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I'm looking for a humbucker-equipped ES-175 that sounds great with as big a neck as possible.
For a '50s model, I would likely need to find one with aftermarket pickups and probably some other non-original parts in order for it to fit within my price range.
I would love to own an original, but I hear great things about the 1959 VOS Reissues.
I'm not a collecter, I want something to play around. What advice would you give me? Thanks!!
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11-18-2013 08:37 PM
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Last edited by kawa; 11-19-2013 at 03:33 AM.
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I take it you don't want a clone, but you have to say so or you'll be bombarded with suggestions from folks who have faves without the Gibson name on it :-)
Originally Posted by Encinitastubes
I've played "re-issues" and can't say anything bad about them, but like all 175's trying as many as you can before plunking down the cash will serve you well.
You'll be surprised on some of the deals on 175's right now, you didn't say what your budget is but if it's realistic I think you can find something in the $2500 range but $3000 is more likely. I don't think it matters whether pups are original or not, many who change pups elevate the price, for me I subtract value or wouldn't consider it at all unless I can play it.
The 175 has lots of detractors and fans, you have to read between the lines on comments from both camps... bias runs deep :-)
Good luck!
PS, I do have several "clones" and they are very well done but the 175 to me is still the most all around useful guitar I have.
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Thank you. I will clarify. I love Gibson ES-175s and that's what I'm looking for - great sounding and with a fat neck. I'm not the most experienced buyer, but it seems like the on-line stores have the prices pretty well jacked up. I would want to play, though, before committing in final and they are typically better at that. I live in San Diego and took a trip up to L.A. Last year, but only found two from the '60s that had thin neck profiles and were in lousy condition. I'm not opposed to flying somewhere for a weekend, but cross-country (I.e., New York) would be very difficult. Any tips would be appreciated.
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I would check out GBase and see what you can find there. This way you can find inventory from dealers throughout the country and actually talk to someone about a specific instrument.
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Check out Dave's Guitars in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Dave Rogers has quite the selection of new Memphis ES-175s and Memphis ES-175 1959 VOS Reissues. You won't regret dealing with Dave's Guitars.
Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto is another good dealer you should check out. They don't have an ES-175 at the moment.
Also, Westwood Music in Westwood, Los Angeles and Truetone Music in Santa Monica.
If you don't want vintage issues, don't buy vintage guitars. It is a minefield because it is difficult to ascertain the history of the instrument. Until you become much more experienced and know what you want exactly in a vintage ES-175 and know what issues to look out for, I would steer clear because you don't want to pay a high price for someone else's problem guitar. And there are many out there.
A good issue-free new guitar is better than a vintage one with issues that you may have to fettle with.
Look at the ES-175 1959 VOS Reissue and find the one that bonds with you.
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I've played a few of the 59 VOS reissues- this is an amazing guitar. They're not cheap, but they have a wonderful sound and they're beautifully built. If you can find one that you can afford and that sounds like what you want, you'll not regret it.
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I just got an ES-175 1959 VOS this weekend. It's a great guitar. They are nothing like a standard 175. Much lighter, better sound, chunky neck. I could do without the faux aging. I keep asking myself, why doesn't Gibson just make all 175s like that?
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Cos they can then charge more for the VOS??
ok maybe that's cynical
I have a question..how do you find the VOS for feedback? I use a 70s 175 for gigging, and whilst it isn't too pretty and has a big headstock, maple neck etc, it does take a lot to make it feed back, so it is very useable and still sounds like a 175.
Maybe the 7/8lb weight has something to do with that of course..
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Don't get me on a rant about feedback. IMHO, if you are a jazz player fighting feedback, you are probably playing too loud. If you're fighting to be heard over a loud drummer, horns, etc., THEY are probably playing too loud. Turn that damned geetar down!
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BTW, I played a 1959 VOS 175 back to back with a regular 175. The regular 175 feels like a boat anchor in comparison.
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I actually like a bit of volume. I like to feel the air. Horns playing at medium volume is still pretty loud. Originally Posted by Chazmo
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Weight aside, I'd appreciate your take on how they sound in comparison, unplugged and plugged in. Originally Posted by Chazmo
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I took your advice got to play some today on a road trip to L.A. I was surprised. The difference in sound between the VOS and the regular was about the same as the difference between the two VOSs, even with the wood vs. metal bridge. The weight was different, but that did not seem to be the deciding factor in sound. My take was that it was more an electric issue coupled with variations in set up.
My current guitar is a regular 175 that they made in a run in 2006 with P-90s. It's probably a lb. heavier than the VOSs I played today, but I didn't notice any difference in volume or richness played acoustically. One difference might be that the VOSs are built to sound open from the get-go. My 175 seems to have opened up since I bought it, which suggests that it was built tight.
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In my experience, I noticed a difference with the acoustic volume of the VOS compared to the regular 175. Maybe it is built to sound "open" as Encinitas says. That seems to translate to the electric sound, because while both guitars have that thick sound that launched a thousand jazz ships over the years when plugged in, the VOS seemed to have clearer note definition. The notes just ring like a bell with the VOS.
The feel of the guitars is very different too. It's the weight, it's the neck, and, along the same lines as above, the VOS FEELS like it is played in. Tactile feel is very important to me with a guitar. It makes me want to keep picking up the guitar because I love the way it feels, not just because it's a nice tool.
Is that worth a few extra bucks? To me it is. It's a personal value judgement.
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Well, it's not as simple as that. If you're a gigging player, the reality is that there are some times when the volume does go higher, when playing in a large room for example, and then feedback will potentially be an issue, like it or not. Originally Posted by Chazmo
That's why some respected makers build sound posts into their instruments, and that's why some 17" floater guitars are unusable at ''gigging'' volumes, however great they may sound. And, it's why some players intentionally select heavily built laminated guitars to play outside the living room.
I was just asking about the feedback level on the VOS as a practical matter, not being able or wanting to have guitars for living room use only
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FWIW I bought a 1958 ES-175DN last year from a very nice fellow on this board (you know who you are), which did have the original PAF PUs but some other parts missing - and the price wasnt all that bad , like in between an all original or the reissue model. Love that guitar.
I have a buddy who is always telling me the whole vintage thing is only hype (even as a vintage dude I have to agree with him that for a large part he is right of course ). But he brought his late 70s/early 80s ES175 to compare with mine , and the difference was enourmous. They look more or less the same but soundwise there was no comparison as the 58 played sounded much more 'alive' . I am not saying that something is by definition good, because it is old. But in this case it was.
The 50s guitars usually have the bit bigger neck as you describe. It is only in the 60s that you have to take care with ES175s. The necks on some models get very skinny profile. I love the tone of my '62 L5CES for instance, and it is still wide at the nut, but hardly ever play it because I just cannot get used to the paper thin profile. And especially later in the 60s sometimes Gibsons also are too narrow on the nut, like 1-9/16. I couldnt deal with that at all, so Gibson's from the 60s definately have to be judged by playing.
That being said, the reissue model sure looks nice and what I heard on reviews and the youtube clips it certainly also delivers. I think it would be a sure bet over the 'standard' ES 175 model.
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FYI, I am a gigging musician and I am not talking about "living room use only." :-) Hollow body guitars do have a tendency to feedback more easily than solid slabs, but a lot of feedback problems attributed to guitars can be managed by amp placement and settings. There are lots of threads on this forum about feedback, so I won't go any further on that. Originally Posted by Franz 1997
Well, it's not as simple as that. If you're a gigging player, the reality is that there are some times when the volume does go higher, when playing in a large room for example, and then feedback will potentially be an issue, like it or not.
That's why some respected makers build sound posts into their instruments, and that's why some 17" floater guitars are unusable at ''gigging'' volumes, however great they may sound. And, it's why some players intentionally select heavily built laminated guitars to play outside the living room.
I was just asking about the feedback level on the VOS as a practical matter, not being able or wanting to have guitars for living room use only
That being said, I sat in with a combo with drums (sticks, not brushes), electric bass, and sax this weekend right after I got the VOS and I experienced being on the verge of feedback to get loud enough to play with them. I have to qualify that by saying the guitar was fresh from the store with a factory setup and I was not using my own amp, which I am used to controlling.
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I had a friend who had a '55 ES-175 for sale once (I shoulda bought that thing!) and after playing that, it became my Holy Grail for 175s. It was so lively compared to the newer ones. I'm sure that was a big consideration for me getting the VOS. Originally Posted by fws6
I chose the new guitar over a vintage because, alas, older guitars often have "issues" that crop up after you buy them and I am just not in the position to deal with that right now. I feel like I got the best possible compromise with the VOS because it is a very well-built new guitar with a warranty, yet it has some of the attributes of the older guitars.
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Thanks - that is helpful. Originally Posted by Chazmo
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Did you buy the two pickup version? I 've seen around models with one pickup that look very nice. Originally Posted by Chazmo
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I got the one pickup version.
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The video... solid sides?
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I wasn't until now. LOL.
are you sure it's not just the pictures you've seen?
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Originally Posted by Encinitastubes
It could be, but I swear the cutaways beginning in the 90's look lopsided, like if there were no cutaway, the lower bout would be bigger than the upper, with the neck off center. Late 50's through early 70's look like they have the right waist contour (all in the eye of the beholder), but early 50's seem to have smallish upper bouts and the new ones have the asymmetry (standard) or the thick waist (VOS). But, I haven't seen a VOS in person.
As well, some have a considerably depressed top right below the neck... 50's and 60's. Not sure if that is from string tension causing the top to bow inward, or just a variation. Maybe it's a design thing, maybe it's a flaw, but they don't all have them. Reminds me of someone who survives a serious head injury with a permanently depressed frontal bone. It generates empathy, not inspiration.
My eyes and intolerance for altered form drive me crazy at times. If we were sitting in your living room, I would be ever so slightly uncomfortable about the crooked picture hanging on your mantle. Not full on OCD, but perhaps the early stages. And, I'm a big fan of the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi. This is not that.
Perhaps a disturbance in the force...Last edited by yebdox; 11-23-2013 at 11:28 AM.
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