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Just tried a 165 floater and wanted to add to this thread.
1/ I really liked the sound. Some floaters/ mini Humbuckers can sound a bit harsh/brittle. Not this one. Fat, warm and detailed.
2/ The BJB is used on the Citation. The guys who make that guitar would only allow the best available.
3/ George Benson is happy to play a small laminated guitar with floaters. That sure works for him.
4/ A floater should feed back less than a body mounted pick up not more (as someone said above). Because of less vibration to the P/U.
5/ My main issue is that its very hard/impossible to adjust the height. I like the P/u to slant away from the bass.
I always felt that the 175/165 neck P/U was in the wrong place for ideal tone. I think it was a design fault originally. Note; all of Gibsons more expensive models have the P/U butted up to the end of the fret board. Having said that a lot of guys make a good sound with the way it is.
My vote goes for the BJB floater. I'm a bit tired of the ubiquitous slightly muffled sound of a full sized Humbucker. The BJB gives the 165 a sort of cross between a Johnny Smith and a 175 sound that I really like. I suspect the wannabe Pat Metheny guys won't agree but hey ho!
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One more thing to say: I had an ES165 w/ a floater some years and missed all the time the set hb sound. That’s when I learned that my ears are fixated to that sound and I could not handle the floater.
I searched everywhere but did not find a floating PAF type hb low enough to fit into the guitar. The aforementioned Shadows Attila Zoller did fit and sounded perfect – but I hated the ’modern’ black cover of it in a ’vintage’ looking guitar.
One night I found the Pete Biltoft site and asked him about the thin floating hb. In about 15 minutes he answered that he’ll make it to me. In a surprisingly reasonable price.
And he did. Maybe two weeks and I got a package – from Hawaii!
His floating PAF hb was perfect too and had the gold cover on it. Could not be happier.
...until my present axe, ES175 VOS 1PU came along and I had to sell ES165 to get the ES175.
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For what its worth, I've had both and I loved both of them. Right now, I have the 165 with a floater and I like it. It is a surprisingly excellent acoustic guitar. Its light weight and extremely solid, just like most Gibsons.
If I had to choose between the two I would buy the floater. ONLY because 175's are not available with a floater and I like floaters. I really feel the floater 165 makes the 165 unique. Also the 165 with the floater has an inlayed headstock like the 175.
Joe D
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Lucky me I took a peek at the For Sale section last night and saw MAX405 had a LOVELY ES165 in a honey burst with a BJB floater and a single volume control right on the pick guard !!! Doggone !! So called Joe and we had a couple laughs and I pulled the trigger... Imagine, a ES165 with a floater. Joe says it's light and very acoustic and loud, like some of the real old ES175s Gibson used lighter laminates...
Thanks Joe, ya know some things are just meant to be...
Big
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A while ago Joe and I were texting away, having a laugh or two. Then he gets all serious and says "Big name a song you want to hear me play..." I had been thinking of my parents a lot and feeling a little misty. I told him Old Folks. Well here's that guitar playing fool doing Old Folks.
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Beautiful again, Joe. What we've come to expect and enjoy. Congrats to Big!
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A win-win. Congrats to JD and congrats in advance to BM.
Some great guitars can be had here on the forum that are not found elsewhere. I have sold 5 guitars here and bought 2. Even with the occasional rancor, this is a worthwhile place to be. Unless you are trying to kick the GAS addiction. 
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That guitar has those deep smokey tones.
It has been stated before. The maple is on fire.
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I heard the video of this one. It sounds amazingly sweet.
Enviado desde mi LG-H870 mediante Tapatalk
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Mikey and I talked last night. He said something to me that struck a chord. He said that this reminded him of his conversations with Patrick’s wife, Fran. In the time of need, Mikey took care of our Patrick’s family. Just like he has helped my family. Like Vinny has done as well.
Playing guitar is a privilege that I can never thank God enough for. But doing it around here, adds a whole new level enjoyment to it.
Thank you Mikey for being a world class dude. And thanks for filling a lot of my days with happiness. I am lucky to call you my friend.
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A great guitar that stays in the family!
Congrats Mike.
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Man O Man what a sweet guitar !!!
I am haunted by a similar guitar (different burst, same pickup configuration) that I played at a local shop some years back. It was a wonderful guitar, but at the time $2,400 bucks was outside of my comfort zone for buying a guitar. I let it pass, but i still remember it well. Ironically, if I had bought that 165, it could have potentially saved me thousands, as I spent the next few years flipping through various guitars on a tone search that the 165 satisfied from the beginning.
Enjoy
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If you are ever in the market for a guitar and look on YouTube for examples of them being played, steer clear of anything you see this guy doing !!! OMG !!!! I swear he's caused me to pull the trigger more times. He does a lot of tweaking of volume and tone pots to give you an idea of what the instrument is capable of. After a couple minutes of that he gets into playing a tune, this cat is seriously good.
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How is the Steve Howe 175?
Today, 05:54 PM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos