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here's another clip of the HORRIBLE gibson 175. Someone posted this on jazz guitar addiction. This is a student at eastman.
performed by Greg Chako. I'm sure it'll be chastised by the tragically hip among us. So post an example of how much better your axe sounds.
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04-18-2015 02:19 PM
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I like orginal es-175.
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Rio. Had a similar problem to you-but slightly different . I had an orange label Gibson 175 back in the late 80's which I really liked but due to other circumtances had to sell it. Had several others plus copies but none lived up to the original. About two years ago I tried several Tokai FA 70( 175 copy) and found one that was the nearest to the Gibson 175- price £500 Gibson used circa 1975 £ 2500.No brainer for me. I think you can still get obtain the Tokai .Try it you may like it,
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Buy something inexpensive. You'll also need to think about amplification as these are electric guitars and that's a big part of the sound. By the time you can hear the subtle differences between various laminate guitars you'll know what you want. It could be more electric, more acoustic, brighter, darker, a 1.75" neck, bigger body, smaller body.. only way to know is to play. If a good sounding, good quality instrument with something other than 'Gibson' on the headstock fails to inspire you, then by all means. If you just want to learn jazz guitar on something hollow, there are more good choices now than there have ever been.
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those ibanez guitars sound nice but the gibson just blows them away. Most of the ibanez guitars have a compressed sound because the top doesn't vibrate as much.
That's the way the aria herb ellis was as well although it had a sound post which was why in that case IMO...
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i had a 1953 175 that i had set up in nashville by the plek man - it was incredible
as soon as i tried a sadowsky jim hall - i sold the 175 to get the jim hall
(i've also had three other 175's of different eras before the 53 - and two es 150s)
they sound very different indeed - that was why i went with the sadowsky
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FWIW, our own wonderful jazzer Dutchbopper has tried many guitars (see his blog), and has focused on the ES-175 and the Tal Farlow as his guitars of choice.
I say focused, rather than settled for obvious reasons!
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I'm not aware of any 175 copies that are dimension and materials accurate - does such a thing exist? Normally the mahogany neck is replaced with maple for example.
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Every model of guitar has history...I wonder how many fameous players use a copy on gigs and during recordings...?
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I see that Epiphone have have re-released their ES 175. I have the older version which I upgraded, with Gibson, 57's Pup's, Vintage style tuners new pot, rewired etc. The new Epi 175 has similar Gibson Hardware, also I use Thomastik strings, Be-Bop. I also replaced the ceramic tone capaciter's with oil caps, which made the transition from treble to bass, and visa versa, much smoother. Epiphone guitars are generally well made and good value for the money, nice styling and great necks, but you have to replace the Pup's.
I agree with you in that Epiphone with it's older hardware, Pup's etc. is not worth the effort, but the new release should have solved those issues. I am very pleased with the modifications and the sound is terrific. I have not played the new Epi but if it sounds anything like my modified version it should be pretty good for a jazz guitar under a $1000.Last edited by Blackwood-ca; 04-29-2015 at 03:56 PM.
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I've tried four Gibson 175s over the past two years, three in the same store, same time: one from 1978, one of the first new Historic ones, and a new 2013 Custom Shop 175. Each was quite different within the definitional nuance of being "a 175", both tonally and in terms of feel. I also tried one other new Gibson CS in a different store; that one was also somewhat different and probably the best guitar I sampled. Anyway, I'm wondering if a 165 is really any more different than what I experienced between the four actual 175s.
Originally Posted by goldenwave77
After all, besides that back pickup—which the large majority of jazz players rarely if ever use—what might possibly make the 165 not sound exactly like the 175? Can three extra holes and some mounted hardware in the top really make all that audible a difference? Is it possible to be able to reliably tell a 175 and a 165 apart in a blind listening test? Hmm...
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I've played 2 165s. One i owned. It was an '89. My 175 is also an '89. They sound very similar. '89 is apparently a good year. The other 165 I played sound sounded very good and like a 175 also. I don't think there are many construction details that would make them any different. One odd thing on the 165 is that the string slots on the bridge were wider than the d'addario ball-ends so i had to insert a 1/2" length of wire through the hole in each ball end in order to keep the string ball end from slipping through the tailpiece opening. I was worried about the same issue with my '89 175 but it doesn't have that issue. Originally Posted by ooglybong
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What pickups did Gibson put on the '89 175's ? Originally Posted by jzucker
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I found this out. In '89 (and part of '88 and '90) Gibson used the Bill Lawrence circuit board pickup.
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A 165 with the mounted pickup does sound exactly like a 175. It is essentially a single pickup 175 with some slight cosmetic differences. The later 165 with the floater is a different animal altogether. Not my cup of tea at all...
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Epiphone guitars come very close or are just identical in sound en feel. They can can copy every Gibson guitar 'cause Gibson owns Epiphone. All other brand have to make bigger changes to they're guitars.
A ES-175 type guitar basically is a 16" laminated maple guitar with mahogany neck and series humbucker(s). That is what makes the sound I think. Far bigger is the difference between who plays it!
A-B comparison: Gibson ES-335 vs Epiphone ES-335pro. Close your eyes and tell the $ 2000,00 price difference.
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FA245 Originally Posted by jazzuki
...About two years ago I tried several Tokai FA 70( 175 copy) and found one that was the nearest to the Gibson 175- price £500 Gibson used circa 1975 £ 2500.No brainer for me. I think you can still get obtain the Tokai .Try it you may like it,
It is the Tokai FA245 now. The model designation changes with the price in JPY before sales tax: JPY245000. It was the FA235 a few years before so if you do a search be sure to punch in the right numbers.
By Jove, I think Tokai got the TV-shape of the PAF pickup covers right whereas the Gibson Custom Shop can't.Last edited by Jabberwocky; 06-07-2015 at 09:57 AM.
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I love my Epi ES-175 Premium!
For what it's worth, you might check this out this comparison:
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As previously noted, some, like the Eastmans, do not actually sound much like a 175. Who comes close sonically speaking? I have been looking at some Greco and Ibanez versions, so would appreciate any input on those.
Please comment on cost, neck profiles, and any other key factors. I would prefer not to do a massive overhaul on hardware, but am willing to tinker a bit, so long as I do not have to drill new holes to replace cheap tuners.
As always, thanks for the input!
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Epiphone ES-175 Premium is very good. Slimmer neck, but has a nice plummy tone. Also Matsumoku made 1970's copies (Aria Pro II, Greco, Westone, etc) are good but now pricey.
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I have a '73 Greco S50 that is very good. Excellent playability and the old Maxon pups sound perfect. Unfortunately the neck is skinnier than I would prefer.
If you're looking at '70's Greco 175's (S or N 50, 55, 60), be aware that the neck shape on the older ones are smaller/skinnier that the later '70's ones. Also pay close attention to the fret edges. These had fret edge binding, and some of them -I assume the ones that have had fret levels- can end up with a weird detail where the fret ends INSIDE the binding, making the effective neck width less. Maybe this is common with guitars with fret edge binding, I don't know, but you can end up with a very skinny effective fret width if the binding edges weren't preserved.
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Lawsuit Aria Pro II EA650.
Last edited by cosmic gumbo; 08-30-2017 at 01:59 AM.
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A used Heritage 575 would do you real good.
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