-
Checked out this 1992 edition at the local Guitar Center, not expecting much, but...WOW, this is a lot of guitar for far less than an ES-175. I'm one of those never-use-the-bridge-pickup guys, so the single pickup is not a disadvantage. The neck is a full C shape but very manageable. The body is flamed all around in a very subtle-yet-distinctive way, and the 'burst is quite nice. Gold was a bit faded but cleaned up decently with a jeweler's cloth. Don't know how this one was never played. Not complaining...
-
07-26-2015 08:17 PM
-
they're great guitars.
-
It's funny, I just send Jack a pm telling him how much I love my Herb.
i own your guitars brother and I can tell you without a doubt, they are great guitars. You really should never want more. You did good, real good.
Joe D
-
Thanks for the feedback. Can't find much fault in this guitar. The truss rod cavity was a little snug for the wrench I have but manageable. After that...I'm ecstatic. The 490R pickup gets some criticism on the forums, but it cranks out exactly the sounds I'm listening for. A great guitar indeed...
Last edited by DC Ron; 07-26-2015 at 08:43 PM.
-
Very nice! I have one and love it. Enjoy!
-
Gorgeous 16" by nearly 3.5" deep jazz box. Play it!
A jazz box from GC - who'd have thunk it!?
Last edited by 2bornot2bop; 07-26-2015 at 09:50 PM.
-
Great guitar indeed, same year as the one from my guitar teacher back in the days; he had waited for his left handed one for months, he had a great tone as I recall. The reason why I put a 490R in my Joe Pass was to try to get close to his tone but it was not really convincing as we all assume
-
Nice score and a good year.... I like it
-
Hey Ron; Looks great. You've got much to be happy about with your new guitar day. Congrats!
-
Awesome guitar. Congrats.
-
Beautiful guitar. Congratulations, and play it in good health!
-
Fawesome!
-
I've got a Howard Roberts Fusion 111 that came with 490 p/u's.
The neck job 490R sounds great to me....either with 13-52 Chromes....or the odd
change of pace down to 10-46 round wounds when that muse strikes.
Anyway....I dig the neck 490R ....but hate the bridge 490T....ice picky...icky.
Have tried various others ....including Duncan '59 and currently a Bareknuckle Black Dog
that was recommended as good for warming up the mids on a bright instrument....which the HR is.
I've reached the conclusion that Jack Zucker is spot on in his review of the HR Fusion model that it is great for jazz
but sucks [my word there] for blues or fusion.....
Well that's OK ....I'll stick to dedicating this guitar to jazz.. gonna wind the back p/u down out of the way of my picking hand.....back go the flats.....not much thunk...but a velvety "thump" to the front of each note.
Apologies for straying off the celebration of the new guitar day.....
Those Herb Ellis's of the early 90's were just great!
No need to change anything as far as I'm concerned.
....Does make me kick myself for passing on the first one here in New Zealand...C 1993...ahh well...
As others have said.....you're sorted now....so play on!
-
Congratulations, DC Ron! That one sounds good just looking at it! There have been a couple threads recently about Herb that really got me thinking about this Gibson signature model. What a find!
-
The ES165 is a 2016 purchase goal.
-
Have to confess this isn't my first 490R. Had both an early HR fusion (with stop tailpiece) and the HR II that followed (with 6 finger tailpiece). Would agree they are great jazz guitars.
Originally Posted by Moonray
Later put a pair of 490's in a Heritage Roy Clark thinking it would approximate the sound of the HR's. Was pretty close.
And if that's not enough, I put a pair in an older Ibanez AG95 (to replace the ACH's), and that sounds pretty sweet too.
But this is my first time hearing a 490R in a 16" full depth archtop, and it's the best (to my ears) amplified sound of them all.
Lucky me!
-
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
-
Beautiful guitar. Really want one of those.
-
Hey Ron, I've been interested in the HR Fusion since I saw Howard playing his around GIT and at Donte's back around 1984. Originally Posted by DC Ron
I always thought that if I got one, I would go for the stop tailpiece first-generation HR Fusion--just because that's what I saw Howard play. (Such a simpleton, me.)
Since you've owned the I and the II, could you offer any comparison? Did the 6-finger tailpiece add anything to the tone? Or let you make string tension adjustments that you found useful? Which guitar did you like better--the I or the II?
-
@Wim Try a different amp. It sounds like your keyboard amp in not the best match for your 165...
-
Liked my first generation HR Fusion slightly more, but it's subtle. The original had a more utilitarian look and feel that got lost with the slightly fancier later versions. Believe it was slightly heavier too, with a maple center block instead of the later balsa. (Could be off on this point.) But in all honesty they sounded very similar. Originally Posted by Flat
-
Which amps do you guys play with your es 165.
-
I play mine in the Heritage Lobo 20 shown in my avatar. Most similar to a Deluxe Reverb. A very sweet amp, and the 165 sounds great through it...
-
Wim, Try a Polytone, Acoustic Image or any Fender tube amp with 6 L6 tubes or 6v 6 tubes. That should make your 165 sound great...
-
Ron,
The ES-165 _is_ a 175. After the early 70s, Gibson stopped making the single-pickup ES-175 (which, of course, was the original 175). As you correctly point out, jazz guys virtually never use the bridge pickup--which is why Wes Montgomery ordered a single-pickup L-5CES from Gibson in the 60s.
After Gibson received Herb Ellis' ES-175 for installation of a gold-plated humbucker, an ABR-1 bridge, etc., in the 80s, they decided to reintroduce the single-pickup 175 as the "Herb Ellis" model, electing to call it the ES-165. This meant that they didn't have to resurrect the ES-175"D" name for the bread-and-butter model that they had been selling absent the ES-175 since the mid-70s. (unless you count the appearance of the ES-175/CC in 1979)
Enjoy your "Herb." It is, as jzucker stated, a great guitar.
Reply With Quote
Trenier Model E, 2011 (Natural Burst) 16"
Today, 07:37 PM in For Sale