big fat L5s hollowbody

nathan a

Hero Member
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Alright guys--

My black korina tele deluxe that I posted here a couple weeks ago isn't done yet, but of course I'm planning out something new. I just think great big hollow bodies like a gibson L5  :toothy12: are so sexy. So here's what I'm thinking (I'm not going for classic gibson archtop tone)

Black korina hollow L5s body with... flame maple? spruce? suggestions?
total vintage all-rosewood neck with no inlays
Two P90s

Not sure about the lam top wood. Also, I want a huge warm-but-still-crisp sound. Do you think this wood combo sounds a little too warm? Maybe stainless frets would help? I've never used them before.

And what do you think for bridge? TOM and classic archtop.... TOM and bigsby.... recessed TOM and string thru (is that even possible here?)

Thanks guys
 
Okay, how about three P-90's to give it that mid-50's ES-5 vibe?

And I'm not a big fan of vibratos, but a Bigsby on a L5S would look pretty hip.

Finally, make it a Goldtop with cream binding!



 
AAAAA Flame Maple top, finish the body TransAmber both sides, all gold hardware would look ultrasharp with a one piece Rosewood neck. Don't have an opinion on the bridge, as I'm not a Bigsby fan and haven't used the TOM/bridge thru, just make sure it's gold...
 
RLW said:
Okay, how about three P-90's to give it that mid-50's ES-5 vibe?

And I'm not a big fan of vibratos, but a Bigsby on a L5S would look pretty hip.

Finally, make it a Goldtop with cream binding!

I don't often use middle pickups when all three are the same (HSH setup not included)

And it's funny, I don't use vibratos either, but with bigsbys, I feel like having a huge mass of aluminum holding my strings really adds something to tone. I've got one bigsby guitar, and I just swing the arm around out of the way. But they look so cool

Goldtop, I dont know, I would feel weird playing any non-LP goldtop

jackthehack said:
AAAAA Flame Maple top, finish the body TransAmber both sides, all gold hardware would look ultrasharp with a one piece Rosewood neck. Don't have an opinion on the bridge, as I'm not a Bigsby fan and haven't used the TOM/bridge thru, just make sure it's gold...

Gold hardware a must. But hmmmm trans-amber.. I was just now looking at the dyes, what about the amber or tigereye dye? It's tough, because I'm definitely a sunburst guy. Its hard to imagine anything sexier than this..

venta-946327040.jpg
 
Nice Project!
I would go with a Spruce Top with a yellow/amber dye!
oh and I would go for a Rosewood Neck with an Ebony Fingerboard... keeps it warm but still crispy! :)

I am still hoping that Warmoth will come up with some ES variations..
 
Properly, the L5S should be solid, flame maple on top and back, bound, mahogany core, bound maple neck with Gibson style headstock.  L5S's had a three piece maple neck and Super Humbucking pickups (sort of bright actually).  Gold metalwork please.
You can do it in natural, or slight amber dye, or cherry sunburst.  They may have done some ebony ones (black, not wood type).  They may also have done some "wine red" ones.


You can do it with TOM and StopBar or TOM and trapeze.  Warmoth has the control cavity about right.  The cover must be wood, matching flame maple.

And of course you know the L5 (L5cES) is nothing like the L5s.  Totally different animules.



 
-CB- said:
Properly, the L5S should be solid, flame maple on top and back, bound, mahogany core, bound maple neck with Gibson style headstock.  L5S's had a three piece maple neck and Super Humbucking pickups (sort of bright actually).  Gold metalwork please.
You can do it in natural, or slight amber dye, or cherry sunburst.  They may have done some ebony ones (black, not wood type).  They may also have done some "wine red" ones.


You can do it with TOM and StopBar or TOM and trapeze.  Warmoth has the control cavity about right.  The cover must be wood, matching flame maple.

And of course you know the L5 (L5cES) is nothing like the L5s.  Totally different animules.

Right. Except I'm not trying to copy the classic gibson archtop. I was more asking for suggestions relating to my own build. Although, I think the L5 has a spruce top?

But as I said before, I don't want to copy the L5CES, I just want big warm and crisp. My main concern is the all-rosewood neck idea. rw/ebony would probably fix that, but I just love the one-piece neck thing.

Anyone have insight about the stainless frets, if that will brighten up the rosewood at all?
 
Well I'm confused and I think you are too.

You mix the L5 and L5s as if they're kissin cousins of the same thing.  They're not.

L5, shown is SEVENTEEN inches across its lower bouts.  Its damn near 4 inches thick.  Its true hollow, with modified X bracing on a maple body and carved (inside and out) spruce top.  It has a maple neck.

The L5s is solid.  Its 1-3/4 inches thick the way Warmoth does it, and they will give you a semi-hollow "thinline" version of it as well.

But to include one, in a discussion of the other, is like trying to compare ... well ... apples n oranges.  They're not even close.

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010103010305010403200707042c6af54c67ef220231009132.jpg


The L5s is essentially, a Les Paul.  It has slightly different construction, 25inch scale, a larger control cavity.  But, essentially, its a different shape Les Paul, with appointments.  They came with low impedance pickups (Les' design), and trapeze tail, but later went to super humbuckers and t-o-m and stop bar.  There is an EXTREMELY rare run that has t-o-m and string thru (not too dissimilar to what Warmoth is doing today).  The Les Paul's of the day had maple necks btw, not mahogany!  The later L5s, with its mahogany body and three piece maple neck, and super hb pickups... sounded to all the world like a Les Paul of the same time period.  Gibson eventually got smart and started making LPs more traditionally again... but only after they dang near went belly up.  In the dark days of Gibson, you must realize that they were down to fewer than sixty (60) employees TOTAL, including sales staff, management, office... and factory.

So, the L5s = basically the LP tone, although Warmoths take on it would be warmer with the hollow body (think, tele thinline tone).

The top wood... on an L5s... will not effect the tone as much as neck wood.  Neck wood is going to be key, followed by body wood and (of course) pickups.  Top wood... not really a huge factor.  Frets.  Not a huge huge factor.


 
I didn't even know that the L5s (the one you're showing there, correct?) existed. I've been talking about the L5ces. And you're right, I'd be silly to try and emulate the L5ces, because there's no way I could possibly do that with warmoth's L5s. But I do love the look.

Can't really comment on that guy you've posted there because I've never encountered one before. I can see why the weren't very popular.

I do see the comparison between my build and a thinline.

-CB- said:
The top wood... on an L5s... will not effect the tone as much as neck wood.  Neck wood is going to be key, followed by body wood and (of course) pickups.  Top wood... not really a huge factor.  Frets.  Not a huge huge factor.

How, or maybe where (on your little linear tone-o-meter there), does fretboard wood fit in? I've got a wonderful acoustic with a huge mahogany neck and ebony board, and at times I wish the board were rosewood, less chimey.
 
THe more resonant the body - thinlines, hollow bodies, acoustics... the less the neck is a major player in the tone scenario.  It still matters, but less, as the resonance of the body is so much more than with a solidbody.  Because of that, the board on your acoustic matters less than say... even type of strings (imho).

On a solid body, the neck is by far the most important tone shaper, excepting the overall tone shaping of the pickups.  This is because the body is less resonant (being solid) and the neck is more resonant.  So tops matter less on solid bodies (for tone shaping) and fingerboards matter more (but not nearly to as great an extent as wood type and neck profile)
 
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