The Guitar That Put Three Pickups on the Map
In 1955, Gibson took their already-remarkable ES-5 and made it genuinely practical. The result was the ES-5 Switchmaster — a name that came directly from the four-position selector switch mounted on the Venetian cutaway, which finally gave players a fast, intuitive way to navigate three pickups without treating their guitar like a mixing board. This is a first-year Switchmaster, one of the earliest examples of a configuration that remains influential to this day.
The ES-5 was designed as the electric counterpart to Gibson's L-5, one of the most respected acoustic archtops in jazz history. That heritage shows in every dimension of this guitar: a full 17-inch-wide laminated maple body, deep Venetian cutaway, multi-ply binding, gold-plated hardware, and pearl block inlays on a bound rosewood fingerboard. It's a large, formal instrument that announces itself before you plug it in.
Players drawn to vintage hollowbodies, jazz archtops, blues, rockabilly, or anyone who simply wants a piece of mid-century American guitar making at its most ambitious will find this instrument genuinely compelling. The ES-5 Switchmaster has been in the hands of T-Bone Walker, Jimmy Page, Billy Gibbons, Carl Perkins, and Frank Zappa — a short list that tells you a great deal about its range.
The Body: 17 Inches of Laminated Maple
The ES-5 Switchmaster is built on a full-depth hollowbody with a laminated maple body — top, back, and sides — measuring 17 inches wide, 21 inches long, and 3-3/8 inches deep. Gibson's use of figured maple for the ES-5 line gives the body a distinctive look that sets it apart from plainer hollowbodies of the era. Bound f-holes, a Venetian (rounded) cutaway, and multi-ply body binding complete the classic archtop aesthetic.
The neck is a multi-piece maple construction — consistent with Gibson's standard for the ES-5 line — with a scale length of 25-1/2 inches and a nut width of 1-11/16 inches. The rosewood fingerboard carries large mother-of-pearl block inlays and multi-ply binding. In 1955, body binding on the Switchmaster was 3-ply — a detail that distinguishes first-year examples from the 5-ply binding introduced in 1956.
Three P-90s and the Switchmaster Control System
The 1955 Switchmaster carries three P-90 single-coil pickups — the dog-ear variety used on the ES-5 through 1957, before Gibson transitioned to PAF humbuckers later that year. P-90s deliver a characteristically clear, detailed tone with a bit more edge than a full humbucker, making them well-suited for everything from warm jazz voicings to snappier blues and rockabilly sounds.
The control layout is the defining feature of the Switchmaster name: six knobs — individual volume and tone for each of the three pickups — arrayed along the lower treble bout, paired with a four-position selector switch (positions 1, 2, 3, and ALL) on the cutaway. This configuration gave players complete, independent control over each pickup for the first time on a production Gibson. The gold-plated ABR-1 Tune-o-Matic bridge on a rosewood base was also introduced in 1955 alongside the Switchmaster designation.
Product Features:
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Body: Full-depth laminated maple hollowbody archtop, 17" wide × 21" long × 3-3/8" deep
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Top/Back/Sides: Laminated curly maple with Venetian cutaway and bound f-holes
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Neck: Multi-piece maple, set-neck construction, 25-1/2" scale, 1-11/16" nut width
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Fretboard: Rosewood with mother-of-pearl block inlays, multi-ply binding, 20 frets
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Pickups: Three P-90 single-coil pickups (dog-ear style) — original configuration for 1955
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Controls: Six knobs (individual volume and tone per pickup) + four-position selector switch (1/2/3/ALL)
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Bridge: Gold-plated ABR-1 Tune-o-Matic on rosewood base — introduced alongside the Switchmaster in 1955
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Hardware: Gold-plated throughout
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Body Binding: 3-ply (first-year Switchmaster spec; 5-ply introduced in 1956)
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Year: 1955 — first year of the Switchmaster designation
This is a used electric guitar from our inventory. Pictures are of the actual item you will receive.
This vintage 1955 Gibson ES-5 Switchmaster is in good overall condition for its age, showing honest wear consistent with decades of use. The guitar is fully functional and has been well preserved, with normal cosmetic wear including finish checking, scratches, dings, and other signs of age that are to be expected from a vintage instrument. It has non-original strap buttons installed, and the original Gibson factory label is no longer present inside the body. Please review the photos carefully, as they provide the best representation of the instrument's overall condition.
All used gear is sold AS IS.
Brand: Gibson
Model: ES-5 Switchmaster
SKU: U-1955-ES-5-SWITCHMASTER|ISI61526A
Condition: Used
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