Case for 1959 Gibson ES-125

[FredH]

After looking around for quite awhile, I finally bit the bullet on a 1959 ES 125 - in excellent condition. It is a sweet guitar. The original P90 is to die for - which is one of the reasons I wanted one. I can see why alot of players rave about them.

The original case is pretty much toast - worn, falling apart and really not useable. I knew that before I decided on the guitar. I looked at quite a few 125's - many had original Lifton cases that were in better condition than the guitars that contained them. And to be honest, I preferred to find one that had not been beaten up - or one that needed a lot of work. The one I bought doesn't need anything - except a decent case. Right now, its living in a Gator Gig bag - but I don't intend playing out with it until I find a decent case. I bought the guitar from Gruhn in Nashville - first time experience there.

For those that have or have had 125s - any suggestions? I am not a purist when it comes to cases - there are some vintage Lifton cases around - but I am not willing to spend that kind of money. I want something that's function, reasonably light weight. Any thoughts?

I have the specs on the 125: Lower bout, 16 inches; Upper bout - 11; waist between 9-10; depth of guitar - 4 inches, though closer to 3.5; Length: 40 inches.

I will post some pictures after I clean and polish it.

Thanks

[RobbieAG]

You should be able to use a case for any dreadnought sized acoustic guitar - same 16" lower bout. Very common and easy to find.

[John A.]

^^^ Agreed I have an archtop that's the same size as a 125. It'll fit in any dreadnought case.

I don't like hardshell cases and only use reinforced gig bags. I have two excellent dread sized ones that would work (a Mono M80 and a Music Area Wind 30; both fit my archtop which has the same dimensions as an ES-125). There are other good ones from Reunion Blues, Gator, and Roadrunner, and others. All of these are discussed on several threads here about gig bags. It's worth perusing those.

If you're dead set against gig bags, I'd recommend either a molded case such as this or a polyfoam such as this. I have the Roadrunner ABS case in a smaller size, FWIW. The handle sucks, but it's otherwise better than a Lifton plywood case or similar ones from TKL et. el. (lighter, stronger, fits more snugly). And the handle doesn't bother me because the case sits in a closet and I use a gig bag instead.

[FredH]

Thank you!

[FredH]

Thanks for the good info.