Gibson L-5 Custom Wes Montgomery Archtop Sunbusrt 2009

This is a very rare Gibson signature Wes Montgomery "Custom" L-5 model archtop in Sunburst from 2009.

Made in very small numbers to a very high standard, The Wes Montgomery L-5CES was made to the same specifications as the instrument used by Montgomery in the 1960s.

Our example is in excellent condition and was a single-owner guitar and has hardly been played. Aside from some very minor gold rub on the tailpiece. This instrument is faultless, and displays no fret wear or signs of use, as it was part of a very large collection. It has a really nice setup and plays beautifully.

This legendary Gibson archtop Wes Montgomery model features a body crafted with a high-grade carved spruce top, and high-grade flame maple back and sides.

The body is then adorned with multi-ply black and white binding on both the top and back, with single-ply white binding around the f-holes. The gold hardware includes an ABR-1 bridge with a base made from ebony, and Gibson's period-correct L-5 tailpiece.

The 25-inch scale-length neck is a five-piece neck made primarily from high-grade maple, just look at that Flame on the back of the neck! with two streamers made from high-grade walnut, resulting in one of the most stunning neck designs in the history of Gibson Custom.

The eye-catching neck is topped by a 20-fret ebony fingerboard with pearl block inlays and multi-ply black and white binding, then hand-fitted with Gibson's traditional ES-rounded neck profile and bound and inlaid headstock.

The single pickup is Gibson's legendary '57 Classic humbucker, which faithfully captures the unique and subtle variations between coil windings of the original "Patent Applied For" humbuckers of the late 1950s, and delivers a warm and full tone with a balanced response. Other appointments include Gibson's traditional  "open book" headstock, flower pot inlay on the headstock, and Gold Schaller M6 tuners.

This superlative handmade instrument is a great example of the craftsmanship of the Gibson Custom Division - the specialists who are chosen to build the finest Gibson archtops and hollowbody electrics.

Sold complete with its original case, paperwork, case accessories, and its certificate of authenticity.