Gibson ES-150 DC Information on this model

**Wildcat** · 10-27-2012, 08:33 PM

I have looked this model over for the second time in the past several years. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Based on limited information this model was made from about 1969 to 1979.
It appears to have come in 3 colors, Walnut, Natural and Red. I'm thinking standard Gibson PAFs.

I have not had a chance to play this guitar, but the concept appeals to me. 335 styles with wider rim width.

Several things I'm so crazy about is the Gibson standard scale versus the a 25.5 scale for this type of box, and the 9/16 nut. From what I have been told the neck is thin and has a 12" radius.

Kind of 50%/50% good and not so good thoughts/comments on this guy for what I could find.

**Philco** · 10-27-2012, 10:50 PM

I've considered this model as well. I have to admit that the nut width stops me.
It almost ticks all boxes.
Also depends on what sound you want. If you like a 335 sound then it would be a winner.
Jesse Van Ruller plays one of these a lot.

If you want a more traditional big box jazz tone but in a thin line, the guitar that will deliver is a Moffa Lorraine or even Sweet Lorraine. The Sweet Lorraine is smaller..........but what a sound. Solo begins at 4.11 (but the sax solo is also great)
Probably just a bit more expensive than the Gibson but not by much.

**Jabberwocky** · 10-27-2012, 10:59 PM

I am really big on Moffa guitars recently:

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His prices are pretty good, comparable with Gibson Custom Shop ES335s. Love the tone of his S1 and H1 puppies. They are not routed into the body but are "floating" pups screwed into the top.

18-month lead time currently though. Sangue Di Drago is a finish I love.

**Philco** · 10-27-2012, 11:14 PM

Originally Posted by Jabberwocky

I am really big on Moffa guitars recently:

.

His prices are pretty good, comparable with Gibson Custom Shop ES335s. Love the tone of his S1 and H1 puppies. They are not routed into the body but are "floating" pups screwed into the top.

18-month lead time currently though. Sangue Di Drago is a finish I love.

Yeah I'm just about to pull the trigger on one.
I'm thinking about a natural or honey Lorraine with a single pup.
Can't decide if I should go a maple top or a spruce top. Umberto gets such a great sound out of his little Sweet Lorraine with the maple top.

That YouTube clip is spooky because I just got one of those little amps and have not even plugged it in yet.
My wife saw it in the studio and freaked out (who's Cigarettes are those!!)

You know I think the lead time of 18 months will soon blow out. People are starting to realise how great those guitars sound and how well they are made.

I'd better sell something!

**Jabberwocky** · 10-28-2012, 02:16 AM

Philco, get in line with your Euro500 deposit because I am hoping to take delivery of 2, spaced 6 months apart, in 2014...unless you beat me to it

That tone through that Marlboro ciggy pack "jokester" amp sounded so round, jazzy and warm, I swore that guy was yanking my chain.

**Jabberwocky** · 10-28-2012, 06:50 AM

Back to the ES150DC. This is what one cat did with his:

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Isn't an ES150DC an ES175 with double-Venetian-cutaway though? Even Joe Pass was photographed playing with one, a Natural.

I don't know about the 1 9/16" nut width. Didn't Norlin Gibson revert to 1 11/16" in 1969? The prices on the ES150DC have been going up lately. One person had trouble moving his, a 70s Natural, for below $2000 on ebay in 2010. Joe Pass signed it on the lower bout and it came with a photo of JP "playing" it. It was in almost unplayed condition. I considered it briefly but thought that the ES-175 was more my thing.

**rpguitar** · 10-28-2012, 07:40 AM

Jabber,

I was about to post something similar. The skinny nut was gone in general by 1970 for sure. But I Googled a bit, and every listed ES-150DC (even from the mid-70s) that mentions nut width seems to state 1 9/16" or 1 5/8". They always strike me as unwieldy and maybe even a bit heavy with their double-cut, 3" thick form. They are pretty much a 335 with 175 thickness and totally hollow. And don't forget that master volume knob.

**feet** · 10-28-2012, 08:33 AM

played one in a shop for a few minutes earlier this year, then i put it back on the shelf. i remember nothing of the experience. guess that's all i need to remember about it. i was excited about it, as it seems perfect on paper- an airier 335.

**Tom Karol** · 10-28-2012, 09:47 AM

I had an ES-150 DCN for a few years. Bought it new in 1969. Put Schaller tuners and a triple-parallelogram tailpiece on it. Don't remember much about it except that it was just OK. I wanted something sort of in between a 175 and a 335, but if I recall, it wasn't as good as either. Sorry, can't be more specific than that.

**Wildcat** · 10-28-2012, 11:09 AM

Originally Posted by Jabberwocky

Back to the ES150DC. This is what one cat did with his:

.

Isn't an ES150DC an ES175 with double-Venetian-cutaway though? Even Joe Pass was photographed playing with one, a Natural.

I don't know about the 1 9/16" nut width. Didn't Norlin Gibson revert to 1 11/16" in 1969? The prices on the ES150DC have been going up lately. One person had trouble moving his, a 70s Natural, for below $2000 on ebay in 2010. Joe Pass signed it on the lower bout and it came with a photo of JP "playing" it. It was in almost unplayed condition. I considered it briefly but thought that the ES-175 was more my thing.

Jabberwocky Great find on the video. I really dig what this cat did.
The really interesting thing is that there is a ton, for less than 3000 made, of the walnut models available, as of the last few days.

It appears that you can pick a Walnut model up in good shape for around $2500. Reasonable given a vintage guitar status.

As someone else said and "hit the nail on the head" is the hollow body 335 concept. That's what's really driving me on considering this model. In ways I can't help think that the 335 has eclipsed this model in reputation and shear numbers made.

The 70's seemed to have been an experimental time for Gibson. Another aspect is that a sort of "concept" guitar like this makes something seem really cool and new and lost with the past 43 years. I had a similar feeling about the Les Paul Signature model, a variation of the 335 style, for the same time period.

What I missed was the conversion from the tail to a stopbar. Did they put a block of wood under the stopbar? If they did would that work as a sound post of sorts?

**Tom Karol** · 10-28-2012, 11:55 AM

Originally Posted by Wildcat

... I had a similar feeling about the Les Paul Signature model, a variation of the 335 style, for the same time period ...

LOL! That's what I replaced it with! Much better guitar! I had it for 20 years or so - sorta wish I still had it - but I traded it for a Custom Shop Strat, which I then traded for a Hamer T-51 about 15 years ago, which I still have. The Les Paul Signature had a block of wood under the tailpiece and bridge, but not full length.

**Wildcat** · 10-28-2012, 12:15 PM

Originally Posted by Tom Karol

LOL! That's what I replaced it with! Much better guitar! I had it for 20 years or so - sorta wish I still had it - but I traded it for a Custom Shop Strat, which I then traded for a Hamer T-51 about 15 years ago, which I still have. The Les Paul Signature had a block of wood under the tailpiece and bridge, but not full length.

That Signature model was a "Fish out of water" for the time period. From what I read Les Paul designed the feature for clean recording with the pickups and second output setup. Meanwhile the Who and many many others where the kings of distortion. It's a great guitar, but I sold it because of the electronics involved and gave it its huge versatility might become obsolete in the future. About the same number of these were made as with the ES-150DC. Check out the pics.

Oh yeah it was pretty dang heavy with those pickups

**Tom Karol** · 10-28-2012, 12:39 PM

And then there was the L6-S, which I also had for a couple of years!

**Jabberwocky** · 10-28-2012, 01:15 PM

This 1969 definitely looks like it has the skinny nut:

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**Wildcat** · 10-28-2012, 03:43 PM

Originally Posted by Jabberwocky

This 1969 definitely looks like it has the skinny nut:

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Agreed, appears very slim, but suppose to have 12" radius fretboard. With that color and that clean for the first year, I would pull the trigger for sure.

**Wildcat** · 10-28-2012, 03:45 PM

Originally Posted by Tom Karol

And then there was the L6-S, which I also had for a couple of years!

Is that you on the poster from 1974?

**Tom Karol** · 10-28-2012, 07:33 PM

Well no, but that's why I bought one: I wanted to look just like him!

**Jimmy Mack** · 10-28-2012, 11:52 PM

Quote: "I had an ES-150 DCN for a few years. Bought it new in 1969. Put Schaller tuners and a triple-parallelogram tailpiece on it. Don't remember much about it except that it was just OK. I wanted something sort of in between a 175 and a 335, but if I recall, it wasn't as good as either. Sorry, can't be more specific than that."

I had one and gigged a couple years with it thru a Twin with JBL's. It was OK. But what I really wanted was the sound of a 335. The 150 does not do what a 335 does. Nor the 175. Solos did not ring. For rhythm playing, it was great sounding, and the bandleader loved its fullness.

You have to play the guitar and decide for yourself. My buddy bought a '74 335 that was hollow. He did not know it when he traded in his older 335 for it. He hated the hollow 335. They are different without that solid block underneath.

The neck on my '72 ES150 was narrrow.

**Jimmy Mack** · 10-29-2012, 12:00 AM

Listening to the clip, that guy is fingerpicking some of the time. And the amp makes a huge impact. He sounds great. But it's not the fattest guitar tone I've heard for jazz. Yet, I like it better for tone than the second clip.

YMMV

I admit, I dig the concept of this guitar, that's why I bought it in '72 0r 3. Now, I couldn't play the small neck!

**Tom Karol** · 10-29-2012, 08:21 AM

Jimmy, you and I must have had the two heaviest Twins on the East coast! Mine was loaded with EV SRO's and weighed about 90 pounds!

**Jimmy Mack** · 10-29-2012, 02:16 PM

Yeah, I know. I'm content with my Princeton Reverb's weight now!
But back then, if you made some money, you wanted the "best", and the most reliable. We travelled year round and gigged 5 nites a week. But I never was happy with my tone. I shoulda kept my Bassman, or bought a Super Reverb.

Then the ES 150 woulda had more tone, I believe now !!!

So my buddy went and bought a Super Reverb with 4 JBL's!!!! He has serious back issues now.