1957 GIBSON ES-175 Single PAF

**vic** · 03-13-2013, 11:37 AM

So I pulled the trigger on this ES-175 (missing a pickguard unfortunately; replaced tuners).
The guitar is of course lighter than the two PAF models. Have not spend alot of time with it but so far I can give it a thumbs up. The PAF is rich sounding and one can get quite a lot of treble from it as well.

**wintermoon** · 03-13-2013, 11:44 AM

cool, is this the locally based '58 you were considering?
the tuner change wouldn't bother me, that guitar is in the era of the crumbling tuner buttons anyway.
pickguards can be had, but those tailpieces are prone to breaking--looks like yours is intact along w/the PAF, those are the 2 parts on the guitar that would concern me the most.
congrats....

**Patrick2** · 03-13-2013, 11:47 AM

Beautiful!! To some, that's the Grail. So hard to find when they're all (almost all in your case) original, single pup and in great condition. That's a great acquisition. Congrats!!

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 03-13-2013, 12:20 PM

Wow, looks like a real player, not a closet queen!

Since 1857 was the initial year for humbuckers, does one pay a premium for those guitars?

**vic** · 03-13-2013, 12:54 PM

Hi All....thanks.
I thought this was a '58 using the serial number. However the FON dates it to 1957.

The tailpiece is still very nicely intact with no signs of cracks, etc.

**vic** · 03-13-2013, 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by wintermoon

cool, is this the locally based '58 you were considering?
the tuner change wouldn't bother me, that guitar is in the era of the crumbling tuner buttons anyway.
pickguards can be had, but those tailpieces are prone to breaking--looks like yours is intact along w/the PAF, those are the 2 parts on the guitar that would concern me the most.
congrats....

Thanks Wintermoon. Yes, it's indeed the local one....I've re-dated it to 1957 using the FON.

Must mention this single PAF model sounds a lot more acoustic, even when amplified, than the two PUP ones.

**vic** · 03-13-2013, 02:27 PM

Q: What strings would you recommend I put on this one ?

The current ones are old flatwounds.....possibly 11's ?

**wintermoon** · 03-13-2013, 02:32 PM

"Must mention mention this single PAF model sounds a lot more acoustic, even when amplified, than the two PUP ones. "

exactly as I told you in your initial thread Vic.
not rocket science though, just makes sense.

I like either 12-54 or 13-56 strings

**vic** · 03-13-2013, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by wintermoon

"Must mention mention this single PAF model sounds a lot more acoustic, even when amplified, than the two PUP ones. "

exactly as I told you in your initial thread Vic.
not rocket science though, just makes sense.

I like either 12-54 or 13-56 strings

Thanks Wintermoon....Jip....thought 12's will be just fine.

Saw a guy playing a S400 on youtube...he uses 12's or 13's roundwounds and it sounds real good to my ear

**wintermoon** · 03-13-2013, 03:04 PM

I only had flats on my guitar once and really disliked the flat/dull sound they produced.

always been rounds for me, but many jazz players seem to prefer flats for some reason.

btw, where does one go in S. Africa to buy a vintage guitar?

**customxke** · 03-13-2013, 03:23 PM

Possible for a bigger picture of the bottom of the pickup?

**vic** · 03-13-2013, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by wintermoon

I only had flats on my guitar once and really disliked the flat/dull sound they produced.

always been rounds for me, but many jazz players seem to prefer flats for some reason.

btw, where does one go in S. Africa to buy a vintage guitar?

SA had an abundance of good vintage stuff up to a few years ago...and the beauty of this was the stuff was unmolested. This has now changed and much of the good stuff had been exported.
There's currently 5 vintage Les Pauls here that I know of BUT at international prices.
ES-175's and ES-125's were often used in a type of up-beat music known here as "boere musiek"/ ala country-type folk music, in which the main lead instrument/s would typically be a concertina and/or accordion.
Good vintage Fender Strats from the early 60's used to be fairly common, but as said that has now changed.
However a good one comes up now and then and if one is well connected, a good buy may still be possible.

**vic** · 03-13-2013, 04:10 PM

Originally Posted by customxke

Possible for a bigger picture of the bottom of the pickup?

When I restring it I will take another pic. I have compared this PAF with a '59 example on the provide.net site (Google vintage Gibson guitars) and it looks identical to this one. The PAF sticker is well aged/edges yellowed and the solder joint looks fine to me.

**customxke** · 03-13-2013, 04:13 PM

Originally Posted by vic

When I restring it I will take another pic. I have compared this PAF with a '59 example on the provide.net site (Google vintage Gibson guitars) and it looks identical to this one. The PAF sticker is well aged/edges yellowed and the solder joint looks fine to me.

Cool. I noticed the ring, and thought it might be wise to take a closer look.

**helios** · 03-13-2013, 04:35 PM

No day is better than NGD! Congradulations!

For those who are interested, here is a great (and detailed) article on "real" vs. "fake" PAF'S:
Since they are of such value, PAF's must be evaluated with great care.

**vic** · 03-13-2013, 05:10 PM

Indeed original PAFs are valuable and I was actually referring to the example/s in this article elsewhere. The main difference in the fake and real examples is the font of the print according to the author, although this is hard to distinguish from the pics themselves. The most obvious difference between the two examples he use is the width of the border around the black.....however in other examples on that site there are a few authentic PAFs with the narrower border as well.
I have also researched other sources which show the narrower border to be more abundant.

**customxke** · 03-13-2013, 05:16 PM

well..there really isn't a printed border on the real ones...its just the yellowing of the clear decal surround. On the fakes, there is often a colored (usually gold) border.

**floatingpickup** · 03-13-2013, 11:03 PM

Originally Posted by vic

Q: What strings would you recommend I put on this one ?

The current ones are old flatwounds.....possibly 11's ?

I really like Thomastik Jazz Swing 12's on my ES-175's. they seem to be a perfect match to me.
keith

**Jazz_175** · 03-14-2013, 01:56 AM

Congratulation for the new guitar!!
If you don't mind, I'd like to know how much is a guitar like this with original PAF.

**vic** · 03-14-2013, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by Jazz_175

Congratulation for the new guitar!!
If you don't mind, I'd like to know how much is a guitar like this with original PAF.

To me such a guitar in this condition is worth around $5500

**vic** · 03-14-2013, 10:47 AM

Thanks everyone !

**Pukka-J** · 03-14-2013, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by floatingpickup

I really like Thomastik Jazz Swing 12's on my ES-175's. they seem to be a perfect match to me.
keith

I also use TI 0.12 Jazz Swings on my ES-175 (double pickup). Sounds great to me.

**vic** · 03-14-2013, 12:32 PM

Originally Posted by vic

SA had an abundance of good vintage stuff up to a few years ago...and the beauty of this was the stuff was unmolested. This has now changed and much of the good stuff had been exported.
There's currently 5 vintage Les Pauls here that I know of BUT at international prices.
ES-175's and ES-125's were often used in a type of up-beat music known here as "boere musiek"/ ala country-type folk music, in which the main lead instrument/s would typically be a concertina and/or accordion.
Good vintage Fender Strats from the early 60's used to be fairly common, but as said that has now changed.
However a good one comes up now and then and if one is well connected, a good buy may still be possible.

Here is a typical example of "boere musiek" with the trusted ES-175 in the picture

Enjoy !

**Eddie Lang** · 03-14-2013, 02:39 PM

Vic, congrats for a very nice guitar!

Originally Posted by vic

Do you guys also have this "other half " issue when GASSING for a new axe ???....ha ha..

I guess that I am fortunate.

In our couple, none of us will spend on something expensive without consulting the other. My wife is not a guitar player but she understands my passion for guitars. When I tell her that there is a guitar that I really like and would love to have (notice that I don't use the term "need"), she supports me. Actually, I have the opposite problem: I have to justify and get her approval before I sell a guitar, especially if it is one that she likes (i.e. aesthetically)! She considers that my guitars are our guitars and sees them as a security for after I kick the bucket! (My guitars are almost all vintage and they retain their value.) Also, the money from the sale of musical instruments has to be used towards other instruments or musical gear: it's in a different budget from the one we live on...

To give a bit of context, we have chosen to live simply, but I do have a few very nice guitars and amps. On the other hand, my previous car was a van that I purchased for $1,000 and drove for four years until it broke last year. I replaced it with a $2,000 car that I expect to drive three to five years. (Don't get the wrong idea though, my car is always in good order and safe for driving.) I prefer spending on guitars instead of cars, jewelry and a bunch of other stuff... Others think differently and it's alright too.