Gibson ES-165 Review

History: I play jazz mostly, but R&B and blues are right up there, too. Used to play for a living, but got tired of living hand to mouth.

Purchase: Jeff Hale Music, via ebay; $1800

Pros: Just a great guitar. The neck is very playable - like buttah - and the body dimensions just feel so right. Plus it screams 'jazz guitar' from its association with Herb Ellis and Joe Pass [the 175 is the same box with an extra pup]. The sound is round and full and dry - classic jazz tone. Mine came with a Benedetto pup; I have no idea what the stock Gibbie pups are like. My comparison is a D'Angelico NYL-2 resissue: the 165 is its match and at just over 1/2 the price. But basically,it sounds great and plays great. The fact that it looks great is a mere bonus. I was looking for a 175, but those prices are ridiculous - a similar vintage 175 is twice what I paid, and it's the same box with an extraneous pup.



Cons: It tends to feed back at volume, which you'd expect from the body shape and size,so it wouldn't really work for blues or R&B.

ES-165 Quality: Construction, finish, and build quality are all first clsass. Gibson has a reputation for iffy quality control, but they nailed it on this one. As with any expensive guitar, try before you buy. Buying from a reputabe dealer like Jeff Hale takes a lot of the risk out of things.

Gibson Summary: Superb jazz guitar. I'm surprised by how much it knocks me out with its tone and playability.

Rating of this product: 5

This Gibson Electric Guitars Review Submitted By: ex-pro jazzer

Date: 2005-10-09

Usefulness Rating: 4.375 out of 5. 8 reader(s) voted.