Gibson ES-125 alternatives

[Logand0404]

I recently played a 125 and love the sound of the old p90s, I’m just not in love with the lack of a cutaway. 175s with p90s seem to be a bit out of my price range and sort of elusive, but does anyone have alternatives? I’m thinking of getting a 175 and swapping the neck humbucker for a vintage p90 but I’m not sure it would fit.

[olejason]

It won't fit, humbuckers and P90 pickups have different routes. What's your budget for the project? Godin and Eastman make cutaway archtops w/ P90s but they aren't 175 clones IIRC.

[Sigmund451]

I may be missing something important but dont some of the botique makers produce P90's that will drop into a humbucker hole?

You have to ask yourself excatly what you are chasing. Does it have to be just like a 175 with a P90 or are you just after that P90 single coil vibe vs a Humbucker. If its the first you are kinda stuck. If its the second there are many options as mentioned above. If you just want a cutaway with a P90 the world if filled with choices.

I personally take the "Hit the side of the barn" approach. If you want to sound just like some other player you have a lot of gear to buy, a lot of dials to twist, and a lot of technique to master. Everyone sounds so different. I enjoy that P90 sound and the string separation the offer. That approach leaves many roads open and you get what you get and find the sound you are chasing (hopefully).

[Logand0404]

I may be missing something important but dont some of the botique makers produce P90's that will drop into a humbucker hole?

You have to ask yourself excatly what you are chasing. Does it have to be just like a 175 with a P90 or are you just after that P90 single coil vibe vs a Humbucker. If its the first you are kinda stuck. If its the second there are many options as mentioned above. If you just want a cutaway with a P90 the world if filled with choices.

I personally take the "Hit the side of the barn" approach. If you want to sound just like some other player you have a lot of gear to buy, a lot of dials to twist, and a lot of technique to master. Everyone sounds so different. I enjoy that P90 sound and the string separation the offer. That approach leaves many roads open and you get what you get and find the sound you are chasing (hopefully).

im moreso looking for a hollow body guitar with a cutaway and a vintage p90, the reason I was thinking of a 175 and swapping pickups is because it may be cheaper than a 175 with a p90 already in it.

[Logand0404]

It won't fit, humbuckers and P90 pickups have different routes. What's your budget for the project? Godin and Eastman make cutaway archtops w/ P90s but they aren't 175 clones IIRC.

my budget is around 3k, I’ve played the Godins with p90s and thought they were not very good, and I’m looking for the sound of the vintage Gibson p90 which I also didn’t find in Eastmans

[Bob_Ross]

I recently played a 125 and love the sound of the old p90s, I’m just not in love with the lack of a cutaway.

:::scratches head:::

Most of the Gibson ES-125 guitars I've seen have a cutaway.

You want this, right? Slightly over your budget, but not unreasonably so.

[Logand0404]

This is a 125tc which is a thin line version of the 125, I’ve found that these sound more like solid body’s and are lacking depth and that woody sound I’m after, the 125s I’m talking about usually have no cutaway and are from the late 40s to late 50s I believe

[Gitfiddler]

Another option is a Heritage H525. They were a very limited production model but there are a couple on Reverb currently.

The Marketplace for Musicians | Reverb.com

The Marketplace for Musicians | Reverb.com

[Cunamara]

Well, frankly, a Gibson ES-125 is probably your best option. There's just no other way to get the tone of a vintage real Gibson P90 with magnet aging, the tone of vintage wood and Gibson's particular sound (which is related to how it laminated woods, how it braced them, and quite frankly shortcuts that they took in construction to control costs). If that's the sound you want, then the real deal is probably the best plan.

[John A.]

I recently played a 125 and love the sound of the old p90s, I’m just not in love with the lack of a cutaway. 175s with p90s seem to be a bit out of my price range and sort of elusive, but does anyone have alternatives? I’m thinking of getting a 175 and swapping the neck humbucker for a vintage p90 but I’m not sure it would fit.

As others note, a P90 won't fit in a humbucker route, but there are humbucker sized P90s. Gibson made one called the P94 (I think they're out of production, but you can find them used), and Seymour makes one called the Phat Cat. Pretty sure lots of other pickup makers do as well.

There are actually cutaway versions of the 125 (thin and full depth). They're not cheap, but not as expensive as a 50s 175.

As far as other guitars go maybe check out:
- P90 versions of the Godin 5th Ave Kingpin. There's a single pickup one with no cutaway and a double pickup version with a cutaway.
- Guild Slim Jim or Starfire ii, vintage ones aren't cheap but should be less than a 175.
- Epiphone ES-295 (which is a 175 with P90s and a Bigsby)

[Logand0404]

Where can I find a full depth 125 with a cutaway? Are you saying people have had someone carve a cutaway or they came from the factory with one

[John A.]

Where can I find a full depth 125 with a cutaway? Are you saying people have had someone carve a cutaway or they came from the factory with one

They’re factory cutaway guitars. The full depth models are the ES-125C and CD (which is essentially an ES-175 with no neck binding). The thin models are the ES-125TC and TCD. There are usually a few of each on Reverb.

[garybaldy]

They’re factory cutaway guitars. The full depth model is the ES-125CD (which is essentially an ES-175 with no neck binding). The thin model is the ES-125TCD. There are usually a few of each on Reverb.

Is there an ES125C?

[John A.]

Is there an ES125C?

Yup. [Previous post edited to reflect this]

[garybaldy]

Yup. [Previous post edited to reflect this]

I thought so.

[chris32895]

ES-125C guitars are pretty rare, no? I feel like I could never find one. Another option may be an Archtop Tribute AT101C, AT105C, or the ATC175. These go in order from least to most nice, although they are all (from what I hear) great guitars. The ATC175 is supposedly very nice with a nitro finish and such. I have meant to get one of these for a long time but have never fully bit the bullet.

AT101C
https://www.walkin.co.jp/230232290990-2/

AT105C
AT105のP-90スタイルPUバージョン！

ATC175
ATC175のP-90スタイルPU仕様！

[Herbie]

Cutaway 125s do exist but they are rare.

If You want THE vintage P90 sound, You ain’t gonna get that with humbucker sized P90s. Gibson P90s have their own sound and even other manufacturer’s full sized P90s don’t reach that. Good sounds maybe, but not the same.