page_title: Gibson L6-S
section_title: L6-S Custom 1973–80
hierarchical_section_title: Gibson L6-S / L6-S Models / L6-S Custom 1973–80
caption_attribution_description: English: Gibson L6-S Custom switch
context_page_description: The Gibson L6-S is a solid body electric guitar. It was the working musician's descendant of the L5S jazz solid-body electric guitar. It was the same shape, very much like a wide Gibson Les Paul, but with a 24-fret two-octave neck, the first Gibson guitar to have this.
context_section_description: Over 12,000 L6-S Custom instruments were made. Each guitar is made out of a one-piece maple body and a three-piece set neck, with a choice of rosewood, maple or ebony fingerboard. Finishes; Natural Maple, Ebony, Silver Burst, Tobacco Sunburst & Cherry Sunburst. A Double Cutaway Model was also available in Ebony and Maple (used by Angus Young in 1975).  Controls include a six position pickup selector, master volume, mid-range and treble roll-off controls.  At the time of its introduction, the L6-S Custom was simply called the L6-S, not gaining the "Custom" badge until later, when the simpler L6-S Deluxe was introduced. The L6-S and L6-S Custom are identical.
  The L6-S Custom has a six way rotary selector switch, complete with "chicken head" pointer knob. Starting with switch position #1, in the most counter-clockwise position, the available pickup switching options are as follows:
  Both pickups, in series
  Neck pickup, alone
  Both pickups, in parallel
  Both pickups, parallel out of phase, with the neck pickup's bass response restricted through a series capacitor.
  Bridge pickup, alone
  Both pickups, series out of phase.
  The capacitor in the #4 position gives a fuller tone than the otherwise very nasal out of phase tone.  The capacitor serves to limit the low end response of the neck pickup, and also phase delays the signal from that pickup, resulting in a fuller tone, not too unlike the #2 and #4 switch positions on a Fender Stratocaster guitar.
  Note that these switching options are for the original 1970s L6-S with sealed ceramic Bill Lawrence Humbuckers and are somewhat different for the 2011- reissue L6S, which use 490R/498T split coil pickup switching and different wiring.
caption: Pickup selector of a L6-S Custom.
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