A killer 1963 Gibson ES-175DN, for all those perpetual changes… One of only 74 shipped in 1963.

Introduced in 1949 as a mid level archtop, the ES-175's all laminate construction meant that costs could be kept down. It was also the first Kalamazoo design to feature a Florentine cutaway. Available initially with a single pickup, the double pickup ‘D’ incarnation was introduced officially in 1953. In 1957 it was fitted with a pair of Gibson's new humbucking pickups.

As you can see from the photos, the guitar itself is in fantastic shape. The top, back and sides show little if any signs of wear and the lacquer is gorgeously glossy. The sought after blonde finish hasn’t yellowed much and looks really nice.

The neck too is in stunning condition with some checking and a few minor marks.The fretboard is in good condition and has been refretted. These frets have plenty of life left in them. The headstock shows a few marks as expected but no sign of any changes of tuners. There is no sign of any breaks or repairs. Interestingly there’s a factory Stinger at the heel, Stingers were factory applied to hide an imperfection in the wood, and aren’t a sign of a break/repair.

The pickguard and pickup covers are original and are in great shape.

Electrically everything is correct, with two really good PAF (Patent Applied For) pickups. The neck pickup has been off and back in again and the cover has been removed.

The guitar comes with what looks like the original hard shell case.

Tonally, this guitar is quite lively. As you’d expect, it’s loud acoustically, exhibiting a pleasing woody tone which comes across when amplified. Both pickups work well together and bring out the character of the guitar, taking you from a warm, rounded sound to something altogether more raucous. .

Classic 1963 neck profile, two PAF pickups and Golden Era Gibson construction, what more do you need..?