I've been playing my Gibson ES 175 for 30 years. I made 3 changes right after I bought it. Grover tuning keys, Bigsby tailpiece, and a master volume control mounted near cut-a-way. No other guitar that I have ever owned--at least 15 or more--have that sound. I have had 2 Chet Atkins' models, 1953 Gibson Les Paul, Fender Strat, Vegas 40 and several others. (I presently own 6 guitars, one being a classical) They were all very good , but not like my ES175 that I use with my old Polytone Amp. I have to rate it 5 stars for sure.

It has a great sound. When I'm improvising, it has a nice soft sound. This is the best guitar I've ever played. Gibsons are the best quality guitars.

I bought a new ES175. It is a solidly built guitar with good hardware. I bought purely for its tone and not some romantic notion of owning a "classic". However, it is priced more appropriately for the brand conscious collectors among you and not the working musician. Unlike most other archtops, the neck pickup is not butted-up against the end of the fretboard. Instead, it is more toward the middle. This makes a big difference in the tone - not as round, but a little flatter and a little more ambiguous. This is what I like most about the guitar. I rarely use the bridge pickup. The playability is excellent. Shorter scale length helps facilitate quick and sure fingering with less fatigue. With minimal binding, low attention to detail- binding sloppy in places as well as poorly sanded, non-bound, f-holes, and the fact that it is 100% plywood, makes me want to give it very low ratings in the value department. Over the last 5 years, almost every piece of hardware has had to be tightened. With almost twenty years of owning several guitars, I have never experienced such a loosely put together box. My Korean-made Epiphone Emperor Regent is constructed far more cleanly and was less than 1/3 the price! But, again I had to have the 175 for its tone, so I guess, to be fair, I got what I paid for. Gibson should spend less on marketing and advertising, i.e. hyping their brand name, and instead budget for better attention to detail and quality control.

This guitar has too many good features to let go un-noticed. To begin with the finish is flawless. The neck is straight and the strings can be set-up extremely close enough to the fretboard (via the adjustable bridge) to satisfy the pickiest of players. Straight out of the box the set-up was really nice. Once tuned, it was playable as it came. My taste requires that I like my strings set closer than most players and the adjustment via the bridge made this an easy accomplishment. The guitar arrived this afternoon and I'm absolutely in love with this guitar. The Tuners are even better (Grover). I think the PU's could be stronger but they work well enough for Jazz and Country and probably blues. The tone is rich and full. Depending on the Amp you'll not only hear the tone but feel the warmth that sends chills up your spine. If you want to play jazz, country or mellow blues then this is the one to get. You won't go wrong. I think these are destined to become collectors items. The neck is smooth and this guitar is extremely playable. Feels right!

I finally got my 175 a couple of years ago. I had been playing Les Pauls for several years and acoustic before that. It took a little getting used to, you can't crank it up like a Les Paul, but that's not what it's for. Once I learned to deal with the feedback, I loved it! Now I rarely play my Les Paul, or any of my other guitars for that matter. This guitar has great tone,(even unplugged!) I especially like it with flat-wound strings. I know you pay for the Gibson name, but I have been happy with all of my Gibsons, vintage acoustics and newer electrics.