# Gibson ES-125 > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gibson_ES-125 > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gibson_ES-125.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_ES-125 > Source revision: 1316425453 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Guitar model Gibson ES-125 A 1955 Gibson ES-125 with a P-90 Manufacturer Gibson Period 1941-1970 Construction Body type Hollow Neck joint set neck Woods Body laminated 3 plies ( maple, poplar, maple ) Neck mahogany Fretboard rosewood Hardware Bridge mahogany Pickup 1 P-90 Colors available Sunburst The **Gibson ES-125** is an [archtop](/source/Archtop_guitar), [hollow body electric guitar](/source/Hollow_body_electric_guitar) model that was produced by the [Gibson Guitar Corporation](/source/Gibson_Guitar_Corporation). ## Model history Introduced in 1941 as the successor to the ES-100, the ES-125 was an entry-level [archtop](/source/Archtop) [electric guitar](/source/Electric_guitar). It had one [P-90](/source/P-90) single-coil [pickup](/source/Pick_up_(music_technology)) in the neck position, a single volume control and a single tone control. The pre-war model, discontinued in 1942, had a smaller 14.5" body. When reintroduced in 1946 it had the larger 16.25" wide body that the [ES-150](/source/Gibson_ES-150) had. The unbound [rosewood](/source/Rosewood) fingerboard initially sported pearl trapezoid inlays; later, it would have dot inlays. In the mid-1950s, the ES-125T was introduced, which was an entry-level thinline archtop electric guitar based on the original ES-125. It would later add options for double P-90 pickups and a sharp cutaway, referred to as a florentine cutaway, similar to the [ES-175](/source/Gibson_ES-175). Both the thinline and the regular models would be discontinued by the 1970s. ## Specifications ### 1946 - 161⁄4" wide - Approximately 3.5" thick body - Scale length 243⁄4 - One non-adjustable [P-90](/source/P-90) pickup with "dog ears" - Pickup in neck position - Tortoise grain pickguard - Trapeze tailpiece - Single bound top and back - Pearloid circular fingerboard inlays - Silkscreen logo - Sunburst finish ### 1948 - Dot fingerboard inlays ### 1950 - Plain tailpiece - P-90 pickup with adjustable poles ## Pickups and Components The ES-125 was equipped with one P90 pickup. The original had 6 Alnico slug pole pieces. In 1950 the P90 transitioned to 6 adjustable poles between two Alnico 5 bar magnets. The model used for the ES-125 has a string spacing on the neck pickup of 115⁄16" from high E to low E. The ES-125 also used a tapered dogear cover for their neck position pickups with a thickness of 4/16" on the treble side and 5/16" on the bass side. Since the fingerboard sits flush to the body (as opposed to an ES-175) the ES-125 requires a shorter neck pickup than a typical dogear. This pickup is, however, not as short as those found on an ES-330TD which has the pickup mounted flush to the end of the fingerboard. Coils were wound to approximately 10,000 wraps although DC resistance of these pickups can vary greatly Volume and tone controls were 500k Audio taper pots. A treble bypass cap value of .022 microfarads was used for the tone circuit. D (Double Pickup) models included a 3 position toggle switch to select each pickup individually or both pickups simultaneously. ## Models - **ES-125** Full depth, non-cutaway archtop with single P-90 pickup; produced from 1946 to 1970 - **ES-125D** Full depth, non-cutaway body with double p90 pickups (very rare; only a small number produced in 1957) - **ES-125C** Full depth body with florentine cutaway; produced from 1965 to 1971 - **ES-125CD** Full depth body, double pickup (P-90) with florentine cutaway; produced from 1965 to 1971 - **ES-125T** (T = Thinline body) non-cutaway; produced from 1956 to 1969 - **ES-125TD** (D = Double p90 pickups) non-cutaway; produced from 1957 to 1964 - **ES-125TC** (C = Cutaway) florentine cutaway; produced from 1960 to 1970 - **ES-125TCD** (D = Double p90 pickups) florentine cutaway; produced from 1960 to 1970 ## Notable players Main article: [List of Gibson players](/source/List_of_Gibson_players) - [Tracy Chapman](/source/Tracy_Chapman)[1] - [Bill Frisell](/source/Bill_Frisell)[2] - [B. B. King](/source/B._B._King) (early '50s) - [Jeff Mangum](/source/Jeff_Mangum) - [Jim O'Rourke](/source/Jim_O'Rourke_(musician))[3] - [Marc Ribot](/source/Marc_Ribot)[4] - [Daniel Rossen](/source/Daniel_Rossen) - [George Thorogood](/source/George_Thorogood) - [Jeremy Spencer](/source/Jeremy_Spencer) - [Richard Clark](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_Clark_(guitarist)&action=edit&redlink=1)[5] - [Martijn van Iterson](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Martijn_van_Iterson&action=edit&redlink=1)[6] - [Thom Yorke](/source/Thom_Yorke)[7] - [Amber Rubarth](/source/Amber_Rubarth)[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] - [Joe Buck](/source/Joe_Buck_(musician))[8] - [Duke Garwood](/source/Duke_Garwood) - [Joe Pass](/source/Joe_Pass) - [Jimmie Vaughan](/source/Jimmie_Vaughan) - [Stevie Ray Vaughan](/source/Stevie_Ray_Vaughan) - [Otomo Yoshihide](/source/Otomo_Yoshihide) - [Lenny Breau](/source/Lenny_Breau) - [D. Boon](/source/D._Boon)[9] - [Fenton Robinson](/source/Fenton_Robinson) - [Devon Sproule](/source/Devon_Sproule) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Inc., Equipboard. ["Tracy Chapman's Equipboard"](http://equipboard.com/pros/tracy-chapman). *Equipboard*. {{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: |last= has generic name ([help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#generic_name)) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Bill Frisell: Made to Shine"](https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/27132-bill-frisell-made-to-shine?page=2). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** kazzniki (25 December 2013). ["2013.12.25 Jim O'Rourke / Christmas Day"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtiT4VQJPh8). [Archived](https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/PtiT4VQJPh8) from the original on 2021-12-21 – via YouTube. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Marc Ribot by David Krasnow – BOMB Magazine"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150224172426/http://bombmagazine.org/article/2210/marc-ribot). *bombmagazine.org*. Archived from [the original](http://bombmagazine.org/article/2210/marc-ribot) on 2015-02-24. Retrieved 2015-02-24. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["BVStrings"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180618175537/http://bvstrings.org/). Archived from [the original](http://bvstrings.org/) on 2018-06-18. Retrieved 2018-06-18. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Martijn van Iterson (23 February 2017). ["Martijn van Iterson & Peter Bernstein"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ1zmjIciC8). [Archived](https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/MJ1zmjIciC8) from the original on 2021-12-21 – via YouTube. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Thom Yorke's Rig"](https://thekingofgear.com/thom#pedals). *thekingofgear.com*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Paul Bowers (10 July 2013). ["Joe Buck raises Hank Williams from the grave with a guitar and a kick drum"](https://web.archive.org/web/20181105012131/https://m.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/joe-buck-raises-hank-williams-from-the-grave-with-a-guitar-and-a-kick-drum/Content?oid=4664121). *Charleston City Paper*. Archived from [the original](https://m.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/joe-buck-raises-hank-williams-from-the-grave-with-a-guitar-and-a-kick-drum/Content?oid=4664121) on 5 November 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["D. Boon's Gibson ES-125 On Equipboard"](https://equipboard.com/pros/d-boon/gibson-es-125). v t e Gibson ES Series ES-5 ES-100 ES-125 ES-130 ES-135 ES-137 ES-140 ES-150 ES-165 ES-175 ES-225 ES-250 ES-295 ES-300 ES-325 ES-330 ES-333 ES-335 ES-336 ES-339 ES-345 ES-350 ES-355 ES-359 ES-369 Other ES-Les Paul Commons --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gibson ES-125](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_ES-125) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_ES-125?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.