![]() ![]() 1955 GIBSON ES 125 PRICE VALUE SERIAL NUMBERSerial number "V 7799 4" stamped in black inside the treble f-hole. Individual single-line Kluson Deluxe tuners with white plastic oval buttons and "2356766 / Pat Appld." stamped on the underside. Two-layer (black on white) plastic truss-rod cover with two screws. Headstock with inlaid pearl "Gibson" logo. Brazilian rosewood fretboard with 20 original thin frets and inlaid pearl dot position markers. One-piece mahogany neck with a standard Gibson scale length of 24 3/4 inches, a nut width of 1 11/16 inches and a wonderful and typically '56 thick neck profile. Laminated birds-eye maple top, laminated maple back and sides, single-bound on the top and the back. I don't own one, I looked and looked and bought a '67 330 as it was only a few more dollars at the time and now I'm really glad I did because they're jumped in value and is a smoking guitar! BUT if I could find an un-butchered 125 I'd snag it but again you have to be able to play these era Gibson necks.Īnd yes, George T played a later 60's 125 as one of his main guitars not sure what others he snagged over time but I'm sure he had a mix as time went on.This 'first year' single 'Florentine' cutaway, 16 inch wide thinline guitar weighs just 6.00 lbs. So the later 60's 125's with their narrow nut width's but still a pretty good sized (medium to medium plus) profile work better for me. They're not cheap and you really have to shop around and INSURE you're getting one that's not been messed with, the later 125's a likely half the price but a different animal as well. It's a beautiful guitar, sounds and plays great, just too big a neck for my little hands. However for me the necks are typical big fat 50's Gibson profiles here are the measurements of the '58, 1st, 3rd, 7th and 12th frets and a pretty wide 1 11/16ths+ nut width: The 125's of this era had no body cuts, like an acoustic with a pickup. I have access to two 50's 225's (one two and one single centered P-90 pickup models) and they are GREAT guitars. Both problems can be corrected by a good tech. Beware of bridges that are adjusted to their extreme one way or the other. Both problems are easily detectible - it'll either be unplayable becasue the action is way to high, or the strings will be nearly laying on the fretboard. Even cooler and rarer is the deep bodied version - kind of a poor-man's 175.Īlmost forgot: when shopping for 125s, be mindful that they can be prone to neck set problems - many have had or need a neck set, and the arched tops tend to loose their arch sometimes after years of pressure and neglect, especially if stored for a long time with heavier strings. That being said, a nice early - mid 60s 2 p/u 125 in good shape for low dough would make a solid player and modest investment, especially in the rarer dark vintage sunburst vs the the mroe common cherry burst. But the 225, with its bound neck, the block, etc, is a definite step up. The 125 is really kind of a quasi-student model, which is cool if you want something for just shedding around the house, songwriting, recording, etc. IMHO, because of that anti-feedback block they're far superior to the 125 and the 330 for that matter. Somewhat overlooked and can sometimes be a bargain in the vintage market. ![]()
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