1957 Gibson ES-225TD, Sunburst

Super clean, collector grade 1957 Gibson ES-225TD, finished in a wonderfully attractive three-tone Sunburst and complete with a period brown Lifton hard case. Despite their rarity (only made between '56-'59) these models represent excellent vintage value, offering a rare golden-era Gibson for the price of some modern Custom Shop instruments.

Predecessor to the ES-330 the ES-225 occupies a lovely spot in Gibson’s 1950s hollowbody range. The ES-225T (single pickup version) was introduced in 1955  combining fully hollow, thinline construction, a comfortable single florentine cutaway body and a centred, single P-90 pickup. The TD (double pickup) version was introduced a year later with production running for less than 3 years before the model gave way to the ES-330 in 1959.

This example presents beautifully. The Sunburst finish remains clean and vibrant, with the guitar reacting exactly as expected under blacklight. There is some tasteful light lacquer checking throughout, and the binding has mellowed to a lovely yellow hue, altogether making this a truly striking, collector grade instrument.

The body is fitted with its correct nickel long trapeze tailpiece, and the tuners are original single-line Klusons with plastic buttons. All other hardware and plastics appear correct, including the original plastic endpin. Furthermore there is no second strap button hole drilled at the heel - a testament to its careful ownership over nearly seven decades.

The neck has a lovely profile, a bit slimmer than expected of a '57, with a medium C carve that feels great to play. It features a bound rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays, the frets and nut appear original and overall it's a very playable example.

The guitar retains its two P-90 pickups, both of which sound excellent. They are nicely balanced, with plenty of clarity, a balanced midrange and plenty of open hollowbody warmth. The pickup tape fluoresces correctly under UV, and the loom appears correct, with Bumblebee capacitors still present.

Overall, this is a stunning example of a short-lived, golden era model. It comes complete with a period brown Lifton case with the Gibson badge intact.