What we have here is a first year Gibson ES-5 from 1949. 1949 is the only year for the ES-5 to have unbound f-holes. Pickups are original to the guitar. 1949 and 1950s P-90s are easy to spot, the coil bobbin material is a black/white/black plastic ply. By 1951 that was replaced by all-black injection molded bobbins.
When the "Switchmaster" model was introduced in 1956, this guitar was sent back to Gibson and converted to Switchmaster specs. The entire harness of all six controls is made of matching date 1956 Centralab pots with three original Bumble Bee caps. All wire and soldering is factory Gibson work. All six knobs are authentic bonnet knobs from 1956.
The pickup selector switch was added in the cutaway where the previous master tone knob was located on the older ES-5s. The switch bezel hides the hole. See pictures.
Frets were recently replaced by Holger Notzel. The guitar plays flawlessly with low action.
There is a filled screw hole on the neck heel where a strap button was previously installed. That button has been moved to a much more convenient location on the upper bass bout above the neck (sort of in the standard Les Paul position). The crew actually goes into the massive heel block, not just through the side, so it's rock solid and there is no danger of damage by using it.
This ES-5 sounds particularly great. We are fond of these earliest P-90 pickups, they tend to be clearer and more detailed than later iterations. The Switchmaster conversion no doubt further opened up this guitars tone. The old ES-5 wiring has three volume controls constantly loading down the pickups. Here the switch isolates the pickups from each other, giving them a bit more output, clarity and harmonics compared to a standard ES-5. Of course, the switch has 4 positions, 1+2+3+ALL, and in the ALL position it's essentially back to standard ES-5 with three active volume controls allowing you to blend the pickups. Best of both worlds, really.
There’s a long, repaired crack running along the side through the output jack. Please look at the pictures, it’s visible. The repair is old and well done, everything is solid. There’s an oversized jack plate installed.
The back of the headstock shows evidence of different sets of tuners having been installed, with additional screw holes filed in and touched up,
The tuners on the guitar now are current Kluson “waffle back” types.
All three pickups are original to the guitar. Early P-90s with black/white/black bobbins that were only used until 1950. However, the middle pickup appears to have newer pole piece screws.
Case is a later1960s Gibson hardshell case, not original to the guitar.
