Has anyone had an ES-175 style built for them?

**Pale Rider** · 10-03-2016, 11:55 AM

People love customization-
I have had a few solid body guitars made, with my favorite neck characteristics, pickups, etc
do anyone build arch tops in the ES175 style?
seems chasing a vintage that may not be absolutely "yours" or perfect to ones needs might be a similar price to having one made..

**MaxTwang** · 10-03-2016, 01:17 PM

Hard to improve on perfection, but Heritage makes their version with a carved solid maple top.

**Pale Rider** · 10-03-2016, 01:50 PM

sorry if I wasn't more clear-
I mean, is their a luthier of note who is making custom 175-esque guitars
where one can get, say a more D shaped neck, with a wide nut, etc, etc and such?

I just love necks sometimes when they really work for me, instead of the other way around-
I'm not a huge fan of baseball ball or chunky C necks

**IbanezAS100** · 10-03-2016, 01:57 PM

Try Stephen Holst, his prices are very reasonable too.

luthier stephen holst archtop guitars

**Greentone** · 10-03-2016, 02:01 PM

It's pretty easy to get Heritage to do this. Still, I have played and owned enough Gibson ES-175 guitars that I just loved that I'd likelier go the vintage route.

**Jehu** · 10-03-2016, 02:29 PM

Check out this beaut in progress by a Melbourne luthier...

Hollow body with a difference - Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

**Greentone** · 10-03-2016, 02:44 PM

Jehu,

Sweet.

**Pale Rider** · 10-03-2016, 02:59 PM

Thanks. those are lovely.

**339 in june** · 10-03-2016, 03:30 PM

Jay
That will be a beauty for sure. And interesting innovation in construction

Thanks for letting us know

**Dedalus** · 10-03-2016, 04:45 PM

Thanks for linking that forum, Jay. Great learning material.

**Bill C** · 10-03-2016, 04:48 PM

you'll need to find a builder who will build with laminate plates if it's going to be anything like a 175. Holst, Mirabella, Borys, any others?

**stringmaster** · 10-03-2016, 07:11 PM

You might check with Grez Guitars.

**Jabberwocky** · 10-04-2016, 04:32 AM

Used ES-175s are a dime a dozen. Buy a used one and pay a luthier to reshape the neck to your desire.

If you'd like a new one built like an old Gibson try Archtop Tribute of Walkin Japan. Get the neck shaped if it is not to your liking.

Tom Painter used to make them. I don't know if he does them any longer. I like the two Steves: Steve Holst and Steve Andersen. Bryant Trenier makes them; he is chillaxing in France as we speak. Roger Borys and Ned Whittemore, of course.

Comes down to budget. From $3300-ish (Holst and Whittemore) to $5000-ish (Andersen and Borys) to $7500 (Trenier).

All worth checking out.

**Jabberwocky** · 10-04-2016, 04:34 AM

Whittemore Guitars Model 165T Thinline Archtop Guitar: The ?Lil? Joe? Model, hand-crafted from the finest materials for a classic jazz sound with reduced tendency for feedback. Whittemore Guitars - the real jazz voice.

**Jabberwocky** · 10-04-2016, 04:37 AM

Whittemore Guitars Model 165T Thinline Archtop Guitar: The ?Lil? Joe? Model, hand-crafted from the finest materials for a classic jazz sound with reduced tendency for feedback. Whittemore Guitars - the real jazz voice.

**oldane** · 10-04-2016, 05:46 AM

Steve Holst would be one to consider. Roger Borys too, but he seems to have a very long waiting list (years)- and I could suspect his prices reflect that. From personal experience I know Jim Triggs as a very accomodating builder with reasonable if not extremely low prices, but I'm not sure he makes laminate instruments. I could never hurt to ask him though.

I had Tom Painter make me what is more or less a custom ES350T with 25.5" scale, 1.75" nut width and a Biltoft HCC Alnico II PU placed under the imaginary 24th fret as specified by me. I have really bonded with it. Tom Painter is now out of the guitar business so it's not an option for you, but my experience goes to show that if you beforehand have a good idea of what you want, a custom built guitar may well be the way to go.

If you are not sure about almost all the specs, I think it's more hit or miss, and then you'd be safer by buying a guitar you can try out before money changes hands.

Sometimes you may need to hold your own on your key specs, because some builders will rather build a guitar to their own taste than the one you want. But then, all good builders should warn the customer if something unadvisable from a structural point of view is specified. The builder will want the guitar to be visually recognizable as his work and that is only fair. But custom specs for scale, fretboard width, fretbord radius, PU choice etc. should be accommodated.

I like builder who have a solid and down to earth approach and will avoid those builders who fill you with flowery, romantic and semi mystique talk about "the magic" of this and that detail. One builder wrote on his web site that his goal was that his instrument was still played by the finest artists 300 years from now. I'd call that BS. Jim Triggs and Tom Painter, who has both built guitars for me, would want their customers to play the heck out their guitars from the day UPS delivered them on their doorstep.

**lawson-stone** · 10-04-2016, 07:21 AM

Just realize one thing. This only applies to a segment of guitar players, but it's real and if you have this temperament, beware.

You can have a guitar that's "just like" a Gibson, but it still will not be a Gibson. Shortcomings and all, the Gibson ES175 has a mojo that can be disputed, but not denied, diminished but not eliminated, explained away but never explained ... I have two L5ces copies, really, really good ones, that combined still cost less than a Gibson, but I still don't have the Gibson.

For some people that won't matter at all, and no doubt, they'll all chime in to shout at the top of their lungs to the whole world that it doesn't matter (which is why they shout I'm sure!). But for those of us susceptible to the "Gibson Magic" in the end, that's what we want, and nothing else will ever fully satisfy.

You might be one of those, you might not, you might not yet even know whether you are...

**Pale Rider** · 10-04-2016, 02:25 PM

Thanks for all of these.
I do have am ES175 CC that I adore.

I just love everything about it except the neck really, and I'd love different pickups in another guitar-
people love to do anything with the Tele form, but I was just wondering if there are those doing the same
with the holy ES175

**Dennis D** · 10-05-2016, 06:38 PM

Originally Posted by Pale Rider

Thanks for all of these.
I do have am ES175 CC that I adore.

I just love everything about it except the neck really, and I'd love different pickups in another guitar-
people love to do anything with the Tele form, but I was just wondering if there are those doing the same
with the holy ES175

Have you checked out / ruled out an L4CES ?

**Pale Rider** · 10-05-2016, 07:03 PM

I have not been able to lay hands on one.
does it have a wide, thin neck carve?

always wanted to checl out an L5S as well

**Dennis D** · 10-05-2016, 07:30 PM

Originally Posted by Pale Rider

I have not been able to lay hands on one.
does it have a wide, thin neck carve?

always wanted to checl out an L5S as well

I'd be surprised if the neck carve weren't the same as your 175. The dimensions are basically the same. The L-4, however, will have an ebony fb and solid top.

I would do what you can to check one out. They are ' sleepers '.

**entresz** · 10-05-2016, 10:19 PM

Originally Posted by Pale Rider

always wanted to checl out an L5S as well

Me too. Especially one with those crazy low impedance pickups.

**abelljo** · 10-05-2016, 10:40 PM

I did, I had Mr Wu buld a sharp cutaway single pickup guitar in sunburst with wood binding, but a 25.5 inch scale. I don't have it anymore and I don't think I have any pictures. Oh it was a single pickup guitar.