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1992 Gibson ES-165 Herb Ellis

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Serial #: 90572332, stamped in headstock

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

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

Hardware: 100% original gold hardware, including Grover Rotomatic tulip key tuners: 60's style trapeze tailpiece; Gibson humbucking pickup and electronics; beveled 5-ply pickguard; gold speed knobs; compensated adjustable ebony bridge, with extra gold Tuneomatic bridge in case.

Notes: How many guitar players have gone from Glen Gray and His Casa Loma Orchestra to the Joe Pass Quartet? Texas jazz guitar legend Herb Ellis has, achieving international renown with his bluesy, soulful sound. A disciple of the great Charlie Christian, Ellis was perhaps best known for his tenure with the Oscar Peterson Trio, a hair-raising job for any sideman.

The Gibson Herb Ellis model was introduced in 1991 as a tribute to the celebrated player, and it's been one of Gibson's most popular jazz guitars ever since. The design harks back to the original 1949 ES-175, which was fitted with a single pickup until 1951. By 1971 the single pickup 175 was discontinued altogether, making the originals highly prized by jazz purists. This example is from the original series, complete with a built-in pickup, an option no longer available, as this model is now supplied only with a floating pickup.

The arched maple body shows exceptional tiger flame, and has all-gold hardware throughout. The guitar has been kept in fine shape, free of pick, buckle, or thumb or fingerboard wear. Some plating wear may be seen on the pickup cover, and the back shows some fine light checking, with a short hairline crack on the back of the peghead soundly resealed as well. The mahogany neck produces an instrument that is notably well balanced, and with fine medium jumbo frets, the fingerboard is utterly effortless to play. The 24 3/4" scale is fast and nimble, the humbucker is fat and sweet, and the 16" body is easy to cradle and substantially resistant to feedback.

A player's favorite, and a fitting tribute to a true jazz legend. And an all-time best buy: one only, 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 deluxe arched brown Gibson logo plush lined hardshell case.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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