Iconic and brilliant in every sense. . .a truly legendary guitar!
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Don't let the weight and somewhat subdued acoustic voice fool you--this guitar is as nimble as a juggling tightrope walker when it comes to conjuring -that sound- from classic Country, Jazz, and R&B records of the 50s-60s. You're going to want to set aside some time before you plug this into your favorite tube amp--you're not going anywhere for a while! Something this big just shouldn't be this easy playing and downright sensitive! There are currently fairly light strings on the instrument and, paired with a low, comfy setup and those hot, voice-like pickups, you can go from Merle Travis' barnyard struttin' to Wes Montgomery's cool 'n' smokey club musings in a flick of the pickup selector.
Condition: Used, Very good
Minor blemishes and buckle rash nothing you wouldn't expect from a 25+ year old guitar.
In this video, Sound Pure electric guitar specialist Eddie Berman plays the Gibson 1990 L5 CES Vintage Burst Archtop #91970359 through a Carr Amplifiers Sportsman 19W 1x12 Combo Amp.
Initially produced as an acoustic in 1922 under the direction of famed Gibson luthier Lloyd Loar, the L-5 was Gibson’s first guitar with f-holes. In the 1940s the model became the rhythm box of choice for big band players and later the standard guitar for Wes Montgomery, who would eventually receive a custom model. And it was already one of the world’s most popular guitars when Gibson first electrified the model in 1951.
Gibson put a pair of P-90 single-coil pickups and a rosewood bridge on the first 31 L-5 CES models to emerge from the original Kalamazoo plant in ’51. Although the guitars never went into high production, the company’s engineers continued to work on numerous modifications. In 1958, 21 examples of the classic version of the L-5 CES that’s produced today by Gibson’s Custom Shop emerged, beefed up with two humbucking pickups and an ABR-1 bridge.
Today's Gibson electric guitars represent the history as well as the future of the electric guitar. The models whose designs have become classics-the ES-175, ES-335, Flying V, Explorer, Firebird, SGs and Les Pauls-are a testament to Gibson's wide appeal, spanning more than four decades of music styles. Gibson's close relationship with musicians is manifest in endorsement models from King, Atkins and jazz greats Howard Roberts and Herb Ellis, plus new Les Pauls made to the personal specifications of rock stars Jimmy Page and Joe Perry. In 1994, Gibson's Centennial year, the new Nighthawk model won an industry award for design, setting the stage for a second hundred years of Gibson quality and innovation.
Year: 1990
Serial Number: 91970359
Top: Spruce
Back and Sides: Maple
Neck: Maple
Neck Profile: ES Rounded
Fingerboard: Ebony
Nut Width: 1 11/16"
Scale Length: 25 1/2"
Binding: Multi-Ply White
F-hole Binding: Single-Ply white
Pickups: '57 Classic Humbuckers, Gold
Tuners: Schaller
Bridge: ABR-1
Tailpiece: L-5 Trapeze
17-inches wide
21-inches long
3 3/8-inches deep
Hardshell Case
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