Ron Wood's love of Gibson's unsung hero model in the Rolling Stones has finally been solidified by the Custom Shop with the official release of the new L5S signature edition - tailor-made to his own specifications.
Only 300 guitars will be produced for the limited run; 50 of those signed and played by the Ronnie (£5,549 for the latter and £3,999 for the unsigned).
Introduced in 1972, the L5S came long after Gibson's 'golden era' and was the company's Les Paul-esque solid-body alternative to the L5 hollowbody. It was eventually dropped from the product line in the mid 1980s. But this new iteration is not a slavish reproduction of the vintage; it's been Ronniefied.
The iconic guitarist has had with everything from Fender to ESP, Zemaitis and Weissenborn in his racks over the years so you may be wondering where the L5S fits in his career. He played his own black L5S with the Stones during the early to mid seventies, and this new Custom Shop signature retains the black finish of that guitar (here it's Lamp Black Gloss) with a Burstbucker 1 in the neck and Burstbucker 2 in the bridge, wound to his specifications.
Structurally, this L5S, first sighted by us at NAMM earlier this year, is made from a two-piece, hard maple top affixed to a chambered body that's comprised of a three-piece maple centre layer and two-piece maple back.
As with earlier versions of the guitar from the 1970s, the Ronnie Wood L5S features a five-ply walnut/maple/walnut neck and aesthetic compliments that follow the style of the Gibson Les Paul Custom. These include the multi-ply binding on the top and back, bound solid ebony fretboard.
There is one clear change from its 1970s predecessor that Ronnie requested for a better look; this signature model feature a Les Paul-sized headstock as opposed to the larger L5 headstock.
Another request from the guitarist for to fulfil his idealised vision for the L5S is the single master volume and tone knobs.
