There's something about 175s that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. One of Gibson's longest serving lines, the 175 is the Jazz stalwart. The go-to guitar that will save you in an awkward set by covering a wider gamut of tones than most other hollow-bodies. And they don't make them like this anymore. The 175's from the 50's and those from the 60's (basically the P90 and PAF versions) are unique, as are those released in the 70's until today. You get a real sense of wood with these oldies, largely because with 53 years of playing you can see plenty of it! Add to that the lovely yellowing and lacquer checking and you have the real version of what artisans strive to emulate at the Gibson Tom Murphy aging school.

This 175 is in fine condition ... with a few odd things that will happen in a 53 year lifespan. The tailpiece is original, but the mounting to the body at the base has been reinforced and it looks like the area around the output socket out has been damaged and repaired a very long time ago.  Both these repairs are hidden away at the base of the guitar and there was a 2cm piece of binding replaced in the cutaway. Much of the finish has worn away on the neck and there's evidence of a reset which accounts for the simply brilliant playing action. The original bridge has been replaced with a hand carved Roeswood bridge that has been perfectly matched to the soundboard that looks better and gives a significantly better tone than the standard one.

So there you have it. A Gibson ES-175D in Sunburst from 1955. Two P90 pickups, fast low action and original hard shell case.