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Hi!
I'm happy to present my newest guitar - a 89 Gibson Es-175 Mahagony.
It's been connected to a Fender Princeton 65 limited (re-issue), the black one with a Celestion G10 speaker and recorded with an AKG C1000 microphone.
Solo as played by the great Peter Bernstein on Hi-Heel Sneakers (played with the Melvin Rhyne Trio).
I won't comment yet, if I like it more than my so-far-favourite, my Aria PE-180, simply because there is another video coming, where I recorded Midnight Blue on both guitars and both Princetons I have right now, but first things first - how do you like this one?
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07-14-2017 08:45 AM
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I like it a lot - very nice sounding. Each note clear as a bell.
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jzjazz,
Yeah! That's the way. Your guitar both looks and sounds the way an ES-175 is supposed to.
I've always liked the mahogany-sided/backed 175s from the 80s. They just might be the very best of the bunch. Yours sounds right on through your Princeton.
I know what you mean about your PE-180. I have some great guitars, but I just cannot part with my 180. Matsumoku got that one right, didn't they?
Sweet playing, by the way.
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I absolutely love the tone. And your playing has such a nice relaxed feel, which certainly contributes to the tone.
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Extraordinarily cool. Thanks for posting! Great touch, great tone! A mahogany 175 is on my dream list for sure. Maple is marvelous, but the smooth mellower undergirding of the notes on those mahogany boxes is so seductive to me.
Looking forward to that Aria comparison one day...
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A mahogany backed 175 thru a Princeton?
Lots of folks look for the "perfect" jazz tone...if anybody out there is searching, check this out.
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Sounds great - fine playing, too!
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Thanks a lot, guys!
I've expected some critique though :-) Personally I am quite happy with the result, but for me it sounds a little bright and and also mid-focused (that's more the amp than the guitar). The 175 seems pretty dark to me when played, that's why I didn't do any "darkening" action on the amp. Both treble and bass were around 4-5. Now on the recording it sounds pretty bright. But not thin, that's the good thing about that guitar.
What else can I say? It's probably the most comfortable guitar I've played. The scale, neck profile etc. seem to fit me ideally. I've also had mostly 17" guitars, this 16" with the deep body is very comfortable.
And last but not least - thank you to Franz 1997, whos real name is Chris (hope he doesn't mind) - since this guitar has been his before it became mine ;-)
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Great sound, liking it a lot. And your playing too ...
MD
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Tasty playing and tone! A lesson in why diarrhea of the guitar gets old fast. This is nice lines and sound.
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Congrats! Very nice axe, very classic tone however... to me little too bright
Waiting for vid where you will compare it to Aria!
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Very nice!! 175 + Princeton = jazz guitar sound 1.0, arguably.
It's always good to pass along a guitar to a player who knows what to do with it
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Fine playing. The tone is too bright for my taste, but I am pretty sure that it is the amp. I tried a Princeton reissue and found the tone too bright no matter the speaker. A vintage Blackface Princeton will warm things up should you be stuck on a tube amp with one 10 inch speaker. For some reason the circuit board reissues have a brightness/harshness that cannot be fully dialed out
In general, I find 175's with T-top PUPS and a maple neck to be too bright. I do think the all HOG 175's cure the brightness but can also be a little midrangey. I like Gibson's build quality from 1982 through 1998 quite a bit. A 175 sure feels good in the hand, no doubt about it.
Congrats on the new axe. May she inspire your playing for years to come!
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Sounds great to me, both the guitar's tone, and your feel.
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Nice playing and great tone. Clear and woody to my ears.
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Outstanding!
Wonderful playing. If I closed my eyes I would have guessed 175, no doubt. They are special.
You did a great job and thanks for sharing!
Joe D
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You know, I am constantly amazed by how much Pat Martino seems to have influenced everyone's ears. His guitar is _dark_, for sure. Guys like Wes Montgomery, Jim Hall, Joe Pass, etc., DON'T sound dark, however. Their jazz tones sound surprisingly bright when you listen critically to them. jzjazz's tone is right in there, IMO. Sure sounds like jazz guitar, to me.
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Sounds like a keeper to me! Any brightness issues can be dealt with via knobs - amp, guitar, or both. My sense is that your exact tone there in the context of a combo with drums and so forth is going to sit nicely in the mix.
Congratulations, and play it in good health! 
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It is fun to find fault with one's own "tone". But if you can stand more outside opinion, I would leave everything exactly as it is and just play.
Thanks for the clip.
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Some interesting comments. I like BECAUSE of the brightness. It's not exactly a Telecaster on the bridge pickup. It's just clear and warm.
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Tasteful lines and a very nice tone. For my sozzled ears nice to hear some high end. Thunky! This is for the one-electric archtop guitar man or woemyn.
Play her in good health, you.
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I wonder...put a rhythm section underneath that and maybe all of our opinions modulate. What once seemed a tad too bright might start to sound like it's necessary to cut through...
I don't know. I'm just talking to myself.
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But tomorrow, I shall be sober...
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I dig the sound of the 175 and PRRI as well as your playing. That's a sound that will work in about any situation.
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...and it is going to sound even better.
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Wow, guys, what a number of likes and mostly positive feedback! Thank you!
I believe this is essential! I'll do a recording with a backing track when I return from my vacation! The guitar shows its strengths when it's played with a band.
Originally Posted by Flat
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Exactly - I'm amazed that you didn't mention Grant Greeen.... Originally Posted by Greentone
You know, before I started to listen seriously to jazz guitar, the "dark" and "muffled" sound was in my head as the proverbial jazz guitar sound but I had to realize that it's just not true.
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John Pizarelli also has a nicely balanced sound, and a bit on the bright side -- and it works. A little more on the blues side, Duke Robillard also gets a bit of twang happening through some pretty jazzy changes.
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Very nice tone and playing. One of several classic tones, and I would keep that tone in my arsenal.
Might be fun to leave the amp as set (or maybe drop the bass a tiny bit) and then roll off the guitar tone to that sweet spot around 2 or 3, right where the "muffling" begins to lift, then record it again. But that's not criticism, just mad science
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I've been playing my 80s Gibson 175 but my Princeton reverb amp's power chord broke (so I've been using a non tube smaller Fender amp). Originally Posted by Franz 1997
Very nice!! 175 + Princeton = jazz guitar sound 1.0, arguably.
It's always good to pass along a guitar to a player who knows what to do with it
I'm going to have to get that fixed now based on the post here.
Funny but two weeks ago I mentioned to a friend I was going to buy a new amp because I was doing a gig. He asked why?!?, just get your Princeton amp fixed. OK, I'm hearing this clearly now.
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Very Nice! Tasteful playing and great tone. Myself I find the tone just fine. I'm not a fan of the dark muffled tone. Clarity with warmth and some sustain. I love Pat Martino's playing (I probably own every thing he has put out) but when it comes to his tone, he lost me after El Hombre.
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+1 SUPER fan of Martino the player; not a fan of the pillow in front of his amp.
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Originally Posted by Greentone
I had the same feeling about Adam Rogers and when I heard him in John Patitucci's band, it was all mud and was like a muffled fart, no definition. So glad that he seems to of moved into a sound with more definition. Hearing Martino last week he didn't seem to be as dark as in the the past, but still dark. Pat's percussive picking does help with note definition.
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