Description
Lovies Guitars is excited to present this 1940 Gibson ES-300 Hollowbody Electric Guitar with a Natural Finish! In 1936, Gibson first started making the ES-150, their first cataloged amplified archtop guitar. The rather plain instrument proved to be an immediate hit with a brilliant young player named Charlie Christian, whose fiery bop lead lines were perfectly suited the ES-150’s new electric tone. (To this day, the angular pickup in that guitar is know as the Charlie Christian pickup.) Gibson was excited by the interest the new electric guitars were stirring up and they began to experiment with new models and new pickup designs. The Charlie Christian pickup sounded good, but the primitive non-pole piece blade design meant the string to string volume balance was never quite right. Also, it had a lot of parts and was difficult to manufacture. Given those issues, Gibson came up with this pickup.
This huge pickup was only offered on the ES-300 for a year or so before Gibson decided that it was perhaps not the best design. I have played one guitar with this pickup and it actually sounded pretty sweet. The bass strings, where the pickup is near the fingerboard, have a nice warm tone. The treble strings, with the pickup near the bridge, are bright and clear. I’m not sure exactly what Gibson was up to with this pickup, but I suspect that the mixed tone was the point until someone pointed out that two pickups would perhaps be a better design. Still, it is a very cool if slightly odd looking guitar and very rare! This guitar is in excellent shape for its age! Has an indent below the bridge, extra hole in the pickguard, a strap button hole on the neck, several minor indents and marks, rated at 9/10. Has non original vintage knobs, pickguard may be a reproduction, has a professionally repaired 3” crack near the volume knob and a small 1/2” glued top separation near the tip of the pickguard. Included with this guitar is an Original Hard-Shell Case and a complimentary sample of Fret-Not, our preferred fretboard cleaner, check it out at fretnot.net! Thank you for considering this exceptional instrument from Lovies Guitars.
WEIGHS in at: 6.55 lbs
1st Fret: .920”
9th Fret: 1.045”
Nut Width: 1 11/16”
Serial: 96520
SKU: 6753
We offer a 14-day money-back return policy. Buy with confidence.
All guitars are guaranteed to arrive in the condition as described, and a full refund will be issued if not. Additionally, all our guitars are fully insured, and we will assist with any claims that may arise.
Lovies Guitars holds a CITES Master File, and we can provide certificates when and where they are required. We are also declaration-friendly, ensuring a smooth experience for international shipments.
