Gibson ES-175D Natural (1972)
Hollow-Body/Archtop · Humbuckers Pickups · Vintage
ES-175s might be one of the least evolved production models Gibson has ever made, and for good reason. With the exception of transitioning from P90s to humbuckers in 1957, the legendary hollowbody electric underwent very little changes throughout the course of its life. Gibson seemed to get it right very early on with this model, and jazz greats over the years who've wielded these guitars are proof.
Despite having undergone some changes and weathering the storm of age and environmental impacts, this Natural-finished ES-175D from 1972 remains much like it did when it left Kalamazoo. This guitar looked to have spent some time in a moist environment for a prolonged period, enough to affect the original lacquer finish. There's evidence of this reaction predominantly on the lower bout rim, but it can be largely seen across the entire body. It appears an additional coat of lacquer was oversprayed on the guitar in an effort to not only lock in some of the affected lacquer, but to restore some aesthetic balance to the instrument. It appears to have been done long ago.
Good news is, it appeared to have been purely aesthetic, and had no adverse effect on the body wood, geometry, or hardware/electronics. The guitar went through our repair shop and got a fresh setup which has it playing great! Even with the original fretwire showing a little bit of its age, it plays great and sounds excellent.
Far from being a collector's guitar, this ES-175 is the perfect vintage hollowbody electric for a musician who wants vintage tone and feel without spending top dollar on a cleaner, more original example.
Paired with a modern Guild hardshell case.
| Style | Hollowbody |
| Body | Laminated Maple |
| Finish | Nitrocellulose |
| Color | Natural |
| Pickups | Original Pat # | 7.9k Neck / 7.5k Bridge |
| Electronics | Original |
| Controls | Volume (x2) / Tone (x2) / 3-Way Toggle |
| Bridge | Rosewood adjustable bridge and shield tailpiece |
| Tuners | Repro Kluson |
| Pickguard | N/A |
| Knobs | Original Witch Hat |
| Neck | Mahogany |
| Binding | White |
| Carve | Early 60s C: .83-.89" |
| Fingerboard | Rosewood |
| Radius | 12" |
| Inlays | Parallelogram |
| Frets | Original Med Jumbo |
| Nut | Original Nylon |
| Scale Length | 24 3/4" |
| Serial # | 183421 |
| Weight | 6lbs 8oz |
| Case | Guild Hardshell |
Shipping calculated at checkout. Every instrument is thoroughly checked and set up before shipping fully insured via UPS with tracking to your door. We reuse boxes and materials to cut waste when they meet our protection standard.
Inspect it, play it, and if it isn't right, contact us within 48 hours of delivery to arrange a return or one-time exchange. Returns are subject to a 5% restocking fee, and the buyer covers shipping both ways.
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