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I was perusing eBay today and what did I see? _My_ old ES-175. I sold it last winter to a dealer friend of mine, who flipped it to another dealer. I dearly loved my 175, which I had for over 30 years. But, I wanted to get a Super Eagle... You guys know how the story goes.
Anyway, I must have seriously undervalued the instrument. Here it is: 1968 Gibson ES 175 Vintage RARE Custom Color Black | eBay
It is a beauty, in a very rare color for 60s Gibsons (although in '68 Gibson ran a series of ebony instruments in all their archtops, from the newly reintroduced Les Paul, to the L-5 and Super-400. The guy in The Rascals played a black Barney Kessel Custom.). However, I was knocked out by the asking price--even though the guitar is excellent+--some checking and a replacement handle on the excellent+ original case.
I guess I will never get it back, at those prices!
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05-25-2015 03:25 PM
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If it makes you feel any better, I have been scouring the earth for a lefty tobacco burst one for months and there are zero on the market. The world truly is your platter.
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That's over priced by about $3,000.
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See how it is in this side of the pond :
Guitares Electriques d'occasion - Audiofanzine
https://www.zikinf.com/annonces/sear...son%20es%20175
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Cunamara,
I thought so...when I parted with it.
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I never understand high prices or people who will pay them on "Pencil Neck 60's Gibsons"....
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The black '68 has a surprisingly hand-filling neck. I have played lots of 175s. The neck on my old '68 is rather like the carve on the '50s examples I've played--full and round. No pencil-necked guitar, this one. Here is the guitar back when I used to own it.
Last edited by Greentone; 05-25-2015 at 06:07 PM.
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The "pencil neck" connotation refers to the 1 9/16" nut (instead of 1 11/16") that Gibson of those eras have, not the back contour. From the pic that Black 175 looks to have a 1 9/16 nut...
Originally Posted by Greentone
Last edited by seafoamer; 05-25-2015 at 06:27 PM.
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I've never understood those who blindly criticise or write off narrower nut Gibson's. How on earth can you know how playable an individual guitar is without having played it. Originally Posted by seafoamer
Last edited by old tube; 05-25-2015 at 08:13 PM.
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well, let's see: I've played a bajillion of them and can't fit my fingers between the frets. Originally Posted by old tube
The "Pencil Neck" is the BIGGEST REASON '65-69 Gibson archtops don't sell like earlier ones. I met TONS and TONS and TONS of old school jazz players who feel exactly the same is me. This is pretty much common knowledge. Well, i actually met a female jazz gtrist once who had really small hands who loved an old '68 175 I used to have and could finger chords that I couldn't on it....
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I'm mainly talking about the 24 3/4 ES guitars though. I've played two Super 400's w/ the 1 9/16" nut that I actually liked and think I could get along w/ ok...
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I think you are correct about the nut.
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The Gibson archtops I've encountered and had no interest in owning were from the 60s.
Otherwise I have almost never met a Gibson archtop that I didn't like.
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Most all Gibsons from 1966 forward tend to have the narrow necks on them. An exception would be the Johnny Smith and occasional custom made model.
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Nice Black ES-175 that Nicholas Payton would be proud to own, if Payton played guitar instead of blowing hot air.
Anyhow, for $6500 why not swoop in on this instead? A real deal well-fettleed 1959 ES-175 with original PAF:
I had a bead on a 1964 ES-175 with a single neck pup, all original but lacquer-checked for $2400. Yes, narrow nut so passed on it. Je regrette.Last edited by Jabberwocky; 05-26-2015 at 11:14 AM. Reason: Fettled. Not Fettered. Dim Sum Dummkopf.
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I had an early 60's Gibson back in the 60's and I have big hands and to be honest I never gave a thought to the width of the nut I just played it with no trouble at all. Makes you wonder how Tal Farlow managed he had the biggest hands I've ever seen.
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I have had two guitars with the narrow nut and felt that they both hindered my playing in the area of the neck below the 5th fret. I have no problems with the 1 and 5/8 nut that Fender uses an Guild and Gibson both used, though I prefer the 1 and 11/16 nut.
My understanding is that the tiny 1 and 9/16 nut was used from 1966 through mid 1969.
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No, I have a mid '65 ES175 with the 1 9/16th nut . Originally Posted by Stringswinger
Yes, it might be an issue below the 5th fret, but the compensating factor is that it's slightly easier above it. I'm surprised so few people point this out, esp. since jazz isn't typically played around the open G chord.
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The type of guitar is what makes most of the sound and tone characteristics (IMO). A ES-175 is a 16" laminated maple archtop guitar, with mahogany neck. That basic construction + pickups are IMO what makes most of the specific sound on the ES-175. Far more then the guitar brand, the lacquer or the price!
Laminated = cross grain damping, maple compensates that by being a bright sounding wood. Mahogany necks give a mellow 'plop' to the tone.
Acoustics: A ES-175 type guitar with one humbucker in neck position sounds different to a 175 with two humbuckers built in. The bridge position is where most of the resonance is made on any acoustic guitar top. So the hole for the 2nd humbucker very much reduces the acoustic quality of a ES-175 (or any other guitar).
Some sound samples of my 2009 Epiphone ES-175
Compare to Pat Metheny's sound on At Last You're Here (Album: Day Trip)
and at 1:18 to Jonathan Kreisberg's sound on Autumn In New York (Album: Night Songs)
Gibson PAF vs Epiphone Alnico Classic:
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