Eastman AR371CE or Gibson ES-135?

[GNAPPI]

My original post was because I read a few articles about finish chipping off from something as mundane as painter's tape being applied. Not all, some. Even Eastman was aware of the "issue" :-)

[Max405]

I had a new 371 in 2014 that had paint chipping off of it down by the treble side rim, near the waist line.
I had a new 580 in 2016 and the finish was fine..
FWIW..
JD

[Doctor Jeff]

For an inexpensive semi, the Epi 335 is hard to beat. And you can walk into almost any guitar store and try one out. Of course there is a whole world of used out there, but if you are on a budget and are looking for a style of guitar that is new to you Epiphone, Ibanez, and Eastman are all putting out the goods. Until you know a full sized double cut semi, or a full hollow jazz box, or a chambered Les Paul, etc. is what you want, for a small investment you can test it out on a new Chinese built Epi. Bonus is you can usually get half your money back selling it to someone else later.

I think the Epi 335 clones are neat guitars, but they definitely won't sound like a 175, and in my opinion based on my experience with a Dot it is hard to get a good jazz sound out of them. YMMV. For alt rock and country or unleashing your inner Warren Haynes they are fine and a good bang-for-the-buck.

I agree the 135 does not sound like a 175, just in a thin version. But it has a great sound for jazz--very full and mellow. The sustain creates very interesting possibilities for shaping your tone and style.

[DanielleOM]

I had a new 371 in 2014 that had paint chipping off of it down by the treble side rim, near the waist line.
I had a new 580 in 2016 and the finish was fine..
FWIW..
JD

I found you need to use any polish sparingly. It can wick under the finish, at a finish edge,
and then lift the finish.

[Robertkoa]

You didn't say WHICH 135 (P100 or HB) you were asking about so...

The 135 with two P100's (my preferred model) was discontinued and replaced with a two HB model, and it's not going to be anything like the Eastman. I have both a P100 135, and HB 137, both very unique players with little (if anything) in common with other Gibson models. When I was shopping for a 135 I liked the P100 version better as I already had the HB sound covered, and if I wanted to upgrade (or downgrade as it is IMO) to standard P90's I could easily do it.

Anyway, I like the slightly thicker body (+1/2") and necks on the 135 and 137 better than the "slim taper" necks and thinner body 335's, and the sound with HB's is more "woody" than a 335 even though the 335 and 135/137 have the same 57 classic pups.

Why it is that Gibson can't get any traction on semi-hollow, single cut Florentine cutaway models is surprising. Then again anything not a 335, 175, Les Paul, Sg or other "classic" design has a dim chance of getting popular.

Prices on the 135/137's are going up, maybe players are starting to discover what Gibson was trying to do back when they came out in the 90's to the early 2000's.

Absolutely !

I think there is a big difference from a 335 to a 137 AND IF the 137 had only about 4 to 6 inches of baked torrified or microwaved ) Mahogany Block and the rest was open we would have a great semi hollow that goes a step further toward ES175 but with more sustain etc.- all the advantages of a Stoptail - less string under tension etc etc.








I suspect ( though no Luthier ) that the very small block used in the Eastman T185MX T186MX etc . will work on Laminates also .And even better at 2.00 inches or 2.25 thick.

1)Question - is it true that any ES 135 ( mostly hollow ) can be converted by a tech to a stoptail ?

[Robertkoa]

This guy gets a great sound out of a 135:

Whether you can, though, is a different matter. There's really no way to tell without playing it yourself.

John

I like the Tone and his Style is really nice...

I suspect that any well made Semihollow - solid carved wood or laminate with a very small block at 2" to 2.25" deep will be this good or better....

However 2.25" deep semihollows are rare .

Most Guitarists don't really care about the subtle differences in Tones- but IF a few thousand Guitarists
care enough - we might see semi hollow set neck Telecaster types and thicker semis which produce warmer , phatter tones.

[GNAPPI]

Absolutely !

I think there is a big difference from a 335 to a 137 AND IF the 137 had only about 4 to 6 inches of baked torrified or microwaved ) Mahogany Block and the rest was open we would have a great semi hollow that goes a step further toward ES175 but with more sustain etc.- all the advantages of a Stoptail - less string under tension etc etc.

I suspect ( though no Luthier ) that the very small block used in the Eastman T185MX T186MX etc . will work on Laminates also .And even better at 2.00 inches or 2.25 thick.

1)Question - is it true that any ES 135 ( mostly hollow ) can be converted by a tech to a stoptail ?

Actually unless you've seen one unlike my 135 they are not mostly hollow at all. The block touches the top and back, and from stem to stern. So, I don't see any reason why a 135 couldn't be converted to a stop TP, the Q I'd have for you is why do that?

[TOMMO]

Actually unless you've seen one unlike my 135 they are not mostly hollow at all. The block touches the top and back, and from stem to stern. So, I don't see any reason why a 135 couldn't be converted to a stop TP,

Because the block is made from balsa wood (it's meant to inhibit feedback not so much for sustain) and I'm in doubt if soft balsa wood would be able to support the pull of a stop bar tailpiece....

[petef]

That's close to the tone I want. Could I ask what pups you have & what amp?