1961 Gibson Florentine L 5 Blonde PAF equipped Blonde - says it all.

Most any famous Jazz player will tell you that this is the guitar that they have always wanted!  If you were at the 2007 Long Island Show when  Bob DeVos, or Trevor Owen or Dave Stryker played this guitar, you will immediately know why! The owner of this rare archtop for the last 30 years, has decided to put it up for sale. It may be a once in a lifetime opportunity to own one of the best, if not the best Jazz Guitars ever made!!!!!
Electrically, with a Fender tube amp - When played  with your fingers and the treble rolled off a bit, the neck pick-up gives that lovely, slightly squashy Wes sound with exceptional clarity!!  When played with a pick,   this is by far,  the quintessential jazz guitar – fat, warm, with tremendous clarity and very little feedback.  It just doesn’t get any better than this!  This guitar has been appraised at a current value of $27,000
Gibson archtops at their finest – the Golden Years!. It is very heavily built and can take it!  Built to minimize feedback (which it does), and still deliver that incomparable warm fat jazz single note tone, with a clarity found today only in the best luthiers archtops.
Most archtops are a compromise of warmth, clarity, punch, and a balance of acoustic tone versus feedback.  This carved top archtop is made to be played amplified and delivers the best jazz tone that you have ever heard! !
Creamy, Warm, Fat, Clean and Punchy even at loud volume! 
It’s not mint, nor near mint, but it is structurally sound with no repairs other than some fretwork.  We believe everything is original with the exception of the bridge and saddle.   There is weather checking, and some wear rash on the back that shows on the photos, but no cracks. The playability is great ! There is some discoloration on the back of the neck from being played. The Jazz Greats that played this L5 said that this was the best neck that they have ever played!  And loved the fact that it was already “broken inâ€� and fast!

Make an appointment to visit our new Showroom in Summit, NJ. We are only 30 minutes from Manhattan by car; 2 blocks from the Summit train station - 35 minutes from NYC on the midtown direct!

We carry a huge selection of luthier carved archtops including  over 80 Eastmans so that you can come in and pick out the one that is exactly right for you. Every Eastman is hand carved and made exclusively by hand creating small variations and subtle differences in each archtop. We can also match archtops to your phone descriptions to help get you that perfect archtop if you cannot come to the shop. All purchases are on approval and fully returnable and come with a G'nJ warranty in addition to the Eastman warranty. Your full satisfaction is our goal! Call 908-403-3426 to make an appointment to visit our new Showroom in Summit, NJ. We are only 30 minutes from Manhattan by car; 2 blocks from the Summit train station - 35 minutes from NYC on the midtown direct!