Comparing ES125 with ES175
Kevin Van Sant
<peter...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
<8ul2vh$rpj$1...@uranium.btinternet.com> :
>My questions are therefore:
>
>1. Is the ES125 likely to be constructed and braced in the same way as a
>ES175?
>2. What is the average sort of price for a good original example of this
>model from this period?
>3. Are they becoming more collectable?
>4. Are there any happy ES125 players out there?
>
I can't answer about the bracing, but the first archtop I got my hands
on was a '56 es125 that was loaned to me for about 6 months. That
guitar was louder than the 175 that I later bought, but it didn't feel
quite as *easy* to play. Not having the cutaway bothered me at times
too. But, I think you can get '50s 125's for around $500 so maybe
that is a big point in its favor.
_________________________________________
Kevin Van Sant
jazz guitar
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Peter Catlin
condition. The price is about 1/3 rd of any equivalent single P90 equipped
ES175 from the same sort of period that I have been able to try. This
appears to make it a very good way of getting a relatively cheap yet usable
US vintage jazz guitar. IMHO it has a much nicer 'feel' and sound than any
Japanese/Korean jazz guitars that I own/have owned e.g. Epiphone Emporer
Regent, Joe Pass, Ibanez GB10, Aria Super 400, Ibanez Johnny Smith etc.
Apart from the obvious cosmetic differences .......no cutaway, simple dot
inlays, no inlay on the headstock, cheaper 3 in a row Klusons with button
tuners and a more basic trapeze tailpiece ........the ES125 compares very
favourably and has (IMHO) a good conventional 'jazz' sound just like the
ES175. So much so in fact that I wonder if there are actually any real
structural differences between the two models. The ES125 has one piece
mahogany neck with an unbound rosewood fingerboard (20 fret). It has a
mahogany back(I think) and sides and a laminated maple top. The dimensions
appear to be the same for both models.
My questions are therefore:
1. Is the ES125 likely to be constructed and braced in the same way as a
ES175?
2. What is the average sort of price for a good original example of this
model from this period?
3. Are they becoming more collectable?
4. Are there any happy ES125 players out there?
Thanks for any opinions,
Peter
Dick Onstenk
its construction being similar to a ES 175 though. At the time the ES
125 was a low budget guitar sold as a "student" model at best. Still,
they sound pretty decent or downright great if you get your hands on a
good one. I chose mine from a series of five that had just been
imported from the States by a vintage dealer. Only two of them were
sounding and looking good. The rest was pretty battered and poor
sounding.
Prices here (Netherlands) for a 1950s ES 125 are WAY OVER $500. I paid
$1000 for mine and have seen others for $1500 in my country. So, you
guys in the States are lucky! They are rare birds here.
I love my ES 125 and am pretty sure that a real good one comes close to
an ES 175. Still, over all quality of ES 175 will be higher. The ES 175
is a much more luxurious guitar and certainly was never intended to be
a "student" model.
I did replace the wooden bridge by a steel one, which enhanced its
sound a little. Played unamplified, it is a very loud guitar. My ES 125
produces a very mellow Jazz tone through my Polytone and I'm quite
pleased with it. Still, for my gigs and sessions I always use a higher
end guitar.
To conclude, I'd say a good ES 125 makes an excellent value-for-money
guitar with fabulous vintage looks. They are cute babies, but it would
be unfair to compare them to higher end Gibsons like ES 175, L5 or
Super 400. They were never intended by Gibson to compete with those.
Dick
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Keith Murch
the best value in a budget archtop out there. They are a real vintage
instruments, Gibsons at that, and they sound terrific. I am not sure about
the bracing, but I play ES175's and I find the ES125 to feel and sound very
similar. They have a fairly plain unbound fingerboard which doesn't feel
quite as good as an ES175, but that is no big deal. Just yesterday I played
a real clean one with D'Addario flatwounds and it sounded terrific. We A/B'd
it to a 50's ES175 strung with the same strings, and they sounded very
similar. I would much rather play a real 50's Gibson ES125 than one of the
new guitars in the under $1000 price range. I come from Canada, and whenever
I see an ES125, I remember Lenny Breau playing one in his early days in
Toronto. It sure sounded great in his hands. As far as collectibility goes,
they seem to be of little interest to collectors. But I have noticed over
the years that players and collectors don't always look for the same things.
That is also the reason that they aren't expensive.
Keith Murch
Peter Catlin <peter...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:8ul2vh$rpj$1...@uranium.btinternet.com...
Thomas F Brown
I used to own one. These were budget guitars when they were built,
and so I don't see why they would be any more desirable today. In
fact, today's budget archtops are of generally higher quality IMO.
For the $500+ you'd spend on a 125, you could get an Ibanez or Aria
that would have much better sound and build quality than the 125,
and would be similar in quality to a 175.
Raindog11
have with it is that after i bought it a few people told me that i payed too
much. it was tagged at about 1200 at G.C. and i talked em down to 1000 but i
didn't get a case...so that was slightly annoying...
long story short i'm very happy with the guitar. it has a great sound...the
neck is SO smooth...it's honestly one of the most comfortable guitars i've ever
played...i've compared it to a whole lot of different things...including two
175's from 77 and 68...neither of which i liked....a heritage 575 which i liked
a lot, a washburn wes montgomery and a epi joe pass.....the only two guitars
i've played since that i've been dreaming about are a PRS archtop, and a gibson
L-5.
the biggest problem with it is feedback. and this is very annoying...but you're
gonna encounter that with a lot of archtops so don't let that sway you too
much.
my advice...play as many archtops as you can and don't let yourself buy a 175
just because it's more expensive...i really don't like them that much.
later,
james
Mark Guest
playability compares very favorably to a 175 w/ p-90's. If you go for it,
I'd suggest that you take it to a trusted luthier to level the frets and a
basic setup. That said, I'll confess to choosing my '81 Ibanez 175 knockoff
more frequently than the 135. I think the frets are more level on the
Ibanez.
Time to get out the grinder...
Enjoy your 125,
Mark Guest
"Peter Catlin" <peter...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:8ul2vh$rpj$1...@uranium.btinternet.com...
Tom Walls
says...
>
>I enjoy my '56 135 (a 125 w/ gingerbread), and find that the sound and
>playability compares very favorably to a 175 w/ p-90's.
I have an old 135 as well, and I love it, but it's so heavy I'm seriously
considering an alternative.
--
Tom Walls
the guy at the Temple of Zeus
http://www.arts.cornell.edu/zeus/
rob...@nospam.com
Other than embellishments such as bound fingerboard, cutaway etc, the
ES 125 and ES 175 are similar in construction. Laminated maple top,
back, sides and parallel bracing. In 1957 the ES 175 was outfitted
with humbucking pickups.
The current "Blue Book" price for a ES 125 in 100% mint condition is
$800.00. "Blue Book for an ES 175 (P90s) in similar condition is
$2800. 00 rob taft
HSCRC
can be had for around $500. There were many of these made and they tend to be
pretty available. There are also cutaway 125's (full and thin body - 1 or 2
P90's), which are real nice. They do have large necks. I had read that this
was due to the 125 being considered a student model, making for easier
fingering with a wider neck. The neck is huge compared with the 175's that
I've played. A 125 with high action due to poor frets can be a painful
proposition to play.
Personally, I play a 175 and a thin cutaway 125. The 175 has a much smoother
sound and feel for Jazz. The 125 has a funky character and is fun to play.
The 125 is also more prone to feedback on a gig.
My $.02. Vic Reyes
Thomas Stubbs
Thomas Stubbs
rob...@nospam.com
According to the books I've read, Gibson introduced the cutaway
version (single and double pickup) in early 1965. rob taft
Joe Finn
> >
> Other than embellishments such as bound fingerboard, cutaway etc, the
> ES 125 and ES 175 are similar in construction. Laminated maple top,
> back, sides and parallel bracing. In 1957 the ES 175 was outfitted
> with humbucking pickups.
> The current "Blue Book" price for a ES 125 in 100% mint condition is
> $800.00. "Blue Book for an ES 175 (P90s) in similar condition is
> $2800. 00 rob taft
My first decent hollowbody was a 125 cutaway. Before that I had a Kay hollowbody
with three pickups which was not a great guitar. The 125 was really nice but it
had what I think were p-90 pickups that I really didn't care for. I traded it
for a 175 with two humbuckers which sounded and played much better. ...joe
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