Gibson ES-175DN Arch Top Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1955)
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Gibson ES-175DN Model Arch Top Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1955), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # A-20370, natural lacquer finish, laminated maple body, mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, brown hard shell case.
This is a super vibey original mid-1950's ES-175DN, a rare early example factory ordered with a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece when that was a brand new option. The Bigsby on the guitar is old but not the original, which in early 1955 would have been the first fixed arm variant. Many players found the non-movable arm interfered with their playing, and it was actually Ted McCarty at Gibson who pressed P.A. Bigsby to create a more flexible alternative. The unit on this guitar is a 1960s piece with a foldaway arm, and appears to have been there for a very long time. Many players switched out the older fixed arm Bigsbys even in the 1950s. The single set of mounting holes on the rim indicate there was never a standard tailpiece fitted, this guitar had a Bigsby from birth.
With two P-90 pickups, the ES-175D is the more versatile version of Gibson's classic "Working Man's" hollowbody archtop. When this one was shipped in March 1955 the single-pickup ES-175 was a well-established success for its combination of sound, playability and moderate price, but the double-pickup version was a relatively new development. The ES-175 first appeared in 1949 but the two-pickup ES-175D was not catalogued as a stock model until mid-1953 (a few custom examples had been built earlier). The second pickup at the bridge creates a wider sonic palette, although many jazz players (even today) prefer the sound of the neck PU alone. All other features of both models were the same, the "D" just adding the extra pickup, knobs and switch to the mix.
The natural finished laminated maple body is triple-bound on the front and single-bound on the back; this version is rarer (and originally cost more) than the standard sunburst model. The one-piece mahogany neck is single-bound with split parallelogram fingerboard inlays on the rosewood fingerboard. The headstock carries the pearl Gibson logo and crown inlay; the Kluson Deluxe tuners have "keystone" buttons. The original hardware includes double P-90 pickups under black plastic "dogear" covers, the standard Gibson adjustable rosewood bridge, a 5-ply beveled-edge B/W/B pickguard and controls with numbered amber "hatbox" knobs.
The natural finish twin-pickup ES-175DN was the flagship of this model family. Although considered a popular instrument only 143 were shipped in 1955, by modern standards a very small quantity. This would be one of the first few hundred natural finish, double pickup 175's built. The ES-175 has been used by too many jazz guitar greats to count. The double-pickup examples like this one are fully suitable for that classic "Blue Note" sound but (especially with the Bigsby tailpiece) also make great early rock'n'roll, rockabilly and R&B guitars. This one is a wonderful sounding and playing instrument with the classic 1950's purr at lower volumes and a real honk when the amp is turned up, plus a wiggle stick!
Overall length is 40 1/2 in. (102.9 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 5/16 in. (8.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This is a nicely original guitar overall showing some light wear for its almost 70 years on earth. The original blonde finish is naturally aged-in showing typical checking and ambering overall. There is a slightly darker area on the top between the tailpiece and bridge; perhaps something like a foam pad was stuck there for a time. While visible this is not overly conspicuous. The neck finish shows some old chipping, dings and dents through the lacquer on the back all worn fairly smooth. There is some scuffing to the top around the bridge base, it is possible a metal-base Bigsby bridge was mounted there long ago.
There are no structural repairs, even the jack area is completely free of the commonly seen laminate cracks. An ancient Gibson plastic strap button was added to the heel long ago. Except for this and the slightly later Bigsby tailpiece the fittings and hardware are original including the pickups, tuners, knobs, amber switch tip and pickguard. The bridge is a correct 1950s era Gibson adjustable rosewood piece, slightly undercut on the saddle wings.
The original small frets have been crowned down a bit and are fairly low but show no subsequent wear and still play well. The fingerboard has some minor wear but no serious divots. The guitar is a fine player offering the typically warm 1950's Gibson "classic jazz" tone, with the brighter honk of the bridge pickup that can be dialed in if desired. There is an old store decal on the back of the headstock from Parker Music in Houston, TX giving this mid-1950s 175DN some extra certified vibe. The case is a later Gibson re-issue in pink-lined brown Tolex. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This is a super vibey original mid-1950's ES-175DN, a rare early example factory ordered with a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece when that was a brand new option. The Bigsby on the guitar is old but not the original, which in early 1955 would have been the first fixed arm variant. Many players found the non-movable arm interfered with their playing, and it was actually Ted McCarty at Gibson who pressed P.A. Bigsby to create a more flexible alternative. The unit on this guitar is a 1960s piece with a foldaway arm, and appears to have been there for a very long time. Many players switched out the older fixed arm Bigsbys even in the 1950s. The single set of mounting holes on the rim indicate there was never a standard tailpiece fitted, this guitar had a Bigsby from birth.
With two P-90 pickups, the ES-175D is the more versatile version of Gibson's classic "Working Man's" hollowbody archtop. When this one was shipped in March 1955 the single-pickup ES-175 was a well-established success for its combination of sound, playability and moderate price, but the double-pickup version was a relatively new development. The ES-175 first appeared in 1949 but the two-pickup ES-175D was not catalogued as a stock model until mid-1953 (a few custom examples had been built earlier). The second pickup at the bridge creates a wider sonic palette, although many jazz players (even today) prefer the sound of the neck PU alone. All other features of both models were the same, the "D" just adding the extra pickup, knobs and switch to the mix.
The natural finished laminated maple body is triple-bound on the front and single-bound on the back; this version is rarer (and originally cost more) than the standard sunburst model. The one-piece mahogany neck is single-bound with split parallelogram fingerboard inlays on the rosewood fingerboard. The headstock carries the pearl Gibson logo and crown inlay; the Kluson Deluxe tuners have "keystone" buttons. The original hardware includes double P-90 pickups under black plastic "dogear" covers, the standard Gibson adjustable rosewood bridge, a 5-ply beveled-edge B/W/B pickguard and controls with numbered amber "hatbox" knobs.
The natural finish twin-pickup ES-175DN was the flagship of this model family. Although considered a popular instrument only 143 were shipped in 1955, by modern standards a very small quantity. This would be one of the first few hundred natural finish, double pickup 175's built. The ES-175 has been used by too many jazz guitar greats to count. The double-pickup examples like this one are fully suitable for that classic "Blue Note" sound but (especially with the Bigsby tailpiece) also make great early rock'n'roll, rockabilly and R&B guitars. This one is a wonderful sounding and playing instrument with the classic 1950's purr at lower volumes and a real honk when the amp is turned up, plus a wiggle stick!
Overall length is 40 1/2 in. (102.9 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 5/16 in. (8.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This is a nicely original guitar overall showing some light wear for its almost 70 years on earth. The original blonde finish is naturally aged-in showing typical checking and ambering overall. There is a slightly darker area on the top between the tailpiece and bridge; perhaps something like a foam pad was stuck there for a time. While visible this is not overly conspicuous. The neck finish shows some old chipping, dings and dents through the lacquer on the back all worn fairly smooth. There is some scuffing to the top around the bridge base, it is possible a metal-base Bigsby bridge was mounted there long ago.
There are no structural repairs, even the jack area is completely free of the commonly seen laminate cracks. An ancient Gibson plastic strap button was added to the heel long ago. Except for this and the slightly later Bigsby tailpiece the fittings and hardware are original including the pickups, tuners, knobs, amber switch tip and pickguard. The bridge is a correct 1950s era Gibson adjustable rosewood piece, slightly undercut on the saddle wings.
The original small frets have been crowned down a bit and are fairly low but show no subsequent wear and still play well. The fingerboard has some minor wear but no serious divots. The guitar is a fine player offering the typically warm 1950's Gibson "classic jazz" tone, with the brighter honk of the bridge pickup that can be dialed in if desired. There is an old store decal on the back of the headstock from Parker Music in Houston, TX giving this mid-1950s 175DN some extra certified vibe. The case is a later Gibson re-issue in pink-lined brown Tolex. Overall Excellent - Condition.