The Gibson ES-300 was, when it came highly anticipated to the lineup in 1940, the top of the line electric archtop offered by the venerable manufacturer. After many iterations of guitars, the ES-300 appeared as almost an unwelcome replacement to the fold, having what can only be described as the single biggest pickup known to the universe: so large that it impeded playing in fact. Gibson took the hint, and the smaller pickup'd version of the 300 was born, and that's what you see here.
The ES-300, as Gibson's head honcho electric archtop model, had a range of luxurious features. Its body width was a generous 17" with an "Advanced" design (bigger than the previous 16"), and the construction utilized top-quality spruce for the tops and gorgeous curly maple for the backs, sides, and neck. Gibson's skilled artisans hand-carved both the top and back, as they'd been doing since the days of Orville Gibson. The neck was bound and adorned with double parallelogram inlays, while the headstock featured a pearl script logo.
Notably, the ES-300 introduced the crown peghead to Gibson instruments, although certain variations had a modified split-diamond inlay instead. The pickguards were bound, hardware was nickel-plated, and the bridges were made of rosewood. Both the top and back were triple-bound, and customers had the option to choose between sunburst and natural finishes.
This guitar is in great condition, having just received a much needed refret that eliminated a hump at the 12th fret, and has been assessed and found to be in excellent shape. The tailpiece is non-original. The finish is in great condition, with only a few nicks and scratches here or there. The pickup, almost Telecaster like in a way, is unlike any of the other archtop pickups Gibson ever made. It plays great, nice and smooth and with low action. Serial #97429/#40960 comes with a 50's style hard shell case.
