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I have searched a Gibson ES125 for over a decade. They are very rare here in Finland, maybe one in a public sale in 2-5 years. So some have been around now and then but then I have not had the money ro grab them.
About a month ago I found a 1958 ES-125 for sale here in Finland and I finally bought it about a week ago. Seller is better guitarist than me and he had bought it some years ago from Amsterdam.
The guitar is in good shape. Not 100% original, the tuners are Schecter Deluxes and the tailpiece seems to be a newer one. But the bracing seems alright, lacquer is aged but not cracking, pickguard seems to be original and I can adjust it to be easy to play. The sunburst is just perfect and the neck too, in a ’50s thickness but not a baseball bat.
When I checked the bracings I saw that the tone cap is not bumble beeish of vintage looking but branded ’WD’.
Apparently there has been some renovation, so I checked the pots and the pickup. Pu seems old, what do You think about it in the photos?
Attachment 109983Attachment 109983
And then there is some numbers in the pots. Can someone date them?
Volume pot: 500K LIN 137 1823
Tone pot: A0D (?) 1(?)37 1910 63
As always for me , the playing a new guitar is very confusing. 1 pu ES125 is more resonant that 2 pu ES175, but I have used to the ’electric guitarness’ of the ES175, so I am not sure do I like the ’acousticness’ of the ES125.
Electric sound is a good question too. It is brighter than my 2015 RI ES175D, but the vol pot seems to be 500K, which explains some of it. Maybe I’ll just take the guitar to my tech and ask him to change the pot to a 300K.
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03-24-2024 09:24 AM
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No advice, just stopped in to say it looks great!
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Great buy!
There’s one for sale locally similar vintage about $1500. It’s in “player grade” shape but the neck looks good.
I don’t need another guitar, or I would consider it. The price seems OK considering the condition. Might be able to bargain them down.
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Both pots are CTS pots, volume from 2018, week 23 and tone from 2019, week 10.
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That’s a wonderful find. It’s really a piece of the living history of Gibson. L5s and LPs were the “stars”, but 125s and similar Gibson models for ordinary players (eg LG flattops) were the guitars that made Gibson what it was for so many of us for so many years. And now that these are long out of production, their true greatness is finally being recognized and appreciated. Student guitars? Far from it!!
Enjoy it!
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I'm no expert but I suspect the pickup may not be original, its bottom looks a little too clean. I have a 1956 ES-225 with a P90 which I believe to be original, the bottom of its baseplate is quite dull with some surface corrosion. The mounting holes on its baseplate are enclosed, not open at the ends, also if I remember right its shielded cable is soldered to the baseplate. But, even if I'm right, that is a very nice guitar, congrats!!!
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What a beauty! Congrats!
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Thanks! Yes, I was a bit surprised how in good condition it is. I prefer the 3 tone sunbursts rather than early '50s two tones so in that way this is great find.
Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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Oh my, Your prices in the US are really bargain compared to European prices. I paid for this a bit over double to that! Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
But not as much as this is asking:
Gibson ES-125 1957 - Sunburst | Reverb Finland
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Wow, thanks a lot! Originally Posted by bluenote61
Apparently the capacitor is installed about same time.
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You are right! Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
After I bought this I checked the Gibson production figures again. In the 1958 they made a bit over 1500 pieces of ES-125s. Two years earlier the amount was over 3000! And two years after only half of it, 739.
In the 1958 Gibson made four different ES-175s, total sum only 676.
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Dang! You might be right. Now I checked pics of '50s P-90s in the web and all do have enclosed mounting holes and the shield of the cable soldered to the baseplate. Originally Posted by Geunther
I mean this pickup sounds just ok, but knowing that it ain't original may put some thoughts about swapping pickup to my mind some day... "Wouldn't Seymour Duncan Antiquity P-90 sound even better than this...?"
But but... should I trace a true '50s P-90 pickup for this guitar to raise its value?
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Thanks! Originally Posted by Oscar67
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Love it! I remember when these were selling for under $1000 each in the Noughties. Student guitars...a'ight.
I bought a 1953 ES-150 with a replaced tailpiece, Lindy Fralin P90 and replaced CTS pots. Didn't bother me because it sounded great.
Enjoy the 1958 ES-125 in good health, 'erbie.
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I don't think you should. Mine was cannibalised by its previous owner for its 1953 P90 and a Lindy Fralin P90 took its place. It does not bother me in the slightest because the Fralin P90 is great. Originally Posted by Herbie
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Pickup isn’t original. Hopefully your seller didn’t claim it was. If so, ask for a partial refund. That p90 is about 30%-40% of the value of the guitar.
I wouldn’t worry about getting a vintage p90 since a 125 isn’t highly collectible and you should just get a modern p90 that sounds good to you. It’s players guitar and should be played; don’t worry about “adorning” it with vintage correct parts. These are awesome guitars. I had a 56 that sounded amazing and I only sold it bc the seller had remorse about letting it go.
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I agree with the above sentiments that the point is for it to sound good and to play well. I am not precious about "vintage" unless we are talking about artisan guitars like D'Angelico, D'Aquisto, etc. Gibsons are factory built guitars in which the employee grabs the next part out of a bin full of them and slaps it together. "Ship it, Melvin!" To me a guitar is a tool with which to make music, first and foremost. Their appeal as collector items is mostly lost on me- that's a whole different sub-community from mine.
Replacement tuners that work better? Check. Replacement pots and cap that sound better? Check. Replacement pickup? Check, if it sounds good. If not, that SD Antiquity might sound better....
One of my very favorite guitar sounds is Jim Hall with his one pickup ES-175 when it still had the P90. This guitar ought to get close to that with a good amp. A nice, warm electric sound with an acoustic quality. Woo hoo!
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Yes, these too have got more expensive. Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
I am starting to believe that fully original ES-125s are a rarity.
Thanks!
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In fact he said that it is original. I think that he really believed that too. I already sent him a message about it, maybe he should ask some questions from the seller he bought it from. Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
I opened the pickup. There is wax in it... I guess Gibson didn't use wax in '50s?
And fully opened, not at all like Gibson pickup:
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Ok, I'll try to find a second hand Gibson Dogear P-90 or a SD Antiquity P-90 for it. Contemporary Gibson P-90s are quite fine too. Originally Posted by Cunamara
I agree with the above sentiments that the point is for it to sound good and to play well. I am not precious about "vintage" unless we are talking about artisan guitars like D'Angelico, D'Aquisto, etc. Gibsons are factory built guitars in which the employee grabs the next part out of a bin full of them and slaps it together. "Ship it, Melvin!" To me a guitar is a tool with which to make music, first and foremost. Their appeal as collector items is mostly lost on me- that's a whole different sub-community from mine.
Replacement tuners that work better? Check. Replacement pots and cap that sound better? Check. Replacement pickup? Check, if it sounds good. If not, that SD Antiquity might sound better....
One of my very favorite guitar sounds is Jim Hall with his one pickup ES-175 when it still had the P90. This guitar ought to get close to that with a good amp. A nice, warm electric sound with an acoustic quality. Woo hoo!
I have always been an obsessive tinkerer. But lately I have learned to respect guitars as they are. This guitar just awakens my old tinkerer side! Maybe I'll even try to change the pu and the volume pot myself...
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The current production Gibson p90s sound wonderful for jazz. Very thick, big mid range, and a slight growl. Easy to find and inexpensive.
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Neat old ES-125. The body is original. The finish appears original. All the hardware has been swapped for modern replacement hardware, except for the bridge and pickguard. Maybe the bridge is original, I can't tell from the pix posted. Post a shot of the bridge from the side for review.
This all makes sense, because old Gibson ES-125 models are simply not worth much money. Old dogear P-90s are used to restore old ES-175, ES-300, ES-350 and ES-5 guitars, all of which are worth considerably more than old ES-125 guitars.
However, old Gibson Les Paul Juniors are worth MUCH more money, are far more popular, and use the same hardware, except for the bridge and pickguard, so they are most often the recipients of donor hardware from comparatively inexpensive old ES-125 models.
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Exactly. An all original ES125 is an interesting phenomenon in that it is worth less than the sum of its parts. Originally Posted by Hammertone
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I’ll second this. If it was my guitar. I would put a modern Gibson P90 in it. Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
P-90 Dogear (Black Cover, 2-Conductor, Potted, Alnico 5, 8K) | Gibson
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Herbie, esteemed countryman, congratulations! Not so many years (or was it decades) ago I snubbed at these, and not alone. Now I'd drool over a sample like yours. Is the ES-125 the best example of what aging can do, even to a cheap build? Or does nostalgia factor in? You say you may not like the brightness vs. an ES-175. You must have known the a P90 is brighter than a humbucker. You'll discover its merit when playing with the band. As for replaced parts, why are we so pristine about old guitars with new details, if we are changing PU's, tuning machines and whatever on contemporary guitars all the time? Show me a Stradivari in original condition.
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