Gibson ES-250
Encyclopedia
The Gibson ES-250 was the second edition of the Gibson ES-150
amplified guitar, though released in several different versions. It had 17" body width and a 21" body length. It had a curly maple back and a spruce top with a maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. It was used in combination with the Gibson EH-185 amplifier.
. It had a sunburst finish and a 19 fret fingerboard and stair-stepped headstock and featured "open book" fret markers.
The second version can also be seen in photographs of Charlie Christian. It had a natural finish and a twenty fret fingerboard and slight variations on the Charlie Christian pickup
, as it has come to be known. It became available by 1940.
. It had flower pot fret markers and an ornate headstock. Other variants appeared in the short period this guitar was manufactured.
Gibson ES-150
The Gibson Guitar Corporation's ES-150 guitar is generally recognized as the world's first commercially successful Spanish-style electric guitar. The ES stands for Electric Spanish, and it was designated 150 because it cost $150, along with an EH-150 amplifier and a cable.After its introduction in...
amplified guitar, though released in several different versions. It had 17" body width and a 21" body length. It had a curly maple back and a spruce top with a maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. It was used in combination with the Gibson EH-185 amplifier.
First Version
The first version from early 1939 is seen in a photograph with Charlie ChristianCharlie Christian
Charles Henry "Charlie" Christian was an American swing and jazz guitarist.Christian was an important early performer on the electric guitar, and is cited as a key figure in the development of bebop and cool jazz. He gained national exposure as a member of the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra...
. It had a sunburst finish and a 19 fret fingerboard and stair-stepped headstock and featured "open book" fret markers.
Second Version
Charlie Christian pickup
The "Charlie Christian" pickup was an early electric guitar pickup. It was first used on the Gibson ES-150, which entered the market in 1936. The ES-150 was the first electric "Spanish-style" guitar; previous electric guitars had been designed to be played lap, or "Hawaiian" style...
, as it has come to be known. It became available by 1940.
Third Variant
What is called the 3rd variant resembled a Gibson L7 with a Charlie Christian pickupCharlie Christian pickup
The "Charlie Christian" pickup was an early electric guitar pickup. It was first used on the Gibson ES-150, which entered the market in 1936. The ES-150 was the first electric "Spanish-style" guitar; previous electric guitars had been designed to be played lap, or "Hawaiian" style...
. It had flower pot fret markers and an ornate headstock. Other variants appeared in the short period this guitar was manufactured.