmatched back, with broader flame along the sides. Cosmetic wear is limited to a few tiny shallow marks mostly central to the back at the waist, and a couple exceedingly faint finish scratches in the clear coat of the gloss on the body as a whole. The neck profile is flawless. This Gibson L-5 CES is everything that an L-5 purports to be, with impressive nuanced tones both acoustically and plugged in.
The original Gibson USA brown tolex hardshell case with pink plush interior is included.
Upon its introduction in 1951 as the electrified version of Gibson's L-5C, the "CES" L-5 has been the gold standard for Gibson archtops, with solid carved tonewoods used throughout. Boasting a full 17" lower bout with a carved, tight-grain premium spruce top and a bookmatched fiddleback maple back, the size of this archtop yields rich textured tones with a distinct woody quality and complex midrange character. Naturally, the solid ebony fingerboard and ABR-1 bridge impart a glassy note attack and superior articulation integral in round, present tonalities in every register and the kind of note separation essential to complex Jazz chord voicings. The Wes Montgomery L-5 is unique for having a single neck position '57 Classic PAF humbucker, sweet and full in its delivery and accentuating the smooth sounds of a set of 12-52 flatwound strings. The guitar weighs 7lbs 4oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, dialed in for low action and spot-on intonation.
The three-piece maple neck with walnut stringers has deep, straight flame figuring extending the profile length, predominantly on the outer thirds. The neck shape is a modestly slender C carve with ideal roundness in the shoulders to feel inviting and comfortable, offering a hair more heft as you travel up the fingerboard, measuring .825" deep at the 1st fret and .965" at the 9th. The ebony fretboard features multi-ply binding and pearl block inlay with factory fretwire that retains its full factory height and well-rounded crowns, showing only very light wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-3. The guitar plays effortlessly up the 25 1/2" scale, and the carved bone nut measures 1 11/16" in width. The headstock is framed by multi-ply binding, featuring a clean torch inlay and set of Gibson-branded and Schaller-made gold tuning machines with metal tulip buttons.
All of the original electronics function as intended, with a clean PAF sticker on the baseplate of the '57 Classic, and Master Volume and Tone knobs to govern the humbucker, capped with original amber bonnet knobs. The gold hardware is bright and clean, including the ABR-1 bridge and etched trapeze tailpiece with "Wes Montgomery" text oriented vertically. The marbled transparent bound tortoise pickguard is intact, with very light pick scuffing across the guard, extending faintly to the treble side cutaway.
The original high gloss Tobacco Sunburst nitro lacquer finish highlights the extremely deep and three-dimensional curls of fiddleback maple extending evenly across the bookmatched back, with broader flame along the sides. Cosmetic wear is limited to a few tiny shallow marks mostly central to the back at the waist, and a couple exceedingly faint finish scratches in the clear coat of the gloss on the body as a whole. The neck profile is flawless. This Gibson L-5 CES is everything that an L-5 purports to be, with impressive nuanced tones both acoustically and plugged in.
The original Gibson USA brown tolex hardshell case with pink plush interior is included.
