1956 Gibson ES-225 TN, Natural
Lovely 1956 Gibson ES-225TN in great players grade condition, fully hollow thinline construction with a single killer sounding 'dogear' P-90.
The ES-225 was introduced by Gibson in 1955 and featured a thinline, fully hollow body with Florentine cutaway, a combined bridge and tailpiece (also used on the Les Paul from 1952-1953 and on the ES-295), one or two pickups in either Natural or Sunburst.. The ES-225 in its various combinations was a success for Gibson but would be replaced in the Gibson lineup 1959 with the introduction of the ES-330 bringing the model into line with Gibsons new thinline double cutaway range. The ES-225 is an often overlooked model especially in it’s single pickup guise, it shares many of the traits that make the ES-330 popular all in a simple, elegant single cutaway design.
This example from 1956 (the first year the model shipped in Natural) is a lovely player grade example. The guitar has had some changes and there has been a professional repair to the neck heel carried out by Charlie Chandlers back in 2014. The guitar has previously been fitted with Grovers but these have been replaced with a correct set of Gotoh vintage reissues. The Tailpiece and bridge unit has been changed for a separate diamond tailpiece and wooden bridge, quite a popular mod for this model and something Gibson would do themselves in 1959. The pots, pickguard and knobs are newer but the pickup appears to be the original Gibson P-90. The guitar plays superbly and sounds amazing with a character all of its own from the central position of the single 'dogear' P-90.
Like the ES-330 these are great late night couch guitars, perfect to sit with and play and very intuitive. The ES-225T can almost be thought of as an ES-Junior. The guitar benefits from a refret and plays very well strung with a set of 11 gauge D’Addario strings.