1955 Gibson ES-295
Serial #A-21335. FON X 7291. Made famous by Scotty Moore, the ES-295 was built in limited numbers between 1952 and 1958. With its gold finish, it would seem to be the hollowbody equivalent to the Les Paul, introduced in '52 as well. But more similarities exist between the 295 and the ES-175D, and the two guitars are quite similar in tone and feel. Only about 1700 of these instruments were built over the short production run, and all were ill-fated thanks, largely, to the tailpiece/bridge assembly they were originally equipped with. This particular example has had its tailpiece replaced with a Bigsby and tune-o-matic bridge. It's a great sounding guitar, and piles of fun to play. Changed tuners, nut, frets, knobs. Neck stripped and refinished natural, headstock refinished as well, front face edges have been rounded over a bit, too. Jack-hole repair involves a new jack plate that measures 4 x 1.5 inches. Finish is well aged, with many craze lines and chips along the edges. Pickups are originals, however a push-pull pot was added (neck PU, tone control) that reverses the phasing -- it's a handy tool that creates a funky/thin sound. It plays beautifully, and sounds rich and warm. A versatile guitar, particularly with the phase switch.
With original hardshell case