{"product_id":"gibson-l-5cesn-florentine-1966-preowned","title":"Gibson L-5CESN Florentine 'Natural' Archtop Preowned 1966","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFeatures\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHand-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.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1966 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.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOriginal 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.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOriginal 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.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNine-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.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch5 dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecs\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eModel: Gibson L-5CESN Florentine\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYear: 1966\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSerial number: 509724\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBody: 17\" fully hollow, single Florentine cutaway\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTop: Hand-carved solid spruce, bookmatched\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBack \u0026amp; sides: Figured maple\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTop binding: 9-ply\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBack binding: 5-ply\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eF-hole binding: Single-ply\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNeck: 5-piece maple\/mahogany\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFingerboard: Multi-bound ebony\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFingerboard inlays: Block mother of pearl\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eScale length: 25-1\/2\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNut width: 39mm (1-9\/16\")\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHeadstock: Multi-bound with flowerpot inlay\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTuners: Gold Kluson Sealfast\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePickups: 2 x Gibson patent-number humbucker (original, gold covers)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eControls: 2 x volume, 2 x tone, 3-way selector\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBridge: Compensated adjustable ebony\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTailpiece: Engraved art-deco gold L-5 style (original owner's name and date of purchase engraved 1966)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHardware: Gold throughout\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFinish: Natural (back and sides walnut-stained)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMade in: USA (Kalamazoo, Michigan)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Gibson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48583849378013,"sku":"12668","price":23999.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0367\/8045\/files\/0H3A8966_43a53846-df42-4e20-b782-0308c4d2ca39.jpg?v=1789956227","url":"https:\/\/www.acousticcentre.com.au\/products\/gibson-l-5cesn-florentine-1966-preowned","provider":"Acoustic Centre","version":"1.0","type":"link"}