Jim Hall's Gibson ES-175 up close!

**floatingpickup** · 09-04-2017, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

I thought the story was jimmy put the ebony fretboard with block markers on this one...

Man, if guitars could talk.

I saw Jim Hall play that guitar at George's Bourbon Street in Toronto. There were hardly any people there that night, so Jim joined us at our table during the break. I asked him about the Ebony/block fingerboard and he said Jimmy D'Aquisto did it. I went back to see him the next time he came to Toronto and he had retired the 175 and was playing his D'Aquisto.
Keith

**neatomic** · 09-04-2017, 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by floatingpickup

I agree that Jim's damper was an early version. Are you sure Gibson made the later ones? It seems unlikely because the three holes do not line up with a Gibson truss rod cover (which only has two screws). I posted a picture (above) of the one I had on a 175 and I had to drill an extra hole to make it fit.
Keith

complicated!! hah

everything you want to know about dampers..from the late great scotty moores site...good read thru

Scotty Moore - String Dampers

cheers

**ronjazz** · 09-04-2017, 06:05 PM

Yes, Jim told me he had worn the finish off during the long stretches between playing on the Griffin show. I saw him play that guitar several times, always a full, warm sound, even with borrowed amplifiers. I lent him a Polytone once for a performance in Boston, and it developed a problem at sound check, had to be turned up all the way to 10 to get enough volume for the gig. I apologized profusely, and in his fashion, he said "it's probably me." Anyway, he liked the sound and used it for 8 shows.

**floatingpickup** · 09-04-2017, 07:29 PM

Originally Posted by ronjazz

Yes, Jim told me he had worn the finish off during the long stretches between playing on the Griffin show. I saw him play that guitar several times, always a full, warm sound, even with borrowed amplifiers. I lent him a Polytone once for a performance in Boston, and it developed a problem at sound check, had to be turned up all the way to 10 to get enough volume for the gig. I apologized profusely, and in his fashion, he said "it's probably me." Anyway, he liked the sound and used it for 8 shows.

My brother saw him once when there was a problem with the club's amp and Jim said no problem, he could just play without an amp! That's how quiet he liked to play. My brother ran out to his car and grabbed a Roland JC-77 that was in his trunk and Jim used that.
Keith

**Joe Phillips** · 09-05-2017, 09:35 AM

[QUOTE=55bar;799108]Agreed, I'm trying to figure out how the the lacquer got worn so much just on the top above the 15th fret. Any ideas?

I saw Jim Hall in person five times, three of them close up in a club. I can verify that the wear on the upper bout, bass side finish is due to the unusual way he hung his strap. I never saw him play the 175, only the D'Aquisto, but that's how he did it. The binding on the D'A the lower bout, bass side was completely worn away, and the upper bout had considerable finish wear by the strap coming over it.

A free Jim Hall concert anecdote: Once during his Duets album promotion I sat very close and heard him tell Mike Stern before they began, "Your music is upside down." Stern replied, "That's ok, I can't read it anyway."

**bleakanddivine** · 09-05-2017, 10:21 AM

[QUOTE=Joe Phillips;800273]

Originally Posted by 55bar

Agreed, I'm trying to figure out how the the lacquer got worn so much just on the top above the 15th fret. Any ideas?

I saw Jim Hall in person five times, three of them close up in a club. I can verify that the wear on the upper bout, bass side finish is due to the unusual way he hung his strap. I never saw him play the 175, only the D'Aquisto, but that's how he did it. The binding on the D'A the lower bout, bass side was completely worn away, and the upper bout had considerable finish wear by the strap coming over it.

None of the pictures that I can find of Jim Hall suggest a strap position that could result in that sort of wear. However I think there may be a clue on the cover of the Live album. The wear could be from hours of resting his arm off the body along the top of the neck?

**Joe Phillips** · 09-05-2017, 10:25 AM

Hi 55bar,
That's not the guitar I saw him with. I only saw him with the orange finished D'A each time. I never saw him with the Sadowski either. The orange D'A had a lot of miles on it.

Joe

**55bar** · 09-05-2017, 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by Joe Phillips

Hi 55bar,
That's not the guitar I saw him with. I only saw him with the orange finished D'A each time. I never saw him with the Sadowski either. The orange D'A had a lot of miles on it.

Joe

Hi Joe,

Are you replying to something I said?

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**bleakanddivine** · 09-05-2017, 10:39 AM

Originally Posted by Joe Phillips

Hi 55bar,
That's not the guitar I saw him with. I only saw him with the orange finished D'A each time. I never saw him with the Sadowski either. The orange D'A had a lot of miles on it.

Joe

Yes, it's not that guitar, but it's the pose which is instructive.

**JoeJazz2000** · 09-05-2017, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by 55bar

Hi Joe,

Are you replying to something I said?

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Yes, 55bar, I was remarking on the picture of the D'Aquidto on the cover of the Jim Hall Live album you posted. Gorgeous, to be sure, but I never saw him play it in the five times I saw him. He must have been comfortable with the strap in that odd position. I dragged my wife to the last club date I saw and asked her if she saw what the strap was doing to the binding and she said yes.
Regards,
Joe

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**55bar** · 09-05-2017, 11:13 AM

Hi Joe,

I didn't post that, that's why I was confused!

But a great picture!

55

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**bleakanddivine** · 09-05-2017, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by JoeJazz2000

He must have been comfortable with the strap in that odd position. I dragged my wife to the last club date I saw and asked her if she saw what the strap was doing to the binding and she said yes.
Regards,
Joe

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The strap could never rub the guitar there unless it went under his right armpit! There are no pictures of his strap even touching the front of any guitar. He seems to mainly have played without a strap, or with a headstock strap.

**wintermoon** · 09-05-2017, 02:13 PM

this is his first D'Aquisto, an acoustic model. I don't think he ever put a floating pickup on it.
he used it on one cut of his lp on A&M Horizon iirc.
later Jimmy built him one w/built in pickup.

**whiskey02** · 09-06-2017, 11:39 AM

Women have it so easy these days; no more drilling holes in their skulls to keep hair off their faces and dampen unwanted tones. A 50 cent scrunchy does both jobs now.

**whiskey02** · 09-06-2017, 11:48 AM

Originally Posted by dot75

There's a Library Of Congress ( ? ) interview where he talks about looking down at his guitar while he was in the house band for the merv griffin show & noticing he'd worn the finish away by resting his chin on his hands just there.... no idea if this is the guitar but he decided it was time to leave...that & having to turn down Miles because he didn't have the chops anymore...

Please share the story of Jim and Miles.
I have wondered how Jim would have fit in to the KOB session?

**mr. beaumont** · 09-06-2017, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by whiskey02

Please share the story of Jim and Miles.
I have wondered how Jim would have fit in to the KOB session?

That would have been something to hear, wouldn't it?

Part of me says, why mess with perfection...but knowing Jim and Bill's two duo records, they played as well together as any guitar/piano duo ever...such great listening (and you can imagine, many deep conversations about where the music was going to go beforehand as well)

I dunno...I can't think of one situation I ever heard Jim in where he didn't make everybody sound better. Part of his magic, you could say.

**TLerch** · 09-06-2017, 01:30 PM

here is Jim playing beautifully on the guitar with its original fingerboard pickup etc.

Tim

**TLerch** · 09-06-2017, 01:34 PM

And here it is after the mods, or at least some of them. Looks like he has the Atilla Zollar Pickup taped and stapled on there!

**whiskey02** · 09-06-2017, 05:30 PM

My thoughts exactly Mr.B. You don't screw around with perfection......but still, man how would it have sounded? Perhaps a whole different album; A Different Kind of Blue?

**neatomic** · 09-06-2017, 06:05 PM

jim halls style clashed with the pre electric miles..miles auditioned the great bassist miroslav vitous...and miroslavs conversation type playing didn't sit well with miles... hall could have done it..layed back a bit and played straight, but it wasnt really what he was about...his years with chico hamilton and jimmy giuffre had turned him on to group improv..which he took to well!!!...he often said the jimmy giuffre experience was eye opening for him

after that, electric era miles went for guitar sounds beyond what jim could supply ie mclaughlin, sonny sharrock,pete cosey reggie lucas, dominique gaumont etc etc....

two giant forces never meant to be united

no problem with that, happens all the time

cheers

ps- and anyone seeing bill evans as the link...hall was in duo setting with evans..had huge amount of room...

miles quintet at that time had left exploratory coltrane phase ..and had young turks- shorter hancock carter and williams..all greats..but firmly under miles dominion

**furtom** · 09-06-2017, 06:38 PM

Originally Posted by neatomic

miles quintet at that time had left exploratory coltrane phase ..and had young turks- shorter hancock carter and williams..all greats..but firmly under miles dominion

Couldn't have phrased it any better!

For all the great stuff Miles did, he was always very opinionated... But if he wasn't, would he have been Miles? Probably not.

**Flat** · 09-07-2017, 04:31 AM

The evolution, just for kicks...

Jim Hall's Gibson ES-175 up close!-jimhallguitar-evolution-jpg

**takauya** · 09-07-2017, 05:55 AM

IIRC, this ES-175 was bought by a Japanese fan when Jim needed money for his surgery back in 2008, I guess. Pat Metheny owns it now? If so, it's cool.

**2bornot2bop** · 09-07-2017, 05:56 PM

How do you look back in time? There you go...

**2bornot2bop** · 09-07-2017, 06:04 PM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

That would have been something to hear, wouldn't it?

Part of me says, why mess with perfection...but knowing Jim and Bill's two duo records, they played as well together as any guitar/piano duo ever...such great listening (and you can imagine, many deep conversations about where the music was going to go beforehand as well)

I dunno...I can't think of one situation I ever heard Jim in where he didn't make everybody sound better. Part of his magic, you could say.

Who's giving up their solo to accommodate JH's solo? Coltrane? Adderly?

Now, if we're talkin' Wes Montgomery sittin' in the KOB sessions maybe then I'd could see it