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I came across some Gibson ES120Ts and ES125Ts and even ES225T for sale. I don't know any jazzplayer of name who uses one, so I was wondering how these guitars would do as a jazzguitar. I have never had a change to play one though, but I know the full-size ES125 makes an excellent jazzguitar.
So: are these thinlines a chance to own a vintage Gibson jazzguitar for (relatively) little money or are they a no-no for jazz?
Any thoughts?
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08-17-2009 08:19 AM
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I have a 225T
OMG
So awesome.
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I have a Washburn HB15, which is based off the Gibby ES125T. Very cool guitar, and I can only imagine how the originals play.
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Thanx so far!
Well, I'm asking the question because I see some cool fifties and sixties ES120s go for around 1500 bucks overhere in Europe (the 125s and 225 are more expensive) and that's relatively low compared to the ES175s, L5s, etc.
Well, the best thing to do of course is to find a shop or dealer where I can try them out and see if it fits my playing.
But it struck me that I have never seen a well known jazzguitarist on a ES120..... a too cheap image or poor tone? I only know of dutch player Martijn van Iterson using a full bodied ES125 (and in his hands it sounds beautiful). So it just made me wondering....
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Hi Jay,
I play both, a 1966 es 125 TC and a 1955 full body ES 125.
These are the best guitars I ever came across. Love that powerful, punchy sound of the P90.
If you are looking for a goedkoop gitaar, you should contact Russ. You find his webpage here: The best place in the UK to buy American Vintage Guitars: Gibson, Gretsch, Guild, Martin
I visited him last Saturday and came home with the ´55
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask and I´ll try to answer.
BTW: Martijn is absolutely killer! his tone and legato feel are just superb.
theo.
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I've owned one of each.
(120T & 125T)
Most excellent for jazz
in my opinion. Slim profile
is light & comfy, too.
Best of luck to you.
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I have seen several 125 TC's on ebay that I would love to own. I played a 225 at Gruhn's in Nashville a few years back, and was blown away by it. I was just cruisin, so I wasn't prepared to buy, but often wish I did.
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I think any of those would make a sweet jazz guitar. I think Kurt Rosenwinkel used a 125TD on Chris Cheek's "I Wish I Knew" album, and he sounded great. It's not difficult to find one for cheap compared to other "higher end" models, If you find one go for it.
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Comparing the 120 vs the 125 .. the 120 seems to have a melody maker style pickup. I am not familiar with them. What is the difference in tone?
I love the p90 sound. A cheaper alternative is the Godin Kingpin. Doesnt have the warmth of the 125s I have played.. and you can tell it is cheaper materials but a great substitute for the price. If you have the buck tho you cant beat a 125 (although a 55 es-175 comes close lol)
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ES-175? I like the ES-175T (Thin)
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And that reminds me of the time I almost bought a ES-5 Switchmaster for a great price, and then I counted the strings...
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Yep, the melody-style pickup... how would that go for jazz?
Originally Posted by dh82c
Some google-ing revealed me that Curtis Novak does a melody-maker-to-P90-conversion (CurtisNovak.com - Pickups and Guitars:Melody Maker MM-90), which lead me to think the Melody Maker is inferior to a P90. No way of realy telling without trying though... I located an ES120T close to where I live, so I am going to try that out anywhere soon.
I'll keep you guys posted!
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I liked my ES 120T for jazz.
I am fortunate to have a good tube amp
that might compensate any deficiencies,
but I don't remember any. It's been a while
The ES 120T has a plastic fixture that serves as
combination pickguard and mount for the pickup,
controls and output jack. Mine was in excellent
condition so as a result I was loathe to stress it
with use and risk damaging it. I don't think you'd
be happy buying an instrument like this and altering
it heavily with a new pickup; I could be wrong however.
I don't think this guitar is cosmetically finished in
such a way as to allow removing this plastic
fixture altogether; again, I could be wrong.
Just so you know while you are investigating.
Good luck.
Wish I'd kept mine!
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Thanx Rabbit!
The Curtis Novak mod leaves the guitar unaltered and is completely reversible... but I don't realy like the idea of buying an expensive guitar knowing that you are going to alter it... then just buy something that's right from the start.
So I'll investigate (read: try out) the difference between the Melody Maker pu and a P90.
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@Theo: I'm afraid I won't visit the UK anywhere soon, but thanks and this Russ indeed has a nice shop with great Gibson and Epiphone thinlines... you gave me the idea to look out for old Epiphone thinlines as well! ;-)
A friend of mine has a good 1968 single HB ES175 for sale, but he (righteously so!) wants a good price and those go for at least 3.500 euros (about 4500 dollars) overhere. Now I do have a good job and make enough money to be able to buy his without having to eat beans for a month, but come on, 4500 dollars for a plywood guitar?!?!?! Having some newcomer at the jamsessions blow me away on a cheap Ibanez?? No thank you, I like the underdog jazzer: cheap guitar, expensive playing, not the other way around!
Having said this, I now played enough old Gibsons to know that there IS something magic about them that I like a lot and that I don't find in modern guitars (unless they're luthier-made and cost even more....). I still haven't figured out what this magic is. Matured wood?? I have some older (and cheaper) Framus and Japanese guitars from the 60ies and 70ies that are also better then a lot of modern guitars I think, and come closer to old Gibsons, but can't beat them I think.
Yep, that (vintage) Gibson magic....... ~ sigh ~
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Hahaha... just use fewer fingers! Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
And that reminds me of the time I almost bought a ES-5 Switchmaster for a great price, and then I counted the strings...
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