steelpastor Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 . Hi everyone... I am looking for some advice. I play a few 60's LP's and an older SG a lot. I have an older ES-137 with P-90's and a slim taper neck... LOVE that guitar! A few months ago, I picked up a used ES-137 Custom--it is one of the most visually stunning and best sounding guitars I have ever played. It is a Honey-burst finish with a beefy (bummer) 59-style neck. Here is where my question comes in... NOW... I want an ES-137 Custom in Ebony. I want it to have the slim 60's or 30/60 neck (the ES-137 Customs typically come only with the beefy 59 neck... WHY!?). Being that Gibson is no longer making the ES-137 Custom in regular production... would they do a custom build to my specs? Ebony color... ebony fretboard... slim neck... Custom marking and finish? OR... would it be worth taking an existing ES-137 Custom and having a private shop re-shape the neck and re-finish the guitar? Thank you in advance. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernie69 Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 Hi how good is your question !!! I had the opportunity to try a 137 recently on a trip o London, I loved everything ...........but the neck. The root of the problem is not the thickness but the shape : it's rectangular and not round. A pity because everything else was closed to perfection : flamed top, fretboard ............... Does anybody know the shape of the Billy Joe Armstrong neck ??? The 137 would be a top seller if Gibson would lauch a ................."wathever is the guitarist name" .....model with a decent neck ! good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabberwocky Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 The Gibson Custom Shop is no longer taking custom orders. It could open its books again in the future. Who knows? Even if the Custom Shop were to accept your custom order the cost would be stratospherically high. Gibson CS charges the full MSRP on a custom order. No MAP. No street pricing. I doubt it would be worth it considering that you stand to lose about 75% of the MSRP that you would have paid when you sell it on. That could easily buy you a used ES-137 Custom. So, take the used one, shave the neck, re-finish it in Ebony to your heart's content. It will have 50% of its used market value left after that but it is a far far cheaper route to take. At most, you are out a $1000 plus whatever modification and refinishing costs. But the enjoyment to you: Priceless. In the other scenario you will be out $2000 or more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabberwocky Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Better yet, sell your HoneyBurst with the flamed maple and get the 2004 Silver-White ES-137 Classic Custom with scratches in the lacquer on reverb dot com for $1750 or lower. Get that one shaved down and refinished in Ebony. It has a rosewood fretboard though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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