Archtop for "contemporary fingerstyle" (Gibson L-5 content)

[JoeCharter]

Originally Posted by Jabberwocky

What an absolute beauty, Joe! I PM-ed you about it a while ago. Still interested if you're thinking about letting her go

Thanks...

I don't want/need to sell it but if anyone seriously wants it they know what to do. I would not let this guitar go for less than thrice the price I paid for it -- so I guess that officially takes it off the market.

[tdq]

This has been a great thread. Great music, beautiful guitar, bonus chuckles along the way.

[Jabberwocky]

Originally Posted by JoeCharter

Thanks...

I don't want/need to sell it but if anyone seriously wants it they know what to do. I would not let this guitar go for less than thrice the price I paid for it -- so I guess that officially takes it off the market.

Play her in good health, Joe. She's nice.

[JoeCharter]

Originally Posted by Jabberwocky

Play her in good health, Joe. She's nice.

Thanks...

I've emailed Dave's Guitar Shop to find out whether Gibson will custom build any more L-5s. A few years ago, the price was very good. I will report back as soon as Dave hears back from Gibson.

I would love a natural L-5 myself.

[JoeCharter]

I just heard back from Dave's Guitars and they can still custom order the L-5. Delivery time is 6-9 months and the price has gone up indeed.

I'm not selling my L-5 but you can get in touch with Dave's (or your favourite Gibson dealer) if you ever want one.

[backdrifter]

Hi Joe,

Would you mind PMing me with the price that Dave's Guitar quoted you for a new build? My curiosity has gotten the best of me!

For anyone else looking for one, Sam Ash has a used one listed on their website. It's located in Las Vegas. Go to their standard website and search used instruments for "L5".

Good luck!

[JoeCharter]

The used L-5 at Sam Ash looks great (fine looking set of maple) -- at least from afar. It's priced much lower than a new one but there's no close up photo or description of the guitar's condition. That set of maple is certainly a winner though.

As a custom order, there is not much of a discount on the list price -- and so the L-5 1934 RI would cost a bit less than a new L-5 CES. You could probably buy a nice and tasteful Les Paul Futura with the difference.

Now, where it gets tricky is to ensure that one doesn't spend all of this money to end up with a dud. Looking at Gibson archtops, I typically would reject two thirds of the high end "customs" that they build because the maple is either non bookmatched or shows a disappointing figure.

I'd have to chat with Dave to see whether there's an option for premium maple -- especially if I decide to go with a natural finish this time around.

[bryaharrell]

Sounded and looked great. I play an archtop for fingerstyle all the time. What mic were you using?

Best
Bryan

[Jabberwocky]

This one looks pretty custom to me: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guita...dar-top/h65659 .

[JoeCharter]

Originally Posted by bryaharrell

Sounded and looked great. I play an archtop for fingerstyle all the time. What mic were you using?

Best
Bryan

Hey Bryan,

We only see one mic in the video (the second one is just out of frame) but I actually use two LDC mics for most of my guitar recordings -- one on the right (semi pointed to the bridge) and one on the left (semi pointed to the 12th fret).

If I were to use one mic only I'd generally tend to have it on my right (near the bridge).

[JoeCharter]

Originally Posted by Jabberwocky

This one looks pretty custom to me: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guita...dar-top/h65659 .

Beautiful! It would be such a nice complement to my more "traditional" L-5. The cedar top looks amazing.