Gibson L-5S Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1973), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, cherry sunburst finish, laminated maple body and neck, ebony fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
The L-5S is one of Gibson's most distinctive 1970s creations, a short-lived model in this form but actually a very nice instrument. The concept was the create-a-solid body version of the L-5 arch-top, to offer a model more high-end than even the Les Paul Custom. To that end, the L-5S has a wide but thin-rimmed body of laminated maple with heavy multiple bindings on all edges and a 3-piece maple neck with a pearl block-inlaid ebony fingerboard. The headstock is multi-bound and carries the traditional L-5 Torch inlay in pearl, and the tailpiece is the arch-top-style engraved "L-5S".
The whole guitar is finished in a fancy cherry sunburst much like a 1959 Les Paul. The pickups are the low-impedance style used on the guitars Les Paul himself played and induced Gibson to use in this era, with an internal passive transformer to obtain a high-impedance output. Although very good-sounding units in their own way, the bright, clean sound they produced was not popular at the time with most Gibson solid body players, who were looking for a higher output crunch. The L-5S was switched to standard humbucking pickups in the next year, and the model lasted in production until 1985 but this first version was made for only about a year. This rare and fancy guitar is certainly one of the nicer things to come out of Kalamazoo in the '70s.
Overall length is 39 in. (99.1 cm.), 13 3/8 in. (34 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 in. (2.5 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
Very nice and all original, with some light wear but no repairs or alterations. The gold plating shows some wear, mostly on the bridge, tailpiece bar, and pickup covers. The frets show some wear but nothing excessive and the guitar still plays very well. Includes the original HSC. Excellent - Condition.
