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Got my first ES-175, a mahogany sided natural from 1985. The guitar is in decent condition, definitely has seen some use and has small cracks in the neck binding from fret sprout maybe? Nothing that affects how it plays or sounds though which is great. Sound is perhaps a tad brighter than a 1976 specimen I tried out recently but could be because of strings.
A couple of things I've noticed though that might be of concern. The binding at the tip of the cutaway is kind of wonky. And also the pickguard holes to access the pickup height adjustment screws are quite misaligned. Maybe this is why the guitar was marked as a "second". Maybe an aftermarket pickguard? Anything here I should be concerned about?
Also any chance the pickups are Shaws? Or am I going to have to remove the covers to know for sure? Pics of the PUs in the next reply.
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07-18-2024 11:44 AM
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Pickups:
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Always loved the look of that combo. Enjoy!
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Nice guitar. And with those Shaw pickups, I bet it sounds great!
The pickup adjustment screw problem could well be why it is marked a second, or it could be an aftermarket pickguard, who knows?
Enjoy the guitar and may she inspire your playing for many years to come!
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Thanks! Do you think those are Shaws? I have no clue myself besides it being the right time period.
Originally Posted by Stringswinger
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That serial number was stamped about 47 days before mine.
I bought mine new around Christmas 1985. Mine is also a second.
Mine sounds great. I have a great collection of high-end Gibson archtops, but in hindsight the 175 would have been more than enough. It can hang with any of them.
Who would have known that the Tim Shaw pickups everyone hated on in the 80s for not being PAFs would now be highly desired 40 years later.
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Yep, I would bet that those are Shaws. My 82 175 had those exact pickups and they were Shaws and great sounding (My biggest guitar regret is selling that guitar). Originally Posted by raytan
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The guitar looks fine. The binding is a non-issue and yes something to do with the pickup screws being in alignment could be the problem with the guitar as a second. Frankly the guitar looks great and these things are a nothing, play it like Joe Pass.
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Congrats! Great looking axe!
Three or four years ago I bought similar ES from 1984 with Shaws and the sound is finally that warm classic jazz sound that I had chased for over a decade!
Enjoy it!
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Oh wow that's really cool. Did yours also come from the Nashville factory? Any chance you have more pictures to share? Would love to be able to compare with mine. Originally Posted by Bluedawg
Also, are the insides of your f-holes painted black? I assumed that might have been done after it left the factory but if yours are also I suppose Gibson might have done that themselves.
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@raytan...Congratulations on your '85 ES175!
And welcome to the 'Shaw-era 175 club'. Actually there's no such group, but there seems to be quite a few unofficial members on this forum. :-)
My '89 ES175 looks like the younger cousin of yours. (see avatar)
And the Shaw pickups sound great to my ear.
Enjoy your new baby and play it in good health.
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Here is the link with pics to my NGD thread of the 1984 ES-175:
Gibson ES-175 Nat Mahogany 1984
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It was actually this exact post that inspired my post as well. Looks like your pickups are easier to identify as Shaws with the holes allowing you to see the spacer. Originally Posted by Herbie
Are the inside edges of your f-holes colored black as well?
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Really like the looks of the mahogany ES175.
Side note: I have similar looking pickups in my 1989 L5. Don't know if they are Shaws or not but they sure sound great with TI flat wounds.
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100% Tim Shaw humbuckers.
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Originally Posted by raytan
Yes, it came from the Nashville factory.
The f-holes are painted black on the edges. It came that way when I bought it new. I've never made any mods to it.
These are old pictures. I may try to get some newer ones this weekend.
The back and sides are covered in finish checking now. I stored it at my parents for a few years while I lived overseas. It seems to have happened then.
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Yes, the f-hole edges are black in my guitar too. Originally Posted by raytan
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Either way they sound great, but what do you see that makes you say that? Originally Posted by ThatRhythmMan
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The pickups would be period correct for the guitar, the baseplate with the embossed number and brass screws. Later Shaws like these also stopped getting the inked date stamp. I’ve seen more than a few of them. Originally Posted by raytan
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Very nice look. Nice subtle flame on the top, instead of over-the-top stripes.
Looks like it may have had a pro refret. Anyone else see that?
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And after handling a pair of these Originally Posted by ThatRhythmMan
pickups about a decade ago I noticed that it is easy to rub the inked date stamps away if You are not careful…
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Very true. Originally Posted by Herbie
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That would explain why there isn't a bit of binding covering the ends of the frets. Originally Posted by Woody Sound
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Outstanding looking guitar! And the pickups rings are oriented to set the pickups parallel to the strings, unlike the factory orientation. I haven't fixed that with my ES-175 yet.
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This guitar has survived 40 years and still plays well and sounds good, so I wouldn't be concerned. As for the frets: Gibson uses binding nibs - which I don't like and don't see any benefit of for the player - so the refret with the nibs gone is a plus in my book.
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