Gibson Custom has relaunched the 1957 L-5 CES, reviving the fully carved archtop guitar as part of its Historic Reissue range. The instrument, handcrafted in Nashville, is available worldwide through authorized Gibson dealers, Gibson Garage locations and Gibson.com in Vintage Sunburst and Antique Natural finishes.
According to the company, the model was recreated from 3D scans of late-1950s originals and marks the first time Gibson’s Custom Shop has used a dovetail neck joint for this instrument. The guitar features a carved AAA spruce top, bookmatched AAA curly maple back and sides, a three-piece curly maple neck with walnut center strip, and a pair of unpotted Custombucker pickups with Alnico 3 magnets. It ships with light-gauge flatwound strings and a Custom Shop hardshell case.
Mat Koehler, Gibson’s senior vice president of product, said the reissue reflects the L-5 CES’s influence across jazz, country, blues and rockabilly, calling it one of the finest instruments the company has produced. The original L-5 line dates to the early 1920s, with the electric L-5 CES version introduced in 1951 and the addition of Gibson’s Patent Applied For humbuckers in 1957 widely regarded by collectors as the model’s definitive era.
Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Libby Coffey, primeprgroup.com.