Gibson ES-275

[Ken Olmstead]

Thanks Chris!

I wonder if models with "Custom Shop" in the name are more likely to have better build quality. Any thoughts?

Thanks rpguitar, but that thread is why I put the disclaimer on my OP. Post after post of things NOT about the guitar.

[ptchristopher3]

Hi Ken,

Yes the Custom shop achieves a sort of mid-range build quality. I have a 2015 Byrdland (from Dave’s - left over after they escaped Gibson) and the overall quality is pretty good. Still cut corners all over the place, but nothing that affects actual music making. It is a lifetime keeper for me.

But the 275 comes from the “ACME Guitars” factory that is Gibson for the most part. If you are OK with the narrow string spacing I think it is a great take on the arguably modern smaller archtop.

Funny, about non-guitar comments in threads. I recall a parade of idiocy regarding the 275 last winter.

Seriously - many MANY players do fine with the resulting narrow string spacing of the sloppy 275 final build. So I would not skip trying it out based on this. It is a good box with some unfortunate sloppiness.

Some find the 275 sound lacking depth, or familiar Gibbo character. I thought it was great actually. Not at all the bland vanilla of something like a Sadowsky SS-15 (which ironically enough is very VERY well made).

Good luck with this.

Chris

[ptchristopher3]

Oh and I tried one with a Richlite FB. It is fine. Aesthetics aside, it felt great and is certainly more stable than ebony, which is actually a remarkably unstable wood under conditions of changing humidity.

[El Fundo]

I have a 2018 model and there’s absolutely nothing shoddy about the workmanship. In 2018 they went from the richlite fretboard to rosewood. The neck is my absolute favorite of any guitar I’ve ever owned and the string spacing is not a problem for me. No, it does not sound like a 175, but it’s not intended to. I’m noticing more and more jazz players moving to thinner hollow bodies. For me it’s so nice to be able to crank up the volume when playing with a rhythm section, whereas back when I played larger hollow bodied guitars I would have to choose between either straining to hear myself, or dealing with feedback. I love mine and I’m perplexed by the negative comments I’ve read about this outstanding guitar.

[Boogaloo]

I have a 2017 vos w/p90’s. It is my number one guitar. The MHS p90s sound great and the vos treatment is done very well. The aged binding is flawless. There is not one thing I would change about the guitar.

[gggomez]

I have a 2017 vos w/p90’s. It is my number one guitar. The MHS p90s sound great and the vos treatment is done very well. The aged binding is flawless. There is not one thing I would change about the guitar.

grhhhh

I lobe my 175. Have a p90 humbucker in neck and am looking at p90 les paul tribute for other uses. I just know if I had a 275 p90 I would not need two guitars but no way I can sell my 175 and no way I could have it and a 275.

Enjoy Boogaloo any clips would love to hear.

[Boogaloo]

You love your 175, keep it. A fully hollow 275 will not cover all the bases. Maybe one of the 2019 semis would work better. I have to get a recording made of this guitar. You’re not the first to request it.

[Ken Olmstead]

Long day at work! But that will help pay for the 2018 CS ES-275 I just ordered! Should be here Monday. I will give it a spin!

Thanks all, this was very helpful in my decision!

[Ken Olmstead]

I received my 275 today at lunch and only got to strum a few chords before I had to get my behind back to work, but I may have found a home!! I'll post more info and pics soon!

[Ken Olmstead]

Well I got me a brand new (as in break the seal from the Gibson factory new) 2018 Gibson ES-275 Custom yesterday! My initial impressions are excellent. The thing is gorgeous to look at and to listen to. Plays like a dream too! So like many of you guys, I have been around the block with guitars. In the “jazz” guitar realm, I have had ES-335s, ES-175 w/ mahogany back and sides and a L5 Wesmo. For various reasons I never bonded with these. I took a break and went back to my beloved solid bodies! Well after a wrist injury, I decided to take another swing at a hollow body.

My first try, as some may remember, was an Ibanez GB10. I did not like it from first strum, I won’t try to articulate why, sometimes a guy just knows! So I shipped that back to MF. I have been eyeing these ES-275s since they came out, wondering if they are a future classic or gimmick. Well after failing with the GB10, I ordered this from Zzounds.

What do I know so far?

1. Nut – Bone. Yep string spacing at the nut is almost 2mm less than my Les Paul. So this can’t be sloppy nut cutting if everybody’s is this way. They apparently intended this spec. I now know why. Forming a 6432 C Maj 7 1^st position chord is WAY easier than on this than on my Les Paul! Now I could easily make the spacing the same a year from now when I have my luthier build me a non-bleached bone nut (my personal preference) for this guitar, but I will likely have him leave it alone. Those Johnny Smith chords are so much easier with this string spacing! What a difference that small amount makes!
2. The case is gorgeous and comes with a Memphis certificate, Gibson Multi-tool, polishing cloth and a cheesy, leatherish strap! More than I was expecting!
3. Neck – one of the best really. Extremely comfortable and fast playing. Truss rod works perfectly.
4. Pickups – The MHS pups are easily the clearest Gibby makes and certainly well matched to this instrument IMO.
5. Strings – the strings that come on this are the brightest, harshest, jangly strings I have heard in my life! I installed Thomastics Swing flats 11 gauge and everything fell right into place! I think Gibson VR all nickel 11s would be right at home on this if flats are not your thing.
6. Tuners – Rotomatics…love them!
7. Bridge – pinned. At first I did not think I would like this much, but I’m good with it. It works really well and is very stable.
8. Controls – apparently 550k pots and orange drop capacitors. They have good taper and accurate adjustments. So great!
9. Finish - Better than average. Not quite up to par with the Japanese made GB10 TBO but very beautiful. Also it is Nitro and not Urethane so that does make a difference in how the finished product looks. I like it very much, but people concerned with how much these cost could nit pick it for sure.
10. Inside – I used an inspection mirror through the neck pup cavity and the inside looks as it should. Bracing is fully attached and no sloppy glue oozing its way out. Wiring looks tidy too.
11. Sound – GLOREOUS! This is what I was hoping for in the GB10 but did not get. This has LOADS of acoustic resonance. I am calling it my mini L5 because it has a fantastic sound given its comfortable size especially with flatwounds!

So anyway, I’m very happy with it and I am not going to return it during the trial period. I will commit to it for a year or so and see how we bond. Everything seems to be here for a good match. Time will tell! Thanks to all who answered my inquiries, I really appreciate the input!

[Jabberwocky]

Congrats, Ken. I much prefer the 2018 ES-275 Custom with the Indian Rosewood fretboard to the earlier ES-275 Figured with the kitchen countertop. Play it loud and play it proud. GAS is formin....I hope the new owners of Gibson keep this model in the line up.

[Ken Olmstead]

Congrats, Ken. I much prefer the 2018 ES-275 Custom with the Indian Rosewood fretboard to the earlier ES-275 Figured with the kitchen countertop. Play it loud and play it proud. GAS is formin....I hope the new owners of Gibson keep this model in the line up.

Me too, the Richelite fretboard kept this off my radar for awhile. I just can't get used to the idea. But the rosewood FB is a nice color and sufficiently dense for smooth playing. Some Fender necks use a very open grain of rosewood on their FBs sometimes and I hate the feel but Gibson seems to know how to have a good end result. Ebony would be nice but so far, there is no downside that I can see to the RW. Thanks!

[stevus]

Congratulations! From 7:20 you can hear Yosuke Onuma, one of the better Japanese guitarists, on the ES-275, and then give his opinion.

[El Fundo]

Yosuke really nails it with his comments. And the sound he gets is identical to mine. He must be playing it though a Fender Deluxe, which my 275 prefers over all my other amps. This guitar gets a much darker and warmer sound than what might be expected for a thinline. And it does, as he said, sit somewhere in the middle between a 175 and a 335. Very cool instrument!

[Tal_175]

I'm listening to Yosuke Onuma on spotify right now. Never heard of him before but loved his playing in the demo video above. Totally my kind of player. I'm a big fan already.
The size and looks of ES 275 make it very tempting. But I won't give up my 175 and can't have both.

PS. I also never heard that Gibson 1 series meant full hollows, 3's semis , 2's in between (Onuma says this in the video). I thought 175 was named after it's initial price tag. Also 330 is hollowbody. Any more information on this?

[lumena]

He is cute though and really who listens to what cute guys say anyway

He does play nicely.

btw joined the club again...
will arrive tomorrow...

[Ken Olmstead]

He is cute though and really who listens to what cute guys say anyway

He does play nicely.

btw joined the club again...
will arrive tomorrow...

Cool! I look forward to your thoughts! Check the truss rod and the braces. These are the two issues that I have read about on the webs. I think it is limited to a couple unfortunate folks who have posted as most of the reviews are pretty stellar! That black is very sexy!!!

[ptchristopher3]

Hey Ken,

Great to hear that you crazy kids are getting along well.

Likewise loved the sound of the 275 and un-potted PU’s.

Also great to hear that you love the string spacing.

Rosewood is not the cheap-ass version of Ebony. A nice Rosewod FB is arguably superior in terms of stability as humidity changes and is FAR better for re-fretting (it chips-out much less) when the time comes after you play it like crazy for some years.

Great news, thanks for the post.

Chris

[ptchristopher3]

To clarify,

A rosewood FB is inarguably more stable than ebony under conditions of changing humidity.

This arguably makes it superior.

In any case, it strikes me as a great FB for this guitar.

[73Fender]

Congrats to the OP, glad you got a winner. It’s a beauty for sure. Great review / summary as well. Enjoy it.

[lumena]

Just a bit of an update. The Black 275 I got last week. Mentioned earlier.
Should also say that last year I bought one of the es275 with p90's from Chicago Music - that guitar did not last with me - little issues and after a while I could not bear looking at the sunburst.

Back to this one - in a proper color.

I have been playing the es275 all week.
Pros, neck is fine shape is great. Feels like an old SG Les Paul I had - I think it was a 61 stupid sale there and if I had it today I could buy a cheap car with it. Solid mahogany and you can feel it vibrate the body so if that is how it is new give it a year of constant play.

I do think the alignment overall of string spacing at the bridge - although looking good visually
-seems a bit too wide making the first string "feel" a bit tight to the fingerboard edge.
I should make this clear it is fine, I am just being picky and probably nobody but me could notice it, but playing with my fingers is a bit different and I am quite sensitive to little things that if I was pick bound I would not notice. That being said the frets are correct all the way down the neck
---and it may be my imagination as I have a bit more space on my 93 Peerless Sheraton to the binding.
But the Sheraton weights ~10 lbs. The es275 is not quite 6.5lbs.

It's nothing I can 't get used to but it may actually become adjusted by the tech when I take it in next month.
I may have saddles replaced to achieve a better alignment, normally it's just a shift on the wooden part of the bridge but the pinning makes it simpler to just swap and file saddles.
Nut looks perfect so adjustment will be at saddle.

I have pretty much made it a rule to do nothing to a guitar for a while until I give it a chance to show me what it wants. Tools need sharpening and that is always personal.

I have never had a guitar that did not need final adjustment to be perfect to play and I never expect it to happen. If you think it's fine out of the box then you are not like me.
The worst are always used guitars as someone else made it perfect for them and they ain't me- some who wander are lost.

I will be keeping it.
Not sure if I will keep the pickups but early days.
The neck pickup sounds pretty much like I expected and the bridge pickup has already been moved up and back down to get it right - if it comes to that pickups are a cheap fix and it has the looks and solid feel that pretty much will make me keep it. This guitar is a candidate for Sheptones.

Rosewood neck looks fine - it will probably get a proper oil treatment when it goes to the tech. Best to get that done while the neck is still clean. Not that it's dry but as a precaution for the future. Wood itself is fairly nice and finished quite well for a factory job, small things can improve it. Inlays all look good and headstock is clean work.

Minor sticky-ness with the finish on the back of the neck, I had the same problem with my Black Martin acoustic, Black Nitro will cure slower and so in the afternoon I put it on a stand back of neck facing the window - it will uv cure in a month or so. Worked with the Martin.
After that what can I say Black Gibson's always look good.

Truss rod out of box was probably fine for an acoustic style of playing and it actually had fairly heavy strings on it - cheap daddarios- out of the box. Guitar had thump with a heavy pick and did not sound like an es335. Guitar came with a Gibson multi wrench and it adjusted fine. No issues.

Using baby steps it took me 2 passes - way I do it is each adjustment a day apart - to get it as flat as I am used to, strung with Thomastik Flats .10-44 as I am a fingers only player. Frets still exhibit no choking on bent notes up to a whole step. All looks fine and truss rod settled in perfectly. I didn't buy this guitar for 50's jazz more for a modern style so it pretty much is the deal and beat out an es330 I was looking at.

Tone etc. still figuring it out... it is definitely a guitar that will get another string change, the flats sound a bit mushy with the pickups so I will be changing to round wounds when they arrive. (mail-order ) probably Monday. I was hoping for a more es335/es330 sound without the weight. Body is quite resonant and has a nice acoustic feeling.

Body shape and construction feels great and although I can hear a very very slight bit of overtone ping (super minor as bridge is very solid ) at the bridge when I play acoustically it has nothing like that when plugged in.
Sustain is solid.

All in all pretty guitar, no real flaws. Feels very nice to play both sitting and standing.
Came with a leather strap - although I haven't used yet. I have an old one I like better it's worn in.
Bought at sweetwater, sold as demo, because of handling scuffs, all of them wiped off with soft cloth.
Full warranty, very happy with how they treated me.
The ones they have right now are quite nice - you will want to discuss actual price and I am super happy with what I actually paid. YMMV

[Tal_175]

+1 for black nitro finishes. They age so beautifully. When they are brand new, they may feel a little cold and plastic-y especially the back of the neck but in time some how the warm woody look of the instrument start to come out more, even though the solid black color stays intact.
The magic of the marriage of lacquer with the quality wood I guess.

[citizenk74]

That black and gold 275 looks sharp! Congratulations, and play it in good health!

[Robertkoa]

Ah- I see that you said it does not sound like a 335 - implying more acoustic response - great !

Proved me wrong ( just did not hear it in Demos ) in the best way .

Better strings and breaking in - going to only get better as you know more than I probably...

Enjoy it .

Nothing wrong with 335 s - I just want to see some Semi's and Hybrids that go beyond likewise 25.5" that don't copy Strats ( even 2.25 " thick Semis @25.5" or 25.25 "scale )...
So I like that you say it goes beyond...

[lumena]

With heavy strings and action it sounds very much like an old style jazz guitar, I think its a good choice for that 50s style sound -it actually is a pretty nice modern choice for any jazz style style,
Its the little things the grover tinuers, the solid tailpiece, solid mahogany neck, ,
good fretwork, nitro finish,lightweight, hard to get all that with any <3k guitar new.

Gibson is not overpricing this. And again its new not someones old antique.

Its really like a modern alternative ... history to be made with this model no one’s past achievements or sound hanging over you.
really highly recommend.