Vintage Gibson Guitar Demos

[jamieh]

Hi all

Last week I got asked to record some demonstration of some cool old vintage jazz guitars and thought I'd share the results here so everyone can check them out.

Hope you enjoy

[Archie]

I wouldn't describe the semis and solid body as jazz guitars and 1981 is not vintage but thanks for sharing.

The BK and Es-175 sound awesome.

[SamBooka]

I wouldn't describe the semis and solid body as jazz guitars and 1981 is not vintage but thanks for sharing.

The BK and Es-175 sound awesome.

I would say 81 is vintage .. 35 years? 15 years ago a 65 strat was considered vintage (35 years)

EDIT: Nice clips Jamie. Sounds like the mic'ing was different from the 175 to the 335s.. ?

EDIT 2 : Also.. never seen an olympic that was a clone of a Melody Maker.. cool

[whiskey02]

I wouldn't describe the semis and solid body as jazz guitars and 1981 is not vintage but thanks for sharing.

The BK and Es-175 sound awesome.

I don't consider an arch top that is posed for a photograph a "jazz guitar"; it's only the playing that makes it so! Any guitar you play jazz on is a jazz guitar.

[HeyNow]

Whoa, that BK sounded like a carved archtop - very acoustic. Lovely. My '66 BK sounds very electric - very beefy, fat pop even on high E.

The ES-175 and 335 sounded like classic ES-175 and classic 335, respectively. Was the amp on the same setting throughout? The ES-175 neck sounded quite dark.

You have a very nice touch - all the guits sounded fantastic.

[Max405]

Wow Jamie, great playing. Excellent demonstration of the different sounds those beautiful Gibsons have. As was said, the Kessel was surprising. It sounded like it had different strings on it, maybe chromes? And as usual the predictable benchmark, the venerable Es175.
Beautiful job. It's a lot of work to pull that off. You did good Jamie. You are a really nice player.
Joe D

[Archie]

I would say 81 is vintage .. 35 years? 15 years ago a 65 strat was considered vintage (35 years)

EDIT: Nice clips Jamie. Sounds like the mic'ing was different from the 175 to the 335s.. ?

EDIT 2 : Also.. never seen an olympic that was a clone of a Melody Maker.. cool

I think the rule is considered pre 80 to be vintage. Thats also what Ebay classify it as (pre 81) if I remember correctly.

Anyway I cant argue with your logic. We're getting older and vintage keeps chasing after us lol

[Archie]

I don't consider an arch top that is posed for a photograph a "jazz guitar"; it's only the playing that makes it so! Any guitar you play jazz on is a jazz guitar.

I mean sure I can agree with your sentiment but the statement in itself is wrong. There are "Jazz Guitars" pure made and bread.

It is however the fashion especially amongst many members here to be PC and call every guitar a jazz guitar. Calling something a jazz guitar because you play jazz doesn't make it a jazz guitar. The term you ascribe it to has no cultural or historical basis. If you told someone in 1935 that your Tele was a jazz guitar they would not hire you to play in thebans stand (where jazz was being played).

We all know what a jazz guitar is and what a guitar you can play jazz on is. There's a subtle difference but it's one Im not letting go of.

[whiskey02]

I preferred the 175 and es330. I heard more pick noise with the es347, like you were using lexan, or holding the pick very loosely? What did you prefer Jamie when you played them?

[rabbit]

Good playing & good sounds!

I'll take the B.K. and the 330; send the bill to "my people."

[Herbie]

I think the rule is considered pre 80 to be vintage. Thats also what Ebay classify it as (pre 81) if I remember correctly.
Anyway I cant argue with your logic. We're getting older and vintage keeps chasing after us lol

I have understood that 'vintage' is a guitar collectors market term and does not vary depending on years but on the item and the brand.

'Vintage' Fender is a pre-CBS (–1965) guitar, 'vintage' Les Paul are from 1952–1960 and 'vintage' Gibson archtops are something like 1922 (?) – 1969 (Norlin era started). According to this the 80's Gibbys 'vintage' value is highly questionable.

I use ''s around the word vintage because as every business terms this can also change, depending on the humans dealing on this market.

Interesting demos, Jamie! ES-175 is jazziest of them all, to my ears, but all sound nice. But that is not wonder when it is a pro playing them!

I can't see the amp... Blackface what?

[Little Jay]

The 175 and the 330 sounded best to me :-) Great playing and nice vids, thanks for sharing!

[Little Jay]

Played over a Princeton Reverb I think.

[Archie]

I have understood that 'vintage' is a guitar collectors market term and does not vary depending on years but on the item and the brand.

'Vintage' Fender is a pre-CBS (–1965) guitar, 'vintage' Les Paul are from 1952–1960 and 'vintage' Gibson archtops are something like 1922 (?) – 1969 (Norlin era started). According to this the 80's Gibbys 'vintage' value is highly questionable.

I use ''s around the word vintage because as every business terms this can also change, depending on the humans dealing on this market.

Interesting demos, Jamie! ES-175 is jazziest of them all, to my ears, but all sound nice. But that is not wonder when it is a pro playing them!

I can't see the amp... Blackface what?

Yes I feel there is more than one way to look at it. 70's Ibanez are considered vintage because the company only really started kicking out into the western mainstream in that decade or perhaps the late 60's, so to say a 70's Ibanez is vintage would make sense.

For me anythign pre 75 gibson would be considered vintage and anything 70's for Japan. I would consider anything Guild pre 75 to be vintage too although I'd feel odd saying it for some reason. and anything Fender made pre 75 too.

I think the Fender thing could be an outlier. Fender is the most popular brand as as such their cut off for vintage will get higher and higher (disproportionately to other brands) as dealers, and collators are happy to have theirs considered as such, which keeps the prices bumped up and the expansion of its vintage market, which is purely driven by speculation. You could argue the same is happening here with Gibson, pushing the vintage mark beyond the 80's.

Of course thats not an accusation and not the intention of the guy playing the guitars, which was highly appreciated.

[palindrome]

For me anythign pre 75 gibson would be considered vintage and anything 70's for Japan. I would consider anything Guild pre 75 to be vintage too although I'd feel odd saying it for some reason. and anything Fender made pre 75 too.

I think the Fender thing could be an outlier.

I have always thought that "vintage" essentially means pre-Norlin/pre-CBS, although I realize that this doesn't clear up the mud either.

(Great demo, BTW)

[Archie]

I have always thought that "vintage" essentially means pre-Norlin/pre-CBS, although I realize that this doesn't clear up the mud either.

(Great demo, BTW)

Well yeh I would agree but 10 years ago when I got into archtops, vintage Gibson was considered pre 70's, that was a decade ago! So yeh I'm giving them a 5 year bump but not a 10.

In regards to Fender, depends who you ask I guess. Most fender sellers will call something like an 81 deluxe ultra a vintage Fender but it wouldn't sound right to me, however a 77 would be vintage imo.

I think my cut off is 1980. I'm sure a 77 Gibson cold be called vintage without too much argument.

[AlohaJoe]

In the current marketplace "vintage" seems to mean anything older than the seller. I keep running across Westerly Guilds described as vintage even though they were still there through the 1990s.

[jakeyboy1216]

If you told someone in 1935 that your Tele was a jazz guitar they would not hire you to play in thebans stand (where jazz was being played).

Tele's weren't around in 1935.

[Archie]

Tele's weren't around in 1935.

Well then how come I've got a pre CBS 1929 model?

[goldenwave77]

Useful demonstration.

Hollow bodies are a little rounder and fuller...the BK is a little "bigger" sounding than the 175.

The 335 and the 347 are a little less "airy" than the hollows...but both still work for jazz tones. I had a 347 and probably should have kept it.... "big" dark tone. More mid-rangey, but dial back the vol. and tone controls and it covered a lot of ground...the back pickup was also really mighty....almost twangy...very versatile gtr. and very ergonomic. I like ebony boards...more creamy sounding to me. The coil tap sound was even fairly convincing.

The 330 was kind of in-between the BK (at one end) and the semi's and solid-body at the other end...but definitely a good useable sound.


The Epi Olympic was the only one that sounded like a bit of a reach for jazz tones.

[goldenwave77]

Teles weren't around in 1935. (Jakeyboy)


[QUOTE=ArchtopHeaven;620090]Well then how come I've got a pre CBS 1929 model?[/QUOTE]


Because you bought it off of one of the 5 million baby boomers who attended the Woodstock Festival. (I can personally vouch for this fact----EVERY person of a certain age, i.e. like my older brothers, with whom I've struck up a conversation while waiting in an airport, was at Woodstock...in fact they were a backup act, but this guy named Santana just kept going on and on....so they never had a chance to play.)

[Jim Soloway]

Good playing & good sounds!

I'll take the B.K. and the 330; send the bill to "my people."

Pretty much my reponse as well.

[Little Jay]

I find the BK much thinner sounding than the 175, the latter has a much sweeter and jazzier tone, imho (well, these examples in this particular setting that is).

[Woody Sound]

I would say 81 is vintage .. 35 years? 15 years ago a 65 strat was considered vintage (35 years)

Different animals, but here is an interesting article explaining "vintage" etc, in the car world.

Car Classifications: Antique, Vintage and Classic Car - CarsDirect

[Moominpapa]

I'm another who liked the sounds of the ES 175 and ES 330 the best. The 175 in particular was just gorgeous.