Sorry for taking so much room ..... I don't often get a chance to confess to the world that I destroyed a classic guitar.
Here is my old Epiphone.
It needs to be cleaned. I only pull it out a couple of times a month to tune and play it for awhile
Bought it about mid 1972 when another customer brought it into the music store and told the owner that he had to get a Strat for his country band and this had to go. Paid just under $300 [ been so long ago ... I don't remember. ] At the time I was learning by Jazz chords and a few runs and decided to turn this into a "jazz" guitar.
The store owner pulled out a Gibson parts list and we looked at the list ...... the parts list had several sets of jazz and full bodied pickups and each pick up set went for a couple of different guitars. We ordered the the humbucker set for the ES-175. The holes had to be enlarged to fit the humbuckers. As for the pick up cover screw hole in the body, the store owner just screwed small screws into the hole.
And I can't go back ..... Sold the original P-90's and covers to a friend of the music store's owner. Also, the store owner previously installed Grovers on the guitar and I remember him telling me that he had to slightly ream out the holes so the Grovers would fit snugly with out cracking the head stock over time.
It has a thin taper neck with narrower finger board, however, the length is traditional length. This neck is unlike any recent or current Epiphone neck I have tried and much more comfortable. The newer and current Epiphone ES guitars are a grey shadow of this guitar [ I've never tried any of the top line or elite Casios ]
How does it sound: This guitar really isn't in the ES-335 family as it is a hollow body. It sounds incredible - the guitar is is very airy both acoustic and thorough the amp. The pickups are almost 50 years old and sound like a 57's with a very smooth and glassy top end. The bass has a touch of give when playing and they feel wonderful.
At times, I hate myself for being young and hard headed and destroying a now classic guitar. At other times, I pick this up and play awhile and have to admit it is one incredible playing and sounding guitar.
I realize this is some one else's thread and I don't want to be rude. And the question, either now or later, ........ I'm interested in knowing what I really have. What kind of pickups did Gibson put in the ES-175 in the early 70's?
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