Is peerless the closest we have to a Gibson ES-175 clone?

**agentsmith** · 08-13-2016, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop

very poorly recorded. you hear the room more than the guitar!

sounds fine to me. Obviously not a professional recording but conveys the sound. Nothing wrong with room sound.

**2bornot2bop** · 08-13-2016, 11:37 PM

If you heard that sound routed through any decent home audio system the first thing that's readily apparent is the sound reverberating, dancing off the walls. This is what sound in a small room does Jack, and a first year audiophile understands that. No offense

Originally Posted by agentsmith

sounds fine to me. Obviously not a professional recording but conveys the sound. Nothing wrong with room sound.

**bluemusic4us** · 08-14-2016, 12:15 AM

Originally Posted by agentsmith

Here's a clip of a gibson 175 with thunk. You can even hear the thunk when he's playing with his thumb. The 175 doesn't have that quality to it.

I disagree. I'm sure this guitar sounds better than it's coming across in this clip. But in this clip it sounds like it's not set up right and not getting that classic 175 sound at all.

**Cunamara** · 08-14-2016, 01:16 AM

Originally Posted by zephyrregent

Here's a video with a comparison of a Gibson 175, Peerless Gigmaster and Chinese L5 copy. I liked the tone of the 175 best. The other guitars sound thin and bright.

Wow, I wouldn't buy any of those guitars based on the tones achieved in that recording. The ES-175 tone was the "best" of the three but even that was not well represented in the video. Just goes to show the difficulties in making a good sounding video and keeping it good sounding once you've posted it to YouTube mangelization devices. All of those guitars probably sounded a LOT better in the room.

**Thumpalumpacus** · 08-14-2016, 04:37 AM

Originally Posted by agentsmith

The herb ellis is very nice. They don't come up very often. The ibanez copy is a couple steps down from the aria and the tokai IMO. I've owned a couple of them. They are nice but are slightly under the Ibanez FG100 in terms of quality and the FG100 is about a step below the 175.

You can have quality, affordability, and timeliness ... but you can't have all three.

**Little Jay** · 08-14-2016, 05:35 AM

Maybe find a beat up 125 and slap in a humbucker (although it's blasphemy...), if you can play without the cutaway.

**agentsmith** · 08-14-2016, 09:21 AM

Originally Posted by bluemusic4us

I disagree. I'm sure this guitar sounds better than it's coming across in this clip. But in this clip it sounds like it's not set up right and not getting that classic 175 sound at all.

You disagree that this is the sound I am looking for in a 175 clone? lol

**mr. beaumont** · 08-14-2016, 09:29 AM

125's got the thunk, but good luck finding one in good shape for 1k.

**vinlander** · 08-14-2016, 09:46 AM

Not to derail the tread but regarding video recording quality, I have no problem with a little room reverbaration to have an idea of how a guitar can sound.
Incidentally one particular videos gave me the final blow in my Tal GAS attack.
Somehow lo-fi but thunk-top madness by our very own DB

**Little Jay** · 08-14-2016, 09:55 AM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

125's got the thunk, but good luck finding one in good shape for 1k.

You are right, their prices are rising.

**mr. beaumont** · 08-14-2016, 09:56 AM

Perhaps it's less about the quality of the video and more about about whether or not the player knows how to coax the right tone out of their guitar/amp.

**dconeill** · 08-14-2016, 03:26 PM

For a travel guitar, I would acquire an inexpensive Tele with a rosewood fingerboard, put a humbucker at the neck position, and slog that around. If it got lost, stolen, or damaged, I wouldn't be all that upset.

Back when I was traveling a lot I got a a Squier Fat Tele and used that. I reconciled myself to the reality that I was traveling, for goodness sake, and could live with a tone that was different than my main guitar back home, in exchange for relative robustness and convenience.

If you must have tone and feel identical to the guitar you have at home but don't want to travel with, stay home.

**agentsmith** · 08-14-2016, 08:42 PM

Originally Posted by dconeill

For a travel guitar, I would acquire an inexpensive Tele with a rosewood fingerboard, put a humbucker at the neck position, and slog that around. If it got lost, stolen, or damaged, I wouldn't be all that upset.

Back when I was traveling a lot I got a a Squier Fat Tele and used that. I reconciled myself to the reality that I was traveling, for goodness sake, and could live with a tone that was different than my main guitar back home, in exchange for relative robustness and convenience.

If you must have tone and feel identical to the guitar you have at home but don't want to travel with, stay home.

Just because I don't want what YOU want doesn't mean I have to play a tele or stay home. I chose to travel with and play what moves and inspires me. Feel free to do the same for you.

**Cunamara** · 08-15-2016, 12:27 AM

agentsmith, you might have noticed you're getting a little rub in this thread. It's because you set an impossible task and don't seem willing to accept that simple truth. Nothing sounds like a Gibson ES-175 except a Gibson ES-175 (and, as I mention, probably half of those won't sound like like your ES-175 to you because there is no single ES-175 sound. The sound of those guitars changed over the decades. Jim Hall's '54 doesn't sound like Pat Metheny's '58, neither of those sound like Joe Pass's '62 or Steve Howe's '64 or Jonathan Kreisberg's 1970's one).

If there was a $1000 guitar that really sounded like an ES-175, everyone on this forum would have bought one (except maybe some of the L5 or GJS fans). You'd have had that answer in the first reply.

The best advice we can give you is to try out some guitars in that price range and accept that you're not going to get that exact sound- you'll have to settle for a good enough sound. For traveling one of the Ibanez archtops will be fine. It'll have a 24 3/4" scale like you're used to, a great neck, will be well made and will have a decently good tone. And you can find them for well under $1000. Once the band starts playing, the nuances that we hear in our living rooms and are so attached to are covered up. I listen to recordings of myself in my band, I often can't tell you whether I was playing my carvetop, my Tele or my GB10- the cymbal wash, bass and horns obliterate most of the telltales.

**agentsmith** · 08-15-2016, 06:44 AM

i disagree. Several of the peerless as well as the japanese tribute series guitars are in that price range and sound fine to me. I'm just curious what else is out there?

Originally Posted by Cunamara

agentsmith, you might have noticed you're getting a little rub in this thread. It's because you set an impossible task and don't seem willing to accept that simple truth. Nothing sounds like a Gibson ES-175 except a Gibson ES-175 (and, as I mention, probably half of those won't sound like like your ES-175 to you because there is no single ES-175 sound. The sound of those guitars changed over the decades. Jim Hall's '54 doesn't sound like Pat Metheny's '58, neither of those sound like Joe Pass's '62 or Steve Howe's '64 or Jonathan Kreisberg's 1970's one).

If there was a $1000 guitar that really sounded like an ES-175, everyone on this forum would have bought one (except maybe some of the L5 or GJS fans). You'd have had that answer in the first reply.

The best advice we can give you is to try out some guitars in that price range and accept that you're not going to get that exact sound- you'll have to settle for a good enough sound. For traveling one of the Ibanez archtops will be fine. It'll have a 24 3/4" scale like you're used to, a great neck, will be well made and will have a decently good tone. And you can find them for well under $1000. Once the band starts playing, the nuances that we hear in our living rooms and are so attached to are covered up. I listen to recordings of myself in my band, I often can't tell you whether I was playing my carvetop, my Tele or my GB10- the cymbal wash, bass and horns obliterate most of the telltales.

**m_d** · 08-15-2016, 07:02 AM

Originally Posted by Cunamara

agentsmith, you might have noticed you're getting a little rub in this thread. It's because you set an impossible task and don't seem willing to accept that simple truth. Nothing sounds like a Gibson ES-175 except a Gibson ES-175 (and, as I mention, probably half of those won't sound like like your ES-175 to you because there is no single ES-175 sound. The sound of those guitars changed over the decades. Jim Hall's '54 doesn't sound like Pat Metheny's '58, neither of those sound like Joe Pass's '62 or Steve Howe's '64 or Jonathan Kreisberg's 1970's one).

If there was a $1000 guitar that really sounded like an ES-175, everyone on this forum would have bought one (except maybe some of the L5 or GJS fans). You'd have had that answer in the first reply.

Will someone please explain to me the logic in the above? No other guitar can match a Gibson, yet no two Gibsons are alike?

**Naquat** · 08-15-2016, 08:05 AM

Originally Posted by m_d

Will someone please explain to me the logic in the above? No other guitar can match a Gibson, yet no two Gibsons are alike?

There was a category sign in Barnes and Noble the other night it said "Realistic Fiction"….

I guess bottom line is what ever sound one finds that they like, whether from a Gibson, Ibanez, Epi, etc. is OK. Even if I had Springsteen or McCartney's money I would never spend $50K on a guitar, but that's me. If someone else does….thats their business.

I agree with the OP. One may be able to get pretty close on a budget and as long as it's good for them….cool.

**Jazz_175** · 08-15-2016, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by Cunamara

agentsmith, you might have noticed you're getting a little rub in this thread. It's because you set an impossible task ....

No, It's because agentsmith= JZ or a clone of him

**Naquat** · 08-15-2016, 05:57 PM

Certainly not a 175 clone but for < $1K this might be worth considering.

**agentsmith** · 08-15-2016, 09:20 PM

thanks nasquat. That was brought up earlier and the discussion was that the PM2 was very bright which is odd because the PM-120 is very dark. But (although) it might be the recording, the archtop tribute sounds more like a 175 to me.

**jazzimprov** · 08-16-2016, 12:31 PM

Funny,

I find the PM2 to be very dark and deep sounding actually, at least the one I own and play.

so I guess there is room here for more disagreement.

Ears are funny things.......

**agentsmith** · 08-16-2016, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by jazzimprov

Funny,

I find the PM2 to be very dark and deep sounding actually, at least the one I own and play.

so I guess there is room here for more disagreement.

Ears are funny things.......

I'm just going by the clips. every clip of the pm2 is very bright. The PM-120 is a very dark guitar though. I hope we can at least agree on that or there is no point in further discussion!

**jazzimprov** · 08-16-2016, 02:59 PM

I wouldn't go by some 'youtube' clips to give you an accurate reading of the true sound of the 175, you'd be selling yourself short.

I spent too much time comparing 'youtube' videos that were all over the place in terms of the sound on the same instrument. (s)

Haven't played the PM120 but I will stick to the PM2 being dark and deep. No question there....... and no change of opinion here.

**Bill C** · 08-16-2016, 03:04 PM

It seems to me the magic ingredients are a laminate 16" body, 24.75" scale and mahogany neck - and basically the choice seems to be a 175 or a vintage 125, 165 or the rare vintage Japanese models mentioned ...

**Jx30510** · 12-30-2016, 06:13 AM

The Es175 Epi Premium seems to be the only one to have all the specs to match with the real thing right out the box, considering the pickups are Gibson 57's. The Peerless Gigmaster also, but expect à pickup swap, I didn't like them at all (too acoustic and bland sounding).
Just 10 000 cts (or 1000$) :-)