Gibson ES-175 from CME

**skittles** · 12-01-2017, 08:35 PM

Add another to the list: NGD next week. If mine arrives like Vinny's figured natural, I'll be a happy dude.

**pilotony** · 12-01-2017, 08:47 PM

Beautiful guitar, Zig. Play it for many years. I bought an ES-175N from CME about 5 weeks ago. It looks the same from that angle.

Tony D.

**Mark 63** · 12-01-2017, 08:57 PM

Originally Posted by Max405

Zig,
You have a Mt Rushmore guitar there buddy.
They are often copied and NEVER matched. There is something special about having the benchmark, the original, the guitar that has made some of the most wonderful jazz guitar recordings of all time.
Enjoy it. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Joe D

That’s exactly right. I was kicking myself for missing out on the first round of floor models (because i had just gotten a good deal on actual floor model Jazzmaster). When they came back with round 2, I was not going to miss out on a VOS 59 ES-175 at basically half MAP. People will be talking about the 2017 CME Gibson Memphis sale for years to come.

**Greentone** · 12-01-2017, 09:06 PM

I have to say that every ES-175 I have ever seen has a top shaped like that. Kind of drunken looking. OTOH, every ES-175 I have ever played had something special going on--to a greater or lesser extent. The great ones are simply magnificent.

I _am_ one of those turn the neck pickup ring around guys. It ends up making things look better than Gibson has it from the factory. I don't hear any kind of improvement. It just looks more...sober.

**whiskey02** · 12-01-2017, 09:24 PM

That is a very pretty guitar, really like the colors of the burst. Enjoy it for many years.

**lawson-stone** · 12-01-2017, 11:22 PM

Originally Posted by Zigracer

After a day or so of evaluation, I have to say that this is truly a well made guitar. I've had to file nut slots on almost every guitar I've ever bought, including many of my Gretsch guitars and my Gibson custom Johnny A. The nut on this ES 175 is perfect from the factory. The frets are dressed and polished properly as well. Got a chance to plug in last night and I was very pleased with the amplified tones. Found it funny there was no strap button in the case, though. Probably install Schaller straplocks anyway

Thank you all for your nice words and info on the top press.

Zig

I now have 2 Gibson ES175s, both from CME. One a VOS1959 model bought about a year and a half ago, and the other a figured sunburst bought just recently. Both are different, but each is an amazing guitar. The Figured Sunburst really is kind of step from the ES175 toward the L5ces in tone. It plays wonderfully, set up perfectly out of the shipping carton. Frets perfect, finish outstanding, everything just what I'd hope. But the tone is just delicious. The VOS1959 is over a pound lighter and has a different voice, more the old ES175 sound, but it is becoming richer and more complex as I play it. And then there is the ES165 Herb Ellis model that was my first "back into Gibsons" purchase. It has a different pickup, the 490R. But it has the heavier construction of the newer ES175s, but with only one pickup, one with a more "modern" sound. So it's different again from the other two, and yes, I'm nuts about it!

You are going to keep hearing new things in the tone of your new ES175. Even shifting where you pick with your RH will make a huge difference. Play between the pickups, then move up to the space between the neck pickup and the end of the fingerboard, and wow, what a difference. Both wonderful, but very different.

Enjoy! Post some clips so we can ooh and aah over it!

**SkipBurz** · 12-02-2017, 10:06 PM

+1 for CME. I mentioned this in another forum on this site a bit ago: Today, I purchased the floor model they had listed on their website and on Reverb.com. Because I was ordering directly from them over the phone, they knocked a little more off of the price. I gave them my string action specs, neck relief preference and string choice. They set it up for me this afternoon and sent it off UPS. It will be here later this week. My wife, who is an accountant and has been helping me shop for my dream ES-175 over the past few months, said, "You've got to take advantage of these low prices...Go for it!"

**rolijen** · 12-03-2017, 12:25 AM

Looks beautiful! Mine have all looked exactly like that. I too thought it looked strange at first. But, once I understood that they are made that way on purpose, I haven't given it much thought. Play it, relish it. Experiment and get those pickups adjusted to the height you prefer for even volume from bass to treble and just the right amount of 175 bark/growl.

The stock pickups in the modern Memphis 175s (Classic '57s) and the 1959 reissue (MHSs) are just phenomenal. I like the MHS adjusted a bit closer to the strings than the Classic 57s. But, once you get your action how you like it and get the pickup heights perfect, you'll never look back at those funny humps!

Play her in good health!

Roli