Gibson ES-275

[fantomaz]

He plays mostly blues, there is a lot of delay on the 275 and he probably has a lot of treble boost on his amp, but you can hear that albeit the longer sustain on the 275, the basic sound quality is pretty similar to the 175.

[Little Jay]

I'm a bit weird about that. I hardly ever roll the tone knob down on the guitar. I usually want them to sound good without having to do so.

DB

No offense Dick, but that is a bit weird indeed ;-) You are denying yourself great tones that are only a minor twist of the dial away!

I find guitars quickly too bright sounding, so I always roll down tone a bit, even on my ES-125. But some extra treble left under the knob can be handy in live situations where things get a bit louder and you want to cut thru the mix (of course I’m talking nuances here, I hate sharp ear piercing tones in guitars, especially jazz guitars!).

There is also a big difference between ‘modern wiring’ and ‘50ies wiring’ in using tone and volume. With 50ies wiring, the tone knob is almost a presence/gain booster. Rolling back volume darkens the sound, which can be compensated by upping the tone knob. Vice versa: uping volume brightens things up, which can be compensated by rolling off tone. Quirky, but very effective once you get used to it: you can dial in the ‘sweet spot’ at any volume.

[DB's Jazz Guitar Blog]

Here are the samples played in a fender deluxe reverb with everything on 5, both guitars with the volume on 10 and the tone pot fully open; the 275 is a bit quieter so raise the volume to match the 335 or you will be fooled by the "it sounds louder so it is better" conundrum ;-)

Indeed, the 275 sounds darker and more to my liking than the 335. Thanks for the clip!

DB

[Bluedawg]

Hi, the body of the 275 is not carved out of mahogany, it is traditionaly built with back and sides made of maple/poplar/maple laminate, like an ES-175.

Until the end of 2018 they had a fully hollow body with no center block which gives them a distinctively different sound than a 335.

If I have some time later on I will post samples of my 335 and my 275, two different beasts imo.

The guitar on the video has light gauge round wound strings with a plain G, which brings its own jangliness, and my guess is that there was plenty of treble on the "virtual" amp and that the tone pot was fully open.

In my opinion that guitar should be strung with AT LEAST 11-52's WITH A WOUND G (which is what it was shipped with), and if you want a classic jazz tone you should go for flatwounds like thomastik swing or daddario chromes.

It sounds great with both, not bright at all! I will post examples in a a deluxe reverb with everything on 5.

Yup

I managed to get in a tour of the Gibson factory in Memphis a few years ago .. I assume its shut down now ..

They were making the 275 there and all of the Memphis guitars were laminate.

In the tour we were able to see the process from stamping out the shapes of the guitar on the squares of laminated wood sheets to the final finishing and set up.

The one I played at the Memphis factory store was disappointing .. bright and thin ... probably had light strings ... could be good for more of a rock sound .. or even rockabilly

But I played one some time later at Martin music in Memphis and I was ready to take that one home ... but didn't have the cash available at the time

My guess it that it's a matter of set up and the amp if you want a dark and smoky jazz tone

I'm not too happy about the center block in the new ones ... but I haven't tried one of these, yet ... will give it a try if I encounter one in the wild

[Hansur]

After my belly got bigger, i needed my axes tro become thinner to play comfortably standing upright in front of the audience. So I got mine 2018 Custom ES-275 eight months ago and play her daily since then. Made a few minor mods: had to turn the neck pu frame for getting a proper pu inclination, changed the neck pu for a classic 57 (MHS was a bit to bright and clean for my ears), changed the strings to .011 - .047 TI swing. Nothing else, she is perfect. This will be my last purchase guitarwise - it's the ultimate instrument in means of playability, tone and looks.

[manjun]

Does anybody own a Gibson Memphis ES-275 P-90 VOS (2017)?

Is it well built - strengths, weaknesses?

[Gitterbug]

I think Gibson has inflated the meaning of VOS, by slapping old-style details to a guitar introduced just a few years ago. Different from "vintage original specifications", as in my ES-175 VOS from 2014.

[jads57]

A dealer freind of mine had one awhile back. Loved the idea and size of it as well. But I found the neck on the smaller medium side which is a deal killer for me.
I much prefer a larger and or wider neck shape.

The acoustic sound wasn't all that much due to its smaller size as well as ply laminate construction. About like an ES-330 I would compare it to, maybe a tad louder. The pickups sound very good ,especially if you like P 90s.

I used to own a Benedetto Bambino Std and would say I much preferred that guitar in almost everyway. But that is a subjective call, and I do love my Historic 1958 ES-335 and CS ES-339 Gibson's as well.

Hope this helps you in some way.

[dreamingJazz]

When I bought my ES-330, I did try an ES-275 but with humbuckers.. but its a 2019 version, in sunrise orange..

To tell you the truth, I love it as well, good construction, solid feel and nice playability.. I was almost tempted to buy it, but at 1000 dollars more than ES-330 VOS, I cant afford it.. and I dont bond with humbuckers too..

If you're hunting for one, its a really good guitar..

[Herbie]

(...) But I found the neck on the smaller medium side which is a deal killer for me.
I much prefer a larger and or wider neck shape. (...)

This might be a deal killer for me too. Are the necks and nut same sized in every version of ES-275? There is some different models: with humbucker, with P90’s, the cheaper red ones and the new thinlines. What more?

[Bambus123]

I do
I have a ES-275 P-90 VOS and a ES-275 Montreaux Burst 2016.

They are both great guitars IMO, but the VOS version is a really nice guitar, and the P-90s sounds great with a more chimey and bell like sound than the humbuckers on the other, but they make some more noise, but not much.

I switch between them now and then, but I prefer the VOS version because it is a bit lighter and feels smoother to play than the other.

The VOS version feels a bit like an older guitar because of the looks and the VOS treatment, even though its subtle. The guitar is well build, and almost flawless, feels solid and the craftmanship is very good, but not perfect. If i look very closely I can see and feel that the binding isnt perfectly trimmed along the edges a few places (which a Yamaha S2200 I had before was. It was perfect in every way, but kind of too perfect if it makes sense?). But that doesnt bother me, it just makes the guitar feel more handcrafted than machine-made IMO.

I also have a ES 175 1959 VOS reissue and a 335, but I prefer both the 275s over these because of weight, size, playability and overall sound and feel. The VOS version is lighter than the other 275, 2,79kg which equals 6,15 lbs.

[jads57]

All of the ES-275 model Gibsons Ive tried aboout 4 of them basically have the same spec neck sans fingerboard being rosewood or ebony,richlite?

Nice guitars, but for the same basic concept an ES-330 might save you a bunch of $$$. Epiphone import version is actually a really nice guitar and super cheap!

[dreamingJazz]

its exactly how I would describe my ES-330 VOS. Its a very subtle aging look that feels like an old guitar! I actually prefer it than any of Fender Relic stages.

and funny how at this price, youd find things like tooling marks on fretboard bindings. It is exactly my experience with my VOS too. There are far more perfect guitars actually, but Ive felt more connection to this one more than any other guitar I’ve held and bought.

[Donnie275]

I picked up a used 2019 ES-275 late last year. I absolutely love it...and jazz. I am new to flatwounds and would love suggestions. I've been playing Elixir Nanoweb 9's through a Fender HRD George Benson signature amp. What is a good type and size for me to start with? I'd like to try the Thomastik-Infelds...and a good professional setup.

[Tal_175]

It's a very comfortable and lightweight guitar. Despite the shallow body, it's got that typical archtop attack and very good dynamic range. I suspect the shallow depth allowed them to build it a bit lighter than an ES 175 and still be feedback resistant.

The one in the picture above has a stop tail. I don't know if that means it's a semi hollow. The ones that I played had trapeze tailpieces and were fully hollow.

[Donnie275]

It's a very comfortable and lightweight guitar. Despite the shallow body, it's got that typical archtop attack and very good dynamic range. I suspect the shallow depth allowed them to build it a bit lighter than an ES 175 and still be feedback resistant.

The one in the picture above has a stop tail. I don't know if that means it's a semi hollow. The ones that I played had trapeze tailpieces and were fully hollow.

It is in fact a semi-hollow. I have found that it can do both Jazz AND ES-335 style blues. It's pretty versatile.

[Woody Sound]

Just for the record, my Montreux sounded FABULOUS. I just couldn't get on with the skinny LP neck and finally (and depressed about it) had to part with it. A normal ES-175-type neck and it would have been my keeper. It's a fab guitar that they needed to put a better neck onto. JMO.

[citizenk74]

I picked up a used 2019 ES-275 late last year. I absolutely love it...and jazz. I am new to flatwounds and would love suggestions. I've been playing Elixir Nanoweb 9's through a Fender HRD George Benson signature amp. What is a good type and size for me to start with? I'd like to try the Thomastik-Infelds...and a good professional setup.

[jazzstan175]

I have a 2016 Gibson ES-275 (one of the first 100 made) that has only one strap button on the tailpiece, and NONE on the heel.

Could this have been a factory oversight?
Did anyone else's ES275 arrive with the same issue?

To use a strap, I'd have to connect one end to the head, which I don't like to do (for a variety of reasons.) I know a good guitar tech who could properly install a strap button on the heel and am strongly considering to that. And thoughts? Caveats? Cautions?

[Jimmy Mack]

Don't know if it would end up the same as my L5CES, but the strap button on the heel drives me a little nutty. When I stand up and play it, the weight of the guitar causes it to lean forward and away from me, making it uncomfortable to play, because I have to exert pressure somewhere to have it lean back to me. ( I don't have a big gut to accomplish that for me!)

Your circumstances are most likely different with a thinner and lighter guitar. I am considering having a button installed on the bout, just above the neck heel. My tech says it's ok to do that. ?????

[jazzstan175]

Jimmy - I had very much the same issue with a '73 L5s (solid body, low impedance p/u). It was a beautiful guitar but horribly balanced - had to hold the neck up all the time. I sold it a few years ago.
re: the Es275... I'm old (in my 70's) and only use the guitar for recording in my home studio (I write for production music libraries - background and source music for TV shows.) So I'm seated when I play, but would like the security of having a strap - 'cause also I'm fiddling with buttons and dials on my digital audio workstation, and some CTRL+ functions require both hands!!

I've written to Gibson to ask if the omission of the heel strap button was an oversight or a feature. I'll let y'all know what I hear back from them.

[sgosnell]

Lack of a factory installed strap button isn't uncommon. There are some threads here on the forum discussing button location preferences. Wes did okay with a strap to the head, and that was the way it was done back then up to maybe the '60s, I can't really pin down a date. My personal preference is on the side just above the neck. That really needs a block inside for most guitars, but it's not really difficult if one has some skills. If I can do it, most anyone can.

[Herbie]

Lack of a factory installed strap button isn't uncommon. There are some threads here on the forum discussing button location preferences. Wes did okay with a strap to the head, and that was the way it was done back then up to maybe the '60s, I can't really pin down a date. My personal preference is on the side just above the neck. That really needs a block inside for most guitars, but it's not really difficult if one has some skills. If I can do it, most anyone can.

So how You do it, do You have pics about the operation? How big block? Plain or contoured? How do You get it inside? Thru F-hole or the pickup cavity? How do You keep it in place while You drill a hole etc?

[sgosnell]

Twdfrd on YouTube has a video that shows it pretty well.

[Herbie]

Twdfrd on YouTube has a video that shows it pretty well.

Yes sir, thanks… but boy, does he got an enormous O-hole! It’s a bit easier to work thru that than thru F-hole or neck pickup cavity. But yeah, I got the principle.