Gibson ES-150DC N (1970)

At a quick glance, the second generation ES-150 looks like a jazzbox version of an ES-335. While it does excel as a great Gibson jazz guitar, it performs like a speedier solidbody and has some fantastic sounding pickups that really up the versatility.

Why We Love This

If the look of this 1970 Gibson ES-150 confuses you, we get it! Where's the Charlie Christian pickup and early 20th Century Sunburst finish?! The sharing of the model name is about all they have in common, and we'll tell you why.

The ES-150DC arrived just at the end of the 1960s as sort of an amalgamation of the ES-175 and ES-335 models. Shaped like an ES-335 but with a deeper, hollowbody construction similar to that of an ES-175, it presented players with a bit of a different vibe that brought more of that rock context of the former with some jazz sensibilities of the latter. Production was rather short-lived due to low demand, but some of the earlier examples that survived the 70s and 80s in one piece have resurfaced as some of the better sounding and playing Gibson electrics of their period.

The guitar has remained nearly 100% original, and was in fact taken in as such when we first got our hands on it. Years of playing had worn out the original frets, so we sent it out to Laurent Brondel for a wonderful refret to restore playability. Beyond that, it is entirely original. The factory Patent Number humbuckers sound absolutely fantastic and feature their undisturbed chrome-plated covers. The entire wiring harness including the novel Master Volume control on the treble-side horn remain original and fully functional. The Master Volume pot is the only pot on the guitar that reveals a date code (701x indicating 10-19th week of 1970), as the others are obscured by original solder joints.

All hardware and plastics have remained original, including the ABR-1, trapeze tailpiece, and "double line" Kluson Deluxe tuners.

Overall condition is excellent, with only light to moderate signs of use. It's quite obvious that the guitar was cherished and well maintained, with only a few small bumps to prove its age.

Lightweight, resonant, and paired up with those lovely Pat # humbuckers, it's a borderline bargain when you consider some of the guitars it competes with that are just 3-5 years older. It's one of the best values in a vintage Gibson to come through our shop in recent memory!