Gibson 59 VOS ES-175

**Toddep** · 02-03-2018, 03:06 PM

So.... I done did it and ordered one of these from CME and expecting it on Monday! I own a 91 L4 and I wanted a 175 for a laminate thunk alternative. I was interested in the thoughts from buyers here on this Guitar from CME or other 175’s. What are you thoughts?

**rolijen** · 02-03-2018, 04:21 PM

Fingers crossed for you, Toddep! Both of my CME floor models turned out to be fantastic guitars. Others have not fared so well. But, I can say CME stands behind what they sell, so no worries. The 1959 ES-175 VOS is just a great guitar period. Chunky neck, lighter build, great finishes, great frets. Some forum members have had high-E strings that, due to poor placement of the nut slot, don't give much room to fret that string. That's the only consistent thing Ive heard. One of our members received one with binding cracks at every fret-end. I'm sure there are other stories, but I feel fortunate that neither of mine exhibited these flaws.

The MHS pickups are so good. Again, good luck and enjoy!. Please post pics when it arrives. Remember to wait the obligatory 24hrs after receiving it, to allow it to acclimate to your home temperature after it having spend 2 to 4 days in an ice-cold truck.

Which finish did you buy, natural or sunburst?

Roli

**Greentone** · 02-03-2018, 04:36 PM

Should be a GREAT guitar.

**Toddep** · 02-03-2018, 04:41 PM

I got the sunburst, which is the only VOS offered currently. I hope I not getting the bottom of the barrel, however, the salesman said they have plenty more left.

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**rolijen** · 02-03-2018, 05:17 PM

As they say, "Pics, or it never happened!" I'll be waiting...

**Bflat233** · 02-03-2018, 08:04 PM

I have a 2016 edition (manufactured in early 2017) of the 1959. I rejected three before finding the keeper - and none of them came via CME. The fourth and final was shipped to me directly from the Memphis factory. It is perfect. It is a work of art and a piece of history. I love playing it - it sounds wonderful.

Best of luck with yours - and don't give up if your first one you receive isn't "the one." It's worth the effort to get one of these.

**Toddep** · 02-06-2018, 05:17 PM

So.. I had it delivered yesterday and it was a cold day. I did what the sticker on the box said and waited till today to open. It was delivered by UPS (ugh) but the box looked good.

I had prepared myself to possibly be sending back a few guitars, and not have any high hopes. That said, I was not expecting this VOS to be as nice as it is!

The Guitar was snug in its case and it look like it just left the factory. I believe it only was taken out of the case to be strung up by the George Benson Thomastik 14’s.

The neck was straight and nut slots cut nicely. That was a big surprise! The only complaint I have is that the bridge on the bass string side didn’t quite match up to the 14” radius of the neck, but that could be easily fixed. I did lower the bass side of the bridge for a little better action, treble side was fine. And there were not any cracks on the neck binding on either side near the frets.

This is a very acoustical sounding 175, and it has that Jim Hall vibe to it.. and that carries over plugged in as well. I still want to take a few days to see how it fares, but I gotta say, this 175 is quite nice!

**Stringswinger** · 02-06-2018, 05:22 PM

Congrats. I am loving mine. We scored some amazing guitars. Jim Hall vibe indeed.

**vinnyv1k** · 02-06-2018, 05:23 PM

Very nice ! Congrats !

**ptchristopher3** · 02-06-2018, 05:30 PM

Looks great.

I suspect the guitar was scared to be wrong somehow with all your Stewmac measuring steel around.

Scared straight, as it were.

Great to hear you are happy with the guitar.

Chris

**citizenk74** · 02-06-2018, 05:31 PM

Happy NGD! An ES-175 is a wonderful thing. Congratulations, and play it in good health!

**Max405** · 02-06-2018, 05:36 PM

Oh yeah..
It looks like a brand new, older guitar. Very, very cool.
Enjoy the guitar. I am sure that guitar can sound a lot like some of the greatest guitar players that ever lived had sounded when they played it ...

**Toddep** · 02-06-2018, 05:42 PM

It took a little while to dial in the intonation with this bridge, and if I keep it, then a tune-o-matic might be in the future. This is my first arch top with a wood bridge so I’m gonna have to see about this thing

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**whiskey02** · 02-06-2018, 05:47 PM

That is sweet looking, neck carve is lust worthy, congrats. Would those be 57 classics's?

**Toddep** · 02-06-2018, 06:06 PM

The pickups are MHS humbuckers, which I think might stand for Memphis Historic specs? There was a thread here from last year about these

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**Toddep** · 02-06-2018, 06:09 PM

Here are the specs as given in the CME description:

Model Name: Memphis 1959 ES-175D VOS Vintage Burst
Color: Vintage Burst
Finish: Lacquer
Top Wood: Maple, Poplar, Maple
Back Wood: Maple, Poplar, Maple
Rims: Maple, Poplar, Maple
Binding: Tan

Neck Wood: Mahogany, 1 piece
Neck Shape: Soft "C"
Neck Thickness: .855-1.000"
Nut: Nylon, White
Neck Joint Angle: 4 degrees
Width at Nut: 1.704"
Fingerboard Material: Rosewood, Dark
Fingerboard Inlays: Split Parallelogram, Aged-Cellulose
Frets: 22
Side Dots: Tortoiseshell
Neck Binding: Tan
Peghead: SP-1
Headstock Angle: 17 degrees

Rhythm Pickup: MHS Humbucker
Lead Pickup: MHS Humbucker
Pickup Covers: Nickel
Potentiometers: 550k
Tuning Keys: Kluson Double Ring Tulip Button
Tuners: Synchronized spur gears
Hardware: VOS Nickel
Bridge: Compensated Top w/ VOS Rosewood Base

Pickguard: ES-175 Multi-ply w/ 45 degree bevel
Knobs: Gold Top Hat
Truss Rod Cover: VOS
Case: Hard shell, Brown Exterior w/Pink Interior Historic
Year2016
ConditionMint
FinishVintage Burst

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**ptchristopher3** · 02-06-2018, 06:25 PM

Can I ask you to measure the center to center E string spacing at the nut in mm? Eyeballing it vs. the nut width it looks like a superb 36.5 mm - which is great in my opinion.

**Stringswinger** · 02-06-2018, 06:29 PM

Originally Posted by ptchristopher3

One thing I noticed about the MHS pickups on the 275s I tried out is that they are decidedly microphonic. Tap on them with a pick.

This is not a bad thing. Many feel that it contributes, to a great degree, to the overall sound.

The downside would be if you are a sloppy right hand pickup tapper. But then you deserve the punishment.

On a Les Paul played at shredder volumes there can be significant downside to a microphonic PU - squeaaaaall. But in my opinion, at the sort of volumes we usually play at, it is a non issue.

I have not opened up an MHS PU, so no idea what, if any, potting there is. They sound quite good to me.

They are unpotted, like the original PAF's. They are also underwound, something that the folks at Memphis thought works well with an ES guitar. IIRC, it is essentially an underwound Custombucker. The Custombucker was the Nashville Custom shop's latest attempt to duplicate the sound of the best PAF's. Of interest to those who are curious, the neck PUPs use Alnico 3 magnets.

For a rocker who plays at screaming loud volumes, this may not be a good choice. For a jazzman, it is a perfect choice. This PUP is warm and yet detailed but with a hint of dirt (I know I am sounding like a cork-sniffer here, buy it really does all that).

**Marty Grass** · 02-06-2018, 06:40 PM

Congrats!

The VOS treatment that Gibson uses takes a little getting used to. I didn't like it at first. Now I do like the yellow binding. The dull lacquer doesn't bother me. If it did, I could have it buffed out. That does actually makes the guitar look older. The yellowing is probably over dramatic for it to just be aging, but maybe not.

The gunk on the metal was annoying at first. It didn't look like real aging at all. After months of playing, it's starting to. And the good news it that I never had to worry about smudges.

I'm pretty happy with my Memphis axes. I'm glad you got a good one also.

**Toddep** · 02-06-2018, 07:08 PM

Originally Posted by ptchristopher3

Can I ask you to measure the center to center E string spacing at the nut in mm? Eyeballing it vs. the nut width it looks like a superb 36.5 mm - which is great in my opinion.

Not sure exactly how you mean, but maybe you can tell me if these pics help...
The 2nd pic has the 1” mark dead at the center

**ptchristopher3** · 02-06-2018, 07:27 PM

Ah OK so more like 35 mm. Many thanks for the measurement.

**73Fender** · 02-06-2018, 08:58 PM

Congrats, I have been fighting the GAS for one of these or a regular Memphis model(so far so good ha ha). Yours is beautiful. I have been reading a lot about the two models and there were posts here about the tiny frets on the 59's but on that close up they look to be a reasonable size. I contacted them a few days ago and was told only two of the Memphis / regular model remain. Enjoy it.

**rolijen** · 02-07-2018, 01:18 AM

So happy for you! Looks like a really good one!

Roli

**Little Jay** · 02-07-2018, 02:11 AM

If it sounds as good as it looks then you hit the jackpot! Enjoy it!

**lawson-stone** · 02-07-2018, 06:41 AM

I love mine more now than when I first got it a couple years ago. It has just grown on me each time I've played it. I also have one of the "regular" or "figured" ES175s from the CME sale, and it's amazing too, but different from the VOS. I could not get rid of either guitar. That VOS really does have some "special sauce" somewhere.