NO LONGER AVAILABLE‼ Gibson ES-175 Single Pickup Archtop Electric Sunburst, 1960

Introduced in 1949 and until the introduction of Seth Lover’s humbucker in late 1957, the Gibson ES-175 Single pickup archtop electric sported a single P90 in the neck position. The Gibson ES-175 Single and Double pickup models went on to become a workhorse guitar, used on countless stages, studios and performances. It was discontinued in 2019 after a production run of 70 years.

The Gibson ES-175 Single and Double pickup models make a relatively compact archtop guitar, 16.25 inches across; many of the giant acoustic archtops at the time had 17 inch or larger bodies. Its construction also varies from pure-acoustic archtop guitars, primarily through its use of Maple Laminates for the body construction; this tends to reduce feedback at stage volumes, which has been a problem since the appearance of amplification.

Here we’re looking at a Gibson ES-175 Single pickup model in Sunburst with a single humbucking pickup – its original PAF – in the neck position. This very fine instrument was built in Kalamazoo, Michigan and its construction began in 1959, as shown by the FON (Factory Order Number) visible inside the treble soundhole. That FON starts with an ‘S’, indicating 1959. However, the label inside the bass sound hole is applied as the guitar is going through final assembly, stringing and quality checks, and that label has a 1960 serial number. This would strongly suggest that the guitar was started in late 1959, and finally completed and shifted in early 1960.

This guitar is in overall very good condition, with some of the expected play wear. It is missing the original pickguard, and a reproduction with bracket is included in the case – it has never been installed.The original Keystone-button Kluson Deluxe tuning machines (included in the case) have been replaced with a drop-in, exact replacement set and these work smoothly and accurately. The neck is slimmer, as was the case on many early 1960’s electrics.

This Gibson ES-175 Single Pickup model plays well, and the PAF sounds great.

A period Gibson brown hard shell case is included.