cliff travis Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Hello! I'm new to this forum (because I can't play a guitar) only had childhood piano lessons and years in the high scool band in the horn section----now at age 59 kicking myself for the error because I have my Dad's 1949 model ES 175 sunburst he bought new. Has the Gibson hang-tag where he bought ser.no. A4357 in April 1950. Pop and his brother played weekend square dances for a few years in Binghamton, NY before I was born and the guitar basically sat in a corner of the bedroom for 50+ years. The tortoise shell pick guard has partially deteriorated but the guitar is in basically mint condition---no buckle rash on the back, no hand/sweat wear on the neck. I have replaced the old broken strings with a set of Gibson Vintage Reissue strings that Pop bought and left in the case unopened. The guitar has been inside a nondescript beat-to-hell old cardboard and canvas case that is original to the guitar with some ancient picks and a couple of sheets of their repertoir of tunes. I now occasionally play some Joe Pass, plug into my stereo amp and ponder my shortcoming in never having learned to play this magnificent instrument. I see them all over the auctions for $3500-4000---would this one be more valuable because of its' minty condition or more so its early pedigree? I understand Gibson only made a couple hundred of these in 1949 as it was the start-up year for this model. Any thoughts?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Remove the pickguard and store it separately, and get a replica made if you are going to keep the guitar. You can find out about this on the net but some pickguards actually give off a gas as they get old which will damage the finish of the guitar. Unfortunately it is probably not worth a fabulous amount but you could try emailing Gruhn's Guitars and send them some pics for a valuation. And this site, well worth a look to get some idea of the value - http://archtop.com/ac_inst.html Can we see some photos? (EDIT) - Also you should read the thread on Decomposing Pickguards below! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Yeah Cliff, I have a lot of 'thoughts' and a lot of envy after reading your post. ....some more on my thoughts later ! Send some pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 would this one be more valuable because of its' minty condition or more so its early pedigree? More so for its condition. When a model remains mostly unchanged over a given period of time, the number of guitars made during each year of production (which has been over-emphasized more and more in recent years) is not very important in terms of determining value. There might be a slight premium applied to an early example like yours, but it's somewhat subjective. Also, be aware that ES-175's in general are very accessible from all eras, as so many have been made for so many years. Prices are therefore somewhat subdued on them, and don't go up or down very dramatically over time. That said, I envy you!!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliff travis Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 One of the first things I noticed on this forum was the helpful hint about the old original pickguards de-gassing and damaging the finish from contact or just proximity.......... mine is getting crumbly and little bits flaking off from a hole sort of in the center, but it's off and gone and will get a repro I guess. Hopefully I can interest my 15-yr-old in learning guitar (if I can get him to put down the damn Nintendo) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 One of the first things I noticed on this forum was the helpful hint about the old original pickguards de-gassing and damaging the finish from contact or just proximity.......... mine is getting crumbly and little bits flaking off from a hole sort of in the center, but it's off and gone and will get a repro I guess. Hopefully I can interest my 15-yr-old in learning guitar (if I can get him to put down the damn Nintendo) Get him a $200 solid body that he can beat up. Save the ES175 for later after he learns how to care for a nice guitar. Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shonita & Los Gatos Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Hello! I'm new to this forum (because I can't play a guitar) only had childhood piano lessons and years in the high scool band in the horn section----now at age 59 kicking myself for the error because I have my Dad's 1949 model ES 175 sunburst he bought new. Has the Gibson hang-tag where he bought ser.no. A4357 in April 1950. Pop and his brother played weekend square dances for a few years in Binghamton, NY before I was born and the guitar basically sat in a corner of the bedroom for 50+ years. The tortoise shell pick guard has partially deteriorated but the guitar is in basically mint condition---no buckle rash on the back, no hand/sweat wear on the neck. I have replaced the old broken strings with a set of Gibson Vintage Reissue strings that Pop bought and left in the case unopened. The guitar has been inside a nondescript beat-to-hell old cardboard and canvas case that is original to the guitar with some ancient picks and a couple of sheets of their repertoir of tunes. I now occasionally play some Joe Pass, plug into my stereo amp and ponder my shortcoming in never having learned to play this magnificent instrument. I see them all over the auctions for $3500-4000---would this one be more valuable because of its' minty condition or more so its early pedigree? I understand Gibson only made a couple hundred of these in 1949 as it was the start-up year for this model. Any thoughts?? You should get yourselves Rocksmith and learn to play it! As a tribute to your Pop.. you could even play his tunes... is that how he met your Mum? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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