I am offering here a Gibson ES-175D Antique Natural from 1989, the still handcrafted in Nashville, Tennessee (USA), legendary archtop hollowbody electric jazz guitar model with arched maple top featuring two F-holes, back and sides made of mahogany (!), set mahogany neck with soft “C” neck profile, bound Indian rosewood fingerboard with split parallelogram mother-of-pearl inlays, two warm-sounding original Gibson PAT No. PAF humbucker pickups, floating Tune-O-Matic bridge on a rosewood base, Gibson Deluxe Keystone tuners, as well as classic trapezoid parallelogram tailpiece in an authentically aged Antique Natural high-gloss nitrocellulose finish, in excellent condition, including the original Gibson luxury hardshell case and professional setup with 12-gauge D’Addario chrome flatwound strings.

The Gibson ES-175D is neither the largest nor the most luxurious archtop in the Gibson lineup—yet it was produced continuously from the late 1940s through 2019 and ranks among the most popular jazz guitars of all time. Its simple, classic design and straightforward construction remain the key to the ES-175’s enduring popularity to this day.

In 1957, Gibson introduced the updated model—featuring, for the first time, two (!) state-of-the-art humbucker pickups—and named it the ES-175D. Under this designation, Gibson released slightly varying model variants time and again over the following decades.

This 1989 ES-175D hails from Gibson’s Nashville factory, fully confirms the reputation of Gibson electric guitars from the post-Norlin era of the late 1980s (“Good Wood era”), and features a traditional hollow-body construction without a sustain block and a bulging body with a 8,8cm side depth. The body size, combined with the low total weight of 3.19 kg, gives the guitar excellent playability and incredible acoustic resonance. The arched maple top with two F-holes, combined with the arched back and mahogany sides, produces a balanced, midrange-focused tone, while a glued-in one-piece mahogany neck with a soft “C” profile enables lightning-fast playability on the rosewood fingerboard, which is edged with cream binding and features intricate split parallelogram mother-of-pearl inlays.

Two original Gibson PAT No. PAF humbucker pickups deliver a sound that is extremely versatile, offering everything your heart desires—from mid-range, floating rhythm harmonies to singing blues tones and more dominant solo passages à la George Benson.

A sound sample of this model (from 1987 only) can be found above at the end of the photo gallery.

Visually, the guitar impresses with a beautifully aged Antique Natural Nitro finish and an authentic vintage patina, complemented by lovely details such as the Trapeze Parallelograms tailpiece, original Gibson Deluxe Keystone tuners, and the crown-shaped Gibson mother-of-pearl logo inlay.

In short, a lovingly maintained, all-around Gibson Jazz guitar that combines perfection in sound, playability, and appearance!

Technical Specifications:

• Origin: Nashville, TN, USA
• Year of manufacture: 1989
• Construction: Hollowbody archtop without center block
• Top: Maple (laminated) with two F-holes
• Back / Sides: Mahogany (laminated)
• Cutaway: Florentine
• Neck: One-piece mahogany neck, set-in
• Neck profile: Soft “C”
• Fingerboard: Indian rosewood with split parallelogram mother-of-pearl inlays, bound
• Fingerboard radius: 12"
• Frets: 20
• Nut width: 42.8mm
• Pickups: 2x original Gibson PAT No. PAF humbuckers
• Electronics: 3-way switch, 2x tone and 2x volume controls
• Tuners: Gibson Deluxe Keystone Tuners
• Bridge: Floating Tune-O-Matic bridge on a rosewood base
• Tailpiece: Trapeze Parallelogram Tailpiece
• Hardware: Nickel
• Bindings: Cream
• Pickguard: Black, 4-ply
• Finish: Antique Natural high-gloss, nitrocellulose
• Scale length: 628mm
• Weight: 3.19kg
• Serial No.: 81799509
• Includes original brown Gibson deluxe hardshell case, strap locks

The Gibson ES-175D, featuring mahogany sides and back, was built only between 1983 and 1989 and is now very rare.

The guitar is in excellent condition, extremely well-maintained, and technically flawless. Visually, the ES-175D shows only little wear resulting in a light vintage patina after all these years (see photos), and the frets are nearly flawless.

The instrument has been professionally set up with 12-52 D’Addario ECG25 flatwound strings, and I (a longtime guitar teacher) will ship it fully insured with DHL for €49.99 within Germany or for €119.99 within the EU. Worldwide shipping is available—individual shipping costs upon request.

All photos shown are of the actual instrument for sale.