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1953 Gibson ES-175N
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Serial #: A-15971, white oval label.
Finish: original natural blonde 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 nickel hardware includes P-90 single coil pickup and electronics, single-ring Kluson Deluxe tuners, compensated Brazilian rosewood bridge, trapeze tailpiece with raised-parallelogram crossbar, gold numbered barrel knobs. Vintage correct hand antiqued wide bevel 5 ply pickguard.
Notes: Introduced in 1949, 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.
This glorious guitar is one of just 181 examples produced in its year in natural finish. Blonde examples are scarce and highly desirable, constituting less than one in five guitars in this model year, and the body of this handsome instrument is graced with traces of birdseye maple. At just 5lb. 4oz, the guitar is pounds lighter than later versions, and is exceptionally resonant and well balanced. 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 remarkable condition, without pick, buckle, thumb or fingerboard wear, and shows fine original fretwork in excellent condition. The neck is gently rounded and plays effortlessly, and the tone is as rich and warm as the butterscotch amber finish. Apart from a bit of finish discoloration near the output jack, the guitar as a whole appears virtually unplayed, and is supplied with its original brown Gibson plush hardshell case. An particularly attractive example of the ultimate working jazz guitar.
Setup: The frets have been precision leveled, recrowned and polished as required; 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: Original deluxe brown Gibson arched hardshell case.
