Epiphone ES-175 premium 2013 vs 2015

[jazzimprov]

looking at a 2013 mint for $499.00 with Case--

is there much a difference between the newer ones (2015) I think I read about the pickups being upgraded.

just bought.....!

[neatomic]

the 2013 was not a "premium"!..the premiums came out this year...2015..they have gibby pickups and different finishes...

for the money you saved, you could buy the pups of your choice if need be and still have done well

enjoy

cheers

[jazzimprov]

noticed the one I was looking at had 'chrome heads" not the plastic.

did they ever come with chrome heads or this would have had to have been replaced?

thanks

[neatomic]

the older epi 175's came with those chrome tuners...tho they are good..grovers 16:1

here's all info-

Epiphone ES-175

the "premium" of the 2015's is for the usa pups and the lacquer finish..the tuners are epi deluxe tuners

here's all info


Epiphone ES-175 Premium


btw, my fave of the whole epi 175-ish lot is the discontinued zephyr regent model..one neck pup only...good sounding axe

cheers

[StanG]

I'm not sure, but I think the changed the construction methods for the better on the premium, besides the 57 classic pickups and the nitro finish.

That being said, if you play the one in sight and you like it, it is a good guitar. You don't need validation of your opinion from the internet. the older epi 175's should be available used for less, but in my opinion, it can be worth paying a premium to play the actual guitar before you buy it, particularly on lower cost guitars, which tend to vary more from item to item, than higher priced ones.

[jazzimprov]

Thanks for the info, although I wasn't looking for "internet validation" just pertinent info

[Longways to Go]

the newer premium is a big step up from it's predecessor IMO.
the lighter satin finish makes a big difference, and of course the pickups . . .

[jazzimprov]

Gibson confirms the only difference is the finish and pickups -otherwise no structural/construction difference at all.

[WilliamScott]

For the older ones, is the 175 "Reissue" the one being talked about or was that a different run?

[Doctor Jeff]

I played a Premium reissue recently. I am not a huge fan of the burst or the satin finish (though I don't mind the satin finish on the Godin 5th Ave). I would prefer the natural finish to the burst.

But, it felt and played and sounded wonderful. The setup was excellent--the neck was as good as any I've played before. And the sound was what one would expect--very full, rich, deep sound.

It was a pleasure to play. If I needed a single jazz guitar without breaking the bank, this would fit the bill. However, I have a lot of other guitars right now, don't really need another, except for perhaps that elusive used Gibson 175 out there I'm always searching for.

[jazzimprov]

GC had a used Gibson 175 and a new Epi 175 Premium.

Both had the "thunk". (the Epi had a sort of a 'mini thunk') , but it did capture the spirit of the Gibson 175 without a doubt for a lot less $$

Played the EPI for an hour... fun to play...... sounded great.....!

just bought one...

[neatomic]

For the older ones, is the 175 "Reissue" the one being talked about or was that a different run?

thats the one!..see my epi links in post above

cheers

[neatomic]

GC had a used Gibson 175 and a new Epi 175 Premium.

Both had the "thunk". (the Epi had a sort of a 'mini thunk') , but it did capture the spirit of the Gibson 175 without a doubt for a lot less $$

Played the EPI for an hour... fun to play...... sounded great.....!

just bought one...

sorry but you lost me..yesterday you "inferred" you bought a 2013 epi 175..and today you say you bought an epi 175 premium?

huh??

haha

cheers

[jazzimprov]

should have clarified..

I meant I bought the reissue not the Premium which I am about to cancel due to the fact that GC was off by 7 years on the age....

[va3ux]

btw, my fave of the whole epi 175-ish lot is the discontinued zephyr regent model..one neck pup only...good sounding axe
cheers

I still have mine (Zephyr Regent). Nicely made; sounds good and plays well.

[EriktK]

Epiphone ES-175 vs Epiphone ES-175 premium - Please add 'IMO' to everything in this review.

Which is better? I will end this review with: "personal taste". BUT the Gibson 57 Classic humbucker on the ES-175 premium is a very, very nice pickup (IMO)! It has Alnico 2 magnets where almost all other humbuckers have Alnico 5 or even ceramic magnets. I love the 57 classic for it's more 'lively' humbucker sound!

Differences:
- ES-175 premium has Gibson 57 classic pickups, the ES-175 has the cheaper Epi LesPaul / DOT, humbuckers
If you buy a Epiphone ES-175 from 2008-2009 for cheap and put in a 100,00 Gibson 57 Classic, you'll have a superb jazz guitar too!
- ES-175 is thicker (full 9 cm body), the ES-175 premium has 'normal' ES-175 dimensions (8 cm body)
- ES-175 has a thinner acoustic sound, ES-175 premium has a slightly thicker and louder acoustic sound
It doesn't matter to the plugged in sound
- ES-175 full C-profile neck and a slightly wider fret board at the nut, ES-175 premium has a thinner C profile and slightly narrower neck at the nut.
The plastic nuts are the same, so the ES-175 has more space between edge fretboard and string.
- Both have mahogany necks;
The 2009 ES-175 I had did NOT have a maple neck like the Epiphone website says
- ES-175 has normal, medium frets, ES-175 premium slightly thinner, medium frets, just a hair, not much.
- Both guitars have good average weight;
80s Gibson Es-175's are often more heavy guitars.
- ES-175 has a thick coat of hard and glossy lacquer, the ES-175 Premium has a thin coat of soft, matte lacquer.
With some paint remover, you easily get all paint off the ES-175 premium! I re-sprayed with nitrocellulose vintage yellow.
With car polish you can change the matt ES-175 premium into vintage gloss.
- ES-175 has a normal floating, tune-o-matic bridge, ES-175 Premium has bridge posts pinned into the top.
This was done to prevent the bridge from shifting when used with very thin strings and/or beating and bending strings. For the fixed bridge, the tune-o-matic bridge needs to be bigger to have enough sliding space for the saddles. This is no problem with or without the posts being longer. I shortened the posts so the bridge floats again. The holes are underneath the bridge and make no difference to the sound.
- ES-175 has less angled headstock and normal string tension, ES-175 premium has more Gibson-like angle to the headstock and less tension on the strings
- ES-175 has a slightly flat arched top and back, where the ES-175 premium has more Gibson-like arched top and back.
- ES-175 has perfect Grover tuners, ES-175 premium has less good Epiphone tulip tuners
I changed them to Grovers, because two of the tulip tuners 'slipped'
- Cosmetics: ES-175 only in sunburst with large F-holes and Epip scratsch plate, ES-175 premium comes in 4 colors with smaller F-holes and Gibson-look scratsch plate.

I owned a 2009 Epiphone ES-175 that I had as my main jazz guitar for two years, sold it and now have a 2014 Epiphone ES-175 Premium as my main jazz guitar. I play for over 25 years and owned a lot of jazz guitars over the years. In the last 2-3 years I tested more then 30 jazz guitars and did some A-B comparisons. (YouTube: Erik te Kamp Guitars)

MY IMPRESSION AND OPINION ON THE ES-175 SOUND:
Both the ES-175 ánd the ES-175 premium are good jazz guitars for daily playing and gigging. Both are well made guitars, play well and can easily be your 'only guitar' (IMO). Both have the typical ES-175 sound, much more then other similar guitars from other makers like Eastman, Hagstrom, Ibanez, etc.
By the way: every guitar needs to be played for at least some weeks intensively to come 'alive'. The ES-175 premium I have, was a demo from a guitar shop and was ready to go when I got it. But I remember a Ibanez PM100 I bought new in 1999, needed weeks of intensive playing before it became 'loose' and was 'plopping'.

In recent years I tested a lot of humbucker jazz guitars to find the right guitar for me. This included 1960s Gibson ES, 60s Höfner, 70s Gibson ES-175, new € 3000,00+ Gibson ES-330, € 2800,00 Ibanez but also, € 1000,00 to 1200,00 archtops by Hagstrom, Eastman, Hofner, Guild, etc.
My reference to a good guitar sound, comes from 50s and 60s Gibson ES-175's I know from records I love. That's why most of us want this-or-that sound, I think. That's our refference.

IMO 16", hollow, laminated maple, archtop guitars, with mahogany necks and humbucker pickups, just give a certain sound. The Epiphone's just are closest to the familiar Gibson ES-175 sound. Maybe because Epiphone is the only guitar maker that is allowed to use all Gibson specs (Epiphone is owned by Gibson). But a Gibson is not always better then a Epiphone, or a Ibanez or ... (whatever) or vice versa. I noticed that individual instruments differ a lot and can make the difference between YES of NO.

Guitar sound in general. To me:
- 50% of your sound is made by you; the way you can or can't play, your phrasing, timing, etc,
- 15% of your sound are your fingers, nails, pick and how you use the pick!
- 15% of your sound is defined by the amp and effects you use
- 10% of your sound is the choice of pickup (this really matters a great deal)
- 5% of your sound is the strings you play
- 5% is the guitar you use.
So if I would put that Gibson 57 classic on a telecaster and put D'Addario flat wounds on it, play with my pick, play my music, my way, via my amp and effects then I should have 95% of my sound. Well, I think that really is true! Wether it fééls right to me, is a different story.

Of couse, a guitar should be built well, intonate correct, have the right action on the strings, etc. But apart from playing a good instrument, the choise of guitar is very much about 'how it feels in your hands'. It should be comfortable, balanced and easy to play. You know what; even a new € 500,00 Ibanez hollow body can have all of that!

So for me the ES-175 Premium is very much my main guitar now. Is it better then the ES-175? No, it's personal taste.

[WilliamScott]

Thanks for the comprehensive comparisons.

[electricfactory]

My Epi ES 175 Premium- love this guitar;

[jazzimprov]

Thanks for the great in depth essay!

[johnbrodie]

I love my es-175 premium!! I polished out the matt finish and think it looks pretty nice myself.

I am definitely looking for upgrade ideas but digging it as it is too!