Noiseless Ed Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 Hello everybody! I'm new here so that's why i'm asking you guys for help. So today i got myself my first ever Gibson semi-hollow body ES-137. It was a trade, i gave away my American Original 50s Stratocaster and also paid a couple more hundreds for Gibson. Haven't tested guitar much yet but i love how she looks.So I know that here on the forum you guys are more smarter and have very big knowledge about Gibson guitars, but i don't. So all i'm asking is for you guys to take a look and tell me what you think...Questions are:1) What year was it made? (previous owner said 2006)2) What is that color? (Light Burst, Honey Burst, Lemon Burst)3) Is that normal that there is gap under fretboard where neck meets body? (This is my first ES-137)Thank you very much, I appreciate your help!Sorry if my questions are stupid and seems funny to you, i'm just not that expierenced in Gibson Semi-Hollow body guitars.Have a great day and thanks again Sorry that pictures are aligned wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 I think it's saying 702nd guitar built 111st day of 2006, I would guess Lemonburst and I know for sure that gap is normal for that model series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noiseless Ed Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 3 minutes ago, SteveFord said: I think it's saying 702nd guitar built 111st day of 2006, I would guess Lemonburst and I know for sure that gap is normal for that model series. Thank you for your reply 😉 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 That is OUTSTANDING! I also say the gap is in the design (several Gibson models have it ) so as it should be. I don't know if it's lemonburst or not but it is a stunning finsh; the top and back look amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tx-ogre Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 Very nice. Congrats and enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noiseless Ed Posted January 18, 2022 Author Share Posted January 18, 2022 5 hours ago, jdgm said: That is OUTSTANDING! I also say the gap is in the design (several Gibson models have it ) so as it should be. I don't know if it's lemonburst or not but it is a stunning finsh; the top and back look amazing. 4 hours ago, tx-ogre said: Very nice. Congrats and enjoy. Thx guys 😊! She sure is beautiful ❤️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 A 2006 model, and the gap under the fingerboard is totally normal. As to the finish, not quite sure probably lemon burst, but awfully close to my Honeyburst LP: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noiseless Ed Posted January 19, 2022 Author Share Posted January 19, 2022 8 hours ago, Twang Gang said: A 2006 model, and the gap under the fingerboard is totally normal. As to the finish, not quite sure probably lemon burst, but awfully close to my Honeyburst LP: Thank you for your reply! That LP of yours looks stunning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 Well I hope that since your acquisition of this wonderful guitar you are no longer Noiseless, Ed. It sounds good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noiseless Ed Posted January 22, 2022 Author Share Posted January 22, 2022 On 1/21/2022 at 2:32 AM, jdgm said: Well I hope that since your acquisition of this wonderful guitar you are no longer Noiseless, Ed. It sounds good? At home volumes it sounds wonderful but real test will be next week at rehearsal in full band situation. For now my number 1 is 2019 Gibson Les Paul Classic . But honestly i think ES-137 can take that number 1 spot. I guess i'm starting to ba a Gibson fan. P.S. Noiseless Ed is very very old user name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmendoza Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 (edited) Looks like a honey burst to me. The Maple top will help reduce feedback, which full body archies tend to have. The ES-137 is sort of a budget version of the Byrdland. The main differences are that it lacks a peghead pearl inlay and peghead binding, single ply instead of multiple ply body edge binding, laminate instead of solid construction (laminate is thicker with maple veneers which reduces feedback) The Nuge made the Byrdland guitar famous and they handle loud volume without feedback issues. Very nice guitar for the money and in many ways it is well suited to the job as the laminate construction with high quality veneers is less prone to impact damage, temperature and humidity changes and virtually crack resistant. The fingerboard extension you noted is referred to as "floating" and is similar to a violin fingerboard extension in that regard. This was one of Lloyd Loars original design features that first appeared on his legendary L-5, the grand father of all archtops. What is so cool about it is that it can do Jazz, surf, classic rock, blues and metal, which makes it very versatile. Definitely not a one trick pony, you will love playing it and discovering the many different sound and tones it is capable of. Jay Edited August 1, 2022 by jmendoza Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noiseless Ed Posted August 2, 2022 Author Share Posted August 2, 2022 21 hours ago, jmendoza said: Looks like a honey burst to me. The Maple top will help reduce feedback, which full body archies tend to have. The ES-137 is sort of a budget version of the Byrdland. The main differences are that it lacks a peghead pearl inlay and peghead binding, single ply instead of multiple ply body edge binding, laminate instead of solid construction (laminate is thicker with maple veneers which reduces feedback) The Nuge made the Byrdland guitar famous and they handle loud volume without feedback issues. Very nice guitar for the money and in many ways it is well suited to the job as the laminate construction with high quality veneers is less prone to impact damage, temperature and humidity changes and virtually crack resistant. The fingerboard extension you noted is referred to as "floating" and is similar to a violin fingerboard extension in that regard. This was one of Lloyd Loars original design features that first appeared on his legendary L-5, the grand father of all archtops. What is so cool about it is that it can do Jazz, surf, classic rock, blues and metal, which makes it very versatile. Definitely not a one trick pony, you will love playing it and discovering the many different sound and tones it is capable of. Jay Thank you very much for your reply kind sir! Guitar sure is beautiful and I’m playing her pretty much every day. Your knowledge helped me understand this beauty even more. Tho for live concerts I still use my Gibson Les Paul Classic or Gibson SG Standard. I guess I’m kinda scared to take her for a gig. Thing about that finish… To my eye it also looks like a honey burst finish to me which is absolutely stunning, but everywhere I look including Wikipedia and so on, it’s saying that this model ES-137 Classic came in Heritage Cherry Sunburst, Tri-Burst, Blues Burst, Silvertop and Lightburst. Obviously Lightburst is the closest one but still pictures i can find online seems different from the one I own. BTW I love the neck so much. To my hand it’s probably best neck carve I’ve played and I love chunky necks and I’ve been Fender player for 20 years but this baby (ES-137) is a joy to my hand. Anyway thx for your reply and information that you shared, it’s very kind. But that finish is still a mystery to me, honey burst or light burst. I apologise for my English, it’s not my native language. Good evening and have a great day 😉 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldorado2001 Posted August 24, 2022 Share Posted August 24, 2022 (edited) OP, that's a beauty! I have one just like it, bought in late 2004. Mine is Lightburst. I think that's what yours is. I almost traded mine a couple years later for a new Lightburst one that was closer to the color of yours but decided to keep the one I had (have). My 137 is my favorite. Edited August 25, 2022 by eldorado2001 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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