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1965/68 ES 125/175? What do I have?


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to me it looks now like a very early ES-175.

 

This is absolutely WRONG information. You really need to increase your level of "vintage guitar education" before you go spouting off like this.

 

We pride ourselves here at the Gibson.com forums on truth and accuracy, because if you read it on the internet....it must be true!

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This is absolutely WRONG information. You really need to increase your level of "vintage guitar education" before you go spouting off like this.

 

We pride ourselves here at the Gibson.com forums on truth and accuracy, because if you read it on the internet....it must be true!

 

Interesting, so I'm mostly hearing ES-125

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It's not a mystery. I don't understand why you come here, ask us a question, then don't want to believe us.

 

In a nutshell, an ES-125 is a 16" wide laminated archtop with one P90 pickup.

If it has a thin body, it is an ES-125T.

If it has a thin body and two pickups it is an ES-125TD.

If it has a cutaway it is an ES-125C.

If it has a cutaway and two pickups it is an ES-125CD.

If it has one pickup, thin body, and a cutaway, it is an ES-125TC.

If it has two pickups, a cutaway, and is a thin body it is an ES-125TDC.

 

See how the model designations can be determined by their features and vice versa?

 

God help us if they had made them left handed and with a natural finish, that would just add more letters.

 

Have you got the guitar in hand? Even though a label was never put in (I know, I know, maybe Mildred put one inside one in 1961 to cover the nail polish she dripped inside on her lunch hour) you WILL (you WILL) find a rubber stamp inside with the model number.

 

I SAY that. Maybe Mildred smudged it and wrote it in with pencil.

 

But the true model number should very well be IN there. Like the sun IS VERY LIKELY TO RISE tomorrow, you should find a rubber stamp.

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It's not a mystery. I don't understand why you come here, ask us a question, then don't want to believe us. .

Us ? who is Us ? a few self-proclaimed "forum experts" claiming to know it all ? [-X

 

It could be an early ES-175 too, or worse even, a Japanese copy without the f-hole label [flapper]

 

I recently played a "Ventura" Barney Kessel copy from circa 1975 that rivals the real Gibson BK [confused]

 

And by the way, what is a Barney Kessel? possible answer: a ES-175 with two Florentine cutaways ? [thumbup]

 

Doubt is beautiful :D

 

 

 

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

No offense but it's the wrong color, wrong tailpiece and wrong knobs for ES175. Tailpiece and knobs could have been changed but why would they have been? Knobs maybe. Tailpiece maybe, I guess.

 

But you're still left with the color which looks an awful lot like a Gibson ES-125C.

 

And my learned opinion is probably worth exactly what I just charged for it! Ha!

 

Nice guitar though as long as it's not too expensive. Should be less than $2k - again in my opinion...

 

Good luck (not being sarcastic)

dave

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It could be an early ES-175 too, or worse even, a Japanese copy without the f-hole label

No. It couldn't.

 

As well as all the other stuff mentioned it has a gold transfer 'Gibson' headstock logo; no 'Crown' inlay on the p'head and was obviously originally equipped with 3-in-a-line tuners.

Furthermore the OP stated it was made between the years '65-'68. This was confirmed by Gibson CS in post #4.

As "any fule know" ES-175s ceased to be fitted with P-90s eight years earlier than even the first of these dates.

 

If you are simply here to cause mischief by posting unhelpful, confusing and inaccurate nonsense then may I politely suggest you just Bugger Off?

 

P.

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  • 6 years later...

Maybe.... (without the fight...). You can give me a place to go and find out more information about my guitar purchase....  my dad played a es125, and I have been looking for a similar one to own as a reminder of him. (Pic of him playing).  There are many out there, and fortunately for me, they made a lot of them.   When I saw this guitar, it just seemed so different.  I had never seen a cutaway on a 125.  It is also a tea-burst and not sunburst, but the guitar was in such great condition and a great player I just bought it.  Just wish I could find out more...  someone suggested that in this configuration, just a 125 full body with cutaway that few were made....

 

ok so, won’t let me upload and photos... just a cam area pic, but too large for this site

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7 hours ago, Golf4birds said:

I had never seen a cutaway on a 125.  It is also a tea-burst and not sunburst, but the guitar was in such great condition and a great player I just bought it.  Just wish I could find out more...  someone suggested that in this configuration, just a 125 full body with cutaway that few were made....

The cutaway version of the full depth ES-125 was produced in relatively small numbers, starting in 1965 and up to 1970.  They made them with either one pickup or two pickups (fewer single-pickup versions, the ES-125C, were made).  An "iced tea" burst is still a "sunburst".  It's just one of the shades used (as opposed to cherry or tobacco, for example).

Here's a video of a guy talking about the two pickup version, the ES-125CD ("D" for "double" pickups):  

 

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Thank you for getting back to me... 1.  How can you post this video, and I can’t even upload a photo to show???  2. After looking on line for a bit, the serial number is in the 1966 range, and I am sure it’s a es125c.  I read that there were just about 500 or so produced with this configuration (not T - thin body, or a D- second P90 pickup... just a 125 that has a cut away...  es125c)

it also has the wrong Pickguard, and replaced tuners, though still deluxe 

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  • 2 weeks later...

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