Epiphone ES-175 Premium

**Treading Water** · 11-18-2014, 11:43 AM

"The hang tag said 60's slim taper!" Sorry, i was not paying close attention. I wonder if this is a different version of the model as mine didn't have a slim taper hang tag.
The Gibson came in different nut widths didn't it?

**rsclosson** · 11-18-2014, 11:49 AM

Must be a different model because mine measures 1 11/16 and feels substantial enough for my tastes.

**jazzbow** · 11-18-2014, 05:10 PM

B7 in the 1st position informs me whether I'm going to be happy with a guitar. My fingertips are like plungers so that gap for the B string to ring out without choking against the third finger pad is my bench mark.

1 11/16" maybe standard but is wholly dependent on the final set up at the factory. £700 should get you a decent guitar without having to wrestle a poorly cut nut

Epiphone ES-175 Premium-sdc10652-640x480-jpg

Epiphone ES-175 Premium-sdc10652-640x480-jpg

Fender MIM Strat, need to go back to Luthier school!

Epiphone ES-175 Premium-img_0308-640x478-jpg

Squier Tele, nut not nearly 'nuff

So the Epi ES 175 for all that bunce needed a better string spread for me poor numb 3rd and 4th fingers.

**artb** · 11-30-2014, 08:07 PM

Only photo of EPI tagged as EMPEROR REGENT. Nice player, but also in my listing as 175. WHICH? artb

**SamBooka** · 12-01-2014, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by artb

Only photo of EPI tagged as EMPEROR REGENT. Nice player, but also in my listing as 175. WHICH? artb

Close. that is a zephyr regent.. I tried one once and was blown away by the dark warm tone.. back and sides were mahog lam IIRC.

**artb** · 12-03-2014, 05:07 AM

SAMBOOKA: Thanks for identifying, but not looking much like the original one with that name. Glad to know it has good performance quality, which I agree with and reason I have it. artb

**johnbrodie** · 08-15-2015, 05:41 AM

hey all!

I'm really loving my ES-175 premium. I got the black one and gave it a polish so that it has a semi gloss now.

I also strung it with chrome 12 flatwounds to go for the old school jazz thing.

I'd read somewhere that lowering the neck pickup of the 57s to almost flush with pickup covers is a good thing to do for a mellow and clear tone. The sound is killer BUT when i plug any of my other guitars mid-set, i realise its way less output now.

What neck pickup height are you lot using? Soundwise, I'm chasing that smokey 50's jazz sound.

**jzucker** · 08-15-2015, 07:12 AM

Originally Posted by djelley

That does look nice, but I'd have a hard time paying that when I can get an Eastman AR371 for about the same amount.

the eastman doesn't sound like a 175, the epiphone does.

**mr. beaumont** · 08-15-2015, 09:21 AM

I was able to play an Epi 175 Premium and a 1975 Gibson 175 back to back the other day...Epi did a good job with this one...really captured the 175 vibe correctly.

As Jack mentioned, the 371 does not. I won't go into the 371 I played, it was only one guitar, but it was terrible.

By the way, northern IL, south WI residents, the GC in villa park IL has a 1975 ES-175 at a very fair price, and i think they'd go down a bit more. It's classic 70's fretless wonder uglyburst, and has plenty of dings, but the neck is straight, the action is LOW, the electronics work perfectly, and it has the sound, alright.

**Longways to Go** · 08-15-2015, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by johnbrodie

hey all!

I'm really loving my ES-175 premium. I got the black one and gave it a polish so that it has a semi gloss now.

I also strung it with chrome 12 flatwounds to go for the old school jazz thing.

I'd read somewhere that lowering the neck pickup of the 57s to almost flush with pickup covers is a good thing to do for a mellow and clear tone. The sound is killer BUT when i plug any of my other guitars mid-set, i realise its way less output now.

What neck pickup height are you lot using? Soundwise, I'm chasing that smokey 50's jazz sound.

Unlike some, I prefer my pickups up fairly close to the strings. I usually set the bridge pickup height first -- even though it gets very little use -- as close to the strings as sounds good. Then I set the neck height by roughly balancing the volume of the two pickups. If needed, I will adjust the individual pole pieces for string to string volume balance too.

**johnbrodie** · 09-05-2015, 07:12 AM

i did a gig with my es-175 today. I strung it up with some 12's flatwounds. I prefer playing this guitar over my Gibson and and Fenders at the moment. It really has the es-175 sound.

I haven't noticed any issues with the tuners or anything else yet. If i could make this guitar better, i would though, although i can't think of any mods it needs.

**StanG** · 09-05-2015, 10:36 AM

I don't love my epi 175, but I am continually amazed at how good it can sound. It has some lighter gauge flat wounds, and I think I lowered the pickups. The neck profile is liveable, but a little flat and narrow for my preference, but not a deal breaker, considering the price and how it sounds.

**jrankin128** · 11-28-2016, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by Beanctr

Has anyone noticed that MF is selling a new Epiphone 175? They say it has Gibson 57' pick ups. Its a little pricey at $899. They are calling it Premium, looks nicer that the old discontinued model. Anyone seen or played one?

rick

FYI... The Vintage Sunburst is on clearance as we speak for $650--had to pull the trigger on that. Cheers.

joaopaz · 02-24-2017, 08:46 PM

Got this one yesterday. Here are some notes, in no particular order (other than Cons first and Pros next)

Cons

- stickers: not sure about the US, but here in Europe guitars usually come with a couple of stickers.. one I believe has to do with the European Market and other has a trash can symbol of some sort... problem is, on this guitar they were hard to remove, the glue was strong and left a few marks on the finish. which seems to be very thin (I find that a good thing). It's incredible how people do these things, I mean, they work a great product and then stick on it a couple of ugly white square stickers that threaten to damage the product itself.

- tuners: the vintage tuners are so, so... they do what they're supposed to, but they're also far from accurate. Sometimes it feels like you hit a dead spot, and they move a little without any noticeable effect. Incidentally, the best tuners by far that I ever came across, are the ones that came with my ol' Epiphone Dot Studio, a 200$ guitar. Everything else I tried don't even come close. So, these tuners may be replaced (once I'm assured it has nothing to do with the nut, for instance).

- fixed bridge: is this bridge fixed to the guitar?? I tried to move it around a little and couldn't... I'll have to check the next time I change strings. But if that's the case I don't need anyone to tell me where the bridg position is. And this sums up with the next item on this list...

- strings/pickup lineup: the strings don't line up with the neck pickup pole pieces. They do with the bridge. It looks like the problem would be solved if only I could move the bridge 1 or 2 mms to the side.. there's a little more space on the side on the high E string - but since it's a fixed bridge(!)

- sunburst: at first glance the guitar finish looks awesome and with a great, old vibe. But the "square" sunburst...! It's really ugly both on the front and on the back; I looked for photos of other Epi ES-175 Premium in sunburst and they all look the same. Unless there was a certain Gibson ES-175 with this squared shape in the sunburst this makes no sense to me.

Pros

- epiphone "E" logo: fell off as soon as I touched it! Yes!

- well built. The wood work in this guitar looks really solid. The neck joint with the top of the guitar looks perfect and clean. The f-holes reveal some care in the construction and the overall impression is very very good.

- responsive: some guitars feel a bit "plastic", some sound "dead", and some talk to you... this is the case! I wasn't expecting this much from a laminated guitar. It feels like a real instrument and the acoustic sound has some qualities too.

- volume/tone knobs: these are amazing! They feel like butter, and they're effective and gradual; specially on the volume knobs this is a huge plus for me.

- fret job: impeccable. Shiny, leveled, smooth on the edges, they look like quality stuff! I was able to easilly set up the guitar with a very low action and no buzz.

- sound: oh man, this is what I was looking for. Great sound all the way, and you can tweak it in useful ways with the knobs as mentioned above.

- comfortable: great to play in any place of the fingerboard.

- fingerboard: sure looks like quality wood, dark and shiny (as opposed to pale and "dry" looking rosewood).

- vibe: lots of!

I will for sure have more to say about this guitar, but wanted to let this out soon.

Verdict: in spite of the not so good things (the fixed bridge is really disturbing, to me at least) I'd buy this guitar again in a flash. I played it and she responded in a way that's not easy to find - and that tops the rest. I can live even with the ill-aligned strings/pickup... I may adjust the pole pieces height if necessary, but the vibe - hard to translate exactly what it is - when I find it, it's a keeper!

I was GAS'ing really bad for an ES-175 type; the Gibson's are very very expensive and, for one the used market here in my country for those high end guitars is almost non existent so I'd had to buy online ... for a used Gibson ES-175 I couldn't risk; and then I know I'm mostly a solid body player.

Verdict, again: love this baby, can't put it down, strongly recommended

**pants** · 02-24-2017, 08:55 PM

The bridge is "pinned." You can "remove" the pins and make it adjustable. Also I have heard the tuner gripe on these is often traceable to nut issues. The bursts on them I do find truly baffling. Like, what? Why would you do that? This model has quite a few fans on this forum. Especially considering the price point. I've been barely holding myself back from pulling the trigger on one.

Enjoy it!

joaopaz · 02-24-2017, 09:18 PM

Originally Posted by pants

The bridge is "pinned." You can "remove" the pins and make it adjustable. Also I have heard the tuner gripe on these is often traceable to nut issues. The bursts on them I do find truly baffling. Like, what? Why would you do that? This model has quite a few fans on this forum. Especially considering the price point. I've been barely holding myself back from pulling the trigger on one.

Enjoy it!

Thanks! That's good news about the bridge and, yes, I thought that the nut could have something to do with it. Will have to check it out better,a s well.
About the sunburst - that's so strange that came to my mind they were duplicating a specific model... (I know very little about the history of the ES-175). But I tell you, I'm liking the guitar so much that of these days I'll wake up the morning, look at the guitar and even dig the sunburst

I tried to consider other175-type options but in the end I think I took the right decision in going with the Epiphone... the design, the laminated construction, the USA 57 pickups, the tailpiece... it looks right!

**Jx30510** · 02-24-2017, 09:59 PM

Very nice guitar indeed, I've been loving mine since day one.
I will have a bone nut made and will replace the tuners with more "hefty" ones, hoping it won't affect the overall resonnance and string vibration.. these small changes can sometimes have big impact.

It's a great guitar

**Jx30510** · 02-24-2017, 10:11 PM

I must add that I experimented with the bridge, and have come to the conclusion that the original one works the best for the guitar. The pined thing seems to enhance the sustain, and the wood the bridge is made of is very light, I mean almost balsa like.
If fixed an ebony top on the pined base, replacing the TOM one, and the guitar feels much more "serious", less clangy and metallic, the acoustic sound with 12 Pyramid flatwounds is very convincing, not very loud but fair enough.
You will have hard time transforming the bridge in a non pined one, the screws look solidly tightened in the base.. if I were you I'd order a new one.
But in my experience the guitars works best with the original one, despite the material it's made of looking second class at first sight.

joaopaz · 02-24-2017, 10:27 PM

Originally Posted by Jx30510

I must add that I experimented with the bridge, and have come to the conclusion that the original one works the best for the guitar. The pined thing seems to enhance the sustain, and the wood the bridge is made of is very light, I mean almost balsa like.
If fixed an ebony top on the pined base, replacing the TOM one, and the guitar feels much more "serious", less clangy and metallic, the acoustic sound with 12 Pyramid flatwounds is very convincing, not very loud but fair enough.
You will have hard time transforming the bridge in a non pined one, the screws look solidly tightened in the base.. if I were you I'd order a new one.
But in my experience the guitars works best with the original one, despite the material it's made of looking second class at first sight.

Thank you, Jx, that was some great first-hand feedback about the bridge.
Right now I feel exactly like you, on your first post... in spite of the not so great (few) things, the guitar IS feeling right and I won't try to change anything about it for the time being!

Guess what I've been doing in between these posts?

**sgosnell** · 02-24-2017, 10:41 PM

The posts in the bridge are easily raised if you have the correct Allen wrench. Just screw them up, lefty-loosey, and you can get them up into the base. But they then stick up above the saddle, if that's a concern for you. I had to unpin mine, because the setup artist who pinned mine did it in the wrong place, and I couldn't intonate it even with some of the saddles reversed in the TOM. But the bridge base still covered up the holes, so it wasn't a complete disaster.

**Jx30510** · 02-24-2017, 11:16 PM

What do you mean with an Allen wrench? There isn't any holes on top of the pins? Can you explain?

joaopaz · 02-24-2017, 11:27 PM

Originally Posted by sgosnell

The posts in the bridge are easily raised if you have the correct Allen wrench. Just screw them up, lefty-loosey, and you can get them up into the base. But they then stick up above the saddle, if that's a concern for you. I had to unpin mine, because the setup artist who pinned mine did it in the wrong place, and I couldn't intonate it even with some of the saddles reversed in the TOM. But the bridge base still covered up the holes, so it wasn't a complete disaster.

Thanks for the info, too, sgosnell.
I was able to intonate mine, though the high E, B, and G saddles had to go back to unusual places...
Won't touch it for now, but it's good to know that there are workarounds if need be; I searched the net and YT for photos/videos of the bridge pins but none so far... about them sticking out, do you think it would be possible to cut some lenght to the pins?

**Jx30510** · 02-25-2017, 12:16 AM

The best solution would too use a Dremel tool to cut them.. but personnaly I don't like doing these kind of things if I'm not absolutely sur it will be an improvement.
I would buy a new bridge instead (it's 15 bucks.. no big deal), and keep the original one as is..

**sgosnell** · 02-25-2017, 12:18 AM

If you're handy with a hacksaw, it shouldn't be difficult to cut the posts. You might want to use a file to chamfer the cut ends.

The tops of the posts on my Epi have hexagonal Allen slots. I assumed they all did.

**Mellow-G** · 02-25-2017, 04:51 AM

As others have already said the bridge is pinned. On mine I had a bit of buzzing from the TOM saddles and being that I wanted to try a wooden bridge I researched on ebay and found an adjustable height wooden bridge that would enable me to lift off the TOM metal part of the bridge and replace with the wooden top. The TOM can be kept in case of future resale and no alteration to the body or original bridge base. I gave full instructions to another post last week - 1970 L-5 wooden bridge intonation - Hope this is of some help to you.
The job was quick to do and made a noticeable improvement to tone on my ES175 premium, well worth it.
If you have trouble identifying the bridge to purchase I can supply the ebay item number for the one I used but other styles may suit you better, you just need to make sure the holes for sitting on the height adjusters are the same as your original. I had to enlarge the holes slightly as it was not 100% correct, the holes needed to be about 1mm further apart.
As you say these are excellent guitars, I have to stand and admire it before breakfast every morning. With the TI flatwounds and bridge changes it has a wonderful tone that makes it a joy to play.

Another story......I have just purchased tone woods from Portugal for my next archtop that I will be making later this year! Perhaps I should have flown out to collect, we could have had a good chat.
Stay in tune
Graham