• Model: L-5 Wes Montgomery
• Finish: Wine Red
• Top: Solid Carved Spruce
• Back & Sides: Figured Maple
• Body Style: Full Hollow Archtop with Venetian Cutaway
• Neck: 5-Piece Maple / Walnut Style Construction
• Neck Profile: Rounded / ES-Style Profile
• Fingerboard: Ebony
• Inlays: Pearl Block Inlays
• Radius: 12"
• Scale Length: 25.5"
• Frets: 20
• Nut Width: 1 11/16"
• Pickup: Single Gibson Humbucker in Neck Position
• Controls: 2 x Volume, 2 x Tone, 3-Way Selector
• Bridge: ABR-1 on Ebony Base
• Tailpiece: L-5 Tailpiece
• Hardware: Gold
• Case: Aftermarket Hardcase
• Country: USA
• Year: 1991

This is a seriously classy Gibson archtop and one that sits in a very special lane. The Wes Montgomery model has always appealed because it keeps all the elegance and presence of an L-5, but with the simplified single neck humbucker layout that suits the guitar beautifully. It feels a bit more focused and purist than a standard multi-pickup jazz box, and that is a big part of the charm. The spec is strong in all the right places too — carved spruce top, figured maple back and sides, ebony board, pearl blocks and the full 25.5" scale all point towards that big, articulate, authoritative archtop voice people want from a proper high-end Gibson jazz guitar. I also think the Wine Red finish looks superb on an L-5. It gives the guitar a slightly richer and more unusual look than the more common natural and sunburst examples, while still feeling totally appropriate for such an upmarket model. A very elegant instrument and a great choice for someone wanting a serious Gibson archtop with loads of visual presence. The later Custom Shop Wes Montgomery specs consistently show the same core recipe of carved spruce top, figured maple body, ebony board, 20 frets and single neck humbucker, which aligns with how these early-’90s examples were built.

Excellent for year. Presents very cleanly overall with light signs of age and use consistent with a well-kept early-1990s archtop. Supplied with an aftermarket hardcase.

https://www.youtube.com/@squealingpigguitars