TYPE
Electric Hollow Body Archtop guitar with a single cutaway
FEATURES
Maple body and top
Rosewood fretboard
One P-90 (1949-1953), two P-90’s (1953), two humbuckers (1957)
INFORMATION
The ES-175 was the electric counterpart of the popular L-4 acoustic guitar. This model is perhaps the best-known jazz guitar and remains popular. It appeared under the Gibson brand, but also under Epiphone.
The most striking feature of this instrument is the Florentine cutaway and it was the first electric Gibson with such an appearance.
The instrument was initially equipped in the neck position with a single P-90 pickup. In 1953, the ES-175 received a second P-90 in the bridge position. Four years later, the P-90s were replaced by humbuckers, an apparently small yet significant change. That way the guitar got its warm tone, which we now associate with the classic jazz guitar.
ES-175 Electric Archtop
Available: 1949-present
1949 ES-175
16 1/4″ wide, pointed cutaway, one P-90 pickup in the neck position, 2 knobs, trapeze tailpiece with pointed ends and 3 raised parallelograms, laminated beveled-edge pickguard, triple bound top, single bound back and fingerboard, double-parallelogram fingerboard inlays, crown peghead inlay, sunburst or natural finish.
1953 ES-175
two-pickup models available called ES-175D. Note some double pickup ES-175 models seen in 1951/1952 (without the “D” model indication).
1957 ES-175
Humbucking pickups replace P-90’s February 1957.
1958 ES-175
tailpiece with “T” in the center and zigzag tubes on sides. Seen on two pickup models first but both single and double pickup ES-175 guitars got this tailpiece sometime in 1958.
1971 ES-175D
single pickup model discontinued.
ES-175D is still available.
