I started to go down this road - and realized that practically all the "everyman's" Chicago built mid century archtops that I looked at had some serious (and potentially expensive) aging issues.
Not to talk you out of anything but keep in mind that if you have some patience and look out for one - you can find a Godin 5th Avenue (Kingpin) used in the $500 -$600 range which considering what you pay for one of these old ones and what it costs to get it playable starts looking close to similar.
I got a used Kingpin and it's a nice guitar for the money, sounds & plays well unplugged, and has a nice P90 that is awesome through a tube amp.
Not vintage mojo - but it kinda sorta gets you a good part of the way into ES125 territory.
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