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I have borrowed a buddy's Gibson ES 175 '59 RI VOS and was wondering what a fair value is for this model.
It is a sunburst with single pickup. All stock. I think from around 2015 based upon serial number sequence. A 06521.
Would love to pry it away from him....LOL
Correction- I checked the build sheet. It is a 2013.
Thanks.Last edited by Lkdog; 10-16-2023 at 12:28 AM.
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10-09-2023 06:46 PM
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What else are friends for?
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If you scroll down you can see the price history of the model going back several years. It seems like the prices have almost doubled in the last 3-4 years:
Gibson Custom Shop '59 ES-175D Reissue | Reverb Canada
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Looks like they went up a lot during the COVID price insanity. Reverb prices are inflated though to begin with.
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Wow, that's a crazy graph! Seems as down as it is up over a two-year period.
FWIW, a single p/u ES175 is scarcer than usual so possibly a little more than average?
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Small sample size but it does seem like these '59 VOS models are getting a premium.
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I'm not surprised. Mine is a total jewel, everything I ever wanted from an ES175 and I have owned about 6 ES175's over the years. This is the one I will have to assign in my will. It ain't going nowhere.
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I see them list on Reverb for around $5000. You might expect to pay in the $4500-$5000 range. I have a 2014 and it's the overall best of four ES-175s I've owned, including a 1953, 1954, and 2006. It's got 90% of the mojo without undue risk of things like damaged braces, sunken tops, etc. on the older models.
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+ 1 for this guitar. Mine's a blonde 175D from 2014. Somebody had returned it and it was sold as B-stock. Indeed, there was a small ding - on the case.
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In theory Yes. But the law of supply and demand has that demand side too: there is more 2-pu buyers than 1-pu. The blues & rockabilly etc players dig the bridge pu too. The 1-pu version is almost for jazzers only.
Originally Posted by Daddy Dom
I had 1-pu 1959 VOS for years but couldn’t bond with it although I wanted to. I had it for sale many long months. Jazz guitars aren’t the buzz business here in Finland.
Sold it just before price lift for a guy who had been in a Joe Pass’s weekend course here in ’80s. That’s luck!
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You could consult The Blue Book of Guitar Values for electric guitars to see pricing information. As with anything published, it will be slightly out-of-date, but it has good information. Originally Posted by Lkdog
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These seem to be one of those models that sellers are really ambitious with pricing on the extreme high end. I've been keeping an eye out for a while and they are often listed for around $4500-$5000, but I'm not sure how many are really selling in that price range. Ironically, it is more private sellers that are trying to get top dollar while I've seen many dealers list them in the $3000-$4000 range within the last year.
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Same here. Many 175s have passed through my hands over the years. I’ve liked and disliked things about all of them except for the ‘59 VOS that jumped into my hands during the CME blowout. I love everything about that guitar and dislike nothing. The only other 175 I’ve had with this much mojo was a single pickup ‘93 Herb Ellis 165 model I happily had to let go —(side story: in the late 90s, one of my son’s high school jazz band buddies used to drool over my 165 every time he came over to jam with us. He frequently would ask my son if I would sell the 165 to him. He had so much talent and, as a senior was headed to Berkeley. I felt that I had to put in into his hands. Just before graduation, I asked him if he’d like to buy it and he has been making magic with it ever since). Back to the VOS, it is exceptional in every way and will be with me ‘till the curtain goes down. Originally Posted by lawson-stone
Last edited by rolijen; 10-15-2023 at 06:27 AM.
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Here is the guitar in question. I am pretty sure I could swing a more favorable than market rate deal with my friend if I decide to pursue it.
Agree with all the comments above that it is a very very nice guitar. I have had another Es 175 (1998) and this one has a little different vibe.
That said, (this will be blasphemous) I have been A/B-ing this Es 175 VOS '59 back and forth with my '64 Es 355 Reissue and honestly can get them to sound very close.
That is even with the ES 175 having 12 gauge flatwounds on it and the 335 has typical electric 10 gauge roundwound strings.
The Es 175 has a little more acoustic vibe and a little deeper low end. I think with same strings it would be really close.
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The pickup was mounted off center. The pole screws should be under the strings.
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Great observation Vinny. FYI - Roger Bory’s told me that he cuts in the pickup after the guitar is strung up to insure the pole pieces are lined up with the strings, and thus avoids this issue. Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Could be the bridge is off center or the tailpiece too. Not that it matters to the sound.
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LOL. Yes. I changed the strings strings late last night rather hastily from the 11's he had on there for a couple years to a new set of 12's. Originally Posted by AllanAllen
Good catch. I had the bridge off center a bit. My mistake.
I have it remedied now and they are very close to centered and it is in tune and amazingly intonation is spot on.
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A/B-ing with my 335 more again. The difference is certainly there. Just a bigger voice. Really nice guitar. It is a 2013 build from the paperwork.
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Dang you're right. Looking at the outer pole pieces relative to the sides of the neck really shows it. Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
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It should be substantially different, fuller I would say. I had a 345 and an L5CES together for a long time, they were quite different. Even though the 175 is laminate, it should have a fuller jazz sound. IMHO etc. Originally Posted by Lkdog
If it doesn't you just saved yourself some money!
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Oh, there is a difference. Yes, bigger sound and fuller but they are in same conversation. I use a high end modeler (AXE FX 3) and can tweak the amp tone quite a bit. Originally Posted by bluejaybill
Whether it is worth $3000-4000 for me going that extra mile with a Gibson Es 175 I am not sure.
Would love to have it, but my primary style of music is blues with lower to moderate gain on a Les Paul, or 335.
Would like to have a proper straight ahead jazz hollowbody for the Kenny Burrell I play, but I am probably not a good enough player in that genre to really warrant having a Gibson ES 175 around.
I might be better off right now and just as happy with a lower cost Eastman, or a Epiphone Es 175 to get that hollowbody vibe.
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Back in 2017, when Henry J. was trying to raise money to save Gibson, I bought a 2017 Blonde 59RI 175 from their slightly under the radar sale for $2700. I also bought a 2017 Blonde 175 Figured for $2200. At the time I had a 1997 175 (the best 175 that I have ever owned) and a 1963 175 (a guitar that I was never able to dial in quite right, even after a LOT of luthier work). I sold the 1963 175 after a bit and still have three 175's in the toolbox. The 59RI is a different animal than the other two, having a lot more of an "acoustic" voice. I am sure that all three of my 175's are worth much more than I paid for them,but seeing as I have no plans on selling them, I am not concerned with their market value and cannot opine on that question. But I can tell you this:
No other guitar has the sound of a Gibson 175 and there are small differences in that sound depending on year and model. A 59RI 175 will get you 99 percent of the way to a real late 50's 175 for a LOT less money. If you like the sound and feel of this model, it could be a holy grail jazz guitar and will be worth whatever you pay to obtain it. HTH
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Thanks!
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