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Nice looking guitar...except for the Bigsby.
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08-01-2014 07:04 PM
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I like shiny black guitars and I like this model.
I had never heard of it until seeing this thread.
Happy NGD, Gnappi!
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I love it, headstock and all. Very cool.
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Do you almost get the feeling Gibson's brass gets these designs from their R & D team, looks over them, and then somebody says "This is brilliant! Now, lets just change a few things so some people can hate it."
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It's simply a thinline ES-175 with some different trim and a Trini headstck. What's to understand?
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I understand the only thing people can't seem to agree on is the bigs by and the headstock.
seems to me Gibson could have had a grand slam. Instead it might be a long foul ball...only fun if you "get it."
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I seem to remember Eddie Murphy also went after some different trim in the movie 48 Hours.
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I dunno. A lot going on here. Maybe without the Bigsby, yes.
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Not to my taste but congrats and if it works for you that's great!
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Looking at the picture from Hammertone's post: The fretboard seems to have some extra frets compared to a 175, right? (Or is the neck pu closer to the neck?)
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Looks like neck pickup is right against the neck in the 195...so, same as the 175 in position (over the place the 24th fret would be or so) but with extra frets.
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I picked one up recently and played it thru the Gibson A class 30 watt amplifier with 2 10's and 2 12's. It sounded incredible and I loved the P 94 pups. It felt very comfortable to play. I was ready to buy but as they were doing a quick setup for me, I noticed a crack where the neck joined the body. That was the end of that.
The guitar is a thin hollow body, much lighter than my ES 175, even with the Bigsby. That's good for me as I have back problems. There was a roller bar installed to keep it in tune when using the Bigsby that had an annoying sound when the strings caught on it. Gotta be a better way to do it. But as long as i didn't get crazy with the Bigsby, the guitar stayed in tune pretty well & felt really good to me. I didn't like the upgrade in price for the amber color but would prefer that color as the wood grain seems to really come through.
I might be tempted to put P 94 pups on my 175 before buying the 195. That would be closer to the 175 with P 90s I had as a kid. Loved that guitar! Between that, my 63 reissue 335, LP standard, and Delaney Jagata with Lollar Imperials, I should be ready to cover most jazz gigs.
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"Looking at the picture from Hammertone's post: The fretboard seems to have some extra frets compared to a 175, right? (Or is the neck pu closer to the neck?) "
Correct on both counts. The 195 has 22 frets opposed to my 175's 20 and the neck pup is closer to the neck but the poles are actually closer to the bridge than the 175's are.
I've owned it a year and a half and have some more insight into it than when I first got it.
Things they did right:
The bridge... it's on the top rather than on posts set in a wood block like an ES330
The neck (with Grovers) is great , PUP sound is VERY good, and the body thickness is very comfortable.
Things that could have been better:
The finish has "orange peel" on the sides of the head, otherwise the finish would have been perfect
The Bigsby goes out of tune despite the roller type bridge... I don't use it, this should have been an option. One of these days I'm going to have Gagnon Archtops make an ebony TP for it. I have several guitars with the "hockey stick" head from Gibson and Epi and it doesn't bother me in the least. I am pretty sure I'm gonna have problems getting strings that work with the Bigsby, and head that I'll have Gagnon fix for me. A PLUS here is the Bigsby is NOT screwed to the top, so replacing it is (ONLY) going to be ~$200 and no holes left behind.
For crying out loud GIBSON... HIRE A GUY WITH A VACUUM CLEANER AND A COTTON MALLET TO GET THE WOOD SHAVINGS OUT OF THE GUITAR BEFORE YOU SEND IT OUT!!!
Overall it's a nice little guitar, better than many I have played and own. I always wanted an ES-175 with P90's I think this one fills the bill with a LOT less buckaziods flowing from the bank.
I think Gibson "could" have had a winner, without a Bigsby, open book head and instead they made a collector's item some 30-40 years down the road :-)
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I say phooey on that - get a nice nickel-plate ES-175 tailpiece - it will look sharp against the black. You can recover most of the cost by selling the Bigsby.
Originally Posted by GNAPPI
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"I say phooey on that - get a nice nickel-plate ES-175 tailpiece - it will look sharp against the black. You can recover most of the cost by selling the Bigsby. "
I would do that, except one thing I don't like, is holes showing, a Gagnon will fit exactly where the Bigsby is now. I can always put the Bigsby back on in the event I get a rockabilly urge!
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But then when he goes to sell this rare guitar in 30 years, the buyers will ask "Do you have the original Bigsby?" Originally Posted by Hammertone
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