VINTAGE VAULT
1974 Gibson L-5S
BY DAVE ROGERS, LAUN BRAITHWAITE, AND TIM MULLALLY
W
hile the 1970s Norlin phase
of Gibson’s history is seen
today as a time when the
manufacturer strayed from its traditional
quality, it was also a period when new,
interesting models continued to be
created. One of these new designs was
the L-5S. This guitar was meant to be
a high-quality solidbody version of the
classic L-5 archtop, which had been a
flagship model since 1922.
The L-5S shared many decorative
embellishments with the L-5, such as a
multi-ply top and back binding, along
with a bound ebony fretboard coming
to an ornamental point at the end. The
famous L-5 “flower pot” headstock motif
and block inlays were also included,
but now in abalone. Completing the
elegant look was the traditional art
deco L-5 tailpiece. At nearly 13 1/2",
the body was a little wider than a Les
Paul, but it was also thinner at only 1"
deep. When the model was introduced
in 1972, it was equipped with the
same low-impedance pickups used on
the Les Paul Personal, Professional,
and Signature models. These pickups
proved unpopular and were replaced by
regular-sized humbuckers in 1974. The
L-5S was discontinued in 1985, but has
been resurrected from time to time as a
special run Custom Shop model.
The 1974 L-5S pictured here has
features typical for that year, including a
carved, 3-piece figured-maple body with
multiple black/white/black binding, a
gold-plated “wide travel” Tune-o-matic
bridge, a gold L-5 tailpiece with silverplated insert (which changed to a stop
tailpiece by 1976), two gold-plated
Gibson “Super Humbucking” pickups, a
3-piece maple neck with a 24 3/4"-scale
ebony fretboard, and abalone headstock
and fretboard inlays. The controls were
laid out in the same manner as on an SG
or ES-335, with the pickup selector toggle
switch near the volume and tone controls.
Gibson shipped 555 L-5S guitars in
1974 with a list price of $985 plus $110
premierguitar.com
Opposite page:
The L-5S was
one of Gibson’s
e rs
r e
the archtop
and solidbody
worlds. The
company’s
Custom Shop
produced a Ron
Wood signature
model L-5S
in 2015.
Left: The
model’s elegant
headstock
has an ornate
fl er
inlay and multiply binding.
for the case. The current value for one in
excellent all-original condition is $5,000.
Sources for this article include The
Gibson L5: Its History and Its Players by
Adrian Ingram, Electric Guitars and Basses:
A Photographic History by George Gruhn
and Walter Carter, and Gibson Shipment
Totals 1937–1979 by Larry Meiners.
DAVE’S GUITAR SHOP
Dave Rogers’ collection is tended by Laun Braithwaite
and Tim Mullally and is on display at:
Dave’s Guitar Shop
1227 Third Street South
La Crosse, WI 54601
davesguitar.com
Photos by Mullally and text by Braithwaite.
PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2016 35