Gibson ES-175DN Arch Top Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1964)
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Item # 10483
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Gibson ES-175DN Model Arch Top Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1964), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 202046, natural lacquer finish, laminated maple body, mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
This is a simply stunningly clean example of a double-pickup blonde ES-175D from the final year of Gibson's greatest era, beautifully original with amazingly little wear. This guitar represents the design apex of Gibson's 16" electric Jazz guitar perennial, which has been a player favorite since its inception. The 1964 "D" version mounts two "Patent #" humbucking pickups controlled by the standard four knob/one switch wiring rig. This guitar has Gibson's traditional wider nut and all nickel plated hardware, both features that would be changed in the next year.
This ES-175DN features a natural finish laminated maple body with triple-bound top and single-bound back. The mahogany neck is topped with a single-bound rosewood fingerboard inset with pearloid double parallelogram inlays. This guitar has the rounder neck profile common to 1963-4 Gibsons and feels very comfortable; it is flatter than some retaining a bit of the shallow 1960-62 style. All Gibson necks got noticeably thinner at the nut starting in 1965. The nickel-plated tailpiece is a special design used only on the ES-175 while the bridge is the standard rosewood adjustable style. The unbound headstock features a pearl Gibson logo and crown inlay, and carries Kluson Deluxe tuners with "single line" keystone buttons.
The serial number puts this guitar as shipped in 1964, just approaching the peak of the guitar boom years. The ES-175 did not benefit much from the Beatle-inspired boom in electric guitars; it must have been generally perceived as a "jazz" guitar in the beat group era as production totals were fairly small compared to many other Gibsons. Only 46 double pickup, natural finish 175's left Kalamazoo that year, an astoundingly low number for a guitar considered such a classic. This guitar is far rarer than it would seem and very few will have survived as brilliantly as this one. It remains completely original with the only alteration being a second period strap button and shows only some very light wear, still housed in the very clean original yellow-lined black HSC.
Overall length is 41 in. (104.1 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 3/8 in. (8.6 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.).
We rarely describe actual vintage instruments as "near mint" but this one comes close. While this guitar is not unplayed it has been exceptionally well cared for, easily the nicest ES-175 from this period we have seen. The entire guitar shows only minimal play wear. The finish has hardly ambered or darkened at all and shows only some light scuffing, very little checking, and still shines like it did when LBJ was in office. The pearl inlay on the headstock still appears white with no yellow overcast from the finish. Even the usually chipped headstock edges have hardly any disturbance, while the peghead face has just some very light scuffs. The body finish shows only the lightest wear, and the back of the neck is also extremely clean.
All hardware is complete and original down to the last screw; a correct period Gibson strap button is mounted in the inner cutaway, likely added by the player or dealer when the guitar was new. The nickel plating has only the lightest wear and still shines like it did well before the summer of love, the bass pickup cover has a bit of "string wear' under the low E. The frets and fingerboard show some light wear in the first couple of positions, that's about it. The top of the original nut may have been lowered just a bit.
This is an exceptionally fine-playing and sounding guitar, the classic jazz box indeed but really suitable for just about anything (well maybe not death metal). The two superb early Patent # pickups have perfect decals on the baseplates and untouched solder joints. The original HSC is included, in fine shape with some light scuffing on the outside. This is one of those rare time capsule guitars that is still waiting to be really played 55+ years on. Excellent + Condition.
This is a simply stunningly clean example of a double-pickup blonde ES-175D from the final year of Gibson's greatest era, beautifully original with amazingly little wear. This guitar represents the design apex of Gibson's 16" electric Jazz guitar perennial, which has been a player favorite since its inception. The 1964 "D" version mounts two "Patent #" humbucking pickups controlled by the standard four knob/one switch wiring rig. This guitar has Gibson's traditional wider nut and all nickel plated hardware, both features that would be changed in the next year.
This ES-175DN features a natural finish laminated maple body with triple-bound top and single-bound back. The mahogany neck is topped with a single-bound rosewood fingerboard inset with pearloid double parallelogram inlays. This guitar has the rounder neck profile common to 1963-4 Gibsons and feels very comfortable; it is flatter than some retaining a bit of the shallow 1960-62 style. All Gibson necks got noticeably thinner at the nut starting in 1965. The nickel-plated tailpiece is a special design used only on the ES-175 while the bridge is the standard rosewood adjustable style. The unbound headstock features a pearl Gibson logo and crown inlay, and carries Kluson Deluxe tuners with "single line" keystone buttons.
The serial number puts this guitar as shipped in 1964, just approaching the peak of the guitar boom years. The ES-175 did not benefit much from the Beatle-inspired boom in electric guitars; it must have been generally perceived as a "jazz" guitar in the beat group era as production totals were fairly small compared to many other Gibsons. Only 46 double pickup, natural finish 175's left Kalamazoo that year, an astoundingly low number for a guitar considered such a classic. This guitar is far rarer than it would seem and very few will have survived as brilliantly as this one. It remains completely original with the only alteration being a second period strap button and shows only some very light wear, still housed in the very clean original yellow-lined black HSC.
Overall length is 41 in. (104.1 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 3/8 in. (8.6 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.).
We rarely describe actual vintage instruments as "near mint" but this one comes close. While this guitar is not unplayed it has been exceptionally well cared for, easily the nicest ES-175 from this period we have seen. The entire guitar shows only minimal play wear. The finish has hardly ambered or darkened at all and shows only some light scuffing, very little checking, and still shines like it did when LBJ was in office. The pearl inlay on the headstock still appears white with no yellow overcast from the finish. Even the usually chipped headstock edges have hardly any disturbance, while the peghead face has just some very light scuffs. The body finish shows only the lightest wear, and the back of the neck is also extremely clean.
All hardware is complete and original down to the last screw; a correct period Gibson strap button is mounted in the inner cutaway, likely added by the player or dealer when the guitar was new. The nickel plating has only the lightest wear and still shines like it did well before the summer of love, the bass pickup cover has a bit of "string wear' under the low E. The frets and fingerboard show some light wear in the first couple of positions, that's about it. The top of the original nut may have been lowered just a bit.
This is an exceptionally fine-playing and sounding guitar, the classic jazz box indeed but really suitable for just about anything (well maybe not death metal). The two superb early Patent # pickups have perfect decals on the baseplates and untouched solder joints. The original HSC is included, in fine shape with some light scuffing on the outside. This is one of those rare time capsule guitars that is still waiting to be really played 55+ years on. Excellent + Condition.