The Gibson ES-225 is a thin-line hollow-body electric guitar model produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation between 1955 and 1959. It is notable as the first thin-line hollow-body guitar produced by Gibson, preceding the Byrdland and ES-350T models. In 1959 the ES-225 was phased out in favour of the ES-330 and ES-125T models.
The ES-225 was originally introduced in 1955 as the ES-225T, a thin-line hollow-body guitar featuring a Florentine cutaway, the Les Paul combined bridge and tailpiece (also used on the Les Paul from 1952–1953 and on the ES-295), a laminated pick-guard, and a single P-90 pickup mounted in an unusual position midway between the bridge and the end of the fingerboard. From 1956 the ES-225TD, a twin pickup model with conventional pickup positioning, was also available. Both models had a tobacco sunburst finish, with more expensive natural finish models (ES225TN and ES-225TDN) also available from 1956. The specifications remained the same during the period the guitars were manufactured, with the exception that in 1959 a few guitars were made with separate trapeze-style tailpieces and floating Tune-o-matic bridges.
The production of this guitar reached 5.220 of the single pickup ES-225 and 2.754 of the twin pickup model.
This instrument was owned by Bush guitarist Chris Traynor. Chris used it on Bush’s recording of a Beatles song for the Jim Beams Live Music Series in 2012.
