Gibson ES-140 Arch Top Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1956)
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Item # 9536
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Gibson ES-140 Model Arch Top Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1956), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, sunburst lacquer finish, laminated maple body, mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, original brown hard shell case.
The 1950s ES-140 is an extremely cool little Gibson, but also a surprisingly great sounding guitar. Gibson offered this diminutive 3/4 size electric archtop through the early 1950s, described in the catalog as perfect for students, "ladies", guitarists "with smaller hands", or anyone desiring a compact fully hollow guitar. It was a steady but fairly low volume seller over the decade with 244 shipped out in 1956. For the 1957 catalog the model was converted to a thinline instrument, so this is the last year for the original (and cooler, we think) full-depth model.
Looking deceptively almost like a toy ES-175, the ES-140 is in fact a fully professional quality instrument with a great-feeling round profile neck, single P-90 pickup, and simple appointments. With a smaller body cavity the tone is a bit brighter and snappier than the typical ES-175. This ES-140 shows some signs of use but remains in nicely original condition. It plays beautifully and has an amazingly big honking tone for such a small instrument -- we think it sounds better than many full-sized archtops!
Overall length is 36 1/2 in. (92.7 cm.), 12 3/4 in. (32.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 23 in. (584 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This is a very nice example, showing light wear but all original except for new buttons on the Kluson Deluxe tuners. The finish shows very fine checking and small dings, scratches, and chips, the most notable on the headstock edges. There is some pick scuffing to the pickup cover and pickguard face. All hardware is complete and original (except those tuner buttons) and the guitar presents very well.
This ES-140 has a very good neck angle and the original frets are still in solid shape with some minor wear, making for a very nice playing example. It is super cool little Gibson, great fun to play, and still housed in a very nice original brown HSC, which many original buyers did not spring for when new! Overall Excellent Condition.
The 1950s ES-140 is an extremely cool little Gibson, but also a surprisingly great sounding guitar. Gibson offered this diminutive 3/4 size electric archtop through the early 1950s, described in the catalog as perfect for students, "ladies", guitarists "with smaller hands", or anyone desiring a compact fully hollow guitar. It was a steady but fairly low volume seller over the decade with 244 shipped out in 1956. For the 1957 catalog the model was converted to a thinline instrument, so this is the last year for the original (and cooler, we think) full-depth model.
Looking deceptively almost like a toy ES-175, the ES-140 is in fact a fully professional quality instrument with a great-feeling round profile neck, single P-90 pickup, and simple appointments. With a smaller body cavity the tone is a bit brighter and snappier than the typical ES-175. This ES-140 shows some signs of use but remains in nicely original condition. It plays beautifully and has an amazingly big honking tone for such a small instrument -- we think it sounds better than many full-sized archtops!
Overall length is 36 1/2 in. (92.7 cm.), 12 3/4 in. (32.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 23 in. (584 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This is a very nice example, showing light wear but all original except for new buttons on the Kluson Deluxe tuners. The finish shows very fine checking and small dings, scratches, and chips, the most notable on the headstock edges. There is some pick scuffing to the pickup cover and pickguard face. All hardware is complete and original (except those tuner buttons) and the guitar presents very well.
This ES-140 has a very good neck angle and the original frets are still in solid shape with some minor wear, making for a very nice playing example. It is super cool little Gibson, great fun to play, and still housed in a very nice original brown HSC, which many original buyers did not spring for when new! Overall Excellent Condition.