Gibson / ES-5 Historic Reissue HS5P / 1997 / Wine Red / Guitar
|
Here is a beautiful Historic Reissue from the mid-90’s, one of the very first versions of the Gibson ES-5. This archtop has huge resonance (same body as the L-5), and it is a reissue of the first version of the model, being the first guitar of it’s time featuring three pickups. It was created as an electric version of the L-5, but turned out to be great for blues and rock!
Pickups were single-coil P-90s (they switched to PAFs in ’57), and it featured three volume pots (one for each pickup) and a master tone, which was pretty unusual since selector switches were the usual thing. In fact, the following version (the “Switchmaster”) had a 4-way selector switch (plus a volume control for each pickup, too).
This Historic Reissue version is model ES-5 HS5P (disc. in 2000), a very hard find nowadays (Switchmasters are easier to get, since they are in current production). The flamed maple is all over the guitar: top, back, sides, neck...! It comes in a very elegant Wine Red (one of the two options along with Vintage Sunburst; Natural had a $1.500 upcharge).
It does have some very light scratches and mild worming in the back, but it is in an overall excellent condition, looking great. The headstock obviously has some light scratches too (probably due to sloppy string replacing) and some finish has cracked near the a couple of tuners’ bases (see pic, very hard to spot). We rate this guitar’s condition as Excellent. You are welcome to contact us for a detailed description.
Regarding the sound, despite being made as a version of the L-5 (jazz), it admits other genres wonderfully, you can ask T-Bone Walker! With the current .11 strings and the warm tones of the P-90s, it gives great jazz tones, but also magnificent blues/rockabilly sounds! And Rock’n’Roll: Zappa used this in his first records.
A great chance to get your hands on a very hard find, in amazing shape and at a great price.
Details
Model: ES-5 HS5P
Series: Historic Reissue
Year: 1997
Color: Wine Red
Top, back, sides: Figured Maple
Neck: 5-Ply Maple/Walnut Neck
Fretboard: Rosewood
Scale Length: 25.5"
Nut Width: 1-11/16"
Frets: 20
Pickups: Three Single Coil black P-90 Pickups
Controls: Invidivual Volume for each Pickup, Master Tone
Bridge: Tune-o-Matic Bridge with Rosewood Base
Tailpiece: Raised Tailpiece
Body Width: 17"
Body Length: 21"
Body Depth: 3-3/8"
Hardware: Gold
Includes OHSC
Guitar Giraffe, Spain 
In the last few years, online sale for musical instruments has experienced an amazing growth, but has passed right through the pre-owned market (that is, in Spain), limiting it to specialised forums and private owners. This is why Guitar Giraffe was born, the first physical and online second hand guitar and amp store (we like to call it "pre-owned", since we see a big difference between both terms), with a clear commitment of giving new options to guitarists locally and worldwide. Pre-owned guitar stores, so common in UK and USA, were practically nonexistent in Spain. We’ve wanted to fill that empty space by becoming the first physical and online store in our country focused on pre-owned guitars and amps.
