The Gibson ES-250 was the second edition of the

Gibson ES-150 The Gibson Guitar Corporation's ES-150 guitar is generally recognized as the world's first commercially successful Spanish-style electric guitar. The ES stands for Electric Spanish, and Gibson designated it "150" because they priced it (in an in ...

amplified guitar, though released in several different versions. It had 17" body width and a 21" body length. It had a curly maple back and a spruce top with a maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. It was used in combination with the Gibson EH-185 and EH-275 amplifier.

History

First Version

The first version from 1939 is seen in a popular photograph with

Charlie Christian Charles Henry Christian (July 29, 1916 – March 2, 1942) was an American swing and jazz guitarist. Christian was an important early performer on the electric guitar and a key figure in the development of bebop and cool jazz. He gained nati ...

. It had a sunburst finish and a 19 fret fingerboard and stair-stepped headstock and featured "open book" fret markers. It was released for sale that year.

Second Version

The second version can also be seen in photographs of Charlie Christian. It had a natural finish and a twenty fret fingerboard and slight variations on the

Charlie Christian pickup The Gibson Guitar Corporation's ES-150 guitar is generally recognized as the world's first commercially successful Spanish-style electric guitar. The ES stands for Electric Spanish, and Gibson designated it "150" because they priced it (in an ins ...

, as it has come to be known. It became available by 1940.

Third Variant

What is called the 3rd variant resembled a Gibson L7 with a

. It had flower pot fret markers and an ornate headstock. Other variants with differing models of the tailpiece appeared in the short period this guitar was manufactured.

Gallery

References

External links

Photos and description Gibson L7 with Charlie Christian pickupPre-war Gibson instruments and amplifiers
ES-250 Semi-acoustic guitars {{electric-guitar-stub