Gibson ES-225TD Thinline Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1958)
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Item # 10227
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Gibson ES-225TD Model Thinline Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1958), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # T5957-13, sunburst top, dark back and sides finish, laminated maple body, mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, original brown alligator chipboard case.
This is a fine player's example of an ES-225TD, Gibson's first down-market thinline electrics. This thin-rimmed body construction was a radical idea when the model was designed in 1955, as amplified archtop guitars branched out into more purely electric areas. It remains a cool if often overlooked 1950's Gibson electric, the ancestor of generations of hollow and semi-hollow thinlines to come.
The ES-225TD is built with a thin-rimmed single cutaway, bound sunburst laminated maple body under 2" deep but fully hollow. It is equipped with two P-90 pickups under black plastic "dogear" covers and the patented Les Paul metal tailpiece/bridge. The bound rosewood fingerboard has pearl dot inlay, the headstock carries a pearl Gibson logo and individual enclosed Kluson tuners with plastic buttons. The bridge, pickguard and knobs are standard Gibson fittings of the period.
The combination of the thin body, metal bridge and P-90 pickups results in a sharper, more cutting tone than many other '50's hollowbody guitars while retaining plenty of Gibson-y "meat" and growl. The 225TD is a great choice for Blues, Honky Tonk, Rockabilly or early Rock'n'Roll stylings, and a good stage guitar under many circumstances. This model was most memorably used by Crickets' rhythm guitarist Nikki Sullivan on the early Buddy Holly recordings, and is famously pictured on the cover of the 1958 LP "The Chirping Crickets". This guitar has the celebrated big round-backed 1958 neck and is an excellent player, a super friendly guitar with a great vibe.
Overall length is 40 1/2 in. (102.9 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 13/16 in. (4.6 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 guitar has a decent amount of wear overall with lacquer checking, dings, dents, scuffs and chips but no large areas of loss to the finish. The back edge of the headstock, is a bit worn down, as is the lower edge of the heel. There is a heavily scuffed area on the back, near the upper edge. There is one crunch spot into the laminations on upper center of the back and a typical split in the jack area, both solidly sealed up but visible. The guitar has no other cracks or structural damage. A strap button hole on the rim has been sealed up.
The tuners are modern reproductions of the original individual plastic-button Klusons, the amber switch tip is a repro. All other hardware remains original with some wear, particularly to the plating on the top of the Les Paul tailpiece (which is sometimes missing entirely). The original larger-wire 1958 frets have been polished out a bit but still have good height. This s a very good player with a better neck angle than some, and has the original brown alligator chipboard included in somewhat battered but more-or-less functional condition. Very Good + Condition.
This is a fine player's example of an ES-225TD, Gibson's first down-market thinline electrics. This thin-rimmed body construction was a radical idea when the model was designed in 1955, as amplified archtop guitars branched out into more purely electric areas. It remains a cool if often overlooked 1950's Gibson electric, the ancestor of generations of hollow and semi-hollow thinlines to come.
The ES-225TD is built with a thin-rimmed single cutaway, bound sunburst laminated maple body under 2" deep but fully hollow. It is equipped with two P-90 pickups under black plastic "dogear" covers and the patented Les Paul metal tailpiece/bridge. The bound rosewood fingerboard has pearl dot inlay, the headstock carries a pearl Gibson logo and individual enclosed Kluson tuners with plastic buttons. The bridge, pickguard and knobs are standard Gibson fittings of the period.
The combination of the thin body, metal bridge and P-90 pickups results in a sharper, more cutting tone than many other '50's hollowbody guitars while retaining plenty of Gibson-y "meat" and growl. The 225TD is a great choice for Blues, Honky Tonk, Rockabilly or early Rock'n'Roll stylings, and a good stage guitar under many circumstances. This model was most memorably used by Crickets' rhythm guitarist Nikki Sullivan on the early Buddy Holly recordings, and is famously pictured on the cover of the 1958 LP "The Chirping Crickets". This guitar has the celebrated big round-backed 1958 neck and is an excellent player, a super friendly guitar with a great vibe.
Overall length is 40 1/2 in. (102.9 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 13/16 in. (4.6 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 guitar has a decent amount of wear overall with lacquer checking, dings, dents, scuffs and chips but no large areas of loss to the finish. The back edge of the headstock, is a bit worn down, as is the lower edge of the heel. There is a heavily scuffed area on the back, near the upper edge. There is one crunch spot into the laminations on upper center of the back and a typical split in the jack area, both solidly sealed up but visible. The guitar has no other cracks or structural damage. A strap button hole on the rim has been sealed up.
The tuners are modern reproductions of the original individual plastic-button Klusons, the amber switch tip is a repro. All other hardware remains original with some wear, particularly to the plating on the top of the Les Paul tailpiece (which is sometimes missing entirely). The original larger-wire 1958 frets have been polished out a bit but still have good height. This s a very good player with a better neck angle than some, and has the original brown alligator chipboard included in somewhat battered but more-or-less functional condition. Very Good + Condition.