Home / Instruments /Accessories / Ordering / Tips / Friends

archtop.com

1957 Gibson ES-225TD

FON #: U3518-2 Body size at lower bout: 16". Scale length: 24 3/4" Nut Width: 1 11/16" Neck depth, 1st/10th frets: .91/.99

Materials: Solid Honduras mahogany neck; slab-cut maple top back, and sides; solid Brazilian rosewood fingerboard, original nut.

Hardware: Original hardware includes black cover P-90 pickups and wide-beveled 5-ply pickguard, gold bell tone and volume knobs, adjustable compensated Brazilian rosewood bridge. Vintage style Gibson Deluxe nickel single ring tuners, triple parallelogram trapeze tailpiece.

Notes: Before the ES-335, 345, 355. Before the ES-330, and the humble 125 and 120T. Before any of the legendary series of Gibson thinlines that changed guitar design forever, there was this slim sunburst beauty, where it all began.

Inspired by a guitar Elmer Stromberg had built for Nashville session ace Hank Garland, in 1955 Gibson introduced three new models, hollow body electric archtops with a slimmed depth profile unprecedented in the marketplace. The Byrdland and its laminate counterpart the ES-350T were both protoyped with a single example each. But a new popularly priced model was rushed into a production run of over 600 units. With its simple, elegant design the ES-225 was targeted at a mass audience, and was massively popular. Over 2200 of the new Florentine cutaway thinlines shipped in the first two years of production alone.

This breathtaking beauty is from the second year of production for the twin pickup model, which was offered only until 1959. The slim depth fully hollow body offers superior feedback resistance, the P-90 pickup is clear and detailed, and the fast 24 3/4" scale makes for a highly versatile and playable combination. Essentially a thinline version of a '50s ES-175, the model offers peerless player comfort and highly versatile performance.

Preserved in exceptionally fine condition, the guitar has been maintained without pick, buckle or thumb wear, and the original sunburst finish has ambered to a warm glow over the attractive slab-cut maple body. Lightweight and well balanced, this gleaming guitar weighs in at barely over 6lb and is an absolute delight to hold and play. The neck is the coveted late 50's shape with a generous C profile, and the full 1 11/16" fingerboard width.

To enhance playability, a triple parallelogram trapeze tailpiece replaces the less popular combo tailpiece/bridge, which did not allow for palm damping of the strings. A more recent set of Gibson/Kluson Deluxe tuners provides superior tuning precision as well, and a strap pin was moved from the neck heel to the heel cap long ago. Apart from a few incidental nicks in its handsome original Cremona sunburst finish, this sparkling guitar appears to have spent most of its long journey from Kalamazoo tucked safely into its case.

The tone is clear, detailed and responsive, and the action is smooth and low over fine original fretwork and a fresh high precision setup. And unlike many exmples which shipped in flimsy fiber cases, this handsome guitar is supplied with its original Lifton arched brown plush lined hardshell case. A handsome and versatile player, the ES-225 occupies a pioneering position at the dawn of the modern electric guitar. One only: call now.

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 radius inspected and recurved as necessary; bridge wheels and tuners lubricated; fingerboard and bridge oiled; body and neck cleaned and hand polished. The guitar is strung with nickel roundwound strings, with action set at 4/32" to 5/32" at the 12th fret.