Gibson L-5CESN Florentine 'Natural' Archtop Preowned 1966

The Gibson L-5CES has been the gold standard of American archtop electric guitars since its introduction in 1951 - the electrified expression of Gibson's most celebrated acoustic archtop, built with hand-carved solid tonewoods, multi-ply luxury binding, and all-gold hardware in a tradition that Wes Montgomery, Herb Ellis, and George Barnes made immortal. Serial number 509724 dates this example to 1966 - the final years of the sharp Florentine pointed cutaway that had defined the L-5CES since its introduction and which was replaced by the rounded Venetian cutaway from 1969 onward. A 1966 Florentine L-5CESN is therefore one of the last expressions of the most historically significant period of this model's production, combining the pointed cutaway's elegant and angular visual character with the patent-number humbuckers that represent the pinnacle of mid-1960s Gibson electric guitar craftsmanship.

The hand-carved solid spruce top - bookmatched and voiced to the exacting standards that Gibson's Kalamazoo craftsmen applied to their finest instruments - delivers the warm, resonant, and harmonically complex acoustic archtop character that no laminate-body guitar can replicate, amplified through a pair of original Gibson patent-number humbuckers that produce the clear, warm, and beautifully articulate jazz guitar voice that defined the sound of sophisticated American jazz guitar through the 1960s. The five-piece maple and mahogany neck with multi-bound ebony fingerboard, block mother-of-pearl inlays, flowerpot headstock inlay, and gold Kluson Sealfast tuners reflect the L-5CES's position at the absolute pinnacle of Gibson's electric guitar production, while the nine-ply top binding and five-ply back binding recall the opulent decorative tradition of the great pre-war archtop makers. As far as we can tell this guitar is all-original, and in stunning condition. The original owner's name and date of purchase engraved on the tailpiece in 1966 adds a uniquely personal dimension of provenance and history to an already historically significant instrument. Includes non-original hardshell Gibson case.

Features

• Hand-carved solid spruce top over figured maple back and sides delivers the warm, resonant, and harmonically complex acoustic archtop voice that has made the L-5CES the gold standard of American archtop electric guitars since 1951 - a tonal authority no laminate-body instrument can replicate.
• 1966 Florentine pointed cutaway places this example among the final years of the most historically significant period of L-5CES production - one of the last Florentine examples before the rounded Venetian cutaway was reintroduced from 1969.
• Original patent-number humbuckers deliver the clear, warm, and beautifully articulate jazz guitar voice that defined sophisticated American jazz guitar through the 1960s - entirely unmodified and all original throughout.
• Original owner's name and date of purchase engraved on the tailpiece in 1966 adds a uniquely personal dimension of provenance and history - a direct, continuous connection to the guitar's first moment of ownership more than half a century ago.
• Nine-ply top binding, five-ply back binding, single-bound f-holes, block mother-of-pearl fingerboard inlays, flowerpot headstock inlay, and gold Kluson Sealfast tuners reflect the L-5CES's position at the absolute pinnacle of Gibson's electric guitar production in its golden Kalamazoo era.

• Model: Gibson L-5CESN Florentine
• Year: 1966
• Serial number: 509724
• Body: 17" fully hollow, single Florentine cutaway
• Top: Hand-carved solid spruce, bookmatched
• Back & sides: Figured maple
• Top binding: 9-ply
• Back binding: 5-ply
• F-hole binding: Single-ply
• Neck: 5-piece maple/mahogany
• Fingerboard: Multi-bound ebony
• Fingerboard inlays: Block mother of pearl
• Scale length: 25-1/2"
• Nut width: 39mm (1-9/16")
• Headstock: Multi-bound with flowerpot inlay
• Tuners: Gold Kluson Sealfast
• Pickups: 2 x Gibson patent-number humbucker (original, gold covers)
• Controls: 2 x volume, 2 x tone, 3-way selector
• Bridge: Compensated adjustable ebony
• Tailpiece: Engraved art-deco gold L-5 style (original owner's name and date of purchase engraved 1966)
• Hardware: Gold throughout
• Finish: Natural (back and sides walnut-stained)
• Made in: USA (Kalamazoo, Michigan)