Gibson ES-120T (1963)
Hollow-Body · Vintage
The secret's out on these guitars - honestly, it's been out for some time now. The "Melody Maker" of thinline hollowbody electrics, the ES-120T's student model presentation gave boomer youth an accessible jazz guitar that would surprise some of the more discerning vintage guitar enthusiasts decades later.
Sharing its DNA with the ES-125T (T for Thinline), the ES-120T forgoes the treble-side F hole and body mounted electronics for a surface-mounted molded pickguard that handles all of the guitar's electronic duties. The rest of the guitar's construction stays true to that ES-125T design - Sunburst finish, unbound Mahogany neck, and Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays. The Rosewood adjustable bridge and nickel-plated trapeze tailpiece are familiar elements to the build as well.
The original lone "Melody Maker" single coil pickup works really well in this model, with great clarity and note definition for a single neck pickup instrument. A bit like a reverse Junior in a way, the volume and tone controls can be manipulated to provide lots of tonal flavors.
The neck is a comfortable slim/medium C with original medium jumbo frets, and playability is excellent! The 1 11/16" nut width allows for comfortable rhythm and lead work alike.
The pickguard experienced a break just above the input jack long ago, as is often the case with these large molded pickguards. It was repaired somewhat crudely (at least from the inside, using a pick as cleat!), but is holding together just fine. It remains completely original otherwise.
Priced with a new Gator ES hardshell case.
| Style | Thinline Hollowbody |
| Body | Laminated Maple |
| Finish | Nitrocellulose |
| Color | Sunburst |
| Pickups | Original Melody Maker single coil | 6.8k |
| Electronics | Original |
| Controls | Volume / Tone |
| Bridge | Rosewood w/ Trapeze tailpiece |
| Tuners | Kluson Single-line |
| Pickguard | Original |
| Knobs | Original Reflector |
| Neck | Mahogany |
| Binding | None |
| Carve | '64 C | .80" @ 1st / .93" @ 9th |
| Fingerboard | Rosewood |
| Radius | 12" |
| Inlays | Dots |
| Frets | Original |
| Nut | Original |
| Scale Length | 24 3/4" |
| Serial # | 5lb 6oz |
| Weight | 5lb 6oz |
| Case | Gator Hardshell |
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.
Pricing
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Tasteful Restoration
When restoration is needed, we approach it with respect and restraint - always in service of preserving the instrument’s integrity and extending its musical life for decades to come.
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Shipping
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