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Gibson L5 Wes Montgomery


Yazz

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Hi guys,

 

Got two questions regarding the L5 Wes Montgomery.

 

1. I've seen a 'Heart model' L5 Wes a while ago. Was it somekind of anniversary model or a 'one time only' run done by the Custom shop ? What year(s) were these produced? Is it still possible to order a 'Heart model' Wes ?

 

2. To be frank I don't like the Natural color of the new L5 guitars, way, way too white ! I prefer a bit more honey colored look. Would that come on special order only ?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi guys,

 

Got two questions regarding the L5 Wes Montgomery.

 

1. I've seen a 'Heart model' L5 Wes a while ago. Was it somekind of anniversary model or a 'one time only' run done by the Custom shop ? What year(s) were these produced? Is it still possible to order a 'Heart model' Wes ?

 

2. To be frank I don't like the Natural color of the new L5 guitars, way, way too white ! I prefer a bit more honey colored look. Would that come on special order only ?

 

1.Limited edition but some have been built on order. Not sure if they'll still do it.

 

2. I agree. When Gibson replaced a 1994 WesN for me under warranty, the replacement was much too white for me. I asked them to color-match my original, which they did. The result was spectacular.

 

Original:

 

2813f452.jpg

 

Replacement one (note that this is a stock WesMo antique natural):

 

05d1d342.jpg

 

replacement two:

 

529b8948.jpg

 

Danny W.

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  • 5 months later...

Old thread but good thread. Wow, Danny. You sure know how to pick them.

 

Gibson sent me a scan of the print ad for the L5 Wes Montgomery Heart Inlay. I believe the L5 Wes Montgomery Heart Inlay archtops were made in 1998 and shown at NAMM to celebrate the restoration of Wes' original L5 damaged in a fire, and then again in 2002. I don't know how many were made in total.

 

I found a picture of the L5 Wes Heart Inlay online.

post-30821-088079200 1367462666_thumb.jpg

post-30821-087873700 1367462693_thumb.jpg

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  • 1 year later...

Group: I am fortunate enough to own one of the Wes "Heart" models. It was a limited edition in 1997 of only 25 instruments. They were created by the custom shop to commemorate finding and restoring Wes' actual instrument after being lost for 30 +/- years. Gibson restored the original instrument (it had been thru a fire), displayed it in the Custom Shop van for a year, and then issued these 25 instruments. They came with a leather case and a canvas slip cover with the CS logo embroidered on it.

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  • 4 years later...

Regarding the shade of the Antique Naturals, they seem to vary quite a bit.  Here is mine which I think is in between the examples Danny showed.  Not as dark as his original, but certainly a lot darker than the replacement they first sent him.

GMfLe29.jpg?1 

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I´d be more into how that particular one WesMo L5 sounded -  before sending her back .. Just sayin´ 😉   some of those pix are pretty

P-shopped anyway..

Wes would take any box, so he didnt even travel with one.   " Asked about his instrument, he said, “I gota standard box."    

Yeah, he was all about the music.. not cosmetics, bookmatching and all that BS.  

No disrespect to anyone 😉

 

Edited by TomV
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