GIBSON ES 175 D, 1969

A mainstay in Gibson catalogs since its introduction in 1949, the ES-175 is one of the longest-lived models in guitar's history. "Jazz Guitar" par excellence with the Gibson's fleet flagships (L-5 and Super 400), the 175 is the standard by which all the other laminated woods, cutaway archtops are judged.

This guitar is 100% original and in exceptionally fine conditions. It still has fully '60s-style features, without any trace of the modifications introduced in late 1969. The nicely figured laminated maple body, 16" wide, is finished in the typical "iced-tea sunburst" used in the late '60s. The neck with a beautiful rosewood board is made of a single piece of mahogany, unlike the three-piece necks introduced by the end of the decade. The headstock has an old-style Gibson logo with open "b" and "o" no dot on the "i". The tuners are the classic Kluson Deluxe - stamped "double-line/double-ring" units. The two "patent-number" pickups (the bridge unit has lost its label) are perfectly original and untoched and the chrome covers have never been taken off. The neck unit has been reinstalled after being replaced for some time by another pickup, but now it's back in place, the only trace of this job being a cut and then re-soldered wire. All-original hardware: the chrome-plated trapeze tailpiece with its zig-zag pattern, the "reflector" style knobs, the adjustable rosewood bridge, the five-ply plastic pickguard. The orange oval label that once was inside of the body is long gone, but the serial number impressed on the back of the headstock unmistakebly identifies this guitar as a 1969 model.

This beautiful instrument, which comes from the collection of one of the best-known italian session-men, is in super-fine conditions and sounds as great as it looks. Perfect action, frets with some wear but still in good shape, trouble-free electric circuitry. The neck's feel is exceptional. The pickups give the classic Gibson sound that ranges from jazzy warmth to more versatile voices, with that touch of bluesy grit that can be delivered with the complicity of a tube amp. 

A truly spectacular guitar, strong and clean, original and in perfect conditions, which comes with its original yellow-lined black hardshell case, in great shape as well.