Wonderful Gibson L-5 Wes Montgomery from 1998. Introduced in 1993, this variant of the iconic L-5 is a faithful rendition of the instrument used by Montgomery in the 1960s. This guitar was sold by us in 2005 and was previously owned by Martin Barre of Jethro Tull.
Crafted in small numbers with premium materials by the finest luthiers at Gibson, the Wes Montgomery model features a highly figured Maple body with Venetian cutaway and a high-grade, tight grain, book matched and hand carved Spruce top. The body is ornamented with multi-ply black and white binding on both the top and back with single-ply white binding around the f-holes. The 25½-inch scale length neck is of five-piece construction made from high-grade maple, with two walnut streamers, resulting in one of the most stunning neck designs in the history of Gibson. The headstock proudly displays the traditional L-5 Flowerpot inlay and the reverse a trademark Gibson 'Stinger' gracefully transitions the headstock into neck. The eye-catching neck is topped by a 20-fret Ebony fingerboard with pearl L-5 block inlays with multi-ply black and white binding. The gold hardware includes factory Schaller M6 tuners, an ABR-1 bridge with Ebony base and period-correct Gibson L-5 tailpiece with Wes Montgomery nameplate.
This superbly crafted instrument is a wonderful example and a testament to the skill of the craftsmen of the Gibson Archtop Division. The guitar is in excellent condition for it's age with no repairs or modifications. There is minor wear to the frets but there is plenty of height remaining and the guitar plays well. Neck profile is the classic Gibson 'C' profile, neither too thick or too thin and with the traditional 1&11/16th nut it is easy to feel instantly at home. The guitar is currently set up with a new set of Thomastik Jazz Swing 12 gauge strings and plays well with a good action. The guitar comes with it’s original Gibson case, photograph of Marin Barre with the guitar and previous sale provenance from 2005.
Crafted in small numbers with premium materials by the finest luthiers at Gibson, the Wes Montgomery model features a highly figured Maple body with Venetian cutaway and a high-grade, tight grain, book matched and hand carved Spruce top. The body is ornamented with multi-ply black and white binding on both the top and back with single-ply white binding around the f-holes. The 25½-inch scale length neck is of five-piece construction made from high-grade maple, with two walnut streamers, resulting in one of the most stunning neck designs in the history of Gibson. The headstock proudly displays the traditional L-5 Flowerpot inlay and the reverse a trademark Gibson 'Stinger' gracefully transitions the headstock into neck. The eye-catching neck is topped by a 20-fret Ebony fingerboard with pearl L-5 block inlays with multi-ply black and white binding. The gold hardware includes factory Schaller M6 tuners, an ABR-1 bridge with Ebony base and period-correct Gibson L-5 tailpiece with Wes Montgomery nameplate.
This superbly crafted instrument is a wonderful example and a testament to the skill of the craftsmen of the Gibson Archtop Division. The guitar is in excellent condition for it's age with no repairs or modifications. There is minor wear to the frets but there is plenty of height remaining and the guitar plays well. Neck profile is the classic Gibson 'C' profile, neither too thick or too thin and with the traditional 1&11/16th nut it is easy to feel instantly at home. The guitar is currently set up with a new set of Thomastik Jazz Swing 12 gauge strings and plays well with a good action. The guitar comes with it’s original Gibson case, photograph of Marin Barre with the guitar and previous sale provenance from 2005.