77 years old, wonderfully honest and one of those guitars that’s very difficult to put down.
We’ve actually had this 1949 Gibson ES-5 in the shop before, and I remembered it immediately. The last time it was here I couldn’t stop playing it, and nothing has changed.
This is a genuinely fantastic old Gibson.
At 77 years old, it naturally carries the evidence of a long musical life. There is honest play wear and there have been repairs over the years, but what we particularly like about this guitar is that nobody has attempted to disguise its history. What you see is what you get.
And what you get is a seriously good guitar.
It has that feel that is incredibly difficult to reproduce in a newer instrument—the neck, the response and the way the whole guitar comes alive under your hands. It feels played-in rather than worn-out.
For us, that’s a huge part of the appeal of a vintage instrument. This isn’t a museum piece pretending that the last 77 years didn’t happen. It’s an honest old Gibson that has been played, maintained, repaired when necessary and clearly enjoyed.
Come in and play it. You’ll understand very quickly why I remembered this one.