Gibson ES-165 Herb Ellis

[SamBooka]

Hi,
I've got a ES 165 from the year 1992. I have never changed a thing om the guitar.
I have heard many times the positive things about the guitar. I am not so convinced. I am still seeking for the right things to make my guitar sound like it should.
Which amps do you use? I have a keyboard amp => Gallien-Krueger 200 MK It sounds +- ok but not whow
I do also use flat strings from thomastik jazz bebop 13-53.
Can anybody help to get the best sound out of my guitar?
Distance strings to pickup?

greetings
Wim

To OP congrats! Now I will rain on your parade and tell you the two things nobody want you to know about the 165. One if you have heavier strings there's a good chance the tailpiece will explode, google it. It happened to me and a bunch of other people. Second personally I find the tuners too heavy. My Grovers were giving up the ghost about three or four years ago and I change them to Klusons. Didn't have to drill any holes and taking the weight off the headstock seemed to liven up the guitar up just the smallest little bit. It did move a dead spot to the C-note on the high Estring. Otherwise, great guitars for the money.

To the poster above, I suggest you try as many different types of strings as you can. He spent almost $2000 on a guitar it might be worth it to spend 100 bucks on five different sets of strings. That said, I have tried tomastic George Benson's ,new tones, Lebella nylons, DR stainless steal flat ones, but always come back to chromes.

[Moonray]

Hey SamBooka, sorry to hear about the problems you had with your 165.

Don't be a scaremonger man....consider DC Ron's feelings.....and let me be the first to say that
I have not ever heard of any such issues with this model.

In fact, I can counter your anecdotal story with my own equally anecdotal story.

.....The 165 I passed on, back in 93 was bought by a friend of mine....I told
him about it while I still had it on appro from the store...I knew he was wanting
a full body Gibson.

He loved it .....played the shit out of it.....great player...hard life for that gat.
Over 20 years he played it with 13 or so flatwounds.....not one problem.
....Maybe a refret....until .... some lowlife burgled his house last year and it was stolen.
The thing is that that 165 played perfectly despite a hard life....and my friend was
philosophical about it to the point that he was worried that it had been taken without the case.

He's just not the angry type......almost to the point of Zen like.

So ....Ron.....play on and have a ball!

[DC Ron]

To OP congrats! Now I will rain on your parade and tell you the two things nobody want you to know about the 165. One if you have heavier strings there's a good chance the tailpiece will explode, google it. It happened to me and a bunch of other people. Second personally I find the tuners too heavy. My Grovers were giving up the ghost about three or four years ago and I change them to Klusons. Didn't have to drill any holes and taking the weight off the headstock seemed to liven up the guitar up just the smallest little bit. It did move a dead spot to the C-note on the high Estring. Otherwise, great guitars for the money.

SamBooka, thanks for the heads up. Had seen the reports of the tailpiece on the web. Inspected it carefully before buying and all looks well for now. If it fails after 23 years I won't complain too much. Would have of course been different if new. If the tuners go bad will drop in a set of new 18:1's and move the tulip knobs over. Either of these would be aggravating, but if they both broke tomorrow I'd just fix them and move on. Can't fix a lot of things on these guitars, but tailpieces and tuners are pretty easy. Like you said, a really great guitar for the money!