1950s Gibson ES-225TD Vintage Hollowbody Electric Guitar Sunburst w/ Bigsby B6, Case

Up for sale, a 1950's Gibson ES-225TD in excellent condition and in perfect working order. Outfitted with a Bigsby B6 vibrato and corresponding aluminum Bigsby bridge for greater practicality and versatility, this ES-225TD is a stellar example with the original nitro lacquer gloss Sunburst finish and brown Lifton hardshell case.One of the cooler and oft overlooked Gibson models of the '50s, the 225TD is essentially a single florentine cutaway precursor to the ES-330. With its fully hollow maple body and Honduran mahogany neck, this 225 is a very resonant and sweet sounding instrument, outfitted with a brand new pair of Lollar P-90 pickups. The pickups have the midrange growl and glassy, dynamic quality of this hotly wound Gibson design, delivering rich bark when you dig in hard. The pickups clean up nicely for complex chord work with a lighter touch or by backing off the Volume knob a hair, and the body delivers both the snappy note attack of maple as a tonewood and the airy warmth of the thinline hollowbody construction. The guitar is featherweight at 6lbs 7oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar with roundwound 12-52 strings, low action, and spot-on intonation.The one-piece Honduran mahogany neck has round late '50s C profile carve, shy of some of the more prodigious “baseball bat” carves, yet still offering plenty of roundness and substance, measuring .880" deep at the 1st fret and .910" at the 9th. The bound Brazilian rosewood fretboard is a nice dark cut, professionally refretted with medium jumbo fretwire. The frets are flawless, with the same width and a hair more crown than the original frets. The guitar plays easily up the 24 3/4" scale, and the nylon nut measures 1 11/16" in width. The headstock has been fitted with Kluson-style tuning machines with aged buttons, and these tuners turn smoothly and hold pitch well with liberal Bigsby use.The headstock does exhibit an older V-shaped repair only across the treble side of the headstock joint. The repair is smooth to the touch and professionally addressed, and the guitar holds full string tension with ease.All of the electronics function as intended, with the Lollar pickups wired to dedicated Volume and Tone knobs for each P-90. The ES-225TD factory stamp is bold and clean visible through the F hole, and there does not appear to be a factory order number to further narrow down the exact year of production. Hardware includes a vintage Bigsby B6 vibrato tailpiece and matching aluminum Bigsby bridge with compensated saddle. The Bigsby arm sits at an ideal height off the body with a responsive, tight spring that works well for warbles and broader expressive gestures. The plastics are all modern including the truss rod cover, amber bonnet knobs, switch tip, and wide-bevel pickguard.The original nitro lacquer Sunburst finish is vibrant and unfaded, exhibiting buckle rash central to the back, and some ancillary finish scratches and minor marks consistent with age on the body as a whole. The smooth nitro gloss is intact on the profile length, with some shallow marks that aren't distracting to the palm while fretting.The original brown Lifton hardshell case with pink interior is included. The case retains the original latches and stock handle.