splake Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 thinking of buying my first archtop a sweet little ES 175 D. It is from the mid-seventies. However I am not 100% sold on this particular year and could go earlier or later... My question is , since it is my first Archtop. What can be said about these Norlin Era Archtops? Any years or specifics I should be aware of. thoughts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 Why dont you try a few different brands of archtops.. Gretsch 6120 model I think is a better guitar.. even though it would be a overseas built.. 175s are okay.. but .... if you deside on a 175.. stay away from the 1970s ..or 80s models.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 Yes to 'try before you buy'.... The ES175 is a great guitar no doubt... There are many worthy archtops out there...with varying tonal palettes to offer Personal 'same shape' archtops would be the ES137 and ES225 V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WLOQ Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 It may be worth your while to sample Epiphone's ES 175 Premium before you shell out the big bucks. It is made in Korea and awesome when factoring price versus value. A few remain in the retail channel. Is it good quality? Well, how often do you see a used Epiphone ES 175 Premium in a music shop? As scarce as a winter coat on Miami Beach, in July. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 If you have decided you want a Gibson ES-175, don't waste your time and money looking for "alternatives". Take your time, do your research and homework, and eventually you'll find just the right Gibson ES-175. As "try before you buy" is great advise, it's just no longer practical in the www driven market, especially in archtops. You're probably going to have to pull the trigger on an on-line (or at least out-of-town) purchase. That's just the way of current day commerce. Even most private sellers will give you a brief trial period, but will generally expect you to pay shipping BOTH WAYS if the guitar is returned. As for Norlin era Gibsons, they get a bad rap on the internet, and it always seems to be from people that never owned one. What this does is make them very reasonably priced (read "affordable"). The specs on a 175 are so specific, that there was not really anywhere for Norlin to cut corners, nor were they caught up in the electric guitar boom of the late 60’s/early 70’s, where Gibson had to find ways to massively increase production to meet demand of all us wannabe rock stars. With ES and archtop guitars, the implied "Norlin Era" stigma does not really apply. But... as with ALL guitars, each one should be evaluated on it's own merit. One other piece of advise, or maybe even a warning. As you say it is your first archtop, be prepared for something completely different. If you have been playing solid bodies, flattops, or even semis, a deep body full hollow archtop is a very different animal, and I would even say an acquired taste. Simple variables such as string gauge and type and amplifier selection can make huge differences in sound. Even if you have a “sound” in mind, it may take a while to figure out how to achieve it. It probably won’t happen right out of the box, but… that’s half the fun of getting new gear and finding “your sound”! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayyj Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 I've seen a couple of 175s from the 70s with collapsing tops, and there's a Frank Ford article on why here - http://frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/Technique/Guitar/Structural/ES175Top/es175top.html Beyond that if the neck profile suits you and the price is sensible they can be good guitars. Personally I can see why people have issues with the Norlin stuff but a lot of the things that I don't like about them are to do with aesthetics and a lack of interest from Gibson in the details of the earlier guitars - they feel a lot less luxurious to me than a 60s example but they are typically still very good professional level instruments and a Norlin era ES355 has been my main guitar for over 20 years now. I'd try to get your hands on a few from different eras first just to get a feel for how the different eras compare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 I've seen a couple of 175s from the 70s with collapsing tops, and there's a Frank Ford article on why here - http://frets.com/Fre...p/es175top.html Beyond that if the neck profile suits you and the price is sensible they can be good guitars. Personally I can see why people have issues with the Norlin stuff but a lot of the things that I don't like about them are to do with aesthetics and a lack of interest from Gibson in the details of the earlier guitars - they feel a lot less luxurious to me than a 60s example but they are typically still very good professional level instruments and a Norlin era ES355 has been my main guitar for over 20 years now. I'd try to get your hands on a few from different eras first just to get a feel for how the different eras compare. I just took a scope and checked the tone bars in my 2012 ES175. They are solid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayyj Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 I just took a scope and checked the tone bars in my 2012 ES175. They are solid. Yeah, I don't know when the start and end points are for the kerfed bracing but I would guess it was a 70s thing. One of the 175s I remember with a collapsed top also had the pantograph logo which was '68-'70 so it could have been a little earlier - I don't know for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trapland Posted November 9, 2016 Share Posted November 9, 2016 I know this thread is getting a bit older, but I have to toss a couple thoughts out there. The usual cautions about norlin era guitars are less of a thing on archtop and even many semihollows. Don't summarily rule out Norlin archtops, judge each on its own merits. Consider construction materials and design changes and see if they suit you. Many people like small maple necks as an example. Having owned archtop from the 50s and a few from the last few years, the current crop are EXCELLENT! I will take my new 1959 ES-175 reissue, or a ES-225 in a heartbeat. I like vintage archtops, they're excellent, but so are the new ones. I have many Gibson Historic reissues, play and gig them all and also vintage Gibsons and at least amongst the ones I own or owned, the newer Memphis crop is every bit as well made as "back in the day". Some may be better. Memphis guitars are lovely professional grade instruments. I love my 59 reissue es-175. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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