Gibson 1959 ES-225 Reissue

[BHJazzman]

I recently bought an Epi 62 RI Sorrento with Mini Humbucker pickups. Made somewhere "Over there"...
I have wanted an es175t, but they are expensive and hard to find. For all intensive purposes this Sorrento is like a es125tdc. It plays like a 125, and sounds like one as well. Though it does not have a vintage ES vibe, for the price 500+ out the door, it works pretty well.
Let me say, that I purchased a Sorrento, off the rack at a well known store, upon close inspection when I was getting ready to put Flats on it, I realized that the nut did not go across the neck, 1/16 short and off center, also an odd wrinkle in the surface finish where the inner brace is attached inside on the uncutaway side. I thought it odd, maybe a subcutaneous crack in the laminated top. We looked inside with a mini camera to see if we might see a crack, we could not, but if it is a crack in the laminate, it could someday crack through to the surface... Low prices aside, I was not satisfied with these QC issues. So, I called the vender, they special ordered a replacement, no questions asked, no problem...
This replacement, likely made in different factory is clean and the QC is improved...
Bottom line is that this 500+ plus box plays and sounds great. It isn't the 3299. RI '59 225 you guys are talking about, but when I plug this box in and record, I don't think you can tell the difference. Thanks...

[Papawooly]

GNAPPI- I looked at the link you supplied, Gibson 1959 ES-225 Electric Guitar (with Case) at zZounds and it proves my point in my previous post. If you hover the mouse over the image of the guitar, look at the F-hole. This is incredibly sloppy workmanship for a guitar costing $3299.00. The inside of the f-hole clearly has "fuzz" on the inside edge, that Gibson should have sanded. I bet on close inspection, with the instrument in had, the f-hole itself might even be jagged. It looks like someone at the Nashville factory took it off the CNC router and assembled it without even a pass with a sander. That's what I meant by stating Gibson isn't what it used to be. That kind of slop is ridiculous on a $3300. instrument. From a practical standpoint this might not bother some, but when a Chinese made instrument can be had for under $500, with the same quality, I think Gibson needs to get real on their prices or get real with their quality.

Yikes.. I also saw the F-hole "fuzz"... Check out the "aged" tuners, even a couple with "Authentically stripped screw-heads" to add to the relic-factor... I would also bet on exact intonation with that sweet bridge!
What a steal at that price. I am thinking their QA person is asleep.

[mad dog]

I have played several vintage ES-225s. A really interesting guitar. At vintage prices, that interest dissipates quickly. I went back and forth between the old 225s and ES-330s. Some of the RI 225s are coming on line used, most at ridiculously high prices, a few more reasonable. Still, I am leery of modern Gibson quality control, would not buy a newer Gibson online w/o the opportunity to try it.

Which brought me to the Heritage H525. I don't have the same level of concern with Heritage QC. Buying online is always a risk, one I was willing to go with to get a used H525. It looked like an ideal combination of features from the old 330 and the old 225. As in dimensions, body type of the 225, only with the fixed bridge, neck binding of the 330. Out of the box, that's exactly what it is. Feels better to me, certainly plays better, than any of the vintage 225s I've tried. Cost less than the most reasonable used 225s RIs I've seen. Tonally, it seems to cover distance from the 330 all the way to older ES-175s. Heritage got this one right.
MD

[Hammertone]

...Which brought me to the Heritage H525. ...It looked like an ideal combination of features from the old 330 and the old 225. As in dimensions, body type of the 225, only with the fixed bridge, neck binding of the 330. Out of the box, that's exactly what it is. Feels better to me, certainly plays better, than any of the vintage 225s I've tried. ...Heritage got this one right. MD

Don't forget the 15th fret neck/body joint - a very good feature, IMO.