Gibson 1950 ES-150 Electric Guitar, Sunburst With OHSC – Used Gibson

The Gibson ES-150 has solidified its place in history as being one of the first successful Spanish style electric guitars, due to its attainable price point and early variations of the model being seen in the hands of jazz artists such as Charlie Christian.

This specific guitar was built in 1950, and features all original parts with the exception of the buttons of the tuning machines, which have been replaced. The P-90 pickup and electronics are all original as well and fully functioning. The tailpiece, tuning machines, and other metal components have signs of oxidation throughout. The 5-ply pickguard has playwear across the surface but is intact. The original case is structurally sound, but covered in chips, nicks and scratches. Some of the leather has peeled away from the handle of the case, as well.

The guitar itself is in great condition, with no cracks in the top, back, or sides. There is some chipping around the perimeter of the peghead, and some dinging on the bass side of the neck. On the upper bass side of the body, there are some dings, as well as on the top of the guitar on the lower bout of the treble side. The action is low and even across the fingerboard, and the tone of the instrument is clear and articulate when played acoustically.

This guitar has had some repairs and restoration work done in our Asbury Park location by our technician, Eric Collier. One of the tone bars was loose, so the failed glue was removed and the bar was re-glued properly. There was also a section of the body where the glue holding the back to the sides was failing, so the same re-glue process was done to restore that section as well. Some uneven frets were seated on the upper portion of the fingerboard. The frets were leveled, crowned, and polished where needed.