1950s ES150 question.

[SamBooka]

So I have it in my head that I dont need my ES125.. but I DO want an ES150 (1950s with the Crown inlay.. not the CC model)

 

There is one on ebay. Price is a little high, replaced TP and quite a bit of checking on the finish. None of that bothers me that much..

 

BUT...

 

The seller (who seems very open and above board) checked and rechecked the size of the lower bout.

 

With a tape ruler the lower bout is 16 and 3/16s. I thought post war 150s were 17 inches (they are.. but when you say 17 do you mean 17 or do you mean more than 16 but less than 18? Just like a 2 X 4 is actually 1.5 x 3.5 )

 

There is another "es150" on ebay that the seller (again, being open) says is a L50 with added pickups. That would make sense being 16 inches.

 

Am I being nuts? My ES165 is exactly 16inches across.. and my ES125 is pretty close (I use the same case for both)

 

Thoughts?

 

Thanks

 

Drew

[L5Larry]

I don't have an ES-350 to measure, but I do have a couple of 17" Gibsons.

 

My 1947 L-7 measures out at 17 1/8"

The 1990 L-5 is 16 7/8".

 

I would call 16 3/16" is a 16 incher, not a 17.

[SamBooka]

Thanks.. I asked the seller to check the scale length just for curiosity.

I think they think it is an ES150 because it looks like one and someone wrote "ES150" in gold magic marker on the back of the headstock.

[pfox14]

Gibson never built a 17" ES-150 and all of them were 16", but you can have slight variances in the width, since no two guitars are ever exactly alike. They just called it 16".

[JimR56]

Come on, now. This isn't rocket science. The original ES-150 was 16 1/4 inches. When the model was re-introduced after WWII, it was a 17 inch body.

 

Every reliable source I have says the same thing...

 

Gruhn's Guide To Vintage Guitars

Gibson Electrics: The Classic Years

etc.

 

And...

http://home.provide.net/~cfh/gibson3.html