gibson es-125 tc...original? (link fixed)

[theywererobots]

Howdy,

I recently acquired what I believe to be a 1967 Gibson es-125 tc. I was hoping I could get some feedback as to what's original and what's not as well as an estimate to what it may be worth. Here is the link to my flickr page

 

I posted this yesterday under 'vintage Gibson's' but didn't get a response so I figured I'd try it here.

 

I'm also looking to sell/trade if anyone is interested..not much of a collector and would rather own a les paul.

Thanks so much

J

[SamBooka]

I will get it started.

Epiphone TRod cover.. Unknown TOM bridge. If you remove the bridge there might be monting holes iirc.

Nothing else jumping out at me but I am no expert.

[theywererobots]

right on, much appreciated

[Ignatius]

I doubt there will be mounting holes for the bridge since the ES-125 in all its forms was a fully hollow-body guitar. If there ARE mounting holes, some serious damage has been done to the instrument. Everything else that Sam noted is a right concern, especially that Epi truss rod cover, which I hope to God does not mean that someone drilled holes in the headstock for it.

 

I think the pickup is a replacement unless things changed a lot in the late 1960s (and they well could have). In the '50s, the ES-125 had a slope-shouldered, more rounded and lower profile P-90. Those P-90s are much closer (if I am remembering rightly) to the neck pickup on the old LP Jr. The ES-125 is known for this problem because no one currently makes P-90s with those low-profile covers anymore so a period-correct replacement is not possible without shopping on the vintage market. I suspect the volume and tone knobs are also replaced.

 

The split in the seam binding between the neck heel and the body is typical and may not be a problem, but it does reduce value. I saw in your other thread that eBay has some of these going from $1500 to $3000. The latter number is wildly out of range, and I would say that in a good economy, one could get $1500 for this one if all the cards fell into place. I'm not so sure right now. You might be better off holding onto it until you are sure you could find someone who wants it. The higher prices typically go for the two-pickup versions or for pristine originals. This one is neither. The ES-125 was the Gibson low-end archtop for decades, and at one point, it was the best-selling Gibson of all time. There are a lot of these out there so they don't command the prices right now, but they are slowly increasing in value.

 

Ignatius

[SamBooka]

you are probably right about the bridge.

I have seen quite a few with floating bridges.. I have also seen quite a few like this (thanks EBAY!)

 

[Ignatius]

you are probably right about the bridge.

I have seen quite a few with floating bridges.. I have also seen quite a few like this (thanks EBAY!)

 

I am fairly certain that all ES-125s came with floating bridges originally. Any like the one you posted, Sam, were retrofitted later in life with mounted bridges. A mounted bridge undermines the resonance of the arched top of a hollowbody like this, and even though the ES-125 has a laminate top, the resonance is still important to the sound. It's a different game with an ES-335, where the solid block down the middle already is impeding that resonance.

 

I'm secretly hoping the OP chooses to hold on to his ES-125. They tend to grown on people over time, and I have yet to hear from a person who didn't later regret giving up his or her ES-125.

 

Ignatius

[theywererobots]

I'll more than likely hold on to it. (although i really want a les paul!) My dad actually picked it up for $200 and gave it to me as a gift. So regardless of some of the problems, I think it was still a pretty sweet deal.

[SamBooka]

I see your point Ignatius.

But remember this is a TC. The same would apply to an ES-330 on most of them have the non-floater.

 

At 200$ it is an amazing deal.

Keep it :)

[Ignatius]

I see your point Ignatius.

But remember this is a TC. The same would apply to an ES-330 on most of them have the non-floater.

 

At 200$ it is an amazing deal.

Keep it

I see your point, Sam, from a basic logical perspective, but remember that all the ES-125 models are "descendants" of the basic ES-125/ES-100 model. It was originally an acoustic archtop that had a pickup added to it. The earliest models had solid tops and only moved to laminate due to feedback problems. I don't think the basic structure ever changes: the whole line is an acoustic archtop that is cut up in various ways (cutaways, thinned out body, etc.). In contrast, the ES-330 is a variation on the ES-335 model and was always an electric guitar.

 

I looked on gbase, which had about fifty ES-125s in all its various permutations, and only the one you posted and one other had mounted bridges. Otherwise, regardless of year or shape, all the rest had floating bridges.

 

Your dad got an amazing deal on that guitar if there are no other problems with it, theywererobots. Have you tried it out with an amp yet? Those old P-90s can sound very, very good as rock guitars if that is what you are seeking. A bit of overdrive moves them into a very rich growl. Likewise, though, their clean sound can do jazz very well. With a proper setup, the guitar should also be very easy to play so I wouldn't shelve it too quickly!

 

Ignatius

[sok66]

Nice one! That was my first electric guitar, bought new in 1961 using lawn mowing money.

 

That metal bridge is, of course, not original, nor is the truss rod cover. All ES125s, 225, Epi Sorrentos, indeed that whole family of guitars through the 175 should have a two piece rosewood bridge. None came standard with bridge posts set into the top, as they are completely hollow instruments. Someone might have gotten a custom order, but unlikely any were ever produced as production models that way.