Wes Montgomery’s L-5 Fetches $41,125 at Auction
Jazz legend’s 1961 axe among vintage Gibsons sold at auction by Skinner, Inc.
The 1961 Gibson L-5 CES Custom that Wes Montgomery is pictured with on the album Movin’ Wes brought $41,125 at auction last month by Massachusetts-based Skinner, Inc., a sale price that exceeded expectations.
The guitar (No. 38024), which was later owned by jazz great George Benson, was used by Montgomery on the ’64 classic Movin’ Wes as well as the albums Goin’ Out of My Head (1965) and A Day In the Life (1967). It sports a Florentine cutaway and was estimated to bring up to $30,000.
[A new Gibson L-5 can cost upwards £6000…those babies ARE expensive anyway! view L-5 on Dolphin]
A 1955 Les Paul Goldtop, meanwhile, emerged as the auction’s single most expensive Gibson guitar, fetching $70,500, near the high end of expectations. The instrument (stamped 513742)—which was sold with its original case, shoulder strap, hang tag, and instruction booklet—was expected to generate $50,000 to $75,000.
Other Gibson guitars sold at the Skinner auction include:
- 1957 J-185 in natural finish. Estimated price: $10,000 to $14,000. Sold: $28,200
- 1957 Les Paul TV Special. Estimated price: $15,000 to $18,000. Sold: $16,450
- 1961 ES-355TD. Estimated price: $15,000 to $20,000. Sold: $22,912.50
- First production 1955 Byrdland (No. A20985) with its original case. Estimated price: $18,000 to $24,000. Sold: $19,975
- 1959 ES-175. Estimated price: $8,000 to $12,000. Sold: $11,750
- 1964 400CES. Estimated price: $23,000 to $26,000. Sold: $27,025
- 1960 Model L-5 CES (No. A35426). Estimated price: $18,000 to $22,000. Sold: $21,150
[originally Sean McDevitt, Gibson.com]
