Gibson ES-175 N (USED, 1956)

The Gibson ES-175 has long been a jazz and blues titan in the guitar world ever since its introduction in 1948. With its laminate maple construction, it offered players a more stage-friendly archtop electric with increased playability and comfort. Sporting a 16" lower bout with a florentine cutaway, single dogear P90 pickup, and dressed up in the super rare Natural finish, this 1956 Gibson ES-175 N was recently discovered in the attic of the original owner's New Jersey home after over 40 years of lying dormant. It found its way to us after a belated visit to the guitar doctor by way of Steve Morrill in Boxborough MA. Steve went through the guitar and cleaned all of the original electronics, adjusted the neck, and also carefully replaced the original worn frets.

The original Kluson 'single line' tuners are stable and work great, with little to no button shrinkage or degradation. Master volume and tone controls feature the original amber knobs, and the rosewood adjustable bridge and nickel-plated tailpiece remain unchanged. The original Natural finish has faded slightly to a rich, deep blonde, showcasing a lovely top layer of the maple laminate. Some of the finish on the back of the body adjacent to the neck heel reacted to an old guitar strap that found itself sandwiched between the guitar and the bottom of the case, revealing what might be considered the only aesthetic flaw on the guitar. It does not impact playability whatsoever.

When it comes to tone, 50s ES-175s are often unequaled in their class. The original P-90 single coil pickup represents quintessential 50s "dogear" tone - beautiful chime and sparkle on the top end with a well-defined bass response and clear midrange. With a single neck pickup to take all the glory, the 175 captures some of that Les Paul Junior-like magic, where the player is rewarded with an incredibly dynamic instrument that is sensitive to even minor changes in Volume and Tone control settings. Go from bright and jangly to warm and woody with a tweak of the tone knob, with lovely shades in between.

The guitar includes its original brown Lifton hardshell case that is in equally great condition.

It's hard enough finding a quality example of a mid 50s ES-175, let alone in Natural finish and one that's managed to stay uncirculated almost its entire life. It's really all here folks. If you're looking for a vintage ES-175 that is ready for action and also oozes mojo with uber clean history, end your search here and now.

Price includes original hardshell case and recent service/refret paperwork.

• All laminate Maple construction
• Maple neck with rosewood fingerboard and parallelogram inlays
• 24 3/4" scale length
  
• 1 11/16" nut width
• Professional refret (6150 fret wire) by Steve Morrill
• Early 50s full C carve - .89" @ 1st fret / .98" @ 9th fret
• Original Kluson 'Single Line' tuners
• Original P90 pickup - 7.76k
• All original electronics (Volume, Tone)
  
• Rosewood bridge
• Weight: 6lb 3oz