Gibson Review: ES 137

History:

Purchase: I paid about $1,300 for this Gibson from Musicians friend. I wanted another Gibson archtop to replace one I used to have without spending a fortune. The color is Classic Heritage Cherry Sunburst with Gold Hardware.

What I Like About This Gibson ES 137: The ES 137 Classic plays as good or better than most vintage high dollar archtops. It's comfortable and lightweight wich means hours of standing up during a gig won't break your back as many large archtops can. With the action setup to taste and lighter gauge strings it's a fast playing guitar for rock and blues. The tone is typical Gibson Humbucker similar to a Les Paul or an ES 335 as it has a center block under the sound board. I like the fact that it has a flame top and beautiful neck binding and block inlayed fret markers for much less money than other Gibsons like the ES 335 and way cheaper than an ES 175. As usual the included brown factory case is the best in the industry for a stock guitar. I believe I got a real bargain for a non-Epiphone real Gibson that plays well and will hold its value over the years.

What I Do NOT Like About The Gibson ES 137: Like all single cutaway archtops the higher frets are inaccessable unless your a finger contorsionist. I replaced the black knobs with gold ones and it made the guitar a lot richer looking. The black knobs are just plain ugly and cheap looking too.

Gibson ES 137 Quality Rating: If you're used to Gibsons you'll recognize a few tiny flaws they all seem to have when compared to say a new American Fender. I don't know why this is but it's not a sign of a bad guitar. The paint is gorgeous. The heritage cherry sunburst is a real looker and the wood quality right up there. The gold hardware is my favorite with this finish even though all gold hardware eventually rubs off in places. I think it just gives it character. The neck is fast and thin and the old vintage style bridge is easily adjustable. With proper care this a guitar for a lifetime and beyond.

Review Summary: I love this guitar and when I feel like playing an archtop its ready and waiting. It's an incredibly beautiful axe and gets tons of positive comments. I have no intentions of ever trading or selling this one. With the wild price increases of Gibsons over the years this one is a real bargain. If you can't afford that multi-thousand dollar ES 175 just get an ES 137 Classic. You'll be glad you did.

Rating of this Gibson product: 5

This Gibson ES 137 Electric Guitars Review Submitted By: Don (Orc)

Review Date: 2002-12-30