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Received the guitar from CME. I found only two very small flaws in the finish. In general, the guitar is beautiful. Figuring on the top could be a little nicer (more interesting grain), but it's not bad. I am surprised at how very nice the guitar sounds unplugged. I haven't had a chance to plug in yet. I am also surprised at how well set up the guitar is out of the box. I always assume that I will have to do a little nut filing and other setup work, but this is actually very nice.
I am curious about the shape of the "arch" top. This one looks a little more like a "wave" top compated to muy other archtops. You can see what I mean in my crappy cell phone pics in my office. I tried to look for images of other 175s, but haven't found one on edge. Do most look like this with the pickups kind of leaning in toward each other (characteristic of this top), or is this a defect?
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11-30-2017 12:54 PM
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All 175’s are like that. Looks sweet to me. Congrats !
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Looks great. Congrats!
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Surely you're joking, Vinny? That looks like an unacceptable flaw, to me. I've never seen a 175 that is concave between the pups, like that photo!
Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
I'd be sending that back, OP!
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Hmmmm.....I have 5 175’s and they all look like that. A lot of guys reverse the front pickup ring to make it look more level. Originally Posted by M-ster
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I own 2 175's and have had 5 others. They all were like that. My owned 175's span the years 1963 through 2008. That is how a 175 top is pressed. Anyone sending one back because of that is probably missing out on a great guitar.
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M-ster,
No he's not joking at all.
Every 175 Ive seen looks like that. The top is not concave. There is a hump in the carve in the upper bout, Bass side top that has been on every 175 I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot of them..
Zig,
Beautiful Guitar! Congratulations.
For some reason, Gibson mounts the pickup ring backwards. You can correct it by rotating the ring. Its easy, if I can do it anyone can. But you have to remove the pickup from the ring 1st.
Take off the strings.
Simply remove the pickup and ring assembly (4 corner screws on the pickup ring). Then gently remove the pickup from the pickup ring (the 2 middle screws - watch the 2 springs..) and then rotate the pickup ring 180 degrees. Make sure you replace the springs the same way they were attached before. Re-attach the pickup to the ring and put the whole thing back on the guitar. It will be straight and it will not affect the sound. It will look a lot better.
Joe D
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^^^^^What Joe said. My '06 came like that, so I flipped the ring, which leveled things out. Leaving it alone is also fine. I just like having both coils at @ the same distance from the strings; but favoring the front coil slightly does have its charms. You've got a great looking 175 there. Congratulations, and play it in good health!
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There seems to be a method to this at Gibson: with 335s it's the other way around: the neck pickup is tilted towards the neck and and you have to turn the pickup ring to make it parallel to the strings...
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I have always kept them off kilter as they come from the factory. Matches the owner.
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Thanks all. I have no first hand experience with these particular guitars and never examined one up close, so this was a bit of a risk for me. I was completely unfamiliar with the top press. Other than a whole lot of dust, this guitar really came pristine. Just played it unplugged during lunch and it is a great player out of the box. So far I'd say it's a steal for what I paid. She gets plugged in tonight!
By the way, CME was really easy to deal with and offered to work with me if there were any problems. Thumbs up from me.
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I flipped the neck pickup ring around on my CME 175 and turned my double hump camel into a single. It’s an optical illusion. After giving the guitar a month to adjust to its new home and TIJazz12s I just got it back from its initial luthier setup. It’s wonderful!
Hope yours brings you as much joy as mine has me. ‘Tis The Season!Last edited by TedBPhx; 11-30-2017 at 05:19 PM.
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I have seen this mid-pickup depression in some carved tops as well. I don't know why the 175s were built that way, but I'll bet it wasn't an accident.
The rings were put on per Gibson's standards. It looks strange only because the configuration of the top. On a 335, SG or LP, you'd want the rings ramping up toward the bridge.
I swapped my neck pickup ring. It really didn't open up any tone doors that I couldn't get otherwise. But it did give me something fun to do.
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MG, Its fun being a tinkerer...
JD
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Nothing better, my friend.
BTW, the new 175 shown above is beautiful. I'm glad CME did a good set up for you.
Originally Posted by Max405
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Both ES175s I have gotten from CME had the backwards ring on the neck pickup, and that in turn exaggerates the appearance of an oddly arched top. Almost everyone I've ever known who got an ES175 has at first been a little freaked by the way the top arch is formed. But when I play it, it all seems right.
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Mine was the same way. It was an easy fix. But why can't they get that simple thing right?
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I see Mark's photo does appear to be an optical illusion promoted by a reversed pickup mounting ring. I stand corrected. Originally Posted by Mark 63
I thought I was in the bizarro world after the first photo and Vinny's comment!
Congrat's on the new 175, Zig!
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Not that you need one more opinion, but the top of my 1959 Memphis 175 looks the sames as yours does.
I lined-up 3 new 175's in a row on the floor and looked across them; all had the same "wave" in the arch in precisely the same place. As it relates to the horizontal pitch of the neck pup: I took a page out of Lawson-Stone's book and rotated the plastic mounting ring 180 degrees, which leveled the pup with the strings. I also rotated the pup itself 180, as Max405 suggests above, to keep the poles close to the fretboard edge.
Your guitar looks perfect. Enjoy!
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Actually Gibson installs them correctly. The pickup is meant to follow the hump curve not the string horizon. I flipped it once and no sound difference and the pickup rattled in the ring so I went back to slanted with no rattle.
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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
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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
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+1 Originally Posted by Max405
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I clicked the "buy it now" button on one of these today -- thanks to this GAS inducing, enabling forum!
Merry Christmas to me! LOL I can't imagine a much better chance to own a 175 -- my dream guitar.
So I'm taking the plunge even though I hate to roll the dice on a guitar I have never played !
Actually, I didn't buy online, but I called CME, talked it through with a dude, got sold, and now I'm waiting for "Brown Santa -- aka UPS"
I'll let y'all know how it goes after I get delivery.
I'll probably sell 3 or 4 electrics if this one feels good and grabs some serious grail tone. That's my self-justification
BTW . . . Happy NGD !!!!!!
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It's great that so many are "making their guitar dreams come true" and that CME is doing their part to facilitate that aim!
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