Gibson L-5

The Gibson L-5 is a hollow body guitar first produced in 1923 by the Gibson Guitar Corporation, then of Kalamazoo, Michigan. One of the first guitars to feature F-holes, the L-5 was designed under the direction of acoustical engineer and designer Lloyd Loar, and has been in production ever since. It was considered Gibson's premier guitar until the Super 400 came in 1934. It was originally offered as an acoustic instrument; semi-acoustic models became available in the 1950s.

The carving, bracing and tap-tuning processes involved in building the L-5 are similar to those used for a cello, and they share general aspects of construction. Both the cello and the L-5 amplify and project the acoustic vibration of strings through carved and tuned woods, using f-holes as the projection points. From 1922 to 1934 the L-5 was produced with a 16" lower bout width. In 1934 that width was increased to 17", which has remained the standard size. Also released in 1934 was a larger 18" archtop guitar named "L5 Super", later renamed Gibson Super 400. These two highly ornate acoustic guitars are Gibson's top-of-the-line carved archtop instruments. Since the 1930s Gibson has designed several other 17" archtops, including some more affordable, less ornate models.

From its introduction in 1922–23 until the 1940s, the L-5 came in different configurations (all strictly acoustic):

When regular production resumed at Gibson after the war, the L-5 appeared more or less identical to the 17" acoustic instrument produced at the end of the previous decade. Other than switching the logo on the headstock from flowing script to a "block" style, the most significant change in the years just after the war was the introduction of an electric L-5. In 1951, the 17" L-5 was outfitted with a pair of P-90 pickups to keep up with the musical requirements of the time. The designation of this version of the instrument was L-5 CES—standing for Cutaway Electric Spanish. This instrument could be had in the standard sunburst finish or with the blonde, natural finish. However, the all-acoustic version of the L-5 was not replaced by this new introduction, and remained available as a parallel option. Starting in 1958, the P-90 pickups were replaced by humbuckers.

Today the standard model of the L-5 is the L-5 CES, the electric version designed to minimize the feedback that well-carved archtops are prone to when amplified.

Gibson periodically issues variations of the L-5 built in limited editions of varying size. One example is the thin-bodied "L-5 CT" (cutaway thin), which has the same overall specifications, with the exception of the body thickness. The CT model was first constructed for George Gobel, who wanted a less bulky guitar.

Another variation of the L-5 is the Wes Montgomery model, named for the popular 1950s and 1960s jazz guitarist. The Wes Montgomery model has a single "Classic 57" pickup in the neck position, and a parallel bracing supporting the top. Parallel bracing is the standard and more popular bracing is the slightly brighter sounding "parallel bracing", which is considered to project the sound farther than an X-braced archtop.

The 1955 Gibson Byrdland model is yet another L-5 variation, designed by Billy Byrd and Hank Garland. The Byrdland guitar has a thin L-5-style body and originally came with a narrower neck that featured a relatively short 23 1/2-inch scale length to aid in playing difficult chords.