Who makes the best Gibson L-5 copy?

[Single-coil]

Who makes or made the best Gibson L-5 copies?

Ibanez in the 70s?

Thanks!

[randyc]

An interesting question.

I assume that you are focusing only on the visual apearance, right? The L-5 is all solid wood, no laminates are used in the construction unless one considers the 5-piece neck a laminate. There are no copies that share this characteristic, which is why an L-5 is an L-5.

I'd say that the seventies Ibanez was a respectable visual copy, certainly better than anything coming out of Asia today.

Cheers,
Randy C

[Flat]

If you're curious about a guitar with L5 dimensions (more or less) and a neck humbucker, that sounds great, and sort of lives in the same tonal space as an L5 imho, and plays like buttah, you might want to look at the Sadowsky LS-17. It is built from a laminate, but it's an advanced, lightweight, 5-ply (I think) laminate.

(I have the 16-inch Sadowsky Jim Hall model, and it's really nice. It's based more on Hall's D'Aquisto and ES-175.)

No one will mistake an LS-17 for an L5, but it's a great, fat-sounding jazzbox and might be worth a look.


As you probably know, the Heritage guitars are built in the same factory in Kalamazoo where Gibson was located for decades, before they moved to Tennessee, by some of the same former Gibson employes. I'm pretty sure the Heritage Golden Eagle is built from solid wood. (Again, I have their 16-inch ES-175 clone, model H575. Mine is solid maple all round.)

Great guitars. Solid woods. Equal or better quality than most modern Gibsons (again, imho). And much less expensive!

[randyc]

Good comments regarding the Heritage Golden Eagle - I own one and also an L-5CES and wrote a comparison of both a year or so ago. Also have the 575 which is solid maple, like yours (requires some REALLY heavy strings to make it sing but it WILL sing).

Heritage guitars: much less expensive - definitely ! One shouldn't expect the Golden Eagle to be constructed with the same quality as an L-5 and it isn't. I posted close-up photos that noted some of the differences in workmanship. Also posted a bunch of sound clips (10) of the two guitars, the Eagle has a semi-floating Bartolini and it sounds great.

Heritage guitars are very good values. I'm a Gibson guy because I've been playing them since 1959 but I appreciate quality from any manufacturer. I own (and have owned) many laminated guitars but the ones that I play most often are carved-top spruce instruments (the L-5CES and an L-4CES). The Heritage Golden Eagle (as I mentioned in another comparison) is more closely comparable to the Gibson L-4CES than the L-5CES, dimensionally and tonally. My personal opinion, of course.

cheers,
randyc

PS: as noted on the link that you posted, Heritage no longer "registers" the Golden Eagle guitar. I was forunate enough to obtain the 249th guitar of the first 1000 produced. It's a beautiful, natural-finished model, shown in the early posts to which I referred above.

[barrymclark]

I too own a 575. Just love it.

For a good Gibson'ish guitar, it is REALLY hard to beat a guitar built by the same people, with the same tools, in the same building that built the guitar the OP is mentioning. They have started putting their own twist on them, but, they are still very much that same type of guitar. In fact, you could argue it isn't a 'copy' at all but, in essence, the real deal.

[brian329]

Another guy on the Heritage bandwagon here. I have owned a 575, a 137 and I currently own a Prospect and a Sweet 16.

Unbelievable value.

[riovine]

I'm not sure I'd consider it an L5 copy per-se, but I have a 17", 3 1/2" deep archtop made by Mark Campellone that's pretty darn close. I also used to have an L5CES, so I can say with pretty good authority that the body shape & size are almost identical. I like to think of a Campellone as an L5 the way Gibson used to make them, in fact, Mark says as much in his philosophy on building, his styling is very much in the traditional vein. If you're looking for an L5 type guitar, Mark's are all handmade to spec, and are considerably less than an actual new L5, his entry level is ~4k and he tops out at about ~7k, which I think is a pretty good deal for a custom, hand carved archtop.

[barrymclark]

Another guy on the Heritage bandwagon here. I have owned a 575, a 137 and I currently own a Prospect and a Sweet 16.

Unbelievable value.

The other Heritage I have is the H140 solid body. Just love these guitars.

[Bill C]

Jim Triggs?

[plasticpigeon]

I have an Elitist Epiphone Broadway and compared it to a real L-5.

Superficially it is very very close, perhaps dimensionally it is the same. The L5 binding is deeper, there are more layers on the fingerboard binding and of course all the hardware is different.

The biggest difference is that the epiphone is made with a pressed wood top (although it is a single piece of spruce it is not carved and graduated but pressed and held in shape with a very thin laminate on the underside) and laminated back and sides.

It is still a beautiful and excellent quality instrument for less than a quarter of the price of the real thing.

[woyvel]

Maybe this question should be answered in a couple different categories:
Best L5 clone production model
Best L5 clone non-production
Best $2000 - $3500
Best under $2000

[randyc]

I'm not sure I'd consider it an L5 copy per-se, but I have a 17", 3 1/2" deep archtop made by Mark Campellone that's pretty darn close. I also used to have an L5CES, so I can say with pretty good authority that the body shape & size are almost identical. I like to think of a Campellone as an L5 the way Gibson used to make them, in fact, Mark says as much in his philosophy on building, his styling is very much in the traditional vein. If you're looking for an L5 type guitar, Mark's are all handmade to spec, and are considerably less than an actual new L5, his entry level is ~4k and he tops out at about ~7k, which I think is a pretty good deal for a custom, hand carved archtop.

I agree - Mark makes extremely nice instruments at VERY reasonable prices (and your instrument is much like my L-5). It's my hope that I'll own one of Mark's creations one day before I'm too old to play it.

Randy C

[emckenrick]

Ibanez 2460 from the late '70s would be my thought...

[derek]

Jim Triggs?

Without a doubt. The laminate suggestions are a bit confusing. As great a guitar as Roger and the boys make, it isn't gonna sound like an L5. Jim will build you one that is better and no doubt, cheaper than the Gibson version.

[Steve Hoffman]

With all due respect, I've played many archtop guitars over the years. The only guitar that really sounds like an L-5 CES is an L-5 CES. Problem is, who has 20k to get a minty 1958? Not me.

[X-500]

Maybe not a copy, but the Guild X-700 is certainly a counterpart in my humble opinion

[Steve Hoffman]

Yes, it's a wonderful guitar. I have a Guild/Benedetto X-700. Beautiful sound.

[X-500]

Yes, it's a wonderful guitar. I have a Guild/Benedetto X-700. Beautiful sound.

I agree. I was playing my blonde X-700 last night and was struck by the mellow sound I get I get from it - compared to my X-500 (all laminate). I have it set up with D'Addario chromes (.011") and play it with my Marshall VS-100R - clean with about 25% reverb.

The X-700 from Westerly, RI has a solid top with laminated sides and back. Is that true for the Benedetto version?

[Steve Hoffman]

I think the Benedetto version is all carved. The list was like 14k originally. When Fender decided to get out of the archtop business back in 2006 they dumped their inventory and I got the X-700 and a Benedetto Johnny Smith Artist Award for like $2,500.00 each. The steal of a lifetime. Couldn't resist those blond babies.

I've played an older X-700 and to me it was just as wonderful sounding. I love Guilds.

Still, they don't sound a lot like a Gibson L-5 CES. Wonderful, yes, but not an imitation. We need both! Too bad a real one is 20 grand now.

[derek]

With all due respect, I've played many archtop guitars over the years. The only guitar that really sounds like an L-5 CES is an L-5 CES. Problem is, who has 20k to get a minty 1958? Not me.

Then you haven't played a Triggs. Jim ran Gibson's custom shop and archtop division for a decade before he struck out on his own. He knows how to build very convincing replicas of any Gibson model, including mandos.

[Single-coil]

Thanks for the input guys! What do you think of the Eastman copies?

[joseph vocht]

I would like for some of you to consider the Dean Stylist...I picked one up used at the local GC for 250.00 with hardshell case. It is blonde with beautiful shell binding, mother of pearl finger blocks gold hardware and made in Korea. Anyway what sold me was the fantastic fingerboard...very fast and the sound of the pickups...very PAF sounding...light and comfortable. Heck, now I have to switch back and forth with the Kingston, Taylor T3 and the Stylist....life was so much easier when I had only one guitar

[bigeric]

I guess this is pretty close. Caved top maple sides and back.
A tad thinner. Ilike the tone I get out of her. I have owned a couple of L5's
and played many. This guitar hangs right in there. Of course this my opinion. Cost is about half of a Gibson..

[helios]

Ibanez in the 70s?
Thanks!

Hello,
The Yamaha AE1200S is a pretty decent L5 copy, however I believe it is more of a Tal Farlow than an L5. The Yamaha AE1500 and AE2000 are similar. They appear on Ebay for around $1000.00 from time to time. Cheers

[bob32069]

A "The Gibson" L-5 from wikipedia. Note lack of cutaway, lack of pickup, shape of headstock, and shape of tailpiece.



A "The Loar" LH-500. Near perfect replica of an L5.