Gibson ES175D Sunburst 1960

The Gibson ES175 is an absolute legend among hollowbody guitars, and this 1960 example perfectly illustrates why this model has inspired guitarists for decades!

The Gibson ES175, known as the workhorse of the jazz guitar, is an iconic hollow-body electric guitar beloved by many legendary guitarists in the worlds of jazz, blues, rock and fusion. While the ES175 is associated with jazz greats such as Jim Hall, Pat Metheny and Joe Pass, its versatile tone and ability to handle distortion have made it a favorite of fusion and rock guitarists such as Steve Howe (Yes) and Buck Dharma who played an ES175 on the Blue Oyster Cult classic Don't Fear the Reaper.

The ES175 was introduced by Gibson in 1949 as a more affordable alternative to the more expensive guitars in the lineup, such as the L4. The guitar was equipped with a laminated maple back and sides that featured a 'florentine cutaway'. This construction made the guitar lighter and more resistant to feedback, which could easily occur with guitars with a solid body.

This model is equipped with two PAF humbuckers as ES175D, which give the guitar enormous versatility to excel in various musical styles, although a guitar like this is of course ideally suited for jazz music. The original potentiometers are still present in the guitar, and ensure that the tone and volume of the pickups can be easily adjusted. The neck pickup has once been opened and re-soldered, but the bridge pickup is still unopened.

The guitar has undergone a few repairs a long time ago. For example, a headstock crack has been repaired, and a corner on the tip of the headstock has also been replaced with a new piece of mahogany. After this repair, the headstock has been partially oversprayed, and a refret has also been performed. We also see that a strap button has been placed on the heel, and the tuners and top nut have also been replaced. We also see a special oversized jack plate, and this has been placed to stabilize the tearing of the original jack plate.

These repairs were most likely carried out by Peter B. Pedersen, a repairman and instrument maker who was located at Ny Adelgade 12 in Copenhagen, Denmark from the early 1940s until 1976, and who passed away in 1995. The Gibson label has a smaller label on it that shows his name. The guitar is in very good condition thanks to the repairs and good maintenance, and is an extremely nice playing instrument that sounds great!