Sleeko Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Hi Sleeko. Mine is red all over and is I think a 2005 model. Haven't seen the partially painted L4's. Quite like the tone but my initial pickups were very thin and with excessive treble. I had to turn the tone down to 2 so in the end I swapped out the pickups and put in Benedetto S6's. Here's a sunburst mahogany model with only the top done up (single pup on this one). On the maple models the back and sides are shaded as well . . . Maple comparo; Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tipp55 Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 I got my baby last week....lovin' it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleeko Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Sweet! Are they calling that wine red or cherry I wonder . . .? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tipp55 Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 Mine was described as wine red. Fine by me. It actually looks much nicer in real life than my photos suggest. IMHO it's the nicest colour Gibson does for their jazz boxes. Sleeko's L4 CES looks terrific too - as does that sunburst one but for my money, red is the colour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Congrats Tipp - that's a beauty [thumbup] glad it worked out for you. What sort of amp are you using with it?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tipp55 Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 Twang gang, I'm fortunate to have a friend who builds and services amps, especially tube amps, and he built me a nice little custom job for home practise with a headphone socket (as I have elderly neighbours who aren't guitar enthusiasts ) I don't know much about amps but here is the spec for the one he built me: Jazz Reverb 15W Features: This amplifier is built with the highest quality components. Precision resistors, specialist capacitors and high quality wiring. The components are mounted on 4mm fiberglass board and all controls are highest quality Alpha pots. POWER OUTPUT Section. This Jazz Reverb has a singled ended Class A output stage for the cleanest possible tone suited to Jazz and clean guitar style. The 15 Watts output is achieved with a single KT88 Power Pentode tube with oversized power and output transformers and well regulated power supply. SPEAKER: This combo is fitted with the Celestion Alnico Gold 12” 50W speaker. Without a doubt the best guitar loudspeaker made. Loud, tight and dynamic. http://professional.celestion.com/guitar/products/alnico/detail.asp?ID=32 Quick user's Guide to the Jazz Reverb. Input section Clean Channel Input: This input is for an electric guitar. HI will suit single coil pickups and low output humbuckers. LO is more suited to high output humbuckers. Volume: Sets the amount of gain for the preamp section and works best between ‘3’ and ‘7’ on the dial. Bright Switch: Adds a treble boost to compensate for humbucking pickups. Effect reduces as volume increases. Treble/Mid/Bass: These self-explanatory controls and are the traditional Fender type circuit but with modified mid control to suit Jazz. NOTE: These controls are interactive in that the effect at a specific position of each control is dependant on its neighbours. Contour Switch changes the frequency at which the Treble control operates and gives more control over the upper mid frequencies. Output Section Reverb Control: Controls the amount of reverb recovery. This is a digital reverb. Master Volume: Controls the master output of the amp to the speaker and the headphones. H/P and MUTE: This amplifier is fitted with a speaker mute switch and a high power dummy load (big resistors) mounted on the chassis so that the amplifier can be used with headphones without any sound coming from the speaker. Note: The sound in the headphones will be different from the sound from the speaker as the speaker plays a huge part in the overall sound of the amp. OFF/ ST/BY/ ON; Controls mains power to the amplifier. When powering on the amplifier throw the switch to the centre ST/BY position for 20 seconds so that the tubes can heat up before the high voltage is applied. This will prevent tube failure and prolong the life of the output valve. Safety: This amplifier must always be earthed. Tubes run very hot. Do not touch. No user serviceable parts inside. Refer to qualified engineer for repair. In excess of 400V DC inside this amplifier even when switched off! The amplifier can be used with either 220-240 volt supplies. There is a mains fuse on the rear mains input connector. This also houses a spare fuse. For 230 V ac use a 500mA A/S (anti surge) fuse only. Two spare fuses in a plastic bag stapeled to the inside of the cab. Switch on mains for 20 seconds to allow tubes to heat up before operating HT switch. This prolongs the life of the output tubes. Never operate this amp without a load/speaker connected. Severe damage to output transformer and tubes may occur. Above all….have fun. Cyril Quick User Guide Jazz Reverb.doc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Wow that amp sounds like the perfect thing for an archtop like yours. Only thing I would prefer would be a spring reverb instead of a digital, but that's only because I've played spring reverbs for about 50 years so that's what I am used to. Everything else seems perfect, so all you have to do now is PLAY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tipp55 Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 Thanks Twang gang! Yep, it's a super amp alright. Funny, when I got it new about three years ago, I thought it just sounded alright, but it seems to have really become more warm and smooth-sounding after a spell of play-time, just like good guitars. Thing about having nice gear.....you have to strive to play better as every little error or misplayed note tends to be heard clearly :-) Still the L-5 sounds wonderful through this amp and I also have a Sadowsky Semi Hollow which is also a joy to play and hear. John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 John, congratulations on landing such a beauty! For me, there's nothing quite like a red finish on a Gibson archtop. For those who agree, I think you might get a kick out of this (we've been assembling this for a few years over on the Les Paul forum): http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=182784&page=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tipp55 Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 Hi JimR56, thanks for that link. I never realised Gibson had had such a longstanding love affair with red guitars. I must say I loved those guitars on The Red Thread,especially the Les Paul with the cream pickguard. Me, I'm now a definite Red Gibson convert! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim777 Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 I got my baby last week....lovin' it. That is gorgeous, congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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