Orangesoda Posted March 19, 2013 Posted March 19, 2013 Hello everyone! Just trying to buy a guitar from a guy but he's not even 100% sure what he has so I figured I'd come to the experts. Pics in link below or attached, he says serial number is 529779 and there's a 2 stamped under that. What you guys think? Gibson ES
JimR56 Posted March 19, 2013 Posted March 19, 2013 Your photos don't show how deep the body is, but if you're comparing it with (the full depth) ES-175, then I'll assume that it has a deep body, which means it's an ES-125C. If it has a thin body, it's an ES-125TC. Your serial number is listed as being from 1968, but the guitar appears that it may be earlier (circa 1965). Gibson's serial numbering system is infamous for being messed up and confusing during those years. The "2" below the serial number indicates that the guitar was a "factory second" (some minor manufacturing flaw). Often times these flaws are so insignificant that they can't be clearly identified, so I wouldn't worry about that.
retrorod Posted March 19, 2013 Posted March 19, 2013 Yep... ..What Jim says! The pickguard looks to be a little large and "wampasscat" looking from the photos... At any rate a nice-looking Gibby....thick or thin! ...and if the knobs are original, I would lean to the mid-60's rather than the latter.
zurdo Posted March 19, 2013 Posted March 19, 2013 whether a T or a TC or a ZT or a TZ, it's a 125 if it has a thin body, and a 175 if it has a thick body. By "thick" or "thin" it means that the sides of the body are either 3" or 1½" thereabouts. Those were essentially "budget"-grade guitars with the plastic pickup cover.
ksdaddy Posted March 20, 2013 Posted March 20, 2013 http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/99618-196568-es-125175-what-do-i-have/page__p__1347945__fromsearch__1#entry1347945
Orangesoda Posted March 20, 2013 Author Posted March 20, 2013 Seems like it's a full body guitar. So I'm hearing 125 and 175 lol.
ksdaddy Posted March 20, 2013 Posted March 20, 2013 Its an ES-125C. ES-125 with a cutaway. ES-125C. 175s never had dot inlays.
zurdo Posted March 20, 2013 Posted March 20, 2013 I have a 1959 catalog that shows a 175 with dots. 1 pickup.
L5Larry Posted March 20, 2013 Posted March 20, 2013 I have a 1959 catalog that shows a 175 with dots. 1 pickup. Where's JimR56 when we need him, or does he just follow me around these boards?
JimR56 Posted March 20, 2013 Posted March 20, 2013 Where's JimR56 when we need him, or does he just follow me around these boards? :) Larry, I don't "follow" anybody around these boards, but I do speak up when I see something I think is erroneous. It's never personal, and of course it's only been a small percentage of your posts that I've disagreed with. I just dislike bad information being shared with newcomers who are likely to believe it, and it doesn't matter to me who is sharing it. And I fully expect people to correct me when I'm wrong.
Twang Gang Posted March 20, 2013 Posted March 20, 2013 Looks like my old ES 125 from the mid 60s. Rather unusual finish, most were cherry burst or traditional (dark brown) burst, this one is somewhere in between.
j45nick Posted March 20, 2013 Posted March 20, 2013 Looks like my old ES 125 from the mid 60s. Rather unusual finish, most were cherry burst or traditional (dark brown) burst, this one is somewhere in between. For some reason, lots of the dyes used in both the cherry 'burst and the traditional 'burst in the 60's have faded in unusual ways. Sometimes, the brown pigment fades to a reddish color, and sometimes the cherry 'burst fades out to a light orange that can even look a lot like a dark natural top. Don't assume that what it looks like after 40-50 years necessarily represents the way it was when it came out of the shop. Also, even the way the guitar is photographed can have quite an effect, particularly when an electronic flash is used. I usually try to photograph in both natural light and with a fill flash, and choose the one that seems to more accurately represent the guitar as it usually appears.
Jayyj Posted March 26, 2013 Posted March 26, 2013 There were at least a few ES-125s with deep body and cutaway from 1965 - but doesn't the ES-125 always have a silkscreened headstock logo and the ES-175 a pearl inlay? That could be your smoking gun as it were...
JimR56 Posted March 27, 2013 Posted March 27, 2013 There were at least a few ES-125s with deep body and cutaway from 1965 There were 87 that year. but doesn't the ES-125 always have a silkscreened headstock logo and the ES-175 a pearl inlay? That could be your smoking gun as it were... That's just one among several differences. 1965 ES125C 1965 ES175
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