Kinksi said:
Is the L5S model a REAL hollow body? Is it just as hollow as say a Gibson Hollow body?
The Gibson L5s was a solid body, available in three or maybe four string holding variations.
Commonly, there was a stop bar fitted one. You see these with the (Schaller) TP-6 as well.
There are also vibrato fitted ones, fitted with the Bigsby B7, or Maestro type.
There are trapeze stop versions, fitted with a sort of hybrid L5/335 tailpiece
And there is the ULTRA rare string thru version, similar to Warmoth's string through.
All L5s' were SOLID body, 1-3/4 thick. They had maple caps front and back. Maple necks. All were highly figured. All had multiple binding front and back and on the neck. All had the "flowerpot" inlay on the headstock.
Early ones up to 76 or so, were fitted with the low impedance pickup. That was pretty much a mistake for such a fancy guitar which would see stage use. Later ones were made with regular "Super Humbucking" pickups.
They had really cool fairly close matched control covers on the back, which were given the same sunburst finish as the guitar.
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The Warmoth L5s, shares only the basic shape of the original L5s. The hollow "option" makes it really... closer to the CS-336 Gibson in many respects. The CS-336 is a sort of miniES-335 in shape... but has a back made from solid mahogany, with a maple cap. So getting an L5s with a mahogany body and maple cap, adding a mahogany neck, in boatneck contour, would get you pretty close to the tone of the excellent CS-336, especially if you put on a 24-3/4 neck and some 57 Classic humbuckers.