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I'm looking at purchasing a guitar off of Reverb. Luckily it is close enough that I'll be able to check it out in person prior to buying it. I was wondering if anyone would be willing to look at it (on line of course) and see if anything jumps out at them. Any input or suggestions of what to look for would be appreciated. I've never purchased a guitar like this before; Les Pauls, Teles and Strats are more my comfort zone.
Thanks.
Gibson ES-165 Herb Ellis 1998 Sunburst | bryan's Shop | Reverb
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03-18-2019 01:01 PM
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These are great guitars for the traditional jazz sound. You get to play it before you buy.
If this is the sound you want and it plays well probably will not do better. A real Gibson from years known to be of quality get it. The price seems fine really going lower only makes it better. A 175 would be more money and if you only need one pickup then look farther.
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These guitars represent one of the best, if not THE best, values in a used Gibson.
It's very much a one pickup 175. Pretty good price (I've seen them even lower, but not in a little while)
I'd just check that the electronics work, make sure there's no buzzes on the fretboard (assuming the action is low)
The only real red flag I can think of would be high action with a bridge that's cranked all the way down...that means something's up with the neck.
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Looks like the guitar had a strap pin in the neck at one point. He seems to photo anything that would be a cosmetic deficiency. I like that. Go play it see if it's what you're looking for. The 165 seems to be a slow seller. Prices are on the low side compared to 175
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Thanks. I appreciate your input. I just want to make sure I'm not missing something.
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Make sure the truss rod works. From the ad it looks good.
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If you’re more used to solid bodies and fenders in particular, make sure you really like the neck. IME ES165’s are on the chunkier side.
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I recently refretted a 165 for a fellow he wanted jumbo frets and this guitar was a killer. Combined with a proper jazz amp and you will not need to look further to find real tone. This particular 165 I did was just smoking with sound and I played it through my Clarus R2, it was not the guitar if you could not get the sound.
The more I think about this the better I think it looks. The fatter chucky neck mention for me would be a major plus. Nice machine heads and really seems to be in good shape. Buying this for 2K$ really is pretty safe compared to almost any guitar. Just look at the boutique guitars that probably have much more appointments and such that are not selling at all. This guitar will always have pretty decent resale and if you have to get rid of it quick you probably would not need to eat too much. That is the way to look at it.
Jeff has the perfectly down...…..maybe the best value in a guitar period.
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Fwiw, my ES-165 HE was the best sounding “175” I ever had. I sold mine about 20 years ago to raise the dough for a proper double pickup 175. Big mistake—I still miss that guitar. If there are no major problems, I’d say buy it.
Roli
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Closeups reveal quite a bit of scratches indicating serious use. I'm not sure if the 165 had fretboard binding covering the fret ends à la 175, a stupid practice imho. If so, the frets have been changed at least once. They are stained, meaning the guitar has been sitting unused for quite a while. What's missing is a closeup of the bridge. If it's set rock bottom, a neck problem may be present. If very high, the top may have given in. Many ES's have beveled bracing, i.e. the longitudinal braces cut halfway through for an easier fit to the top. The biggest risk is that a brace has come loose. This does not necessarily manifest itself when played acoustically, but may cause a strong resonance tone when amplified.
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Thanks. I'll be sure to check that out when I see it!
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Like used Tal, HE are very good value indeed, plagued to be associated with a specific artist thus the lower demand...
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The ES165 of the 90's did have the fret-end nibs.
Originally Posted by Gitterbug
I have this model and it is the best playing and most solid sounding 16" jazz guitar I own. For comparison, I own 3 ES175's, 2 Epiphone 16" archtops, a Loar LH650, and a Gibson ES165. Among those very nice guitars, the ES165 is the best of the lot. The VOS 1959 ES175 is neck-in-neck with it, but is a different beast anyhow so hard to compare.
Assuming no poison pill, a nice 90's ES165 is worth $!800-2000 easily.
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With the level of wear on that guitar, I'd offer the guy $1800 to start.
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I looked for a Red ES-165 for about 6 years but found them all over priced for a guitar with a silkscreen logo. Wound up with an ES-175 for $200 more than that listing from Reverb.
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I've heard those silkscreen logos really affect the tone of the guitar.
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I'm assuming he'll come down in price if I hand him cash and he doesn't have to ship. I'm also willing to pay a premium to try the guitar out. I've had too many disappointments buying on line. Not that there was anything wrong with the guitars, but I'm in the try before you buy camp. Originally Posted by icr
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The HE ES-165 is an excellent value. You get the single-pickup ES-175, which Gibson stopped making around 50 years ago. They were exceptional jazz boxes...one of the best.
The one in question looks like a good one, to me.
Run it through a Polytone Baby Brute or MiniBrute II and you have the Jim Hall/Herb Ellis/Joe Pass 1970s jazz tone just nailed. You could do worse, let me tell you.
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Actually even though I love my ES165 with the silkscreen logo, I really do have a fondness for the wonderful Gibson inlaid logo. I know... I'm so weak... Originally Posted by rmpmcdermott
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That's fair! I was just trying to be funny. Those inlaid logos really are beautiful. Originally Posted by lawson-stone
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Silkscreen logo is found on a Les Paul Studio. The ES165 is not a single-pickup ES175. It is more like a 'Studio' version of a single pickup ES175. But ES165 are priced too high on the used market to see any advantage over an ES175.
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Studio version with flame maple body, gold hardware, pearl inlays and neck and body binding? Originally Posted by icr
You must be used to very fancy studios
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The corrosion and tarnishing of the metal parts give me some concern. How has it been stored? The pickup has been replaced. The ES-165HE shipped from Gibson with goldplated parts. The early ones in the 90s had the faux alligator case with green plush interior. I don't know about 1998 though.
Good thing you have a chance to see it in person. In that condition, $1600 is all that I am willing to pay for it if it all checks out and only because I adjusted it for 2019. At its lowest, the ES-165HE sold used for $1350 to $1450, between 2008 and 2011. These were ones in excellent plus condition, not beat up. Its resale was never very good. You can find excellent plus ES-175s for between $2000 and $2250 even today. Don't pay too much for the ES-165HE. There is a twin pickup version also known as the ES-165HE that sold on ebay for $2350 back in 2012. For $2000, I will look for an ES-175.
The early ones reputedly had chunky 1958 profile necks. This was one feature that made it less desirable than the ES-175 with the slimmer 1959 neck profile. But the ES-165HE always had flamed maple, nicer than some ES-175s. The was a Light Brown version that was very nice. I yearned for one before I got my 2006 ES-175P with twin P90s.
Some owner complained about his ES-165HE containing blobs of dried glue and sawdust stuck to its kerfed linings on TGP. So, apparently, not made by Gibson's A Team. Just anecdotal...
If it plays well, and checks out structurally, that's all that matters.
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Is that a slot-head screw through the neck joint in this photo?
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Yeah, mate, that looks like a broken screw shaft embedded in the heel.
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