An Absolutely Classic Jazz Guitar
Written: Dec 04 '02 (Updated May 26 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A superb jazz/blues instrument with wonderful tone and speed
Cons: These aren't free. Not a beginners guitar.
The Bottom Line: Jazz guitarists will fall in love with the ES-175, a superbly constructed and sounding instrument.
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| buffoonery's Full Review: Gibson Es-175 |
When Gibson started building electric guitars from the ground up in the late 1940’s, one of the first designs out of the block was the ES-175 (“ES” for “Electric Spanish”). Almost immediately, this guitar became very popular with jazz guitarists; it’s almost impossible to imagine Wes Montgomery without his 175, and the occasional rocker like Steve Howe got a lot of mileage on his 175, especially on the early Yes albums.
The 175 is a hollowbody,single sharp cutaway 21 fret instrument with a 24 ¾” neck. It has a maple body, a rosewood fingerboard and two f-holes. My copy has two classic nickel-plated humbuckers (gold is also available) controlled by two volume/two tone knobs and a three way switch. There is a pickguard conveniently located for those of you lazy guys who like to rest your pinky finger. It has a trapeze tailpiece and the fretboard inlays are cool looking parallelograms.
The 175 is the smallest of the Big 3 Gibson rhythm guitars (the others being the Super 400 and the ES-5, see my reviews). Not surprisingly, the 175 lacks the booming acoustic power of its two bigger brothers. What you trade off in volume you get in playability: it’s the easiest to play of the three, given its size, low action and very fast neck. It’s playable into the 14th position or so but a little clunky above that. It’s not a Strat or an LP, but it still can deliver a lot of speed.
What the 175 really delivers, though, is a sweet, utterly clean amplified tone. Every note sings. Crisp. Penetrating. A pro can rip your heart out with this. It’s difficult to imagine a better designed jazz guitar, sounds great with blues, too.
Note that I said jazz. Unless you’re Steve Howe, I don't suggest that you try to play rock with this, unless you’re going to power it through an effects box and then, what’s the point? Unassisted, the 175 does not deliver rock tones. It’s too thin and frankly sounds a little silly if you play it without a wound G string. It also doesn’t bend real well. Stick to your Strat.
But treat your 175 like you would treat a dear one of the opposite sex. Caress it, don’t manhandle it.
I own a 1967 175 flametop that my dad bought me for my 12th birthday in 1970. (Birthday presents don’t get much better than this, unless they’ve got four wheels and 400 horses under the hood.) My dad had been an ES-5 man all his life but fell in love with the 175 so I didn’t get to see as much of it as time went by. It’s been mostly maintenance free. It developed some fuzz around the 15th fret a year or two ago and I had to have some sanding done and frets replaced, but that’s about it. After 30 years, the electronics are still perfect.
This box will run you two or three grand used. Gibson is listing a reissue for around $2,800, cheaper at Musician’s Friend.
If you’re a jazz guitarist, rush right out and buy one of these puppies. Rockers are advised to look elsewhere, but still, what the hell, if Steve Howe can get some use out of a 175, so can you.
You may find some of my guitar reviews interesting:
Epiphone Zakk Wylde Les Paul Custom
Epiphone Les Paul Standard
Epiphone G-400 SG
Fender Classic 50s Esquire
Fender Cyclone
Fender VG Stratocaster
Fender American HSS Stratocaster
Fender Standard HSS Stratocaster
Fender John Mayer Stratocaster
Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster
Fender Stevie Ray Vaughan Stratocaster
Fender 57 Stratocaster Reissue
Fender 50s Telecaster
G&L Legacy Strat
Gibson ES-5
Gibson ES-5 Switchmaster
Gibson ES-165 Herb Ellis
Gibson ES-175
Gibson ES-333 Memphis Style Hollow Body
Gibson ES-335
Gibson ES-335 1959 Reissue
Gibson ES-350T
Gibson ES-350T
Gibson Les Paul Classic Custom
Gibson Les Paul GT
Gibson Les Paul 1957 Goldtop
Gibson Les Paul Studio
Gibson Les Paul Robot Guitar
Gibson Les Paul Classic Ebony
Gibson SG 61 Reissue
Gibson Super 400
Gretsch Electromatic G5120 Hollow Body
Gretsch White Falcon II
Ibanez Artcore AS73 Semi-Hollow Body
Joe Satriani JS 1000 Solid Body Guitar
Ibanez Steve Vai Jem7
Martin D-28 Acoustic
Ovation VXT Acoustic Electric
PRS McCarty
PRS Single Cut
PRS Santana SE
Schechter Diamond C 1
Variax 700 Acoustic
Other amp reviews from buffoonery:
Crate Acoustic CA30
Crate Power BlockFender Blues Deluxe Reissue
Fender Cyber Twin
Fender DSP 65
Fender 64 Vibroverb Custom Blackface
Fender Super Sonic 1x12 Combo
Fender MH 500 Metalhead
Hughes and Kettner Switchblade 50 Combo
Line 6 Spider II Head
Line 6 Flextone III Plus
Line 6 Vetta II Combo
Line 6 Spider III 75
Line 6 Spider Valve 2x12 Combo
Marshall Super 100 JH
Mesa 5:25 Express
Mesa Stiletto Ace
Mesa 5:50 Express
Mesa Dual Rectifier Roadster
Mesa Stiletto Deuce
Mesa Triple Rectifier Head
Mesa Lone Star Combo
Peavey JSX Joe Satriani Signature Head
Peavey Classic 30 Combo
Peavey Triple XXX Head
Peavey Penta Head
Roland Micro Cube
Vox Valvetronix AD60VT
Vox AD50VT-XL 50 2x12 combo
My effects and stomp box reviews:
Boss AC-3 Acoustic Guitar Simulator
Boss BD-2 Distortion Pedal
Boss ME-20 Guitar Multiple Effects Processor
Boss GT-8 Multi-Effects Processor
Boss GT-10 Multi-Effects Processor
Boss ME-50 Multi-Effects Processor
Digitech RP50 Guitar Effects Processor
Digitech RP80 Guitar Effects Processor
Digitech Brian May Red Special Overdrive Pedal
Line 6 POD X3 Guitar Multi-Effects Board
And you may also be interested in a few books such as:
Hugo Pinksterboer – Tipbook Amplifiers and Effects
Ritchie Fliegler – Amps: The Other Half of Rock and Roll
Michael Ross – Getting Great Guitar Sounds: A Non-Technical Approach to Shaping Your Personal Sound
Nick Freeth – Classic Guitars: Identification and Price Guide
Recommended:
Yes
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