BVs Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Im looking for a Es 135 and I dont know where to look. Also I wanna know if the 137 is actually better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 The ES 137 is currently available and from owners' enthusiastic reports appears to be an excellent guitar The ES 135 ceased production some years ago...was a similarly great looking guitar with P100 P/U's which were not universally loved ES 135's I believe were most or all trapeze tailpiece ES 137's all stop tailpiece.... V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JellyWheat Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 I have owned both, and I would say that my ES 137 Classic blows the doors off a Limited Edition ES 135 with Classic '57s I once owned. I have, however, played ES 137s that don't hold a candle to my particular one. As a general design, I believe the 137 is superior to the 135, but that's just my opinion. My $0.02/FWIW J/W B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 ES 137 Custom I forgot to mention I have the ES 137 Custom To my eyes one of the most beautiful guitars made today..... V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougg330 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I played a friend's ES-137 Custom with the Varitone and fancy fret markers last week and it blew me away. Really sweet neck! PU's sounded great, too. And holy crap, what a gorgeous guitar. If I could afford one, I'd be all over it right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brundaddy Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 The 137 is not better than the 135. The 137 Custom isn't better than the 135 either. They are just different -- my 135 has a fat, round 50s neck and is very lightweight due to the balsa centerblock. My 137 Custom is very heavy and has a thin 60s neck. Different construction materials subtly affect the tone, and those different tones are a matter of personal taste. 135s came from the factory with a variety of configurations. Some had 57s, some had p90s, some had f-holes, others didn't. I'm not even sure if they all had rosewood fretboards. All these factors will color the tone also. The 137 Customs are built with a Varitone switch, fancier inlays, binding, and ebony fretboards, so they are more expensive, which definitely does not necessarily make it a better option in my book. Trust your hands 1st, your ears 2nd, and other people's opinions never. There are a number of differences between the 135 & 137/137 Custom, but the biggest is the neck profile and weight. Tone is a little different, but pretty close... it's not a radical difference like comparing a 135 to a Telecaster. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JellyWheat Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 My ES137 Classic has a '50s neck shape and a fairly small mahogany block under the bridge posts and stop bar. It is nowhere near as heavy as a 335, and the 490/498 pickups are quite versatile. I like it a lot. Mine has a rosewood board, too... Not ebony. J/W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CajunBlues Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 for sure the ES137 is "cosmetically better" than the 135.... 137's have more visual appeal... When I bought my used 137 about 6 years ago from Bizarre Guitars here in phoenix, I was able to try some used 135's at the same time... The 137 (classic) was only $100 more and it did sound better in my opinion... I thought the 137 had a warmer, jazzier, woodier (is that a word ?) sound... Some folks will say the 490r sounds different from the 57 classic.... I can't tell the difference... I will however say that the 498T is a bit too sharp/hot for me... I did a lot of pickup replacements on the 137 simply out of boredom... I ended up sticking with a T-TOP in the neck and a modern 57 classic (neck version) in the bridge... The t top provides a lot of output with a lot of clarity too.. My 137 has turned out to be my go to guitar for my gigs... I play a blend of about 75% jazz and 25% rock/rb/blues..... It truly is a great guitar if you play in a band that is primarily jazz but will occasionally play some rock/blues tunes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincentw Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Look for a 135 with the trapeze tailpiece and P-90s. These are fantastic guitars. The ES-137s are great too...a bit more versatile than the 135 I just mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brundaddy Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Remember what I told you about opinions... we're telling our opinions here so I'll tell you mine since I own both and have played beaucoup shows with both, large & small. The 135 is more versatile than my 137 Custom, because of the frets. My 137's frets are taller with square shoulders that make legato work less fluid. Both can shimmer & sparkle, or do the rolled-off warm jazz tone. Technically speaking (where my hands are concerned), I prefer my 135 for country & jazz. It has a more buttery feel than my 137. Happy hunting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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