The King is in da house! The absolute real deal, the mighty L-5 CES. It's so majestic it almost needs its own fanfare.

The L-5, Gibson’s 17-inch flagship archtop was conceived by Lloyd Loar in the early 1920s and soon defined the professional jazz guitar. Acoustic L-5s were used by Eddie Lang and Maybelle Carter; the later L-5 CES (electric) became synonymous with Wes Montgomery and has remained a benchmark for amplified archtops since.

This example has just standard playwear with minor dings front and back. Frets are like new. The chunky neck, deep sunburst finish and absolutely killer tone are all L-5 hallmarks. Weight is 3800g. It includes the original purple interior Gibson hardshell case, which is quite worn but works as it should. There is no COA or factory paperwork.

Construction follows the established L-5 CES recipe: carved spruce top over carved maple back with maple rims, parallel tone-bar bracing, ebony fingerboard and bridge base, and dual PAF-style humbuckers with independent volume/tone controls.

Hardware is gold, with Grover Imperial-style tuners and the engraved L-5 trapeze tailpiece. Overall, a straight, professional-grade archtop that is the kind of awesome guitar Gibson simply doesn't really make anymore. .

SPECIFICATIONS

• Finish: Nitrocellulose lacquer, Sunburst
• Body size/depth: Lower bout 432 mm; body depth ~86 mm
• Top: Hand-carved solid spruce; multi-ply binding; bound f-holes
• Back & sides: Carved solid maple back; solid maple rims; multi-ply back binding
• Bracing: Parallel tone bars
• Neck: 3-piece maple, chunky rounded “C,” set dovetail joint
• Scale length: 648 mm
• Fingerboard: Ebony, 20 frets, block inlays, multi-ply bound; frets like new
• Nut width / radius: ~43 mm nut; ~305 mm fingerboard radius
• Headstock: Bound, “flowerpot” inlay, mother-of-pearl Gibson logo; “L-5” truss-rod cover
• Pickguard: Elevated, multi-ply bound
• Bridge: ABR-1 Tune-o-matic on height-adjustable ebony base
• Tailpiece: Engraved L-5 trapeze, gold
• Hardware: Gold; Grover Imperial-style tuners
• Electronics: 2 × PAF-style humbuckers (’57 Classic), 3-way toggle, 2 × volume, 2 × tone
• Controls/knobs: Individual V/T; period-correct top-hat style
• Weight: 3800g
• Case: Original Gibson HSC, purple interior, quite worn
• Papers: No COA or paperwork included.