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I picked this up the other day from a pawnshop selling it on eBay. I got it for a price that's somewhat under market, less than a VOS reissue for that matter. It has an early patent number pickup.
With all the talk about laminated versus carved, and the other regrettable tirade against the ES-175, it reminded me how much I love these old guitars. My love of L5s has not quelled my desire for one of these lightweight old laminated workhorses. This 1963 single pickup model weighs 5 lbs 12 oz. Wow, is that light! And it shows in the acoustic tone and response of the instrument. It's very different from a modern version with heavier wood and two pickups. It's even very different from the two PAF 1957 model that I once had.
This is my third 175. Besides the departed '57, I once owned a 1950 single P90 model. So far, for me this version might be the best of all worlds. There is an "all business" nature to the 175 that, much like a Telecaster, makes you want to pick it up in lieu of your fancier guitars. This one will need a fret job soon, but the feel is very nice, and I'm flying all over it already. My shoulder appreciates the smaller body, and the light weight is a joy.
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08-08-2014 05:26 PM
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Congrats Robert! Great instrument.
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Wow! You can still score good deals on ebay! Who would have thunk (pun intended) of that?
Congrats, RP.
Who's Robert?
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Sweet
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looks like it was a cowboy guitar, nice color on that one RP, congrats....
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Beautiful. I'd love to spend half an hour with it...
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RP NGD? Let me guess...another vintage Gibson?
Congrat's!
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Nice find. That's the style burst I really like. Now all I have to do is wait for you to decide to sell it
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That sounds distinctly uncouth, Rob. But I'd probably let you do it anyway.
Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
i realize that a 175 isn't too exotic, but there is something so nice about the old ones. I mean 5 lbs 12 oz... I can't get over that. It took Gibson til ~2013 to figure out how to build them like that again. Bizarre.
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sounds exotic enuf in the hands of Eddie Palermo's take on Estate:
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Beautiful old school 225 Parsons Street jazz box. Great find. Congrats.
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RP,
You have cracked the code of the 175...find the light ones. 5-12...wow. Some of the 50s and 60s 175s are so light that they sound quite nice when played acoustically, which was not Gibson's intention. I have heard Herb Ellis, before he passed, play his '53 acoustically behind a lightly amplified Joe Pass. I have also played that guitar. It could not have tipped the scales at six pounds. It was light and vibrant. My '68 is not as light as that, but it is still quite light when compared with a modern seven-to-eight pound 175. My guitar plays nicely acoustically, though not as nicely as my '62 ES 125 did. It was light as a feather and sounded quite loud acoustically--and it was a thinline.
You might want to hang onto that guitar. It is a serious fountain of jazz.
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Oh man...! Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
Beautiful chord melody AND a mix of lightning fast and slower tempo single-note runs....!
I loved this guy's comping and soloing.
Oh, and congratulations rp -another fine instrument in your stable of thoroughbreds.
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Beautiful instrument...hope you enjoy it for many years. There's no way I could play it for just a half hour.
I love my sp 175.
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Beautiful! That has to be the classiest burst on the planet, wonderfully complemented by the aged cream binding.
Just out of curiosity, is the strap button an addition by a previous owner? I don't think older 175's had a strap button on the heel (at least my 1980's model didn't) and there is always a lot of debate about the best place to put one on a hollow body of this type.
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I would like to hear how it sound?
I never played so old 175.(:-
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Palermo's playing and tone are great.
Last edited by Greentone; 08-10-2014 at 02:43 PM.
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It actually was an addition by the current owner. Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
I just put it on! Had an old crusty looking one that matches perfectly. Who plays a 175 sitting down all the time or without a strap?? It's one of the few mods I'll make to such a guitar with no qualms.
I know there is debate, but I put them on the heel cap, facing out from the back of the guitar. I hate when they are on the pointy part of the heel facing the headstock.
Kris,
As a lover of carved top guitars I am so pleased at how this light weight single pup 175 feels. It is very different from an modern ~8 lb double pickup, tune-o-matic model. It is not truly loud acoustically like a proper acoustic archtop, but it responds like one - very woody and not dull/thick at all. It can be plenty bright with just the neck pickup and appropriate technique to elicit such a sound.
To be honest, it feels much more acoustic than my L-5CES. Neither is designed for that of course... But the CES is a full 2 lbs heavier with plenty of additional hardware.Last edited by rpguitar; 08-10-2014 at 10:33 AM.
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I believe the correct spelling is "thong"... Originally Posted by Greentone
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Nice ! Love it. Does it still have a good neck some tend to be very thin or narrow
Btw still enjoying the 57 over here very much !
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Of course the fact that I bought this '63 is partly your fault. Originally Posted by fws6
(Very glad about how it all worked out though!)
The neck is definitely on the slim side from front to back (i.e. nut width is fine), but I would never use the word "very" to describe it as such. Not ideal for some players, but I happen to really be comfortable with that type of profile. I have a similar neck on my mid 70s L-5C which I also find easy to play.
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Glad I could help :-) Originally Posted by rpguitar
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I bought the '59 reissue as a retirement gift for myself and now my L5C sits.
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Roger,Where do you find them? She's a beauty!
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Congratulations on the retirement and the reissue. Is it a single pick-up? If so how does she compare weight wise to Rogers' ? Originally Posted by LyleGorch
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