GIBSON ES 175

[Marco Leonardi]

I am going to buy an used Gibson ES 175. I would like to know if '91 and
'87 are good production date. What are the BAD dates for ES 175 ?

Thanks,
Marco

[Five Sharp]

I'd prefer the 1987 one.

One with mahogany back and sides would have my preference. I recently bought
one and it sounds super.

#####

"Marco Leonardi" <m.leo...@tin.it> schreef in bericht
news:kGAqe.1011391$b5.43...@news3.tin.it...

[Winfield]

If you play a half dozen 175's, 4 or 5 will be decent to good....One
will or two will knock will sound very good...There's a lot of
variability from instrument to instrument...Play as many as you can
find...

SK

[ott...@hotmail.com]

Try before you buy.
Bg

[jdah...@uiuc.edu]

The early models (50's) tend to have neck differences in going from
instrument to
instrument with some of them being "clubby". A lot of things built in
the 70's
suffered from general workmanship be it 175's or Harleys. Like others
already said, try before you buy. Good Luck, nothin' finer!

[es175jazz]

I was able to find only *one ES175* in all the Portland, OR area. I
played it and bought it. I say if you like it at first, buy it, it'll
only grow on you.

I found mine 2 months back, a '95 natural, maple body, mahogony neck.
It's a great guitar. I don't know why they are so hard to find..

[GregD]

es175jazz <es17...@comcast.net> wrote in news:O6idnQW7MJLoMDbfRVn-
2...@comcast.com:

> I was able to find only *one ES175* in all the Portland, OR area. I
> played it and bought it. I say if you like it at first, buy it, it'll
> only grow on you.
>
> I found mine 2 months back, a '95 natural, maple body, mahogony neck.
> It's a great guitar. I don't know why they are so hard to find..

Because they're so doggoned expensive and focused on a singular genre of
music - jazz; not the most popular form of music out there for the guitar
buying public. And let's not even talk about all the alternatives now
available for 175's.

Congrats on your '95. I have a '97 - same as yours. How does yours sound
acoustically?

Greg

[es175jazz]

Acoustically, my 175 sounds good to my ear. I've never played a boutique
archtop (even harder to find), so I can't compare. I have a Tacoma
flattop, and the 175 is not as loud or dark, but it sounds good in its
own way, mellow and woody. Great compression if I decide to hard strum
non-jazz cowboy chords. Real fun to play Tom Petty tunes on it
acoustically.

I have an Ibanez Artcore AF75, and since I got the 175, I haven't played
it at all. I can't stand it now, as it feels like a toy, and
acoustically sounds like a tin box compared to the complexity of tone
and mojo of the 175. Plugged in, I do like the Artcore, a bit hotter
pickups, but it just feels wrong now. Neck is too thin, finish is too
plastic-y.

Check out some pics on my new blog.
http://es175jazz.blogspot.com/

[GregD]

es175jazz <es175jazzATSIGNcomcastDOTnet> wrote in
news:X8adnXXDhoM...@comcast.com:

> Acoustically, my 175 sounds good to my ear. I've never played a
> boutique archtop (even harder to find), so I can't compare. I have a
> Tacoma flattop, and the 175 is not as loud or dark, but it sounds good
> in its own way, mellow and woody. Great compression if I decide to
> hard strum non-jazz cowboy chords. Real fun to play Tom Petty tunes
> on it acoustically.

Weird! I own a Tacoma flattop, too. My 175 sounds excellent acoustically
as well.

> I have an Ibanez Artcore AF75, and since I got the 175, I haven't
> played it at all. I can't stand it now, as it feels like a toy, and
> acoustically sounds like a tin box compared to the complexity of tone
> and mojo of the 175. Plugged in, I do like the Artcore, a bit hotter
> pickups, but it just feels wrong now. Neck is too thin, finish is too
> plastic-y.

This is exactly how I feel. You know how cheap something feels and plays
when you compare it to the real thing. That's why I quit buying junky
guitars. Had my fill of them and none of them can hold a candle to my
175, Of course, in the right hands, an el-cheapo guitar can sound like a
quality archtop, but those very same gifted hands would not be happy
playing a piece of junk - even if they can make it sound good. I don't
mean to diss anybody who is playing a cheap guitar, it's just that it
took me years to follow advice given to me here years back - quit buying
junk and buy a decent guitar - one that you want to keep and play. I
would saved myself alot of turmoil if I had simply done that tobegin
with.

>
> Check out some pics on my new blog.
> http://es175jazz.blogspot.com/

She's a beaut. Looks just like mine.

Greg

[Phil]

Greg,

Now that you've had your 175 for a while, how do you feel about the
Samick in hind sight ? I know you had a fairly high opinion of the
Samick before the ES-175 came along.

Thanks....Phil

GregD wrote:
> es175jazz <es175jazzATSIGNcomcastDOTnet> wrote in
> news:X8adnXXDhoM...@comcast.com:
>

> This is exactly how I feel. You know how cheap something feels and plays

[GregD]

"Phil" <va...@yahoo.com> wrote in news:1118715804.104202.61350
@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

> Greg,
>
> Now that you've had your 175 for a while, how do you feel about the
> Samick in hind sight ? I know you had a fairly high opinion of the
> Samick before the ES-175 came along.

Phil,

If not for the feedback, I would have kept that Samick as a gigging
guitar; I loved the way it played, the way it sounded and the way it
looked. It sounded great for jazz/clean and it sounded excellent
overdriven. The 175 has an edge for clean tone, vibe, looks, and general
quality, but I would have happily given up my other lesser Gibson
archtops for the Samick if it had not fed back so badly. It was
uncontrollable and nasty in thta respect.

Greg