50k 175?

**wintermoon** · 03-22-2021, 03:04 PM

Originally Posted by Tal_175

Enough frivolity with cats and dogs, let's go back to discussing the 50K ES 175.

this thread went from a ridiculously priced guitar to who was a 'huge' act, to pets.
the pets part is the only cool thing about this thread [except the ill advised post by Mark]
I couldn't care less about a 50K 'celebrity' owned guitar and wouldn't know one of guns and roses tunes if you told me it was them.

**Doctor Jeff** · 03-22-2021, 03:32 PM

I know very little about GnR, even less about Izzy Stradlin, but most pictures I see of him shows him with a cool archtop guitar, including an ES-135.

Also, according to the Wiki Izzy Stradlin prefers to keep his private life out of the public eye--wow that's a first! And he was married to a Swedish biologist from '95-01. More kudoes from me.

**Marinero** · 03-22-2021, 03:38 PM

Intrinsic value: based on the quality of something in its essence.
Extrinsic value: the opposite of intrinsic value
Play live . . . Marinero

**jazzkritter** · 03-22-2021, 06:38 PM

I maintain white finished Gibson archtops turn yellow.
Never forget Gibson (actually everyone!) uses solid colors to hide second level wood.
Thus I will not offer over 35,000 for this 175.
Serious... I would love to ask the guy about feedback on a stadium rock stage.
Lot of jazzers complain about feedback on a pub stage.
interesting, yes?

**Donplaysguitar** · 03-22-2021, 06:50 PM

Originally Posted by MarkRhodes

'

Cats are unintelligent. (Very small brains in relation to body size.) Dogs are much smarter. Being sociable takes brain power. Cats aren't independent thinkers---they're simple minded. They're not mysterious; they're empty.

They also hover around hospital rooms when a person is near death. They can smell it coming? Dinner time!

Yeah, cats looove humans, lol.

**wintermoon** · 03-22-2021, 06:51 PM

Originally Posted by jazzkritter

I maintain white finished Gibson archtops turn yellow.
Never forget Gibson (actually everyone!) uses solid colors to hide second level wood.
Thus I will not offer over 35,000 for this 175.
Serious... I would love to ask the guy about feedback on a stadium rock stage.
Lot of jazzers complain about feedback on a pub stage.
interesting, yes?

I've played on some pretty big stages but never had a problem w/feedback as the amps are usually well behind me and miced

**waltf** · 03-22-2021, 07:13 PM

I think he played teles and les pauls more during their stadium tours, altough i think on a big stage like that feedback is more manageable.
How he used the es-175 on that small stage at the roxy standing in front of his amp.. no idea. I once played a flying v with unwaxed paf clones in front of a jcm800 when playing a show for about 1000 people and struggled hard with feedback

Anything close to palm muting would start a sqeal.

My es-175 starts feedbacking at room volumes from 2 meters away if i point it the wrong way

**Doctor Jeff** · 03-23-2021, 02:37 PM

Originally Posted by waltf

I think he played teles and les pauls more during their stadium tours, altough i think on a big stage like that feedback is more manageable.
How he used the es-175 on that small stage at the roxy standing in front of his amp.. no idea. I once played a flying v with unwaxed paf clones in front of a jcm800 when playing a show for about 1000 people and struggled hard with feedback

Anything close to palm muting would start a sqeal.

My es-175 starts feedbacking at room volumes from 2 meters away if i point it the wrong way

Yeah a 175 wouldn't be my first choice. Of course Scotty Moore (and Elvis) used a sponge under the tailpiece. Here's Steve Howe talking about feedback with his 175:

"I think I was lucky in getting good 175s that tended not to feedback as much as things like L5s and Super 100s because jazz guitars definitely do feedback. And also, the other ingredient is you mustn’t have too much bass or middle on your amp, otherwise that will encourage the bass to feedback. Obviously don’t stand in front of it in a way that produces the feedback. The fourth reason that I thought of is that I use a volume pedal, so if it does feedback, I can control that. I always use a volume pedal—that came from hearing steel guitar players. And the volume pedal means I’m always under control; I can turn the guitar off, tune it, and have it quieter when I want it when the singer is singing. Also, I can voice my notes, so they’re not like Perpetual Change—it starts with voiced chords as opposed to just chink-chink-chink. So there’s a couple of ideas; get lucky with a guitar, tune your amp so that it’s not got too much bass end, and use a volume pedal."

But I think for GNR a Les Paul or Tele would work better. There are also quite a few pictures of him with a 135, and that would be the perfect guitar if one really wanted a 175-like archtop for rock'n'roll.

**Lobomov** · 03-23-2021, 02:41 PM

Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff

But I think for GNR a Les Paul or Tele would work better. There are also quite a few pictures of him with a 135, and that would be the perfect guitar if one really wanted a 175-like archtop for rock'n'roll.

So you're telling the actual GNR that their choise of gear was wrong?

I've just thrilled that there is a rock super star out there that plays es175s and other hollow bodies

**Doctor Jeff** · 03-23-2021, 04:00 PM

Originally Posted by Lobomov

So you're telling the actual GNR that their choice of gear was wrong?

I've just thrilled that there is a rock super star out there that plays es175s and other hollow bodies

Uh, sure...I have no problem with that--I'm not shy that way!

Agree that any raising of the jazz guitar profile is a good thing.

**Tal_175** · 03-23-2021, 04:17 PM

I don't judge ES 175's for prostituting themselves to avoid extinction. The life of a jazz guitar.

GNR was a very image conscious band (just like most 80's and 90's rock bands). I mean, is there a more image conscious figure than Slash in the music history. So the ES 175 was probably just a stage gimmick that the band though looked cool. I doubt it was an musical consideration. Bono also used an ES 175 during some concerts, I bet, for very similar reasons.

**Gitterbug** · 03-23-2021, 04:19 PM

"..any raising of the jazz guitar profile is a good thing." Agreed, of course, but what happened 30+ years ago isn't exactly present tense. Nor was the impact too tangible. I'm not aware of other white 175s, or an overall surge in archtop demand over those years.

**waltf** · 03-23-2021, 05:50 PM

No stage gimmick. Apparently he also used it to records parts of AFD, bought them because they were cheap (they were homeless living in a garagebox), sounded and looked good and he could play them without an amp. Still uses them long after he quitted the band.

**Doctor Jeff** · 03-24-2021, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by Gitterbug

"..any raising of the jazz guitar profile is a good thing." Agreed, of course, but what happened 30+ years ago isn't exactly present tense. Nor was the impact too tangible. I'm not aware of other white 175s, or an overall surge in archtop demand over those years.

There is definitely a surge in archtop demand which D'Angelico, Eastman and Godin (among others) are catering to. (IMO Gibson should be as well, but that's another conversation.) Lots of young players playing archtops.

Also used 175s have been increasingly in demand for quite awhile, and prices going up.

No white 175s, but I wouldn't underestimate the value of the nostalgia market. There are a lot of guitars that are only being made now because someone played them 40+ years ago...the Gretsch White Falcon for instance. Gretsch in general come to think of it--can thank Brian Setzer for probably half their sales LOL.

I personally don't have nostalgia for Guns'n'Roses, but there are a lot of people who do.

**Doctor Jeff** · 03-24-2021, 11:00 AM

Also should point out that attachment to a particular guitar, like a particular woman, for instance, is fairly irrational.

Steve Howe shouldn't have played a 175 all those years, but he did. He made it his own.