Up for sale, a 1950 Gibson ES-175 in excellent condition and in perfect working order, complete with a hardshell case. Introduced in 1949, this second year example of the ES-175 is clean and complete, and the fully hollow 16" wide maple body yields plenty of note clarity and sonic breadth. Sweet sounding, percussive and dynamic acoustically, the original P-90 pickup is a lower wind example consistent with early ‘50s production at 7.1k ohms. Harmonically dense and highly responsive to player inputs, this pickup delivers a woody cut, glassy trebles and round, full-sounding wound strings. Weighing only 5lbs 13oz, this ES-175 has been professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 11-50 flatwound strings, low action, and accurate intonation.

Neck Specs:

• Wood: Mahogany
• Shape: Chunky C, measuring .885” 1st fret, .990” 9th fret
• Fretboard: Brazilian rosewood, split parallelogram inlays (replacement inlay at fret 9)
• Frets: Original banjo frets (slender), leveled/crowned, moderate wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-9
• Scale Length: 24 3/4”
• Nut: 1 11/16”, nylon
• Tuners: Pat Pending Kluson Deluxe single-line

Body Specs:

• Wood: Maple
• Pickups: P-90 (7.1k ohms)
• Controls: Volume, Tone
• Harness: Modern CTS pots, original Grey Tiger tone cap
• Hardware: Brazilian rosewood bridge, raised parallelogram trapeze tailpiece (nickel-plated)
• Plastics: Five-ply wide bevel pickguard and tall speed knobs (replacement, vintage-spec), “dogear” pickup cover
• Serialization: White label, A-prefix FON (Factory Order Number) dates to 1950

The gloss Sunburst nitro lacquer finish is 100% original with no touch-up or overspray, with just a handful of small chips and nicks along the lower bout rim and a few finish scratches on the back. There is fine, tight lacquer checking across the body, and two small doweled strap button mounting holes on the neck heel. The nitro gloss on the neck profile is smooth to the palm, with limited finish loss in the 1st position, plus a few shallow marks along the profile length.

A circa 1970s Gibson black tolex hardshell case with purple plush interior is included.