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I like the sound of the Gibson ES-175 re-issue (not the price
), but am curious about some vintage ES-125s.
Since I will probablay have to buy a 125 without playing, would like to get some feedback.Last edited by Dirk; 03-16-2020 at 11:56 AM.
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11-30-2008 12:41 PM
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i am currently also looking for an old 125. from what i have heard, i would advise you not to buy one without playing it first. the quality is known to vary immensely.
theo
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I have had the chance to play on two 125's, belonging to fellow musicians, both made in the 1950ies. They both sounded and played very well. Concerning playability though, they had realy substantial necks and very low frets. Kind of an old school feeling, not comparable to modern guitars. A matter of taste wether you like that or not. To me it felt good. The sound was that typical old school jazz tone and the P90, though single coils, can sound very dark, even with the tonepot open; it's not the modern brightness you hear in current jazzboxes! Also an ES-125 is a one trick-pony soundwise, but hey, what else do you need for jazz?
An ES-175 model is a very good choice if you want a more alround guitar, I use mine for jazz, rock'n roll, blues and sometimes even in a modern coverband. The bassplayer of "my" jazztrio owns a 1968 ES-175 with one humbucker, that I pluck sometimes when I'm at his place. It's a very, very nice and good guitar with vintage-magic, but with the current devellopment of the vintage market, the price-prestation-ratio is very out of balance. For that money (probably around 4k) you can buy much cheaper guitars that play just as well or order a custom handmade guitar! Personally, I am very fond of the ES-175 model with two humbuckers and I play a cheap Japanese copy from the 70ies that does it for me, being a pretty accurate 1:1 copy. But even the current production ES-175, though a fine sounding and playing guitar, is way overprized in my opinion.
But well, that could be completely new discussion.....Last edited by Little Jay; 12-01-2008 at 10:09 AM.
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You might also look at the ES 135. It is a lower cost alternative, and was made from 91-02. I have played a few, and they are pretty cool guitars for the $. They are semihollow and have a center block. They come with a trapeze bridge, and either with humbuckers or P-100's.
They were kind of a modern version of the 125. You can easily pick one up in good condition for around $1000-1200. Good luck
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There's a lot of different kinds of 125'd floating around, and they're very different from each other....there's one, 125 CD (cutaway deep?) maybe, that's like a no-frills 175, complete with cutaway and 2 P 90's.
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A 50's full-depth 125 with a P90 is very similar in terms of sound and playability to a P90 175 from the same era. You've got less ornamentation and obviously no cutaway but otherwise almost identical construction. The P90 is prone to hum and feedback but has a great sound. The 175 maybe has an ever so slightly "tighter" sound when played acoustically - possibly due to the cutaway.
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Originally Posted by Bill C
Great info. I have an old beat up, fixed broken neck but plays fantastic 1950s ES-125 and I was just curious how close they were to the ES-175s of the same era as the ES-125 is considerably less expensive today than the same era ES-175.
Cheers,
Steve
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I used to have a 50's 125 and it was just as good as an early 50's 175 I A/B'd it with over a few hours. I recorded both guitars amplified and there was no audible difference. The 125 played better and sounded better acoustically than the 175. Then again I recently played a '57 175 which played better than I remembered my 125 ... Originally Posted by Steve Z
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Here are a couple ES-125 YouTube clips I just found which really have a nice tone... enjoy!
Cheers,
Steve
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This squares with my experience too. Originally Posted by Bill C
I had a one-pickup 1954 ES-175, and the ES-125"s I've experienced that were in good shape sounded and played very much like that one.
Today I saw a an old used cutaway ES-125 (full thick) with two P-90's for $2500!
I currently use a Godin Kingpin II (cutaway, with two P-90's) that is OK, and feels and sounds familiar, if not exactly having much cache.
If you look at those be sure to check the amount of travel left at the bridge. I've seen several needing neck resets already, though mine seems fine (for now).
I've also seen the ES-125T (thinner bodies) needing neck resets too.
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I'll second that. I bought a really nice 2000 ES135 this past summer for $850. shipped from Ebay. I love it. Originally Posted by derek
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I am looking at a 125 as well (have to find a buyer for my '76 telecaster first) One vintage guitar dealer suggested the Guild x-50 as an alternative.
They sell for aprox. €500 less than a gibson but according to the dealer is basicly the same guitar.
I haven't had a chance to try it yet, and there seems to be very little info to be found on the web. (I could only find one decent soundclip on youtube).
Any oppinions on this guitar opposed to the 125?
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I know that 175s and 125s are constructed similarly on paper, but I've noticed that a lot of 125s I've handled have bad neck bows or loose neck joints. A much higher percentage than the 175s I've handled. This might be due to many factors (125s were basically student guitars, and were probably handled/adjusted by those who didn't yet know what they were doing, or some such nonsense). Or maybe they weren't built with the same care, or with the same quality of wood, or none of the above, or all of the above. I've also played 125s that were absolute tone monsters, and played wonderfully. Just throwing this out as a caveat.
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im a fan of most 125s. i think they are undervalued and the TDC is far from a one trick pony. with the thin body, two p90s youve got a lot of options. and for under 3K for a 50s guitar, good investment.
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the CD is Cutaway Dual Pick-up I belive. The a "T" is thin. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
Love these guitars!
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Cutaway, fretboard binding, and fancy inlays. That's all.
125 only came with p90s. 175 has come with humbuckers since 1957. The p90s sound better IMO.
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The hardware (tailpiece and tuners) is higher end on a 175 also.
Here’s the real oddball that you don’t see many of, the ES-125C.
1965 Gibson ES-125C
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And the double pickup counterpart, the DC. Originally Posted by ThatRhythmMan
Video Demo 1965 Gibson ES 125 DC Full Size Body Cutaway P90's Pro Setup Hardshell Case
Video Demo 1965 Gibson ES 125 DC Full Size Body Cutaway | Reverb
LOVE EM
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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Don't the 60s 125s have a slimmer neck?
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Thanks for all the answers, it really helped! It is crazy that the 175 is almost double the price as the 125, and yet the differences so small
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The 125 is excellent value for money and when the cutaway versions (C and CD) came out about 1960 it was often described as the poor man's 175, because of the finishing differences mentioned above. Neck dimensions changed over time, ust like many other models
For P90 lovers I think it's one of the best deals available, and if you can find one you can bond with don't hesitate !
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I like the 125 and be nice to get one, one day. I like simpler lean mean guitars. I come to like guitars with no binding on the neck, no fret markers or just simple dots, plain binding on the body. I like the feel of necks without binding and archtops can get rattles and buzzes so the less stuff attached the less to make unwanted noise. I have a 175 and it's simple compared to the high end models, and a 125 with P90's they sound so good and look like a guitar that just wants to sing for everyone.
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I do like a nice 125 I have to say.
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Let me just tease you guys a little bit (just because I can):
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My '60 or '61 ES-125T was one heck of a guitar. I owned it and my '68 ES-175 at the same time and played them both side-by-side for years. Even though the "T" was a thin body, it had the better acoustic sound between the two. Electrically, it also had a slightly better sound because of the P90. (I had always wished that my 175 was P90-equipped.)
Nonetheless, I held onto my ES-175 for over 30 years and sold my 125 to a good friend who was getting into jazz/blues.
Every full-size ES-125 I have played (these were mostly 50s guitars) has also been a superb guitar. I would gladly own one today. Through a tweed Fender amp (especially a Deluxe Amp) the ES-125 sounds unbelievably good for jazz or blues. INSTANT "Blue Note" records tones.
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