Possible to have 1965 ES-125TD?

[thegoldstandard]

I have what I think is a 1960's ES-125TD. It has two P-90 pickups and no cutaways. It's lacking most of its original parts except for what I thought was the original neck and body.

I recently looked up the serial number (279624) and found it to be a 1965 model. Gibson stopped making the ES125-TD in 1963 though. Is it possible that the neck came from a different instrument? I find it suspicious that both a second pickup and two pots would have been added at a later date. Is there another model I'm not considering? Any info would be appreciated. Photos are attached.

Edited July 13, 2020 by thegoldstandard
Typo in subject

[JimR56]

You are correct with your details on the years of manufacture of this family of models.  It would appear to me that what you have is a modified (added pickup) 1965 ES-125T.  The telltale sign is the odd/unusual placement of the volume and tone knobs for the (presumably added) bridge pickup.

Here is the normal placement of knobs on a two-pickup model:

Hope this helps.  Still a cool old guitar.  Does it play well and stay in tune?  Hope you are enjoying it!

Edited July 14, 2020 by JimR56

[thegoldstandard]

Thanks for the info! Your theory makes a lot of sense based on the photo you shared. The bridge pickup looked a little janky to begin with, but I attributed that to a less than ideal pickup replacement job. Good sleuthing!

It sounds pretty good and manages to stay in tune. The jack and pickup toggle are in rough shape, as both need a wiggle sometime for the guitar to output a signal. I wanted to figure out what this Frankenguitar is, so I could better decide what kind of investment to make in it. It's probably overdue for a tune-up, as I've owned it for 10 years but it doesn't get as much love since it's no longer my primary electric.