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1949 Gibson ES-175

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Serial #: A-4247, orange oval label.

Finish: original sunburst finish, nitrocellulose type

Body size at lower bout: 16". Scale length: 24 3/4" Nut Width: 1 11/16"

Materials: Solid mahogany neck; solid Brazilian rosewood fingerboard; arched maple top and back; dual-parallelogram mother of pearl fingerboard inlay and crown peghead inlay; triple bound top, bound back.

Hardware: Original hardware includes P-90 single coil pickup, nickel trapeze tailpiece with raised-parallelogram crossbar, original compensated Brazilian rosewood bridge. Vintage correct hand antiqued nickel Kluson Deluxe tuners, gold barrel knobs, beveled 5 ply pickguard.

Notes: Introduced in 1948, the Gibson ES-175 quickly became the most popular jazz guitar ever made. Fast, clean and road-ready, the 175 has been the workhorse of the touring player and studio from Joe Pass to Pat Metheny. The legendary P-90 pickup provides a bright, rich tone unduplicated before or since, but was available on this model only until mid-1957, and this stunning example is from the first full year for the model. Lightweight and resonant, the 16" body sits easily in the lap, and the 24 3/4" scale makes stretch chords and fast runs a pleasure.

The instrument is in superb condition, with all original finish, and is without pick, buckle or fingerboard wear, showing only normal thumbwear on the solid mahogany gently C profiled neck. At just 5lb. 9oz. the instrument is exceptionally lightweight and resonant, with smooth rich classic bop tone. The guitar plays effortlessly, and the action is low and smooth over excellent original frets. Finally, the instrument is complete with its original brown faux-alligator Lifton hardshell case. A wonderfully maintained example of Gibson's ultimate working jazz box.

Setup: The frets have been precision leveled, recrowned and polished; trussrod tension and neck relief adjusted; bridge height adjusted; bridge compensation set; string slots at nut and bridge inspected and recut as necessary; bridge foot contour inspected and fit to top as necessary; bridge wheels and tuners lubricated; fingerboard and bridge oiled; body and neck cleaned and hand polished.

This instrument is strung with medium gauge nickel wound strings (.013-.057). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 5/64" to 6/64" at the 12th fret, with moderate relief for acoustic playing with medium strings. The action may be lowered or raised to your requirements with the adjustable bridge.

Case: Original brown Gibson Lifton hardshell case.

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