The Gibson ES-225 is a thinline hollowbody

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

model produced by the

Gibson Guitar Corporation Gibson Brands, Inc. (formerly Gibson Guitar Corporation) is an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and professional audio equipment from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and now based in Nashville, Tennessee. The company was forme ...

between 1955 and 1959. It is notable as the first thinline hollowbody guitar produced by Gibson.

History

The ES-225 was originally introduced in 1955 as the ES-225T, a thinline hollowbody guitar featuring a Florentine cutaway, the Les Paul combined bridge and tailpiece (also used on the

Les Paul Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar, and his prototype ...

from 1952 to 1953 and on the

ES-295 The Gibson ES-295 (1952-1959) is a hollow body guitar which was built by the Gibson Guitar Company. The ES-295 was introduced in May 1952 as a fancier version of the ES-175. The 295 had the same measurements as the ES-175, but it came in gold fin ...

), a laminated pickguard, and a single

P-90 The P-90 (sometimes written P90) is a single coil electric guitar pickup produced by Gibson since 1946. Gibson is still producing P-90s, and there are outside companies that manufacture replacement versions. Compared to other single coil desig ...

pickup mounted in an unusual position midway between the bridge and the end of the fingerboard. From 1956 the ES-225TD, a twin pickup model with conventional pickup positioning, was also available.Both models had a tobacco

sunburst A sunburst is a design or figure commonly used in architectural ornaments and design patterns and possibly pattern books. It consists of rays or "beams" radiating out from a central disk in the manner of sunbeams. Sometimes part of a sunbur ...

finish, with more expensive natural finish models (ES225TN and ES-225TDN) also available from 1956.Duchossoir A R (1998). ''Gibson Electrics: The Classic Years''. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Corporation, p. 229''Gibson Electric Guitars and Amplifiers'', 1958 catalogue
Kalamazoo, Michigan: Gibson, Inc. p.9

Specifications

The specifications remained the same during the period the guitars were manufactured, with the exception that in 1959 a few guitars were made with separate trapeze-style tailpieces and floating Tune-o-matic bridges. When the guitar was initially marketed it was the first thinline hollowbody guitar Gibson had produced,Wheeler T (1992). ''American Guitars: An Illustrated History''. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, p. 139 preceding the Byrdland and ES-350T models.Duchossoir A R (1981). ''Gibson Electrics''. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Corporation, p. 112 In 1959 the ES-225 was phased out in favour of the ES-330 and ES-125T models.Duchossoir A R (1998). ''Gibson Electrics: The Classic Years''. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Corporation, p. 82

Reception

Gibson shipped 5,220 of the single pickup ES-225 and 2,754 of the twin pickup models.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson ES-225

ES-225 The Gibson ES-225 is a thinline hollowbody electric guitar model produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation between 1955 and 1959. It is notable as the first thinline hollowbody guitar produced by Gibson. History The ES-225 was originally introdu ...

Semi-acoustic guitars 1955 in music