Gibson Es 100 ( 1939 -41 )
The Gibson es-100 was introduced in 1938 and ended production in 1941 ,the guitar was fitted with one pickup without pointed ends or any binding ,it had a rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays , sunburst finish , bound body (archtop) , and was sold in 1939 for $49 without case and amplifier . In 1941 The Gibson Es 100 Guitar was renamed Gibson es 125
Gibson Es 125 ( 1941 - 1949 )
The Gibson es 125 was introduced in 1941 and then discontinued in 1943 ( very few made ) , in 1946 they decided to reintroduce it till 1970 .
It was an archtop guitar ,laminated body , non cutaway , one pickup ,maple top ,mahogany sides/neck, raised black pickguard , pearl logo inlay on peghead ,rosewood fingerboards , nickel hardware , and were made in sunburst finish .
Through 1946 to 1970 many variations of gibson es 125 guitars were made such as the :
Gibson Es 125T ( 1956 - 1969 )
The Gibson es 125t was introduced in 1956 and discontinued in 1969 , the guitar was an archtop thinline version of the gibson es 125 , it had one p90 pickup , non cutaway , bound body and sunburst finish .
Gibson Es 125 td ( 1957 - 1963 )
The Gibson Es 125td was quite the same guitar as the es 125t but with 2 single p90 pickups , they were introduced in 1957 and ended production in 1963
The video shows an anonymous guitar player ( not me ) playing on a 1957 gibson es 125 td through a tube amp . Gibson es 125 td soundclip >>>
Gibson Es 125 TC ( 1960 - 1970 )
The Gibson es 125 tc guitar was introduced in 1960 , it was an archtop thinline guitar but it had a single pointed cutaway instead of round , the guitar had a bound body , one p90 pickup , and sunburst finish . Ended production in 1970
Gibson Es 125 Tdc (1960 - 1970 )
The Gibson es 125 tdc guitar was the same guitar like the gibson es 125 tc but with 2 p90 pickups . D for dual pickups , T for thinline , C for cutaway ( 1960 to 71 )The Es 125 tdc Gained extreme popularity ever since George Thorogood used it on his bad to the bone tour , many people still today recognize it as the George Thorogood guitar .
Gibson Es 120T ( 1962 to 1970 )
Gibson also introduced some other basic lower end student models like the Gibson es 120t , available in 1962 discontinued 1970 . The es 120t had one f hole , bound body ,one pickup , dot fingerboard inlays ,had knobs on the pickguard, and sunburst finish .
Even though some gibson es 125 models were considered gibson lower end guitars at the time , they are still collectible and worth quite a few dollars due to their history .
Gibson Es 125c ( 1966 - 1970 )
Was introduced in 1966 and stopped production in 1970 , the guitar was an archtop guitar , single pointed cutaway , one pickup and sunburst finish .
Gibson Es 125 CD ( 1966 - 1970 )
Same guitar like the gibson es 125 c but with 2 pickups . C for cutaway and D for dual pickups ( 1966 - 1970 )
Vintage Price Values For 2007 :
1939 - 1941 > $1100 to $1300 ( es-100 )
1941 - 1949 > $1100 to $1400 ( es-125 )
1956 - 1969 > $1400 to $1900 ( es-125t )
1957 - 1963 > $1800 to $2100 ( es-125td )
1960 - 1970 > $1500 to $2000 ( es-125tc )
1960 - 1970 > $1700 to $2500 ( es-125tdc )
1962 - 1970 > $800 to $1100 ( es -120t )
1966 - 1970 > $1100 to $1400 ( es-125c )
1966 - 1970 > $1500 to $1800 ( es-125cd )
Avg Upward Trend Of 15% A Year Since 2000 ( for all except for )es-100 > 5% es-125c > 7%
Prices are according to 4 guitar price guides and rounded off to the nearest dollar
If you want to buy these gibson guitars you can find some gibson es guitars for sale on ebay, if your lucky you'll get one under $1000
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I just acquired a ES-125T . I believe it's a '63 . It sure thrilled me when I saw a pic of Lenny Breau playing the exact guitar from a cd The Hallmark Sessions circa '61. I bought it for fingerstyle (Lenny/Chet/Merle/ playing and just love it ! I also have a D35 Martin and an older strat and tele. Never gave the 125's a 2nd glance till I picked this one up, and now its my current baby !! Ted
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The es 125 t is somewhat rare and are collectable guitars, they were built for students and are considered still today as high end student models .
Collectability is a 6 on a scale of one to ten ... ( from the vintage guitar guide ).
A 1960 es 125t is valued at $1300 to $1600 , prices are expected to go up by a slight margin in 2007 .
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from what i can deduce, my Gibson is an ES-125C.. it is a beautiful guitar and i love it.. single cut-away, full 3-3/8" inch depth, single pick-up, 2 controls, gold/brown sunburst top..
i'm trying to peg the date it was produced... serial # stamped on the rear of the headstock is 362665.. according to the sources i have referenced, this would suggest the guitar was produced in 1965 in Kalamazoo... however, everything else i read says this guitar was introduced in 1966 (maybe this indicates that it was made in 65, but brought to market in 66?). There is a black ink stamp on the inside face of the back of the guitar that is visible through the f-hole... the only legible characters are 125... i can ALMOST see a hint of what might be an S preceding the 125, but it is so slight that i'm not sure that it isn't just my imagination.. and there is no evidence of an E before the S or a C after the 125.. i don't know whether it wasn't stamped well originally or maybe has just faded with time... (or maybe 125 is all that is supposed to appear?)..
characteristics of the guitar match perfectly the description given (verbal- no photo)in the 1966 Gibson guitar catalogue below the ad for the ES-125CD (apparently the ES-125C was offered as an optional/more modest version of the ES-125CD which had dual pick-ups and 4 controls)..
i can't find a 1965 catalogue to see if my guitar was was also offered in 65 as the serial # would suggest... can you help?
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hi bruce from your description and serial number its indeed a 1965 es-125c , a small number of these guitars were made in 1965 and were only offered on special orders through their 1966 catalog , they were officially introduced on the market and produced in bigger numbers at the end of 1966 along with the es-125cd ..
info taken from the 1986 vintage gibson guitar guide ..
Don't sell unless you really need the cash , its a great guitar to keep as an investment and of course to play ....
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Hi - I have what by all appearances is an es 125 tc. previous owner was told it was a 1960 model, and the wooden bridge, wide neck, and older pickup seem to bear this our. However, I just read the number inside the body (the only number I can find on guitar - B4784 31 - to one the Gibson "customer service" people and he gave me dates during which this guitar wasn't even made....any thoughts?
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im not sure if i understand your question but the number inside the body is called a factory order number , gibson ink stamped these numbers inside the bodies of their archtop guitars from 1952 to 1961 , most of them had a letter followed by 4 digits "space" followed with another two digits just like your serial number ....
The first letter denotes the year, below is a list of letters and the years that they were made .
1952 Z
1953 Y
1954 X
1955 W
1956 V
1957 U
1958 T
1959 S
1960 R < Your Guitar
1961 Q
Your guitar was made in 1960 /
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The ES-125CD is an awesome model as is the ES-120T. I've been looking to get an authentic vintage Gibson archtop but I've had some difficulty finding one for a reasonable price online lately. I have a buddy who is trying to put together a website devoted to helping Gibson lovers find good deals on used and authentic Gibsons. So far I have found some pretty good deals on his page. I haven't bought one yet cause the wife is giving me a hard time on the money angle, but I am thinking I will be able to get one next paycheck :) If you wanna check out my friend's site, his url is GibsonGuitarDeals.com I think it might currently be under "renovation" but it's looking pretty good.
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KatrinaRadia
My question to you is what is a fair market price (ballpark) I am selling a Gibson 12 string B 25 12.
. The stamp inside the guitar says B2512, it is not the 3/4 size, The Serial number is 868564. Serial #'s say '62-'70. It is an excellent guitar with vibrant tone and ringing sound. A few chips around the headstock and surface age cracks on the finish. There is a scratch on the pickguard and a few small nicks on the box. I've had this guitar since 1970, bought from a family friend. It has been well cared for.
This is what I know; looking things up…Gibson introduced the B-25 in 1962, which featured a mahogany body, spruce top, and rosewood fingerboard like the B-45. Most B-25's had a cherry sunburst finish; two 12-string editions of the B-25 were also available starting in 1962. The B-25-12 had a cherry sunburst finish and was available through 1970.
I would send photos but I can’t figure how to attach them! Thanks for your time.
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hilander62
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The es100 was a totally different animal than the 125s that replaced it. My 100 is 1939 and closer to an es150 Charlie Christian with the bar/magnet PU, bakelite knobs and flat back(mine had a unique carved burled maple one). And you need to get current on their values-ebay sold a bunch or L30, L37s that this one was based on for 910. for a flood victem fixer to 1300+ for a nice L37-all acoustics. I place es100's at 1200-1900, about 1/3 of what an es150CC brings.
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Germán A. Acosta
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Jake
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I also have an ES-125 "TCD" (not TDC) and I have been trying to determine its age. Unfortunately, mine has been refinished and does not have a serial number (though I love the sound). I saw a book once with Gibson serial numbers that seemed to indicate that last year that TCD was used was in 1960 (thereafter, TDC). I wasn't paying that much attention at the time so I can't verify this is accurate though. I would also be interested in more info on this.
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Robert
Hey I have a Gibson ES-125 that was my Grandfathers and I"m trying to figure out what year it is. Serial number is:
Z2723 29
that's Z as in Zebra
That's all I can read inside it. Its the deep body, no cutaway, one pickup. I have the original Gibson Price tag and care kit as well which is kinda cool to see, no year info though.
Thanks!
Rob
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I have a 125C, and from what I can tell these are hard to come by. I've seen plenty of TCs, CDs, and TCDs, but very few Cs. It has a full-width body with a cutaway and a single P-90. I believe that it is a '66, but the Gibson serial number mess makes it hard to be sure. Anyone know how many of these might have been produced? I thought I saw a figure of 450 somewhere, compared to thousands for the other models.
Bill (jefemaximo - at - gmail - dot - com)
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I bought an old gibson today, I think its a 125 looking at pictures but it has 3 P90 black dog ear pickups, a large pickguard covering the f hole it has a 5 position switch and 3 nobs. the truss rod cover says custom,and the orange lable says bob roberts serial# 645413-1
I cannot find anything on this...
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Rob
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I have a ES125T serial number 267877. It is a non-cutaway with a single P90 pickup. It has Shaller tuning heads. I am not sure if these came with the guitar originally or were added later. It has a tremendous 'fat' jazz sound. What year was this made and what would it be worth? Please post this information or send it to my e-mail address. (thebry56@hotmail.com).
Thank you.
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I have a '57 ES-125 T with non-stock tuners and a non-original Gibson P90 in it. For a fifty-year-old student guitar it's pretty cool but it does have it's shortcomings. It sounds great through my low watt Harmony amp from about the same era but when I play it through my Princeton at low volume with an extra long chord and when I'm sitting across the room it howls and feeds back like crazy.
I'm on the fence about keeping it. I've put it up for sale a couple of times but I haven't had many bites. Recently I've been tempted to trade it in for a newer Les Paul double cut. My question is, would I be getting the short end of the stick if I go this way?
digitaplution@yahoo.com
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Hello, I just acquired a 1946 es125 with a mahogany top,tortoise pick guard and trapazoid inlays. I have the original reciept. As I look, I find no numbers of any kind, inside or out. Did they not use nubering at this time? It is in very good condition considering that it was used professionaly for a few decades. Do you know how many all mahogany models were made in 1946 and what an aproximate value would be?
I also have a J45 celebrity 90th anniversary model marked 43 of 90 on a fancy paper label. The serial number is82105587. It has a jazzmaster neck, a unique pick guard for a Gibson, very figured inlays on the neck and very heavy gold machine heads. It says "The Gibson" on the headstock, and appears to have very red rosewood back and sides. It plays like a dream and has a very beautiful voice. Would this be a guitar that will rise in value,and is it as rare as I think it is? What would be an aproximate value presently?
Thank you,
Guy Pernetti guyper@ix.netcom.com
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Kim
Hello,
I have a 1962 Gibson es 125t. The bridge on the guitar is not the original. I would like to know if you have any input into finding a bridge that was made for the guitar. I understand it is a floating rosewood bridge. I have located 3. Two of the ones I found claim to be 1950's models. The other one the owner says came off a 1966 model. The ones from the 50's appear to be more brownish in color while the '66 has a more mahogany color with brass adjusters. All I have are pics on the net to go by. Any input anyone??? Thanks!
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daniel
I just got a email reply from gibson customer service, inreguards
to my guitar. I was glad to be informed that the Gibson es125tc I bought was in fact
exactly the model I hoped it was an it was not a fake. They were able to check the
shiping log archive to locate the number on the back of the headstock(35468),
and verify not only the yr but that it left the factory on November 14th 1961.
So if your needing your guitar identified or authenticated contact customer.relations@Gibson.com
they got back to me in less than 48 hours.
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I have what I have come to learn is an ES 100 with original case and amp. It has the vintage looking pickup mounted at the bridge and does not have the carved or arched back. I can see no serial number inside or out. It was originally purchased in Montgomery, Al in 1937. It looks just like it was an L-30 acoustic archtop in which Gibson installed a pick up that was originally put in their first electric Hawaian guitars.
I'm trying to find out more about it as it appears to be made before the ES 125 and 150. Do you know if I can find out how many of this model were made or anything else about it? Could it have been Gibson's first attempt at making an electric?
Here's an added item by the way. The intrument was bought for my father when he was 13 years old. He grew up in Montgomery and played around the local circuit on shows with Hank Williams senior. As it was the first electric around, Hank actually played it from time to time. This all occured as Hank was beginning and before he became famous.
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I have a vintage gibson electric guitar and original case i am trying to find out what model it is etc. It looks as though it could be from the early 1930s or 40s it resembles the Es 100 from what i can make out from the above pics. How can i determine the model and its worth? The guitar is in a very good condition.
Doogles
doogles123@gmail.com
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Timblog
My name is Tim Cornish, and I have what is either a 125T or a 120T that dates back to 1965 or thereabouts. It's a beaut of an instrument that was almost destroyed in a fire that consumed part of the face of the guitar but left it remarkably playable. Handcrafted two-piece wood bridge and supersized pickguard adds to the romance of the guitar, and the one-piece pickup is as original, though it has been heated up a bit! If anyone is interested in this guitar, I can be reached at zenagainzenagain@gmail.com.
Tim
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Timblog
My name is Tim Cornish, and I have what is either a 125T or a 120T that dates back to 1965 or thereabouts. It's a beaut of an instrument that was almost destroyed in a fire that consumed part of the face of the guitar but left it remarkably playable. Handcrafted two-piece wood bridge and supersized pickguard adds to the romance of the guitar, and the one-piece pickup is as original, though it has been heated up a bit! If anyone is interested in this guitar, I can be reached at zenagainzenagain@gmail.com.
Tim
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Is there such thing as an es 123? My grandpa says he has one that he bought in 1952 and I haven't seen it yet. I'd like to know a little more about it if anyone could help. The serial number is 930419 or possibly a 3 at the end instead of a 9 . Any help would be appreciated. Is like to know value too if possible. Thanks!
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Is there such thing as an es 123? My grandpa says he has one that he bought in 1952 and I haven't seen it yet. I'd like to know a little more about it if anyone could help. The serial number is 930419 or possibly a 3 at the end instead of a 9 . Any help would be appreciated. Is like to know value too if possible. Thanks!
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Hello, I just bought a Gibson ES 125 and the serial number is U2788 34 I was wondering if it is legit or not? I can't really tell, but from what I've read on here, it has everything but the inlayed 'gibson' on the peghead. It's just gold print...think I got ripped off haha?? The bridge is also free standing, it's not fully attached is this meant to be like this?
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guitargeek
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Larry Turner
Gibson said my ES-120T was made in 1960.