Some guitars enjoy only a brief period in the limelight, but the Gibson L-5, whose original acoustic version dates back to 1922, is a hardy perennial.

Unlike other classic archtops, it’s status and sales were largely untouched by the changes in taste that affected almost everything in the 60’s. It retained a place in the Gibson catalog throughout that decade, and beyond.

Technically, however, changes were made to the instrument. By the later 1950s, it’s single-coil Alnico V pickups had given way to the Seth Lover designed humbuckers. Another new feature, the sharper Florentine cutaway, that replaced the softer Venetian one in around 1960, led to the shortening of the L-5’s pickguard. Every care went into the L-5’s headstock, which has intricate decorative inlays and gold-plated tuners and nuts.