Gibson ES-295 Arch Top Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1955)
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Gibson ES-295 Model Arch Top Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1955), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # A-20229, gold lacquer finish, laminated maple body; mahogany neck with brazilian rosewood fingerboard, original brown hard shell case.
This is a played but not abused great playing and sounding example of one of Gibson's flashiest and all-time coolest archtops, the ES-295. Finished in gleaming gold overall with a cream-colored floral decorated pickguard, the 295 has been long recognized as one of the most iconic guitars of the 1950s. The model is equipped with double P-90 pickups with white plastic "dog ear" covers and the classic four-knob tone/volume control array with amber "hatbox" knobs and switch tip. The top is triple-bound; the back and fingerboard are single-bound. The 19 fret rosewood fingerboard has double parallelogram inlays; the headstock has a pearl crown and "Gibson" inlay.
The guitar features all gold-plated hardware including the adjustable patent pending "Les Paul" trapeze style bridge/tailpiece with the strings looping over, a defining element in its powerful tone. Other than this bridge, the ES-295 is essentially a flashier ES-175D featuring the same laminated maple body and mahogany neck of that model with the eye-catching finish of an all gold Les Paul. The idea originated with Les himself, who ordered an all-gold ES-175 as a presentation piece in 1951.
Gibson built 1,770 ES-295s between 1952 and 1958, and they are one of the company's most recognizable 1950s classics. The "A" Artist serial number in this particular guitar indicates it was shipped around the end of February 1955, one of 166 sold that year. The Factory order number X362-31 places its initial construction in the first quarter of 1954; sales of the model seem to have sagged around this time after a strong start in 1953 and it must have sat in stock for nearly a year before being finished out and shipped.
The ES-295 was launched in 1952 before the rock revolution it seemed ideally suited for took hold. It is most famously the electric played by Scotty Moore on Elvis Presley's iconic Sun records, and so often considered the ultimate Rockabilly guitar. The classic 1950s Ersel Hickey photo that epitomizes the Rockabilly aesthetic features him with his ES-295 and drape suit, the quintessential bopper. The all-gold showboat ranks along with the Gretsch 6120 as the quintessential "Cool Cat's" guitar and a timelessly great-playing/sounding and of course looking instrument to boot!
Overall length is 40 3/4 in. (103.5 cm.), 16 1/16 in. (40.8 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 3/4 in. (44 mm.).
This is a great-looking and playing 295 showing evidence of some play time but with tons of vibe. It has had one clean and solid repair, the truss rod having been replaced at some point. As much of the finish is worn off the back and sides of the neck, this repair is not particularly noticeable. Apart from this life-saving repair the guitar retains its original finish and hardware.
The finish actually looks relatively clean from the front, with a bit of "greening" and chipping on the top and front edges. It appears an ancient thin clear overspray was applied to the upper half of the top (above the pickup/string line) long ago probably to prevent this "greening" to the gold finish so prevalent on these, which seems to have largely succeeded. This is not overly conspicuous, and oddly enough not visible under blacklight. There are also faint outlines of what appear to be old letter stickers on the face just behind the switch. None of this is really that evident except on close inspection. The finish overall shows surprisingly little checking with some small dings and chips mostly around the edges.
As noted much of the finish is worn off the back of the neck as is typical for this model; the gold lacquer reacts to the player's hand over time turning greenish and flaking off, so nearly 70 years along many are in this state. It looks like some clear overspray was applied here long ago as well, but has been almost entirely worn away. The neck looks a bit rough but remains comfortable to play. The pickguard mounting has been re-worked slightly at the front end, and the screws retaining the bridge pickup are not original. A strap button was long ago added at the heel.
The gold plating is mostly well-worn with a nice patina, with some small rusted areas. The guitar retains the original thin frets with some wear and re-crowning, but still fully playable. The finger board has some shallow divots in the lower positions. The jack area has a typical very minor flex crack. This is an excellent gigging 295; still original and of course flashy as always -- and just a great-sounding 1950s Gibson with a fantastic vibe as well. Includes the original HSC, somewhat worn but serviceable with a piece of the lid trim missing along the top edge. Overall Very Good + Condition.
This is a played but not abused great playing and sounding example of one of Gibson's flashiest and all-time coolest archtops, the ES-295. Finished in gleaming gold overall with a cream-colored floral decorated pickguard, the 295 has been long recognized as one of the most iconic guitars of the 1950s. The model is equipped with double P-90 pickups with white plastic "dog ear" covers and the classic four-knob tone/volume control array with amber "hatbox" knobs and switch tip. The top is triple-bound; the back and fingerboard are single-bound. The 19 fret rosewood fingerboard has double parallelogram inlays; the headstock has a pearl crown and "Gibson" inlay.
The guitar features all gold-plated hardware including the adjustable patent pending "Les Paul" trapeze style bridge/tailpiece with the strings looping over, a defining element in its powerful tone. Other than this bridge, the ES-295 is essentially a flashier ES-175D featuring the same laminated maple body and mahogany neck of that model with the eye-catching finish of an all gold Les Paul. The idea originated with Les himself, who ordered an all-gold ES-175 as a presentation piece in 1951.
Gibson built 1,770 ES-295s between 1952 and 1958, and they are one of the company's most recognizable 1950s classics. The "A" Artist serial number in this particular guitar indicates it was shipped around the end of February 1955, one of 166 sold that year. The Factory order number X362-31 places its initial construction in the first quarter of 1954; sales of the model seem to have sagged around this time after a strong start in 1953 and it must have sat in stock for nearly a year before being finished out and shipped.
The ES-295 was launched in 1952 before the rock revolution it seemed ideally suited for took hold. It is most famously the electric played by Scotty Moore on Elvis Presley's iconic Sun records, and so often considered the ultimate Rockabilly guitar. The classic 1950s Ersel Hickey photo that epitomizes the Rockabilly aesthetic features him with his ES-295 and drape suit, the quintessential bopper. The all-gold showboat ranks along with the Gretsch 6120 as the quintessential "Cool Cat's" guitar and a timelessly great-playing/sounding and of course looking instrument to boot!
Overall length is 40 3/4 in. (103.5 cm.), 16 1/16 in. (40.8 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 3/4 in. (44 mm.).
This is a great-looking and playing 295 showing evidence of some play time but with tons of vibe. It has had one clean and solid repair, the truss rod having been replaced at some point. As much of the finish is worn off the back and sides of the neck, this repair is not particularly noticeable. Apart from this life-saving repair the guitar retains its original finish and hardware.
The finish actually looks relatively clean from the front, with a bit of "greening" and chipping on the top and front edges. It appears an ancient thin clear overspray was applied to the upper half of the top (above the pickup/string line) long ago probably to prevent this "greening" to the gold finish so prevalent on these, which seems to have largely succeeded. This is not overly conspicuous, and oddly enough not visible under blacklight. There are also faint outlines of what appear to be old letter stickers on the face just behind the switch. None of this is really that evident except on close inspection. The finish overall shows surprisingly little checking with some small dings and chips mostly around the edges.
As noted much of the finish is worn off the back of the neck as is typical for this model; the gold lacquer reacts to the player's hand over time turning greenish and flaking off, so nearly 70 years along many are in this state. It looks like some clear overspray was applied here long ago as well, but has been almost entirely worn away. The neck looks a bit rough but remains comfortable to play. The pickguard mounting has been re-worked slightly at the front end, and the screws retaining the bridge pickup are not original. A strap button was long ago added at the heel.
The gold plating is mostly well-worn with a nice patina, with some small rusted areas. The guitar retains the original thin frets with some wear and re-crowning, but still fully playable. The finger board has some shallow divots in the lower positions. The jack area has a typical very minor flex crack. This is an excellent gigging 295; still original and of course flashy as always -- and just a great-sounding 1950s Gibson with a fantastic vibe as well. Includes the original HSC, somewhat worn but serviceable with a piece of the lid trim missing along the top edge. Overall Very Good + Condition.