Quote:
Originally Posted by hakkolu
Wow you played the actual guitar of Wes Montgomery?
Was it the single pickup model (you said CES so not sure).
I have a single pickup Wes Mo L5.
...I am also a left handed player so never had a chance to play an actual fully acoustic Archtop...
|
Wes' very own single-pickup '63 L-5CES - yes, "that" one - documented, brokered by a dealer with an international reputation, and with a then-asking price of $125K firm; the late Stan Jay (founder of Mandolin Brothers) knew I was an archtop fan, as a 30+ year customer I had cultivated a good relationship, and as such (as a few fellow AGF-ers also know first-hand) was permitted access to the "inner sanctum" where the super-primo pieces were kept (
on exactly two occasions - the other one where I played John Lennon's Dobro). Needless to say, when he opened up the case I recognized the guitar immediately (as I'm certain the expression on my face showed) - his only words were, "Yes, it is - feel free" as he handed me the guitar...
As far as being a lefty is concerned, unfortunately there are
very few true vintage southpaw archtops out there (I've been playing since 1962 and I've only seen one in person), and while conversion of a non-cutaway right-handed instrument is possible under certain circumstances the results are often far from ideal - most players don't realize that "parallel" archtop braces are anything but (differing in height/thickness/contour and often noticeably splayed - particularly so in New York-era Epiphones), tops are graduated differently, and changing the relationships throws everything out of whack. FWIW if you've got around $5K to spend, Mark Campellone's work is excellent - one of his instruments is on my bucket list - and you'll have the assurance that it was properly constructed from the get-go...