One of the Very First Gibson L-5 CES's 1949 Gibson L-5CNE 'McCarty' This magnificent 17-inch-wide blond L-5 CNE weighs just 6.80 lbs. and has a perfectly book-matched carved natural spruce top with a highly-flamed two-piece 'birds-eye' maple back and highly-flamed curly maple sides. Two-piece highly-flamed curly maple neck with a center mahogany strip, and multi-bound ebony fretboard with a small, graceful point at the end of the fretboard. The nut width is just under 1 11/16 inches and the neck profile is nice and thick starting at 0.90 inch behind the first fret and rising gently to 1.00 inches behind the eleventh fret. Twenty original medium-thin frets, and inlaid pearl block position markers. Nine-ply binding on the top of the guitar, five-ply binding on the back, and single-bound f-holes. Multi-bound headstock with inlaid pearl "Gibson" logo and pearl "L-5" flowerpot inlay. Black plastic bell-shaped truss-rod cover with white binding. Black-painted headstock rear face with widow's peak. Individual Kluson Sealfast tuners with tulip-shaped metal buttons. Original Gibson 'McCarty' single-coil pickup (with an ouput of 5.55k) with non-adjustable, flat pole pieces mounted into a five layer black over white plastic laminated pickguard together with one volume and one tone control with Centralab potentiometers and a regular (instead of the screw-on type) input jack. Black plastic circular knobs (9/16 inch in diameter, 5/16 inches tall) with ribbed sides. Inside the bass 'f' hole is the original Gibson white oval label with Style number "L5-CES" written in ink and the serial number "A-2995" (March 1949) stamped in black. Inside the treble 'f' hole is the FON (factory order number) "305 7" (late 1953) stamped in black. Original multi-bound tortoiseshell pickguard. Original Gibson rosewood bridge with pre-set compensating saddle on height-adjustable rosewood base and gold-plated flat plate tailpiece with engraved "L 5" and small hole at the bottom center (for allen wrench tension adjustment). All hardware gold-plated. Under ultra-violet light (and only under UV) there appears to be a 'filled-in' small hole on the back of the headstock where assumedly a previous owner had fitted a strap-button. There is some fine finish checking on the back and a few miniscule marks on the top, but otherwise this incredible guitar is truly in near mint (9.25) and totally original condition. Housed in its original Gibson four-latch brown hardshell case with pink plush lining (9.25). (#1894)
