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Gibson ES 165 vs ES 175


max0101

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Hi Guys!

 

I am in plane to buy the Gibson ES 165 you see in the pic:

 

 

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/42/f0wx.jpg

 

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/69/mil0.jpg

 

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/28/j65i.jpg

 

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/856/bbhb.jpg

 

 

However, I am confused because I do not understand the differences between the 165 and the 175 model. I know the 165 model mount 1 pickup only so… why this 165 has 2 pickup?

 

These are the same pickup that mounts the 175?

 

If the wood and measures are the same, why Gibson produce the same guitar with different name? :-)

 

Last very important question: the nut widht is different from 175 model or is the same?

 

So, please, could you confirm me the guitar in the picture appear authentic? It should be post-37740-077427000 1389702412_thumb.jpga 2004 model.

 

Thank you in advance for your support!!

 

Max

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As far as I am aware the ES 165 has only ever had one, neck pickup

 

It was conceived as a 'Herb Ellis' signature guitar, initially with body mounted pickup

 

Much later with floating pickup...as such IMO a better prospect...

 

Anything with 2 pickups may be a modded ES 165, or perhaps a miss-labelled ES 175...

 

V

 

:-({|=

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The guitar that you have in these jpegs is NOT an ES-165. It is an ES-175 however there are some things on this guitar that don't seem right IMHO. Where is the original pickguard that came standard on this guitar, and where is the original trussrod cover? Somebody put a Herb Ellis trussrod cover on to this wine-red finished ES-175... I would also bet that the tailpiece has been swapped out also on this guitar. The Herb Ellis came out originally with a single humbucker in the neck position. Tha last version of the Herb Ellis model came out as one with a floater pickup in the neck position. Where are you located and how much money is being asked for this guitar? Personally I would be very careful in purchasing this guitar. IMHO this guitar just does not seem right as I do not understand why it has been altered..........jim in Maine

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  • 1 year later...

A "Herb Ellis Plus" model with two pickups was briefly offered by Gibson, at the same time they switched to the Johnny Smith pickup on the single pickup model.

More info in the attached pdf.HerbEllis165s.pdf

 

I have to admit, I've never seen f hole covers like that anywhere. :unsure:

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Hi Guys!

 

I am in plane to buy the Gibson ES 165 you see in the pic:

 

 

http://imagizer.imag...q90/42/f0wx.jpg

 

http://imagizer.imag...q90/69/mil0.jpg

 

http://imagizer.imag...q90/28/j65i.jpg

 

http://imagizer.imag...90/856/bbhb.jpg

 

 

However, I am confused because I do not understand the differences between the 165 and the 175 model. I know the 165 model mount 1 pickup only so… why this 165 has 2 pickup?

 

These are the same pickup that mounts the 175?

 

If the wood and measures are the same, why Gibson produce the same guitar with different name? :-)

 

Last very important question: the nut widht is different from 175 model or is the same?

 

So, please, could you confirm me the guitar in the picture appear authentic? It should be post-37740-077427000 1389702412_thumb.jpga 2004 model.

 

Thank you in advance for your support!!

 

Max

 

Hi Max. I own a a few archtops including an ES165 and a single pick up ES175. They are both good. The bodies are the same and a single pick up 175 is very much like a 165. But my 165 has a floating pickup.

 

To be honest I paid a lot less for my 165 but then had to pay lots to get it fixed cos the pickup was faulty and the tail piece broke. My 175 was ordered by me from the Custom shop as they weren't making single pick up 175's at the time and I waited 18 months to get it. But it is beautiful.

 

a2cbce85.png

1be16164.png

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I should have commented above on the differences between my ES165 and an ES175.

 

I think the main difference is that they do sound different but that's mainly because of a humbucker versus a floating pickup. I know that some of the ES165's don't have floating pickups but have single neck humbuckers. For me I'm not sure what the difference would be between the 2 guitars if they both have humbuckers. Probably very little other than than the fact that all pickups/guitars do sound a little different even if they have the same type of pickups like '57 classics etc.

 

The other difference for me is purely cosmetic and that is my Custom Shop ES175 is absolutely beautifully made in all regards, whereas the finish on the ES165 was a bit ordinary. To overcome this I've had a tech make good the ES165, so now its really good.

 

The price of my Custom shop ES175 was almost double the price of my ES165 which I got very very cheap for an archtop. In fact it was the cheapest Gibson I own.

 

I play mainstream jazz live in a trio. I mostly use my L5 but my bass player says that the best sounding archtop I own is my ES165 and always suggests that I use it. Not sure that I agree but that's his view.

 

 

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I posted above the original ES165 before it was modified. It has been modified as follows:-

 

Benedetto floating pickup (original pickup was faulty),

 

New tail piece as the original one broke,

 

Upgraded bridge which I think rattled/buzzed

 

New pick plate and new volume control to remove the volume contol from its top mounted position. It's now a wheel volume control attached to the bottom of the pick plate.

 

IMG_0102_zpsra2j7whg.jpg

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I posted above the original ES165 before it was modified. Pleasing for me as to how the colour has improved with age. It has been modified as follows:-

 

Benedetto floating pickup (original pickup was faulty),

 

New tail piece as the original one broke,

 

Upgraded bridge which I think rattled/buzzed

 

New pick plate and new volume control to remove the volume contol from its top mounted position. It's now a wheel volume control attached to the bottom of the pick plate.

 

IMG_0102_zpsra2j7whg.jpg

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Alan C, that's a beautiful light burst on the Herb Ellis. I notice you mention you have an L5 too and a number of other Gibson archtops. What other Gibson's do you own? Do you have any pics of the others?

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1436901892[/url]' post='1676069']

Alan C, that's a beautiful light burst on the Herb Ellis. I notice you mention you have an L5 too and a number of other Gibson archtops. What other Gibson's do you own? Do you have any pics of the others?

 

Hi Cody. I have quite a few Gibsons as I have collected over many years as well as play. So I have a few archtops, 4 Les Pauls and a few ES335/330's. These days I mostly collect archtops. I have a '68 Johnny Smith, a '64 L5 Florentine, an L5 Signature, L5CT, Super 400CT, a couple of L5 CES's , an L4CES, a '34 L10 reissue, a Tal Farlow and a '48 ES150 plus the 2 in the photos above. What about yourself?

Here's my Tal Farlow which I have used to gig with over the last 5 years_DSC0501_zps83d42293.jpg

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Hi Cody. I have quite a few Gibsons as I have collected over many years as well as play. So I have a few archtops, 4 Les Pauls and a few ES335/330's. These days I mostly collect archtops. I have a '68 Johnny Smith, a '64 L5 Florentine, an L5 Signature, L5CT, Super 400CT, a couple of L5 CES's , an L4CES, a '34 L10 reissue, a Tal Farlow and a '48 ES150 plus the 2 in the photos above. What about yourself?

Here's my Tal Farlow which I have used to gig with over the last 5 years

 

Wow! That's a fantastic collection you have there and I love the pic of the Tal. How do you find the Johnny Smith compared to the L5CES's? I've never tried a Johnny Smith myself, but they seem a very interesting model and they don't seem to come up very often on the vintage market here in the UK.

 

I myself have a couple of archtops, a couple of flat top acoustics, 6 Les Pauls, 3 SG's and a Melody Maker (based on the '59 version), plus some Epi's, Fenders, Cashimira & a Gretsch. I've only been playing archtops for the last 5 years or so as I was a Les Paul player for many years and I didn't have the funds to buy some of the Gibson archtops I'd always wanted. I've played jazz & numerous other styles for many years, but I always just used my LP's and was quite happy in doing so, but a few years back I finally got round to getting my first Gibson archtop which was a ES-5 and then picked up a ES 175 shortly after. I'm 31 years old, but hope to build my collection of archtops as the years go by [smile] Here's a pic (you may have seen them before as I posted them on some other threads a while ago) ESs3_zpsb499183b.jpg

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Wow! That's a fantastic collection you have there and I love the pic of the Tal. How do you find the Johnny Smith compared to the L5CES's? I've never tried a Johnny Smith myself, but they seem a very interesting model and they don't seem to come up very often on the vintage market here in the UK.

 

I myself have a couple of archtops, a couple of flat top acoustics, 6 Les Pauls, 3 SG's and a Melody Maker (based on the '59 version), plus some Epi's, Fenders, Cashimira & a Gretsch. I've only been playing archtops for the last 5 years or so as I was a Les Paul player for many years and I didn't have the funds to buy some of the Gibson archtops I'd always wanted. I've played jazz & numerous other styles for many years, but I always just used my LP's and was quite happy in doing so, but a few years back I finally got round to getting my first Gibson archtop which was a ES-5 and then picked up a ES 175 shortly after. I'm 31 years old, but hope to build my collection of archtops as the years go by [smile] Here's a pic (you may have seen them before as I posted them on some other threads a while ago) ESs3_zpsb499183b.jpg

 

They are really beautiful. Luv both. I much prefer my archtops mainly cos I play jazz but the guitar I've played the most is my '74 Les Paul.

The Johnny Smith is great but it feedbacks very easily and for that reason I find it difficult to gig with. I have spent a lot of money on the Johnny Smith to restore it to a fully playable instrument and it's very good now but I mostly use the Tal Farlow. More recently I have started using my L5 CT which is my current favourite guitar.

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