Gibson’s latest reissue revives the 1957 L-5 CES, one of the most revered and influential archtops it has ever created.
In the firm’s own words, “few guitars carry a legacy as rich as the Gibson L-5,” and its 100-plus-year history proves that. First introduced in the early 1920s during the Lloyd Loar, it was quickly adopted by the leading country, jazz, blues, and rockabilly players of the era.
It was then electrified in 1951, and improved further still with the arrival of Patent Applied For humbuckers in 1957. Wes Montgomery, George Benson, and Pat Metheny were among those to take it under their virtuosic wings – and in the case of that trio, the very same model passed between them.
Releasing as part of Gibson’s Historic Reissue range, Senior Vice President of Product Mat Koehler says that “no corners were cut in bringing it back to life, even going as far as utilizing a dovetail neck joint for the first time at our Custom Shop.”
As ever with these no-expense-spared reissues, Gibson rolled out the red carpet. 3D scans of late 1950s models and exacting measurements were made. Here, a carved AAA spruce top is paired with a carved, bookmatched AAA curly maple back and solid AAA curly maple sides. There’s also seven-ply top binding and three-ply back binding for a “refined character” – it’s luxurious stuff.
Crafted to a 25.5” scale length, its neck is maple with a walnut center strip and has a period-correct profile. Its four-ply ebony fretboard is adorned with 20 medium jumbo frets and mother-of-pearl block inlays.
The hardware on offer is no less fancy. It has with an art deco-inspired tailpiece partnered with a Historic Reissue ABR-1 bridge, which is mounted on a rosewood base. The L-5 reissue also features a corian nut, golden Kluson Sealfast tuners, and a five-ply bound headstock that features a mother-of-pearl flowerpot inlay and Gibson logo.
Its Alnico 3 humbuckers are unpotted and promise to “capture warmth, clarity, articulation, and dynamic sensitivity,” of classic L-5s. Each pickup gets dedicated gold top hat-style Volume and Tone controls alongside a three-way toggle switch.
“With its fully carved construction, vintage-accurate specifications, responsive Custombucker pickups, and extraordinary appointments, the Gibson Custom 1957 L-5 CES Reissue is the summit of Gibson archtop design,” says Gibson.
“It is an instrument for players who demand uncompromising sound, feel, and craftsmanship, and a fitting continuation of a legacy more than a century in the making.
The Gibson Custom 1957 L-5 CES is strung with .012–.052 flatwound strings and ships with a Gibson Custom Shop hardshell case. All that amounts to a $11,999 / £9,699 price tag.
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