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Since acquiring an ES-175 I've been keeping an eye on the market and there has been an upward shift in ES-175/165 prices across the board since I purchased mines earlier this year. As they slowly creep into hand made territory, what's would you say is the most reasonable (Top end) price to purchase a 175/165? I see some selling for $12k on Reverb which is L5 territory...Just curious what others think of this.
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05-12-2026 11:50 AM
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You see them advertised for $12k. There’s at least one on line now with an asking price over $30k. All that matters is the actual sale price, not the asking price. I strongly doubt that any production 175 except maybe a pristine original ‘50s closet queen has ever sold for anywhere close to $12k.
Originally Posted by ClassyTouch
If others have evidence to the contrary, I think we’d all love to see it.
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Yeah, I've seen such ads stay up on on Reverb and eBay for years (literally), they must be waiting for one of P.T. Barnum's proverbial "suckers born every minute" to come along. Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
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Because 175's have been out of production for nine years, the prices for them are higher today (adjusted for inflation) than ever before. But due to free advertising on sites like Ebay, Reverb, Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, one will often see these guitars (along with many others) at "make me sell" prices rather than "I really want to sell this" prices.
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I sold my 1959 closet queen blonde 175 2 years ago for $19,500 to retrofret who resold it just a few weeks after listing for somewhere off a list price of $23k. It was in better shape than the 28,500 one listed on eBay which is the only comparable. All original stock PAFs. I think $16 on a sunburst and $20k on a blonde which is more rare in those years. But that’s just off my personal experience
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While on vacation in Nashville a few years ago, I visited the Gibson factory and found out that day that the ES175 is no longer in production. So I guess that would axiomatically shoot prices up...
Cheers,
Arnie..
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That’s amazing to me. But I really appreciate your letting us know. Originally Posted by Jsparr1983
A few months ago, I observed that Eastman archtops have climbed so much in price in the US that they were approaching parity with player grade Gibsons. I wondered if they’d be able to compete solely on their merits once the dramatic price difference was gone. With the arrival of 5 figure 175s, we’ll never know. On the bright side, Eastman and all other makers of quality archtops selling for $5k and under (and maybe even over) can be free of worry.
I went to the deli this morning to buy some smoked fish for our son, who’s visiting us this week and can’t get good deli where he lives. We’ve been going to the same one for over 50 years. They no longer have smoked sable (aka black cod) because they had to charge $80/pound and no one would buy it. In fact, they only had 2 kinds of smoked fish when they used to have at least half a dozen. They also no longer carry beef tongue and freshly baked bread, rolls, and cakes because the prices pushed customers to packaged commercial substitutes. So I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at $20k 175s.
To quote Marie Antoinette, “let ‘em play Eastmans”.
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This makes sense to me given where PAFs are at now. Originally Posted by Jsparr1983
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What's up with original PAF's being so expensive? Aren't they just coils and magnets? I would think the real value would be in the wood of the guitar. Originally Posted by guitarua
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Many years of insane deficit spending by western governments can only be fixed with inflation.
Our ES-175's are coming home to roost.
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Real PAFs are the grail in the pickup world. Removed sets go from 5-10k depending. And sure they are just coils and magnets, just like an archtop is just a tree thats been sanded Originally Posted by chris32895
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I think ES 175 are probably doing ok compared to acoustic carved top Gibsons. They work in many more places and just fit the bill. I personally think the market for archtops in general at the least carved archtops, are down. It does not matter if it is built in or a floater, but I just see many of them around and no real sales until you get real.
If you look at Reverb now and google Gibson L5 Wes guitars the price range is $9k to $15k. Someday they may be worth that amount but right now it is a joke. If you want to really sell a Wes L5 you could start around $9500 and work backwards. I would guess that ES 175 are not quite that way out in comparison but similar. One of my absolute favorite guitar sounds on recording is Joe Pass Virtuoso. Done on a 175 with recording errors that had some cuts come up acoustic. As much as I love the carved tops you have shake you head and say, does it really get any better?
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And how does making people cough up more for stuff (or not buy it at all) fix anything? It just turns government debt into private debt. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
Many years of insane deficit spending by western governments can only be fixed with inflation.
Our ES-175's are coming home to roost.
Britain is heading for another 2008 crash: here’s why | David Graeber | The Guardian
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What it does is cheapen the government debt. It is, IMO, the only feasible solution and people need to be prepared for lots of inflation. I don't like it myself and I have always felt that deficit spending in peacetime is an abdication of responsibility by those in power. But I am ready. Originally Posted by James W
The big question regarding 175's is this; will diminishing demand exceed the rate of inflation? Time will tell.
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Yes, currently, the UK government, as always in my lifetime, has a budget deficit, which means it spends more money than it receives in income, primarily from taxes. UK bond yields have surged due to inflation pressures, idiots causing wars and political uncertainty, reaching their highest levels since 2008. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
Many years of insane deficit spending by western governments can only be fixed with inflation.
Our ES-175's are coming home to roost.
It's looking very bad for increased UK government borrowing, due to the UK government issued bond yields, known as gilts, that are used to finance public spending, which involves borrowing money from investors in exchange for regular interest payments and the return at maturity. As of May 2026, the UK 10-year bond yield has risen to 5.00%, reflecting increased borrowing costs amid political, Foolish Wars and economic uncertainties.
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I had my eye on a 1960 sunburst and tried to work with the buyer to sell it to a player like me, but we couldn’t get to a good in between price because Gibson’s certified vintage shop was gonna purchase it for him and sell it for close to 25k and offered him $23k. I haven’t seen it posted, but I’m curious what Gibson will get for it
i told him to take the deal. Might have been inflating it but considering it was was the more common sunburst I thought he was crazy holding onto it and asking for more
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People naively believe that a nearly 70 year old pickup will give them The Tonez. Even though it probably no longer sounds like it did in 1957. Along with fake Bumblebee caps that are just a wrapper over a cheap ceramic capacitor at about a 1000% markup. The strength of the belief we are hearing what we want to hear is often proportionate to the price tag. Originally Posted by chris32895
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I have seen no such price increases here in the UK. 57-59’ with paf’s go to collectors for large sums, but that’s been the case for years. These high end ones aren’t clearing as much as 5 years ago either. I suspect there is a lot of room on many of the offers on generic 175’s as there are a lot of them out there. I hope so as I wouldn’t mind getting one at some point. L5’s seemed to peak at 10k here but probably trade at 7 now - there are fewer about and also out of production so I doubt 175’s will get to similar values. That said a good 175 sounds utterly perfect.
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This is the exact opposite of reality. Originally Posted by chris32895
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There's a lot of fuss and nonsense associated with the bumblebee - especially in Les Paul circles. It came as a complete surprise (as I hadn't considered it at all) that the original caps in the pot cans of my '63 175 are tiny ceramic ones. Who'd have thought it? My '58 125, though, has a bumblebee. I pray it's a PIO Originally Posted by Cunamara
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Having played the 59 PAFs directly on the format of a 175 I felt there was a lot to be desired but it did make me feel rather nostalgic. Kind of like driving an old classic car. Didn’t perform as well as a modern make or even a hand carved archtop but it was cool. Not tens of thousands of dollars cool. Lots of other pickups have perfected their application. I think the value remains completely tied to the rarity of LP bursts of the era. So few were produced and remain but because the same pickups reside in these as they do in $200k guitars there is going to be demand. Exactly why people pull them and put them in early 50s Paul’s and sell them for 3 times what they are in a 175, which is a shame to me really. Long gone are the days where you loan your guitar to Joe because you like his playing. All about the coin.
i do run into a few people on these forums though that aren’t in it for the money as much and appreciate that they trade and sell guitars below market to keep this artform exciting and alive and put these guitars in hands of people that may not be able to buy them from a shop. Hope that continues as AI begins to make the next generations music
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How does a 59 PAF compare to a 57 or a 62 or a early Pat sticker? Originally Posted by Jsparr1983
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The primary difference is the length of magnet 61ish they switched to shorter magnets for late sticker PAF and ultimately pat number. About .25 inch shorter to save on materials. To the overly discerning ear, they said to not be as open or airy, more compressed and focused mids. For me the application in solid body LP the latter pickups might have performed well for rock which is why 60s LPs are popular and rock. Splitting hairs… the long magnet are more original to the 50s and have higher collectibility factor but many players prefer the latter or both designs.
on my 59 the pickups felt airy and then they would have a surprising bloom and dynamic range that would open up and surprise you. Lot like a sleepy acoustic that opens up when played or Almost like a really good performer who is good at dynamics playing quieter and then stronger in parts of the song. Many newer pick ups have this effect for far less money though.
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If someone made a serious offer of some of the outrageous prices I see from time to time, I would sell my 1968 in a heartbeat and buy an Eastman.
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Don’t worry, the billionaire collectors will enjoy them.
This beatnik is happy with my Eastman and lawsuit Howard.
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