1954 Gibson ES-175

A stunning ’50s Gibson archtop! Very good condition with some wear from age, finish checking, minor cosmetic dings, finish wear on the back of the neck and an old repair around the input jack. A fantastic player featuring a chunkier ’50s neck profile and fitted with a single neck position P-90 for a warm, full sound with excellent clarity and dynamics. A top-notch vintage Jazzbox! Includes original hardshell case.

Check out the feature from our luthier Tyler in the ECG Newsletter:

"I’ve never been shy about expressing my fondness for the humble ES-175. Often looked down upon for its laminated top and muffled unplugged tone, the majority of jazz players will tend towards the carved-top classics like the L-5 or Super 400. What they don’t know, though, is that the ES-175 is not presuming to be an L-5 or a Super 400 or any traditional archtop for that matter. Its unique combination of construction methods and features, while originally conceived to cut costs, make it its own animal entirely.

I’ve spoken ad nauseam here and in other forums, about the plights of the electrification of archtop guitars. Again, generally speaking, it is the worst of both worlds. The 175 unintentionally outsmarted us all by never attempting to be acoustically pleasing in the first place. The top, as we know, is laminated maple; probably quite similar to the stuff that would later make up the bodies of the ES-335 and its cousins. Accordingly, it could be assumed that the plies probably are riddled with voids and are filled to the gills with phenol-formaldehyde glue. Not the best recipe for resonance. Perfect, though, for an attack-heavy and feedback-resistant amplified acoustic tone. Jim Hall was a big fan of this different approach. So was Wes Montgomery. I think Herb Ellis played one too. This specific 175 has been played hard but taken care of, with only some minor repairs to show for it. Its original Gibson P-90 in the neck position is responsible for some of my favorite guitar tones across several genres. If you know, you know."