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I see all the onliners have this great guitar back in stock. MF, GC, WB, etc.....$3199.00. Glad to see Gibson making these again. My regular ES175 sounds way better than my 59 VOS model IMO and $2k cheaper too.
Don't like those skinny little frets on the 59's either. Thank you Gibson !!!! Snatch one up while they are out there. You will love it.
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05-12-2015 06:42 PM
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Vin, I didn't know the frets varied on 175's. I thought the little frets were standard fare. My dads 1953 D had the skinny frets and all the ones I owned had them too. It's always a good day when I learn something.
Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
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Vinny what year is your regular 175? I once bought a 2006 thinking it would be mostly like other 80's/90's 175's and found out it was a very different guitar.
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Different in what way?
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Thick top, thinner/quieter acoustic tone (which translates through the amp) and a much chunkier neck. Not saying it wasn't a good guitar, but not my preference. I'd prefer a 90's one. Originally Posted by John Link
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I don't know Joe. My regular 175 has the same frets as used on L5's and my 59 has super skinny frets. You are saying the blonde 175 you had didn't have medium fret wire ? All the 175's I have seen from 1990's to 2012 had medium fret wire. Check out a 59 and you will see what I mean by super skinny frets. My fav is a jumbo wide medium height wire.
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My regular 175 is a 2010. For the 1st couple years it sounded good but by year 3 it came completely alive and now is one of the best sounding axes at least IMO that I have. It also has a thinner neck profile which I love.
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Thinner neck? wow. My 2006 had a neck like a baseball bat. Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
I don't hold anything against Gibson for changing things up now and then, but it's best to try it out in person so you know what you're getting.
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By no means authoritative by my 96 es165 has medium frets.. I dont remember the 59 POS having skinny frets when I tried one. The POS was somewhere between my 64 125 and my 165. The 125 is light and resonant (not a great acoustic but certainly fun).. the 165 is much heavier and more even tonally and i think a better electric guitar.. they are different enough that I cant decide which one to keep (and it has been 3 years that I have been trying)
I was going to do a weigh watchers thread but never got around to it...
96 ES165 = 6.61 lbs
64 ES125 = 5.84 lbs
Since we are comparing apples and elephants...
86 MIJ strat = 8.11lbs
2010 RW Strat = 6.83lbs
74 Tele = 9.46lbs (ouch)
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Vin, my 97 had frets that were very close to what I remember the 1953 had. My 165 has the same frets as my L5, I just checked. Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
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Joe just a side note, Herb Ellis played a 1953 175 same year as your dads. Herb had one of the best sounding 175's IMO that I have ever heard.
Sam I think you summed it up very well. I prefer the more electric sound versus the more acoustic.
$3200 for a brand new 175 is a good price and with the onliners you have the 45 day return policy so no risk if you don't like it or if it shows up with a UPS broken headstock you just get your money back.
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Damn Vinny I forgot about that for a couple hours..
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When I bought the 97 I felt the magic of the 53 return immediately. It was all right there in the neck. Exact mahogany neck, little frets, killer. It felt identical to the 53, in every way except for the looks. The gaudy 97 was more beautiful in every way.
Rick if you are out there, chime in on the 97's frets. They are small right?
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Hmmm Joe. Guess no telling then what frets they are using on the 2015 regular 175's. Another thing I don't like about the 59's is the volume pots. Everyone I played the volume only works from 7 to 10. Nothing from 0 to 6 and they only sound real good with the volume knob on 10 so you have to use a volume pedal. I had a 64 335 that was the same way. Could be a vintage correct thing they are doing, I don't know but I like my volume knobs to work from 1 to 10 like on all my other Gibsons. Hold on to that 165 Joe !!! That is a sweet axe my friend.
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My 2003 "reissue" ES-175 is an outstanding guitar. Medium fret wire and a wonderfully playable round profile neck.
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Joe, Gaudy 97 ? That was one of the most gorgeous 175's I have ever seen. I love flamey 175's. Whoever got that axe is one lucky dude ! And of course I know it was in mint condition.
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I own a 97 and also had a 2008. The frets are the same. They are slightly taller and slightly narrower than the frets on my 1968, 1970, 1977 and 1982 ( all of which I no longer own). My 1963 was refretted before I got it, so I cannot comment on the pre Norlin frets.
The neck on my 2008 and on a friend's 2006 is pretty fat. Too fat for my taste. My 1997 has a thicker neck than all of the others that I owned, but is quite comfortable.
I hope that with the reintroduction of a figured top ES 175, Gibson has lost the huge neck that they were doing in the 2000's. I also hope that they have trained the painters a bit better. At Gibson's prices, fit, finish and playability should be top notch out of the box.
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This may help, pics of my 175/97 frets
Chers
Last edited by Stbatz; 05-13-2015 at 04:10 AM.
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I think $3,000 isn't a bad price. I still think in £'s something like £2,500 is fairer over this side, the cheapest I've seen them here is £2,900 which is about $4570.
Tell you what else I would be more than happy to see the back of, is the fret nibs. Used to love them but now I just dont see the point. Offer me a version without and charge me £200-300 less. They will either crack and look ugly or get in the way of a re-fret.
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Stbatz, thanks for the pics. I consider those medium Gibson frets. The frets on the 59 VOS are skinnier and lower in height. Now they may have used different frets on the reissue vs. the regular 175. I don't know ? I prefer the mediums is all I can say. Just glad Gibson is offering a 175 at a affordable price again. Over $5K for a 175 is just too much for the average working musician.
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Marc, both my 2010 ES175 & my 2015 59 VOS both have great (on the thin side ) necks. I bought a 2013 59' and it had a neck like a baseball bat. I couldn't play it at all and I wear a medium size glove. Had to sell it on CL.
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ATH, I agree with you on the binding nibs. Non nibbers don't seem to get the binding cracks. Only thing is Gibson would need to spend more time smoothing out the fret ends without the nibs.
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Ok.. if there is one thing (there is more than one) I hate on my 165 is the damn flame..
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Yeh someone commented on Gibson spraying Nitro on the binding to age it and wondered why because the lacquer usually starts to come off. Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
I thought that perhaps its because its easier to spray the binding than mask it and do all that work.
Could be wrong though.
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I just realized, my L7c has the itty bitty baby frets. Probably why I love the guitar so much.
Last edited by Max405; 05-14-2015 at 07:15 PM.
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