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1949 Gibson ES-175

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Serial #: A-4349, white oval label.

Finish: original sunburst finish, nitrocellulose type

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

Materials: Solid mahogany neck; solid Brazilian rosewood fingerboard; arched maple top and back; dual-parallelogram mother of pearl fingerboard inlay and crown peghead inlay; triple bound top, bound back.

Hardware: Original hardware includes P-90 single coil pickup and electronics, nickel trapeze tailpiece with raised-parallelogram crossbar, compensated Brazilian rosewood bridge. Original bound tortoise pickguard included, additional hand antiqued 5 ply pickguard installed. Original nickel Kluson Deluxe tuners with one replacement machine. Vintage correct replacement tuner buttons and clear gold barrel knobs.

Notes: Introduced in 1948, the Gibson ES-175 quickly became the most popular jazz guitar ever made. Fast, clean and road-ready, the 175 has been the workhorse of the touring player and studio from Joe Pass to Pat Metheny. The legendary P-90 pickup provides a bright, rich tone unduplicated before or since, but was available on this model only until mid-1957, and this stunning example is from the first full year for the model. Lightweight and resonant, the 16" body sits easily in the lap, and the 24 3/4" scale makes stretch chords and fast runs a pleasure.

One of just 129 examples from the very first model year, this guitar has been maintained in magnificent condition, without pick, buckle thumb or fingerboard wear, and shows only a few random lacquer nicks and some normal scattered checking in its gleaming Cremona sunburst finish. So early an example of the model is this guitar that it was originally fitted with a bound tortoise pickguard (pictured below). Like those found on the earliest ES-350s and L-7Cs, this handsome guard is the only one of its type we've ever seen on an ES-175.

At just 5lb. 10oz. the instrument is exceptionally lightweight and well balanced, with wide open resonance and smooth classic bop tone. The guitar plays effortlessly, with smooth low action over the gentle C profile neck. Lacquer on the neck has been expertly replaced, and is utterly smooth under the thumb, with no sign of repairs. The clear gold barrel knobs and tuning keys are hand antiqued in the correct vintage style.

A pioneering instrument, and the most influential electric jazz guitar of all time. Call now.

Setup: The frets have been precision leveled, recrowned and polished; 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 wound strings (.013-.057). 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: Deluxe arched plush lined hardshell case.

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