Gibson ES-125TD Thinline Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1957)
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Gibson ES-125TD Model Thinline Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1957), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # U3075-18 (FON), sunburst top, dark back and sides finish, laminated maple body, mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, modern tweed hard shell case.
This is a slightly worn-in 1957 ES-125TD, a first-year example of one of Gibson's lesser known 1950-60s electric archtop guitars. It offers the full twin-pickup Gibson P-90 rig on a thinline NON-cutaway F-hole body, a fairly unusual configuration that never really caught on. A single-cutaway version (the ES-125TDC) was added in 1960 and became a very successful guitar but these features on a non-cutaway body proved to have limited appeal. Only 151 shipped out of Kalamazoo this introductory year and the model faded into oblivion after 1963 with only about 1200 produced.
This example dates to 1957, per the "U" series Factory Order Number stamped under the treble side F-hole. There is an unrelated number die-stamped on the center back of the headstock that is not a typical Gibson marking, but oddly enough we have seen the same thing on another period ES-125. Despite lacking the familiar cutaway it is a slim and handy hollowbody electric guitar offering two great-sounding P-90 pickups on its laminated, single bound maple body with a dark sunburst finish top. This one has a fairly slim version of the round-profile neck typical of 1957, topped with an unbound dot-inlaid fingerboard.
The hardware is typical for the period with two black plastic covered P-90 pickups, amber plastic knobs, a switch with a '50s style amber plastic tip, nickel plated trapeze tailpiece and an adjustable wooden bridge. The appointments are simple but the sound is great with the typical rip-roaring twin-P-90 attack. With its non cutaway body this makes a GREAT electric slide guitar (it stops your hand right in that perfect Elmore James 12th fret spot) but is a nice classy roots-oriented machine for a variety of playing styles.
Overall length is 40 1/4 in. (102.2 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 7/8 in. (4.8 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 lightly worn-in guitar overall; it is not absolutely original but everything retains a correct period air. The all-original finish shows light checking, scuffing, dings, dents and chips but no large areas of loss. The headstock face has edge chips and the top back edge worn down a bit from moving about in the case. There are some feelable scrapes and dents to the finish on the back of the neck but nothing heavily into the wood. Under the small cover on the headstock some wood was removed from the area just in front of the truss rod nut, probably because someone lacked the proper wrench to turn it! This is not visible when the cover is attached.
The hardware is largely original with some restoration. The pickups, wiring rig, switch, knobs, pickguard and bracket are all original. A set of correct period Kluson Deluxe tuners (with replaced buttons) have been restored to the headstock; there are visible pressure rings on the headstock face and small screw holes on the back. The trapeze tailpiece is also the correct period piece but not original to the guitar; there are some extra small screw holes visible from a prior Bigsby installation. A plastic strap pin was added to the side just above the neck joint.
The original frets have only minimal wear and lay fine. The guitar is a nice player generally, with a particularly rich and crunchy P-90 tone on all pickup selections. This is perhaps a slightly odd looking instrument at first, but once picked up proves a very light and handy 1960s Gibson hollow-body -- an excellent gigging guitar, in a good modern HSC. Overall Very Good + Condition.
This is a slightly worn-in 1957 ES-125TD, a first-year example of one of Gibson's lesser known 1950-60s electric archtop guitars. It offers the full twin-pickup Gibson P-90 rig on a thinline NON-cutaway F-hole body, a fairly unusual configuration that never really caught on. A single-cutaway version (the ES-125TDC) was added in 1960 and became a very successful guitar but these features on a non-cutaway body proved to have limited appeal. Only 151 shipped out of Kalamazoo this introductory year and the model faded into oblivion after 1963 with only about 1200 produced.
This example dates to 1957, per the "U" series Factory Order Number stamped under the treble side F-hole. There is an unrelated number die-stamped on the center back of the headstock that is not a typical Gibson marking, but oddly enough we have seen the same thing on another period ES-125. Despite lacking the familiar cutaway it is a slim and handy hollowbody electric guitar offering two great-sounding P-90 pickups on its laminated, single bound maple body with a dark sunburst finish top. This one has a fairly slim version of the round-profile neck typical of 1957, topped with an unbound dot-inlaid fingerboard.
The hardware is typical for the period with two black plastic covered P-90 pickups, amber plastic knobs, a switch with a '50s style amber plastic tip, nickel plated trapeze tailpiece and an adjustable wooden bridge. The appointments are simple but the sound is great with the typical rip-roaring twin-P-90 attack. With its non cutaway body this makes a GREAT electric slide guitar (it stops your hand right in that perfect Elmore James 12th fret spot) but is a nice classy roots-oriented machine for a variety of playing styles.
Overall length is 40 1/4 in. (102.2 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 7/8 in. (4.8 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 lightly worn-in guitar overall; it is not absolutely original but everything retains a correct period air. The all-original finish shows light checking, scuffing, dings, dents and chips but no large areas of loss. The headstock face has edge chips and the top back edge worn down a bit from moving about in the case. There are some feelable scrapes and dents to the finish on the back of the neck but nothing heavily into the wood. Under the small cover on the headstock some wood was removed from the area just in front of the truss rod nut, probably because someone lacked the proper wrench to turn it! This is not visible when the cover is attached.
The hardware is largely original with some restoration. The pickups, wiring rig, switch, knobs, pickguard and bracket are all original. A set of correct period Kluson Deluxe tuners (with replaced buttons) have been restored to the headstock; there are visible pressure rings on the headstock face and small screw holes on the back. The trapeze tailpiece is also the correct period piece but not original to the guitar; there are some extra small screw holes visible from a prior Bigsby installation. A plastic strap pin was added to the side just above the neck joint.
The original frets have only minimal wear and lay fine. The guitar is a nice player generally, with a particularly rich and crunchy P-90 tone on all pickup selections. This is perhaps a slightly odd looking instrument at first, but once picked up proves a very light and handy 1960s Gibson hollow-body -- an excellent gigging guitar, in a good modern HSC. Overall Very Good + Condition.