Gibson ES-150 vintage player Gibson's first electric

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1930s Gibson ES 150 player aged to perfection. I believe this is a prototype of Gibson's first production Electric Spanish (ES) guitar. I know they made many dozens with various woods, metals, pickup configurations...whatever the research team of Walter Fuller and Alvino Rey needed, they got from Gibson, Kalamazoo, which was in a hurry to beat the other guitar companies to market with an electric guitar. The first ES 150s (based on the archtop acoustic L-50) went on sale in 1936. This prototype screwless, P90-type pickup slides to adjust. It's successor, with screws became available in 1940. I feel secure in calling this a 70+ year-old Gibson. It's got a 16" bout, bound arched top and back. It would appear the tailpiece has been changed. The only marking is a handwritten "-21" on the inside. I think that corresponds to the lists of prototypes and configurations they were putting together in 1935. Some of their notes were made on napkins.There is plenty of wear and checking on her, but I can't see any structural breaks, cracks or repairs, except for the pickguard (which functions as it should), and the strap buttons are missing. It plays really nicely acoustically with a crisp top end and great low action. Plugged in, it does what it was made for--put those Charlie Christian-type jazzers over the orchestra with a nice smooth sound. read more

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