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1953 Gibson ES-175D

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FON #: Y5197-15

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 twin P-90 pickups. Hand antiqued vintage correct hardware includes nickel Kluson Deluxe no-line tuners, amber barrel knobs, beveled 5 ply pickguard, adjustable compensated Brazilian rosewood bridge. Raised parallelogram trapeze tailpiece.

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 1957. The twin pickup ES-175D debuted in 1953, and this example is from the very first year for this version. Lightweight and compact, 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 fine shape, without pick, buckle, thumb or fingerboard wear, with a vintage style Cremona sunburst applied some years back. The twin original P-90 pickups are incomparably open and detailed, with extended range unknown in conventional humbuckers. At just 5lb. 9oz. the instrument is dramatically lighter than modern versions, easier to hold, and markedly more resonant. With smooth low action over fine recent pro fretwork, the guitar plays like butter, with a gentle C profile neck distinctly slimmer in depth than the typical guitar of its vintage. A custom touch is the 3-ply bound headstock, a dressy counterpoint to the formal dark finish. A best buy for the working player, and an outstanding example of the ultimate journeyman's jazz guitar.

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 (.012-.054). 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: Deluxe plush lined arched hardshell case.

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