Gibson ES series guitars
Steve Roberts
This seemed like a good place to ask this question...
Curious about Gibson ES series guitars.
ES stands for Electric Spanish, but what about the numbering system? ES120,
ES135, ES355... is there any logic to the numbering? Are 120s typically
plainer (less expensive) than a larger number (i.e. ES355)? Do larger
numbers mean more ornate? Better? Just different? Do the 100s have 1
pickup, the 200s two, etc?
Any thoughts would sure be appreciated.
happy strummin',
Steve
matt u
price of the guitar - i.e. an ES-125 was $125. Obviously, that's not
true anymore, and I think they've evolved into families, with higher
numbered guitars having fancier appointments within each family. So, an
ES-355 is fancier than an ES-335, but an ES-333 is not fancier than an
ES-175.
What follows is largely my own speculation, but it seems like it would
make sense, and it is based on several years of fascination with vintage
Gibsons (some facts in there...).
Within the 100 series, the ES-120 was a pretty low-end model. A step
up, but still pretty basic, was the ES-125. Another step up was the
ES-135, then the ES-150, and then the ES-175. These all shared the same
basic characteristics (laminated hollow-bodies). There used to be an
ES-300, which was pretty well endowed (bound headstock, etc).
Basically, these are continued today, with the ES-135 being the basic
model of the family, and the ES-175 being the "upgraded" version. One
exception that occurs to me is the 300's. The ES-300 seems to belong as
the cream of the original 100 family ($300 vs. $100), but has little in
common with the 330, 335, 345, 355, which all seem related (double cut,
thin body)... I wonder, though, if the 300 was discontinued before the
330/335's began production.
What my theory doesn't explain is the 200's. I know of the 225, which
was pretty much a one or two pickup, thin body, cutaway 125 (except the
single pickup was in the middle between the neck and bridge); and the
ES-295, which as far as I know is a gold top ES-175 with a bigsby. Maybe
the 200's were the experimental family?
m
Greg D
Matt's explanation was pretty darn good (good job, Matt). What follows
are my thoughts, not necessairly based on facts :)-
> Hi,
>
> This seemed like a good place to ask this question...
>
> Curious about Gibson ES series guitars.
>
> ES stands for Electric Spanish, but what about the numbering system?
> ES120, ES135, ES355... is there any logic to the numbering?
I don't know if there was any logic to the model naming scheme as ES-
175's were more expensive than ES-335's and ES-5's more expensive still,
There were ES-1xx's with single cutaways and no cutaways. There were ES-
3xx's with single cutaways and no cutaways, There were shallow bodied and
deep bodied versions of both as well. There were hollows and semi
hollows.
> Are 120s
> typically plainer (less expensive) than a larger number (i.e. ES355)?
Yes, but it goes well beyond that - ES-120's were very thinline, student
guitars, whereas ES-3x5's were aimed at the pro market. Consequently, I"d
think the better luthiers worked n the higher dollar guitars and the
better woods went into them as well. And some mdoels were much more
ornate than others.
> Do larger numbers mean more ornate? Better? Just different? Do the
> 100s have 1 pickup, the 200s two, etc?
No sense like that, though typically the higher numbers within the same
series did indicate a more expensive guitar. For ex: ES-120 was less than
an ES-125 less than an ES-135 less than a ES-175. Thn there were exceptis
- ES-140, for ex, which believe may have cost less than an ES-135.
Gibson used nomenclature like "D" to indicate dual pickups where the lack
of that designation meant it had only one pup. For ex: ES-175D had dual
pups and the ES-175 didn't.
Then there was nomenclaure like ES-xxx TDC, whihc meant thinline, double
cut and other such abbreviations.
AS for better - and ES-225 was nowhere near as nice as an ES-175. An ES-
295 was about the same as an ES-175 except with gold finish and an ornate
pg.
Greg