1947 - 1948 Gibson ES-300 N - Natural - Electric Archtop - w/OHSC

For your consideration, a lovely Gibson ES-300 N from late-1947 to early-1948!

The ES-300 is a model we don't see too often... The model launched in 1940 and was made in small quantities until 1942 when guitar production at Gibson was put on hold while the materials and manufacturing priority shifted to supporting the war effort. The ES-300 reappeared in 1946 and lasted until 1952. Less than 600 total were shipped by Gibson through this period, and it is estimated that less than 200 of those were completed with a Natural finish, some say the number could be as low as 160, total. They're upscale, but not overly ornate. Simple and clean! 

This gorgeous ES-300 N (Natural) is in player's-grade condition: it's going to make a player super happy! I can't remember the last time I said that about an ES-300.....it seems we mostly find them in museum-grade condition or completely trashed, so we're extra excited about this one being right in the middle: it still has enough original parts to give you the magic of the originals, but someone has already played the hell out of it so you don't have to worry about using it live, or as a daily-driver!  

Let's start at the top! The original Kluson tuners are intact and all work as they should, but some are slightly bent. There are a few replaced mounting screws. Check out the stinger on the back of the headstock! The neck is straight and the truss rod works well in both directions. The headstock is missing a piece of binding on the right side. The original frets have show the kind of divots that only comes from serious playing! The guitar is playable, but there is some buzzing on certain notes. We have the action down pretty low and it is strung with flatwounds. Roundwounds did minimize the fret buzz, but we opted for the flats for an authentic experience, and the bridge and action could be raised to minimize the fret buzz if you need to.... if it was ours to keep and play forever, we would probably refret it, but since they are original and ultimately will end up in the hands of another, we left them alone. Again, it is playable, but could use some fretwork. The Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard is nice and dark and without any cracks. The neck is perfectly worn and feels like it was someone's #1. This one got played, and we all know only the best sounding ones get this worn! The neck was reset a long time ago and it does not currently need another reset and is showing no signs of needing one anytime in the near future. They got the angle right, and it is securely attached. There is a hole from a previously installed strap button on the neck heel. The original pickguard is long gone..... honestly it probably turned into a disgusting outgassing mess, as the ol' tortoiseshell guards tends to do. The pickup is a 1940s Gibson P-13 and the original matching mounting ring. Both pots, the tone capacitor, and jack are original and in working condition. The knobs are replacements. The bridge is original and in good shape, and the original Kluson "f-hole" tailpiece is intact and has not been modified. This desirable tailpiece was only offered on this model, and only for a few months. The endpin is new. The wood around the output jack cracked at some point (not uncommon) and has been reinforced and repaired. We have inspected the entire instrument with a UV lamp and the inside structure with a borescope and found no signs of major repair, no cracks, and no signs of ending pending failures or major future issues. The original brown Lifton case is included.