Any experience with ES-175 Norlin era?

[oldane]

I know at least 2 with sinking top, including one I owned. Reason for breaking of the bracing: The bracing in a 175 is a flat piece of wood which will be kerfed every 20 mm or so from one side until the last 1-2 mm of wood remaining. After that you can bend easily the bracing into the arched top and it does not need to be carved. It's a cost saver. If that slots are not made carefully, the may get too deep and less wood is remaining below the slots and the bracing can break by the time. It is a matter of quality control whether such failures in preparation of the bracings will be sorted out.

Maybe it's just me, but I have never understood the rationale of kerfed bracings. One of the reasons for the braces being there is to stiffen the top so it can withstand the downward pressure of the strings without sagging. If the braces are kerfed so it's easy to bend them to comply with the top shape, they are not stiff and will not provide that support for the top but will just sag together with a sagging top. Or .....?

I know that another function of braces is to help propagating the sound waves from the bridge out in the top but that's hardly a big consideration with a 175 which is primarily an electric guitar.

[garybaldy]

Maybe it's just me, but I have never understood the rationale of kerfed bracings. One of the reasons for the braces being there is to stiffen the top so it can withstand the downward pressure of the strings without sagging. If the braces are kerfed so it's easy to bend them to comply with the top shape, they are not stiff and will not provide that support for the top but will just sag together with a sagging top. Or .....?

I know that another function of braces is to help propagating the sound waves from the bridge out in the top but that's hardly a big consideration with a 175 which is primarily an electric guitar.

Once a kerfed brace is glued properly it's stiffness is the same as non kerfed. What does change is the amount of tension created in the continuous part of timber that isn't cut through. If the wood grain does not run parallel to the brace or has a defect, under this extra tension, this continuous part is liable to break and so the stiffness is then compromised.

[Easy2grasp]

There is so much variety within the Gibson ES-175 examples out there. I have three of them hanging on my wall right now - a '56, a 57, and a '59 all single pick ups. If I tap them in the mid top region they all have a slightly different thunk. The '59 has the darkest thunk and is the best player neck-wise and sound-wise. They all have the same construction except the neck on the '59 is a couple mm chubbier maybe. My Norlin era Gibson is a '74 Howard Roberts Custom, definitely a heavier build than the ones from the fifties, but it still has it's own unique bell-like tone. Buying ES-175's is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you will get until you play it. So we are forced to keep buying them online for the best and most convenient selection. That's how they get you!

[Woody Sound]

I bought a Norlin walnut 335 new off the wall in the mid 70's, $400 including case, and it was one of the best made Gibsons I've ever owned. Perfect resonant 'hog neck, great sound, nice solid well-built feel. Unfortunately, swapped it for an ES-Artist. "Should never have sold it." (Nod to member SNHSI)

[johny_gtr]

First of all, thank you to everyone who responded. According to the comments, I should be wary not of guitars from specific years, but of those that become uncomfortable over time


I have a few new questions, if you don't mind. Before this, I have never bought a guitar without playing it (and finding one, let alone several models 175, in my area, no matter where I work, is a mission impossible). Also, I prefer Fender guitars, which are usually quite unpretentious and age well and have about 0 experience with Gibson.


1) What features and issues should I pay attention to in the photos, request additional pictures, and ask sellers about?
2) In which years were guitars made with not the thickest necks (I know that thick necks can be more comfortable for many, but I'm used to playing on others and don't want to retrain)?

Thank you