Gibson Super 400CES and L-5CES

1978 Gibson Quality / Prestige / Innovation catalog, page 21. Details of two more guitars in Gibson's Custom Series: the Super 400CES and L-5CES

Both guitars were available in a range of finishes: Sunburst and Ebony (as pictured below) but also Wine Red and Natural. These guitars probably had more in common than divided them: both with carved spruce top, maple neck, rims and back, ebony fingerboard 20 frets and 25 1/2"scale, Venetian cutaway and matching pickup and control layouts. The difference was partially in ornamentation: inlays, headstock motifs and choice of tailpiece - but also body size. The L-5CES body was an inch narrower and 3/4" shorter than the Super 400 CES.

Naturally, these two high end jazz guitars had equally high end price tags: in May 1978, both the Super 400 CES and L-5 CES were priced at $1599. Only 'The Les Paul' shown on page 2, and the Kalamazoo Award shown on page 19 were more expensive, though significantly so at $3000 and $2899 respectively.