Introduced in 1993, the Gibson L-5 Wes Montgomery signature model is a tribute to the single pickup L-5 CES that Wes custom ordered from Gibson in the mid 1960s. The key feature that set his custom L-5 apart from a stock model was the single neck humbucker configuration, as the L-5 CES was typically outfitted with a pair of humbucker pickups in the 1960s.

A stunning offering from Gibson's Custom Shop, this 1998 L-5 Wes Montgomery boasts a deep and luscious Wine Red finish that pairs beautifully with the gold-plated hardware. With block marker fingerboard inlays, custom Wes Montgomery L5 tailpiece, and multi-layer binding throughout, this L-5 CES is a truly elegant instrument.

Outfitted with a Gibson '57 Classic neck humbucker (8.6K), this guitar offers a rich and full bodied voice with incredible harmonic depth and power. The full-hollow construction of the guitar imparts an airy and cavernous quality to the instrument's tone that blends beautifully with the voice of the humbucker pickup. The neck has a comfortable early '60s inspired neck carve that measures 0.781" at the first fret and 0.901" at the twelfth and has a 1-11/16" nut width.

A well-maintained and sensibly cared-for instrument, this twenty five year old Gibson guitar is in very good condition and presents very well. The original finish shows little in the way of playwear, the gold-plated hardware is relatively untarnished, and the original frets are in excellent condition. There are small, localized sections of finish delamination around the fingerboard binding which is quite common to see on Gibson guitars from this era. Our repair shop has stabilized the finish in these areas in order to prevent the delamination from progressing. A 2" long top crack just left of the tailpiece has been glued in-house. 

Solid carved spruce top with figured maple back and sides. 5-piece maple and walnut neck with ebony fretboard. Set-up in our shop.

With original hardshell case