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1989 Gibson ES-775

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Serial #: 83199550, 'Original Gibson Prototype' stamped in headstock

Body size at lower bout: 16". Scale length: 24 3/4" Nut Width: 1 11/16"

Materials: Solid maple neck; solid ebony fingerboard; figured maple top, sides and back; notched block mother of pearl fingerboard inlay and thistle peghead inlay; triple bound top, bound back.

Hardware: 100% original gold hardware includes adjustable finger tailpiece, compensated tuneamatic bridge, Gibson humbucking pickups and Gibson Deluxe single ring tulip key tuners. Original beveled 5-ply pickguard; ebony control knobs; 3 way control switch.

Notes: One of Gibson's rarest full depth archtops, the elusive ES-775 was introduced in 1990 as a premium version of the company's evergreen ES-175 model. With upscale appointments including a solid ebony fingerboard and knobs, gleaming all-gold hardware, multi-bound headstock, and the split block inlays of the old Howard Roberts, the ES-775 was a showpiece model, but also exhibited some significant structural changes over it's workhorse cousin. The neck pickup was moved to the end of the fingerboard for a mellower tone (in contrast to the 24th fret placement on the 175) and the cutaway was appreciably deepened, for improved access to the upper fingerboard. Built for just three years, the ES-775 was discontinued in 1993, after a tantalizingly brief production run.

This remarkable example is marked with a Gibson prototype stamp in the back of the peghead, and the serial number confirms it was built in the year before the model was released to the public. Several features mark this guitar as unique. An adjustable finger tailpiece (as seen on the upmarket LeGrand and Super V models) is installed in lieu of the trapeze unit found on production examples of the 775. In addition, this prototype example was designed without a pickguard, as confirmed by the absence of mounting holes for a bracket. The instrument has a handsome amber blonde finish, with a figured, slab-cut maple body, and one-piece solid maple neck.

This example is in wonderful 100% original condition, free of cracks, pickwear, bucklewear, thumb or fingerboard wear, and shows only a bit of normal checking on the peghead and neck heel. With immaculate medium jumbo frets, the fingerboard is utterly effortless to play. The 24 3/4" scale is fast and nimble, the twin humbuckers are fat and sweet, and the 16" body is easy to cradle and substantially resistant to feedback. A piece of history as well as a superb working guitar, this one-of-a-kind wonder is as rare as they come. You can be the only one on your block with one of these. But you have to call now.

Setup: The frets have been precision leveled, recrowned and polished as needed; trussrod tension and neck relief adjusted; bridge height adjusted; bridge compensation set; string slots at nut and bridge inspected and recut as necessary; bridge foot contour inspected and fit to top as necessary; bridge wheels and tuners lubricated; fingerboard and bridge oiled; body and neck cleaned and hand polished.

This instrument is strung with medium gauge nickel roundwound strings (.013-.056). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 5/64" to 6/64" at the 12th fret, with moderate relief for acoustic playing with medium strings. The action may be lowered or raised to your requirements with the adjustable bridge.

Case: Original Gibson plush hardshell case.

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