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Gibson ES-125 (1958), good condition, central London, £2,250

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xDottorexDottore Frets: 274
edited November 2021 in Guitars £
EDIT: Sorry, I should have said earlier, but NO TRADES thanks—I have way too many guitars already, like we all do! ;-)

I am reluctant to part with this as it puts paid to my intention to be the next CW Stoneking. Well sort of (the voices in my head are calling...).  However, the truth is I am scared to use it much, as it's even older than me, and a thing of such beauty and joy, and with such a great sound, that I live in perpetual fear of damaging the damn thing and offending the guitar gods. Yes, I know. No, I don't feel good about that. Also, I am planning to move to A Hotter Country next year and worry how the old girl will cope with the heat.

I bought it from No Tom in Denmark Street in 2020. According to them it's a 1958 model. Really, there's not a huge amount I can say about it. It's a terrific guitar that is surprisingly versatile (I sometimes even play bluegrass on it and it doesn't sound bad at all), great with open tuning, mellow when you want it to be and quite snarly when not. One P90. And that old-fashioned wiring on the volume which means that all the action takes place between 1 (very soft) and 1.5 (very loud). I don't really know why it goes up to 10 (or 11).

Everything is stock, as far as I know. It even has the original case, though that is very knackered and made of what seems almost like cardboard ;-)  I keep it in a Hiscox case since the original provides no protection to speak of and is only for the sake of authenticity, I think. There's a deal of crazing in the finish and some dings here and there, as you might expect in a 63 year old instrument, but the neck is lovely and the fretboard wonderful (I think No Tom mentioned they'd done a re-fret before selling, but I am not 100% certain).

Needless to say, I would really prefer not to ship this anywhere. The original case alone would be destroyed by the journey and insurance is no comfort either. I am in central(-ish) London and happy to offer tea, coffee, biscuits, and the company of a small, friendly terrier called Stan while you strum.

Price is firm at £2,250 for you lovely Fretboarders, and includes the original case and the Hiscox case. Prices on Reverb seem a few hundred higher but I'm nice like that.  If you have any questions, let me know and I will try and answer them. Probably don't ask me about neck profiles, weight etc. I never know and just go on how it feels to me.

Picture attached, and a gallery on flickr if you are interested.

Cheers
Jolyon



You need an idea of what you are going to do, but it should be a vague idea.

My feedback page: http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/91654/
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Comments

  • brucegillbrucegill Frets: 727
    edited November 2021
    Nice! These things are bloody haunting me at the moment…. Alas, no cash until my Bartel sells. GLWTS
    Feedback here: https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/61319/brucegill#latest
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  • fingersfingers Frets: 45
    Beautiful instrument. If I had the funds I’d go for this. GLWTS.
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  • danishbacondanishbacon Frets: 2763
    These are remarkably good instruments, and still shockingly good value.
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  • TDubsTDubs Frets: 736
    Echoing the above. Great instruments. Sold one years ago and bought one again this year. Haven’t regretted going back for one at all.
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  • Timeline88Timeline88 Frets: 78
    What a stunner! I can't speak personally for a vintage ES-125 but I bought a great AV65 Jazzmaster from Jolyon earlier in the year and he's a pleasure to deal with. Alas, I had to arrange shipping so I didn't get to meet Stan.
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  • TheTalkingStoveTheTalkingStove Frets: 4
    Ah, I played that one in No Tom last year - what a cracker. Huge classic P90 sound, super responsive on the volume/tone, lovely and light. A lovely example 
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  • xDottorexDottore Frets: 274
    Bump.

    Surprisingly, to me at least, I've had a lot of "oooo-aaaah, that's lovely" but no actual, you know, offers. Maybe it's post Christmas, energy price rise blues? 

    You need an idea of what you are going to do, but it should be a vague idea.

    My feedback page: http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/91654/
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  • DB1DB1 Frets: 5031
    Such great guitars - I've had four and regretted selling them.  Stan looks ace as well.
    Call me Dave.
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  • burchykburchyk Frets: 2
    Tried this amazing instrument recently  :3

    Has tons of vibe and mojo without any compromises to playability as far as I'm concerned.

    The fretboard is clean. The neck is straight. Tuners are working great. The refret was done very well. Definitely plays better than the vintage instruments from this era that I've personally seen.

    The neck carve is quite substantial, similar to my '59 175 reissue. 125 feels lighter and louder acoustically though.

    Someone is going to get a sweet sweet guitar at a sweet price!
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