QUESTION

I have what I believe is a white Gibson 1957 es-175 with pafs. according to all the information i can find they never made these . i bought it to a few people some said refinished but i know it is not my father has had it forever and it has never left the house. did they make such an instrument and if so how rare is it. I do not know who to trust when i am getting mixed answers and you can highly recommend and one person told me you actually had one .

REPLY

Well i am going to tell you you probably have one of the coolest guitars. I have personally sold 3 of these one was a Gibson  es-175d one was a Gibson  l-7 and one was a Gibson es-175 one pickup all were paf models and these i believe were a custom ordered or one run guitar. I know a famous collector in new york who has 6 of these  , i sold him 3 of the 6 and they are as real and as rare as it gets in the vintage market.

The first tome i saw one was in 1990 and i thought it was refinished because like yourself never saw one. Then i called my friend Perry Margoulef a vintage guitar expert and renowned burst dealer and he authenticated it and actually bought it. since then i had two others and have only seen 4 others in my life. i would guess they made about 12 of each model in white . that seems to be the consensus but no one knows. these are the coolest looking guitars ever i wish i never sold them.

the Gibson double neck in white was not uncommon although again only a few made but to see hollow body and arch tops in with  even spruce top ones in white is truly an exciting think for a vintage dealer or collector. i remember looking at this Gibson es-175 i had for hours on the shop thinking wow that  so hip at the time we had a burst and other goltops from the 1950,s but to me this was the cool one.

As far as value goes i would say they are worth about 3 times what a sunburst one is worth and maybe even 4 times as much . My favorite line is ok its too much, well find another !!!! Do not give that one away and if you want send me pictures and i can verify that one also if it is a real early 1957 Gibson it will have the no name paf ‘s which would  also add a rarity to it being some of the first paf guitars made. If you have any other  questions please feel free to contact me at  THE PARTSDRAWER i will be glad to appraise or authenticate it for free .

QUESTION

If money were not an option what one guitar would you recommend for me as a collector to buy. I am a Gibson man I prefer them over Fender guitars Many are telling me to buy a 1959 Les Paul flametop some a flying V. I know you have many years experience in this business your opinion would be of great value to me

REPLY

Thank you for the e mail  would be glad to recommend one for you and I did not even have to think twice. If money really  is no options for you,  A real 1950′s Korina Explorer is the holy grail. I would estimate about 28 were made and I would say about 80% are already accounted for in collections. This would without a double hold is value more than any Gibson guitar unless lets say Jimmy Pages Les Paul or some celebrity guitar.

The guitar itself is a radical design for the time and it along with the Flying Vee and supposedly !!! a Modern was Gibsons futuristic view of the guitar. The Explore itself i have always found to sound and play great. I have had the fortune to actually flay a few real ones and what can i say it is like a religious experience. The guitar was made out of a wood names Korina which is actual African Limba wood I believe and having the same characteristics of mahogany or that is my opinion it was a no loose situation. Any all mahogany guitar with humbuckers or P90′s pickups kills I mean it is a flawless combination and Gibson new this .

You have to be careful there have been many copies and forgeries over the years and some quite good ( thanks to max and others) but still now that i have seen a real one there is no real comparison. the problem lies in the fact that so few exist there is nothing to compare it to so how many people can say they have seen played or touched one. Thousands have played burts and and Flying Vees and have some reference to real and what is not but that is not the case with an Explorer.

A few tips do not buy one without and original case. !!!!! unless you have an expert with you the case is so rare it should be with theguitar also look closely many have converted double neck cases to fit these look close.  Nobody has ever copied the case correctly this is FIRST thing to look for. The parts are very unique for this guitar and I do not want to give all the secrets away but have the parts checked out . The tuners on these varied over the years too so check the fact closely. I Will be glad to answer any question personally rather than put all the info out on the net for the forgers to pickup on. It is better for you to pay a person a few thousand dollars when buy this to verify it i have a list of collectors who have the real ones and will be glad to help . These are going for around $500,000.00 now so what is $2000-$4000 when you could loose your shirt . Do not cheap out on an expert with this one folks you Will thank me later .

I hope this helps and again I will be glad to put you in contact wit a real guy if you need info just e mail me at THE PARTS DRAWER  good luck and happy hunting this one is THE ONE TO OWN.

JIm Pasch