lars509 Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 Hi, I just found a Gibson Custom L-5 natural solid body at an estate sale. I have not been able to find any info on it. The serial number is 907259. Does anyone know anything about this model. The bridge is very different than on any of the photos I find on the internet. Thanks, Lars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 (edited) Lars This guitar is a Gibson L-6S Deluxe from the 1970s which may have been stripped and definitely has had the pickups and bridge replaced. Someone has put an extra mini-toggle switch in and also drilled another hole in the top. The L-6S Deluxe came in wine red, black, or the now rare sunburst AFAIK. I don't remember them in natural but I could easily be wrong. The more expensive L-6S Custom was usually natural, black, sometimes sunburst or silverburst and had a tailpiece mounted on the body. Both originally had 'harmonica' style bridges. The Deluxe had very distinctive (and very good) black pickups made by Bill Lawrence. The Custom had chrome covered pickups and a rotary switch as well. I had a wine-red L-6S Deluxe with the Lawrence pickups and through-body stringing and a Gibson chainsaw case. Should have kept it!! Link to Google Images of Gibson L-6S: https://www.google.com/search?q=gibson+l6+deluxe&client=firefox-b-d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1qM-lyZzvAhVRZcAKHdokBswQ_AUoAnoECAoQBA&biw=1920&bih=1086 Edited March 7, 2021 by jdgm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars509 Posted March 6, 2021 Author Share Posted March 6, 2021 Thanks, that is great info, I am a bass player and know very little about guitars. The head says L-5 so that's a bit confusing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 (edited) Yes that is definitely the wrong truss rod cover. An L-5 is a big semi-acoustic jazz guitar and there is an L-5S which is a fancy solid body, Again, as far as I remember with the L-6S, some had blank TRCs and some had L-6S engraved on it. Edited March 7, 2021 by jdgm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars509 Posted March 6, 2021 Author Share Posted March 6, 2021 That makes total sense. Thanks for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grog Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 The L-5S has the same body shape & uses that truss rod cover. The cases are interchangeable. [img]https://i.imgur.com/9wfdivN.jpg[/img] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars509 Posted March 8, 2021 Author Share Posted March 8, 2021 It looks like they changed from the L-6 tuning keys to the L-5S tuning keys, does that make sense? See images below: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 Yes those have been changed, very badly done unfortunately but they are good machine heads. BTW do NOT get rid of the black pickup surrounds as they are original, with that sort of v chevron point on one side. I can't see enough detail from the pic but it looks as if someone has screwed a white pickup ring on top of the original black one, though the actual pickup looks as if it is loose? The bridge looks pretty bad too and I think the string spacing is not quite right compared to what it should be. To find out if the body was stripped, have a look in the control cavity at the back and/or the pickup cavities to see if there's any paint left in there. A shame it has been treated thus; it is completely salvageable, but to restore it properly would probably cost more than you paid for it. Very unlikely to find a set of the original Lawrence pickups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars509 Posted March 9, 2021 Author Share Posted March 9, 2021 Thank for the info, I will check it out. It will definitely cost more to restore it than I payed for it... I payed $50 (+ $5 for the stand). I will just keep it as is for now and add original parts as I find them, the guitar sounds really good and I don't have any plans to part with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 What a bargain!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars509 Posted March 10, 2021 Author Share Posted March 10, 2021 Estate sale during Covid... most people stay home so it's easier to get the good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steviebobs Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 A bargain indeed! The TRC looks like it is fitted at a strange angle. The pointy top does not appear to point to the middle of the top of the head as it should? Steviebobs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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