My first guitar was a 73 L6S exactly like that one. I got it used in 1983 for $230. I saved my lawn mowing money all summer for it. Still have it. It was my main guitar for 30 years. It has toured all over the world, recorded in studios from L.A. to Bangkok... and you can see every mile on it. The neck is very twisted...but still plays every note without a buzz and perfectly intoned (and is actually a little more comfortable to play), the fretboard is so worn it's practically "scalloped", the color has turned to a sort of light amber/honey color and every piece of plastic is cracked or chipped...but still there. The original case is being held together by decades old duct tape...but still works. The secret weapon of this guitar is the Bill Lawrence Super-Humbuckers coupled with the 6-way switch (the L6S is the first collaboration between Gibson and Lawrence). Infinite tone possibilities if you spend some time with it. I disagree with you about the feel of the neck. One of the specs of the L6S is how narrow it is at the nut...1.5"...I think one of the narrowest that Gibson ever made. Definitely the first 24 fret guitar they ever made. To me, the neck feels very easy to get my hands around. It does have more of a U shape, maybe that's why it feels thick to you. All the other L6 models are inferior to the original L6S, in my opinion, because they either got rid of the 6-way switch, or changed the pickups, or changed to a bolt-on neck. My L6S is retired now and awaiting restoration. I love that guitar and will never, ever sell it. I think anyone who has owned and played one for years feels the same. I identify with this guitar....overlooked and underrated. My life story.😆😆😆
Great demo and review! Great guitar. I bought it in 1973 and still play it today! I've heard people call it UGLY, but I think it's a beauty. Back in 1973 when I bought it on West 48th St. in NYC, it cost $350 - which was a small fortune for a guy like me making $1.25 per hour at the Brooklyn Public Library! It's still a solid, very playable guitar, and the electronics are still strong! Love the 24 frets! It withstood many wild gigs in the 1970's & 80's, at places like CBGB, Max's Kansas City, The Other End, Folk City, Kenny's Castawys, The Ritz and many others. So glad I've kept it for over a half century!
Thanks for your careful and thoughtful/considered review. I play a 73. It’s definitely not for les Paul folks. I’m generally a fender guy, but I love the L-6s. The neck is gorgeous and the variety of tones usable tones is great.
Great review Rick! Some tasty playing as always! I like those, jazz and blues machine for sure! When I was a teenager a guy down the block had one. He played mostly blues on it with a jazzy vibe through a Roland Jazz Chorus. (Also drove a 73 Satellite, yes he was one of the cool kids! LOL)
I am the proud owner of a 1974 black L6s custom with an ebony fretboard. I have had this guitar for 40+ years and it is still fantastic. Easy to play and very versatile. Everything still original with the exception of the frets and the input plug. Still going very strong.
Hi Rick, I am a new subscriber! I bought a L6S as a rescue guitar at a local Swap Meet. Someone had stripped it so only the wood was left, (no metal, p/u's bridge, etc). On top of that they decided to burn the wood, (like the hippies did to warterbead frames, ugh). I was trying to bring it back as a player. I am more of a player than a collector, ( I started playing guitar late in life at 19 it was 1976). Although I have a couple of collectables, the good ones are gone. I own about 12 guitars, which includes a couple of 70's Jazz Archtops. Iam more of a singer, but also play the flute Percussions and drums, (I also am a Sound Engineer adn was trained by the top Sound companies in Hawaii). one thing I have learned is "it's not the guitar, it's the player!" You make this guitar sing! I also designed and built a Koa, (I am from Hawaii) top, (Mahogany core) Strat with a Birdseye Maple neck and Ebony Fretboard. This was my first guitar build. One of the top Jazz guitar players here locally was impressed by the sound and wants me to build him one out of Swamp Ash. Another friend (who is a heavy metal guitarist) loves it too! Go figure!!!??? Looking forward to your lessons and posts.
I owed one in the mid/ late 1970’s. Loved it. Great humbuckers, sustain and feedback. Maple neck started wearing out really bad. Played it through a 120 watt Sound City tube head and 2 cabs- one with 4 12” speakers- the other with 4 8” speakers. Awesome tone.
I have a Gibson L6S exactly like this one but it has fine tuners in the saddle...obviously an upgrade? Thank you for going into depth on it. When I first got it I hated it! It was Bob Hartman from Petra that encouraged me to keep it so I took it to a luthier in Leesburg, VA and when he was done leveling the frets , reglueing the nut and a complete setup... I was shocked at how well it played and the tone thru my Fender amp...well, I can't imaging getting rid of it. Its just wonderful to bar chords and strum it lightly with a loud amp and let it sing!!!
Played one today, it was a weird getting the hang of the 6 position Lucile style switch. Once tuned and plugged in to a marshal dsl, it started to sound ok. Then added some pedals like a fuzz by metal muff and it started to purr nicely. I then added some delay and increased the reverb on the marshal and then I was in the middle of 70’s with the tone. By it self in the marshal it sounded better with a Mxr 10 band eq and nothing else. My take away was this guitar is a little bit like Frankenstein, which had borrowed bits from fender both Stratocaster and telecaster crossed with a SG and a lumpy Les Paul. But hey at least I got to play one, hope you guys do too. Peace and love
Great review, many thanks. I remember a couple of these coming thru the shop when I was a guitar salesman back in the '70s but I had a Custom and didn't really get to know them - my loss! Would love to get my hands on one now - quite an unusual Gibson, esp. the maple neck, actually perfect for me - not jazz so much as 'cleanish chordal stuff' with the odd bit of lead work. Really nice playing!
They're not chambered. There's no cap on them so there's no way they could have chambered them. Just a solid body, typically 3 piece, but it was the 70s and they didn't have one particular spec for number of pieces in a body. I wouldn't be surprised to see any number of pieces, lol.
Diggin the dog and cat intro. That is sooooo 70's. I remember seeing that in Guitar Player in the mid to late '70's. Def around that time. Crying for some P90 lovin. Just hit me how close it looks to the Ovation Breadwinner..methinks someone at Ovation used one for inspiration..Thank You for sharing this! Best Regards and Best Wishes!
I had one. It was a 73 or 74. Sold it after about 7 years and have never seen another one since. Wish I had kept it, but at the time, I had all but quit playing and needed the money.
Very cool, Rick! I had one back in the Aughts, but couldn't vibe with it, probably because I really wanted a Les Paul. Then, just before Covid, I got a deal on one. Tried to vibe with it again, but still couldn't. Did you see that the middle knob is a mid rolloff?
I remember when these came out. A buddy still has his. don't know why they didn't catch on. many tones, The Night Hawk is another Gibson I thought would do well. Money is the only thing ,I guess. new L6-S ?used Les Paul? used Strat? New Night Hawk ?? or used LP or Strat? Nice Guitar Rick, I'm a nut that took my 76 strat in 77 and routed for a humbucker on the bridge. Great Demo of this really cool guitar.
In1976 or so, when an unknown Japanese company named Ibanez was producing knock-offs of American guitar manufacturers now referred to as "lawsuit guitars". I bought one on a lark, it was cheap $100 maybe but it was TERRIFIC! I knew a guy who had the real deal, a Gibson L6S and this "knock off" had the tone, feel and workmanship for a fraction of the cost. Great demo Ric!
FOr a guy who don't like doin' guitar reviews you do them SOOO well!!! KOOL guitar, they had one on the wall of a music store back in like '73-74 Drooled just lookin' at it on the Wall 🙃
The L isn't my issue with it. They were probably targeting Jazz guys who might want to do fusion stuff or something like that. The frets are small so it's difficult to play. It's pretty cool though and it sounds very cool. Thanks!
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My first guitar was a 73 L6S exactly like that one. I got it used in 1983 for $230. I saved my lawn mowing money all summer for it. Still have it. It was my main guitar for 30 years. It has toured all over the world, recorded in studios from L.A. to Bangkok... and you can see every mile on it. The neck is very twisted...but still plays every note without a buzz and perfectly intoned (and is actually a little more comfortable to play), the fretboard is so worn it's practically "scalloped", the color has turned to a sort of light amber/honey color and every piece of plastic is cracked or chipped...but still there. The original case is being held together by decades old duct tape...but still works. The secret weapon of this guitar is the Bill Lawrence Super-Humbuckers coupled with the 6-way switch (the L6S is the first collaboration between Gibson and Lawrence). Infinite tone possibilities if you spend some time with it. I disagree with you about the feel of the neck. One of the specs of the L6S is how narrow it is at the nut...1.5"...I think one of the narrowest that Gibson ever made. Definitely the first 24 fret guitar they ever made. To me, the neck feels very easy to get my hands around. It does have more of a U shape, maybe that's why it feels thick to you. All the other L6 models are inferior to the original L6S, in my opinion, because they either got rid of the 6-way switch, or changed the pickups, or changed to a bolt-on neck. My L6S is retired now and awaiting restoration. I love that guitar and will never, ever sell it. I think anyone who has owned and played one for years feels the same. I identify with this guitar....overlooked and underrated. My life story.😆😆😆
Back in the 1970's, my dad bought me a Gibson L6S as my first electric guitar. I took lessons with it and I loved it.
Thanks for going through a thorough description of the channel selector!!
Great demo and review! Great guitar. I bought it in 1973 and still play it today! I've heard people call it UGLY, but I think it's a beauty. Back in 1973 when I bought it on West 48th St. in NYC, it cost $350 - which was a small fortune for a guy like me making $1.25 per hour at the Brooklyn Public Library! It's still a solid, very playable guitar, and the electronics are still strong! Love the 24 frets! It withstood many wild gigs in the 1970's & 80's, at places like CBGB, Max's Kansas City, The Other End, Folk City, Kenny's Castawys, The Ritz and many others. So glad I've kept it for over a half century!
Thanks for sharing. It's fun to hear when people have a history of making music. Peace!
I just rescued one and am trying to restore it and think the L6S is beautiful!
Probably the best review of this guitar, you went easy on the effects. I can actually hear the guitar. Thanks
Sweet licks! Beautiful.
Thanks for your careful and thoughtful/considered review. I play a 73. It’s definitely not for les Paul folks. I’m generally a fender guy, but I love the L-6s. The neck is gorgeous and the variety of tones usable tones is great.
Great review Rick! Some tasty playing as always! I like those, jazz and blues machine for sure! When I was a teenager a guy down the block had one. He played mostly blues on it with a jazzy vibe through a Roland Jazz Chorus. (Also drove a 73 Satellite, yes he was one of the cool kids! LOL)
A JC120 and a Satellite. Dude was living the dream. Thanks boomer.
I am the proud owner of a 1974 black L6s custom with an ebony fretboard. I have had this guitar for 40+ years and it is still fantastic. Easy to play and very versatile. Everything still original with the exception of the frets and the input plug. Still going very strong.
Hi Rick, I am a new subscriber! I bought a L6S as a rescue guitar at a local Swap Meet. Someone had stripped it so only the wood was left, (no metal, p/u's bridge, etc). On top of that they decided to burn the wood, (like the hippies did to warterbead frames, ugh). I was trying to bring it back as a player. I am more of a player than a collector, ( I started playing guitar late in life at 19 it was 1976). Although I have a couple of collectables, the good ones are gone. I own about 12 guitars, which includes a couple of 70's Jazz Archtops. Iam more of a singer, but also play the flute Percussions and drums, (I also am a Sound Engineer adn was trained by the top Sound companies in Hawaii). one thing I have learned is "it's not the guitar, it's the player!" You make this guitar sing!
I also designed and built a Koa, (I am from Hawaii) top, (Mahogany core) Strat with a Birdseye Maple neck and Ebony Fretboard. This was my first guitar build. One of the top Jazz guitar players here locally was impressed by the sound and wants me to build him one out of Swamp Ash. Another friend (who is a heavy metal guitarist) loves it too! Go figure!!!??? Looking forward to your lessons and posts.
Cheers, Michael. We both started playing in '76. I was 7. Thanks for this nice post. I hope you can bring back that L6. Peace!
I owed one in the mid/ late 1970’s. Loved it. Great humbuckers, sustain and feedback. Maple neck started wearing out really bad. Played it through a 120 watt Sound City tube head and 2 cabs- one with 4 12” speakers- the other with 4 8” speakers. Awesome tone.
I have a Gibson L6S exactly like this one but it has fine tuners in the saddle...obviously an upgrade? Thank you for going into depth on it. When I first got it I hated it! It was Bob Hartman from Petra that encouraged me to keep it so I took it to a luthier in Leesburg, VA and when he was done leveling the frets , reglueing the nut and a complete setup... I was shocked at how well it played and the tone thru my Fender amp...well, I can't imaging getting rid of it. Its just wonderful to bar chords and strum it lightly with a loud amp and let it sing!!!
Cool. Thanks for sharing.
Great video and playing! I got interested in this guitar because Junie Morrison played one on Funkadelic’s (Not Just) Knee Deep.
Steve Morse appeared to play an L6S on the Wayward Son vid.
Played one today, it was a weird getting the hang of the 6 position Lucile style switch.
Once tuned and plugged in to a marshal dsl, it started to sound ok.
Then added some pedals like a fuzz by metal muff and it started to purr nicely.
I then added some delay and increased the reverb on the marshal and then I was in the middle of 70’s with the tone.
By it self in the marshal it sounded better with a Mxr 10 band eq and nothing else.
My take away was this guitar is a little bit like Frankenstein, which had borrowed bits from fender both Stratocaster and telecaster crossed with a SG and a lumpy Les Paul.
But hey at least I got to play one, hope you guys do too.
Peace and love
Great review, many thanks. I remember a couple of these coming thru the shop when I was a guitar salesman back in the '70s but I had a Custom and didn't really get to know them - my loss! Would love to get my hands on one now - quite an unusual Gibson, esp. the maple neck, actually perfect for me - not jazz so much as 'cleanish chordal stuff' with the odd bit of lead work. Really nice playing!
Sounds absolutely fantastic Rick! Love the maple board too.
Thanks man. Those are good sounding pickups.
They're not chambered. There's no cap on them so there's no way they could have chambered them. Just a solid body, typically 3 piece, but it was the 70s and they didn't have one particular spec for number of pieces in a body. I wouldn't be surprised to see any number of pieces, lol.
Cool ! thanks for sharing ☺👍
Diggin the dog and cat intro. That is sooooo 70's. I remember seeing that in Guitar Player in the mid to late '70's. Def around that time. Crying for some P90 lovin. Just hit me how close it looks to the Ovation Breadwinner..methinks someone at Ovation used one for inspiration..Thank You for sharing this! Best Regards and Best Wishes!
Thanks Green. I don't do too many of these videos anymore so it's nice to get good feedback. Peace!
Awesome sound.🔥🎸👏👏👏 Great presentation, Rick.👍
Thanks soooooo much!
I had one. It was a 73 or 74. Sold it after about 7 years and have never seen another one since. Wish I had kept it, but at the time, I had all but quit playing and needed the money.
Had that exact guitar in highschool. Wish I had kept it.
We all have a story like that. Thanks for watching.
Great work Rick, that sounds awesome man. Nice guitar there 😀🤘🎵🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Thanks Man!
Very cool, Rick! I had one back in the Aughts, but couldn't vibe with it, probably because I really wanted a Les Paul. Then, just before Covid, I got a deal on one. Tried to vibe with it again, but still couldn't. Did you see that the middle knob is a mid rolloff?
I did not. See, I SUCK at reviews. Good thing no one is paying me!!!! Hahah! Thanks, Jesse for the info.
nice vid mate, nice feeling and i love that axe too..
Thanks for the super-kind comment!
I remember when these came out. A buddy still has his. don't know why they didn't catch on. many tones, The Night Hawk is another Gibson I thought would do well. Money is the only thing ,I guess. new L6-S ?used Les Paul? used Strat? New Night Hawk ?? or used LP or Strat? Nice Guitar Rick, I'm a nut that took my 76 strat in 77 and routed for a humbucker on the bridge. Great Demo of this really cool guitar.
Thanks Dennis. I think its a cool historic piece. I'd rather play a tele. :)
In1976 or so, when an unknown Japanese company named Ibanez was producing knock-offs of American guitar manufacturers now referred to as "lawsuit guitars". I bought one on a lark, it was cheap $100 maybe but it was TERRIFIC! I knew a guy who had the real deal, a Gibson L6S and this "knock off" had the tone, feel and workmanship for a fraction of the cost. Great demo Ric!
Good comment, Michael. Thanks!
Very cool axe Rick. Kind of reminds me of a Les paul studio.
Thanks Dar! Another masterfully careful review.
FOr a guy who don't like doin' guitar reviews you do them SOOO well!!! KOOL guitar, they had one on the wall of a music store back in like '73-74 Drooled just lookin' at it on the Wall 🙃
It's alright. Your blue Les Paul is much nicer to play, I'm sure. Thanks, Don!
Cool guitar. There is one on marketplace right now
Hey Jeff! Thanks brother!
What amp do you use? Fantastic sound!!
Thanks. I'm using that Deluxe Reverb in the back.
Its good for r&b funk.
Sweet....
thanks!
Cool guitar but I can’t understand why they decided to slap an L on a pretty basic solid body.
The L isn't my issue with it. They were probably targeting Jazz guys who might want to do fusion stuff or something like that. The frets are small so it's difficult to play. It's pretty cool though and it sounds very cool. Thanks!
@@RickRomanelli They were marketing to wrong people IMHO
very, very, very
Yes. I'm a klutz. Thanks Janice!
@@RickRomanelli not a klutz, just very diplomatic
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