A Piece of Electric Guitar History
The Gibson EH-150 is one of the instruments that started it all. Introduced in 1936 as part of Gibson's first coordinated electric line, it helped define what an electric guitar could be — and the lap steel format was right at the center of that story. If you've ever wanted to own a piece of early electric history, this is a rare opportunity.
This particular EH-150 comes in its classic Sunburst finish with a maple semi-hollow body. The pots are dirty (a common and usually serviceable vintage issue), the tuners have been replaced, and there's moderate wear on the back and finish overall. It's a player's vintage instrument — not a museum piece, but a real guitar with real history behind it.
This one suits a vintage enthusiast, a slide or Hawaiian-style player, or anyone drawn to the roots of electric guitar design.
This Gibson EH-150 is in Fair condition. The guitar is fully functional, It has cracks in finish, dings in finish, play wear, replaced Tuners to Schaller New Ones and A case Hinge is broken.
The Body and Construction
The EH-150 features a maple semi-hollow body — a construction style Gibson used to give these early electrics a warm, resonant character. The bound maple body carries the classic sunburst lacquer finish that made these instruments so visually striking alongside their players in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
Moderate finish wear and back wear are present on this example, as you'd expect from a vintage instrument of this age. The character is authentic; the wear tells a story. Players and collectors often seek out exactly this kind of honest patina.
That Pickup
The Gibson EH-150 is famous for its early blade-style single-coil pickup — commonly called the "Charlie Christian" pickup, the same design that appeared on the ES-150 archtop and helped launch electric jazz and blues. It's a distinctive-sounding unit with a warm, fundamental-heavy tone that doesn't exist in modern production guitars.
The pots on this example are described as dirty, which typically means scratchy or intermittent output when the controls are turned — a very common condition in vintage electronics. This is often addressed with contact cleaner or a pot replacement, though we recommend having a qualified tech assess the instrument before playing.
Hardware Notes
The tuners on this example have been replaced from the originals — a common modification on vintage instruments where the original tuners have worn or broken over decades of use. Replaced tuners don't affect playability, and depending on what was installed, they may actually improve tuning stability.
As with any used vintage instrument, a full setup and inspection by a qualified technician is strongly recommended before regular play.
Product Features:
- Body: Maple semi-hollow construction with classic Sunburst lacquer finish
- Pickup: Early blade-style single-coil ("Charlie Christian" style)
- Controls: Volume and tone
- Tuners: Replacement (non-original)
- Finish condition: Moderate wear on back and overall finish
- Electronics: Dirty pots (scratchy/intermittent — service recommended)
- Format: Lap steel (played flat on the lap, slide/bar technique)
- Finish: Sunburst
Brand: Gibson
Model: EH-150
SKU: U-EH-150|227-54
Condition: Used
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