Gibson L5 Electric Guitars

Gibson L5 Electric Guitars have been around since 1922, except for a period of time during World War Two when production was halted due to the factory making military equipment instead of guitars. Production for the Gibson guitars resumed in 1946, after the war had finally ended. Originally the series was represented only by acoustic guitars, electric version was introduced first only in 1950s. They came in a natural finish and a sunburst finish, although the natural finish is less common due to the higher expense for the look. Gibson L5 Electric guitars have a carved top instead of the cheaper pressed wood. It is generally believed that the carved top guitars are far better guitars than their pressed counterparts. Guitars had a better tone and were much stronger than those that were not carved.

Gibson L5 electric guitars were engineered by Lloyd Loar and were the first guitars manufactured by Gibson Guitars that had f-holes. These guitars were also some of the first to have truss rods, which were adjustable and have a neck that had fourteen frets above the body. These early Gibson L5 electric guitars were dated and signed by their legendary creator. Reaching their height of popularity in the big band era, Gibson L5 electric guitars were perfect for the orchestras and big band groups that played in the dance halls. They were perfect for playing rhythm within a brass band, and could cut through the sound of the bands without any amplification.

Gibson L5 electric guitar had fingerboards that were raised and unlike other guitars, the tailpiece does not deaden at the top. This allows it to simply vibrate with sound, making it very acoustically active. Although there have been changes to the L5 over the years – such as adding in cutaways to the guitar – it had remained an amazing guitar that is currently enjoying its revival through today’s new interest in rhythm guitars. Gibson L5 electric guitars laid the foundation for all archtop acoustic guitars and jazz electric guitars until today.

You can see current listings for Gibson L5 Electric Guitars below: