❌SOLD❌ Gibson ES125TDC Thinline Archtop Electric Sunburst, 1969

Here’s an always-fun guitar – a Gibson ES125TDC thinline cutaway archtop electric guitar with a pair of P-90’s and several upgrades!

As stock, the Gibson ES125TDC – ES stands for Electric Spanish (as opposed to Hawaiian) and the TDC initials expand to Thinline, Double Pickup and with a Cutaway has a pair of P-90 pickups with black plastic ‘Dog Ear’ covers, indicating the screw tabs used to mount the cover and pickup to the guitar top.

Here, the plastic covers have been replaced with metal covers – as used on the Casino and ES-330, to increase shielding and reduce hum. An ABR style ‘Tune-O-Matic’ bridge and a pearlescent white pickguard have also been added. The nitrocellulose lacquer finish is original and in good shape, with lots of natural lacquer checking but minimal wear otherwise.

Gibson introduced the ES-125 during 1941 as an entry level, non-cutaway, full body archtop with one or two P-90 pickups. By 1956, the ES125T Thinline model appeared, still in non-cutaway form. For 1961, the cutaway was added and the model was available as the single pickup TC or the double pickup TDC, sometimes called the TCD with the same meaning. The model was discontinued in 1971.

Many non-professional Jazz and Blues players have used the various ES-125 models, and some professionals – George Thorogood, for example, is closely associated with the Gibson ES125TDC.

This 1969 Gibson ES125TDC is in good playing condition, and has a great feel and sound. Gibsons of this era have somewhat narrower fingerboards, particularly compared to current models. The fully hollow body is quite light and is surprisingly loud acoustically.

This Gibson ES125TDC is sold with a later Gibson hard shell case. Originally, this model would likely have sold with a ‘fiber’ or card board case, and these often have not survived the ravages of time.