The Gibson L-5 is a hollow body semi-acoustic guitar first produced in 1923 by the Gibson Guitar Corporation, then of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The first guitar 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 the premier guitar of the company during the big band era. It was originally offered as an acoustic instrument, with electric models not made available until the 1940s.
Design and construction
Worldwide, the L-5 was the first guitar to feature F-holes. Then as well as today, the construction of the L-5 is similar in construction, carving, bracing and tap-tuning, to building a cello. This guitar as well as the cello are similarly designed in order to amplify and project the acoustic vibration of strings throughout 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 the lower bout was increased to 17"; this width is still used today. Also released in 1934 was the larger 18" archtop guitar named the "L5 Super", which was later renamed the Gibson Super 400. These two highly ornate acoustic guitars are Gibson's top-of-the-line carved archtop instruments. Since the 1930s there have been several other 17" archtops designed by Gibson, including variations introduced to be more affordable, less ornate models.
The Prewar years (1922-1940) From its introduction in 1922-23 to the 1940s, the L-5 came in different configurations (all strictly acoustic):
Type one 16" - As it first appeared when originally introduced in Gibson's price list (April 1923), the L-5 sported a 16" body with a Cremona brown finish, birch or maple sides, a single-bound, 20-fret fingerboard with a pointed end, dot inlays, a slanted "The Gibson" script logo on the headstock, and silver-finish hardware. Most of these type-one L-5s also had a built-in Virzi Tone Producer; this was (essentially) an extra soundboard with an oval shape suspended within the body of the instrument. The primary outward distinguishing characteristic of these early Loar-era Gibsons is the unbound pickguard. Type two 16" - Between 1925 and 1929, the L-5 featured a 16" body, maple back and sides, a triple-bound fingerboard, no Virzi Tone Producer. Towards the end of this period, the headstock logo could either be slanted or horizontal. The hardware was gold-finished and the pickguard bound. Type three 16" - Between 1929 and 1935, the last iteration of the 16" L-5 had block abalone inlays on the fingerboard (which would henceforth become a signature feature of the model), and the headstock logo gradually transitioned to a horizontal "Gibson" script without the article "The." Several specimens of this period also do away with the point at the end of the fingerboard, which is squared off instead. The 17" L-5 Advanced - Starting in 1935, the L-5 was produced with a 17" body. In the first two years, the tailpiece was a slightly wider version of the previous iteration, adorned with the lettering "L 5." By 1937, the now-iconic art deco gold-finished tailpiece with the silver central element had become the norm. Also, starting in 1936 the F holes were bound. The 17" L-5 was also the first L-5 model to feature a natural, blonde finish, as well as a Venetian cutaway, as options. This model, more or less unvaried, also appears in the early postwar years (roughly to 1947).
The Postwar Years
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. Apart from the switch from the script to the "block" Gibson logo on the headstock, the most significant change in subsequent years 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.
The Late 1950s to Today
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.