Gibson ES-165
Encyclopedia
The Gibson ES-165 Herb Ellis
is an Archtop guitar
manufactured by the Gibson Guitar Corporation
in Nashville Tennessee, currently still in production (although as of 04/10 it is no longer listed on their website, Gibson has confirmed that it is still available).
The single-pickup ES-175s were first introduced in 1949 but were discontinued around 1971 although small custom runs including the ES-175CC (with a Charlie Christian
reproduction pickup) were made. Herb's original 1953 ES-175 originally came a single P-90 pickup in the neck position. This was replaced with Gibson humbucker in order to address some feedback issues.
The ES-165 debuted in 1991, as Gibson
's tribute to long-time ES-175 user Herb Ellis
. It featured a Gibson 490R humbucker and a single tone and volume control mounted directly to the top. In 2004 the humbucker was replaced with a Gibson BJB Floating humbucker and the tone control was removed. The volume was moved to the surface of the pickguard.
The body is fully hollow with two internal lateral braces. Like the ES-175, it measures 16" across the lower bout and 3½ inches deep at the outer rims. Unlike Herb's original 1953 ES-175, the top and back laminate material consist of a figured maple top followed by poplar and another maple laminate. The original model would have been made of plain maple/basswood/maple. Hardware includes a zigzag trapeze tailpiece and Tune-O-Matic
bridge mounted to a rosewood base. While the Tune-O-Matic bridge is branded as a Gibson part, the zigzag tailpiece is not and is most likely not an american-made part. There have also been several reports of this tailpiece failing at the hinge. All models of ES-165 feature gold plated hardware including "Tulip" Grover tuners (branded either as Gibson or Grover).
The ES-165 was originally released with a single 490R humbucker, one volume control (500k Audio) and one tone control (500K audio with a .022 microfarad ceramic disc capacitor. In 2004 the 490R humbucker was replaced with a Gibson BJB Floating humbucker and the tone control was removed. The volume was moved to the surface of the pickguard. On all variants the pickguard is a 3-ply black/white/black beveled pickguard.
Finally, instead of having the Gibson logo and crown inlaid on the headstock, a gold Gibson logo was stenciled with Herb Ellis' signature stenciled below it. The reason for putting the signature on the headstock instead of the trussrod cover was that Herb Ellis often removed the cover to install a Van Eps String Damper .In the 2004 variant the inlaid logo and crown return with Herb Ellis' name embosed on the trussrod cover
In 1999 Gibson's Epiphone
product line presented the Zephyr Regent guitar. Similar in size and construction to the ES-165, differs in having a laminated mahogany back and sides and dot inlays on the fingerboard.
Herb Ellis
Mitchell Herbert "Herb" Ellis was an American jazz guitarist. Perhaps best known for his 1950s membership in the trio of pianist Oscar Peterson, Ellis was also a staple of west-coast studio recording sessions, and was described by critic Scott Yanow as "an excellent bop-based guitarist with a...
is an Archtop guitar
Archtop guitar
An archtop guitar is a steel-stringed acoustic or semi-acoustic guitar with a full body and a distinctive arched top, whose sound is particularly popular with blues and jazz players.Typically, an archtop guitar has:* 6 strings...
manufactured by the Gibson Guitar Corporation
Gibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
in Nashville Tennessee, currently still in production (although as of 04/10 it is no longer listed on their website, Gibson has confirmed that it is still available).
The single-pickup ES-175s were first introduced in 1949 but were discontinued around 1971 although small custom runs including the ES-175CC (with a Charlie Christian
Charlie Christian
Charles Henry "Charlie" Christian was an American swing and jazz guitarist.Christian was an important early performer on the electric guitar, and is cited as a key figure in the development of bebop and cool jazz. He gained national exposure as a member of the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra...
reproduction pickup) were made. Herb's original 1953 ES-175 originally came a single P-90 pickup in the neck position. This was replaced with Gibson humbucker in order to address some feedback issues.
The ES-165 debuted in 1991, as Gibson
Gibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
's tribute to long-time ES-175 user Herb Ellis
Herb Ellis
Mitchell Herbert "Herb" Ellis was an American jazz guitarist. Perhaps best known for his 1950s membership in the trio of pianist Oscar Peterson, Ellis was also a staple of west-coast studio recording sessions, and was described by critic Scott Yanow as "an excellent bop-based guitarist with a...
. It featured a Gibson 490R humbucker and a single tone and volume control mounted directly to the top. In 2004 the humbucker was replaced with a Gibson BJB Floating humbucker and the tone control was removed. The volume was moved to the surface of the pickguard.
Features
This guitar features a 24¾" scale neck with 20 frets, joined at the 14th fret. The width at the nut is 1 11/16 inches. The bound fingerboard is rosewood with parallelogram markers. The early variant of this guitar features what Gibson refers to as a "rounded Jazz profile". This would be somewhat thicker then the standard neck dimensions. This neck profile would be changed to the standard profile in 2004.The body is fully hollow with two internal lateral braces. Like the ES-175, it measures 16" across the lower bout and 3½ inches deep at the outer rims. Unlike Herb's original 1953 ES-175, the top and back laminate material consist of a figured maple top followed by poplar and another maple laminate. The original model would have been made of plain maple/basswood/maple. Hardware includes a zigzag trapeze tailpiece and Tune-O-Matic
Tune-o-matic
Tune-o-matic is a name of fixed bridge design for electric guitars. It was designed by Ted McCarty and introduced in the Gibson Les Paul Custom guitar in 1954. In 1955, it was used on the Gibson Les Paul Gold Top...
bridge mounted to a rosewood base. While the Tune-O-Matic bridge is branded as a Gibson part, the zigzag tailpiece is not and is most likely not an american-made part. There have also been several reports of this tailpiece failing at the hinge. All models of ES-165 feature gold plated hardware including "Tulip" Grover tuners (branded either as Gibson or Grover).
The ES-165 was originally released with a single 490R humbucker, one volume control (500k Audio) and one tone control (500K audio with a .022 microfarad ceramic disc capacitor. In 2004 the 490R humbucker was replaced with a Gibson BJB Floating humbucker and the tone control was removed. The volume was moved to the surface of the pickguard. On all variants the pickguard is a 3-ply black/white/black beveled pickguard.
Finally, instead of having the Gibson logo and crown inlaid on the headstock, a gold Gibson logo was stenciled with Herb Ellis' signature stenciled below it. The reason for putting the signature on the headstock instead of the trussrod cover was that Herb Ellis often removed the cover to install a Van Eps String Damper .In the 2004 variant the inlaid logo and crown return with Herb Ellis' name embosed on the trussrod cover
In 1999 Gibson's Epiphone
Epiphone
The Epiphone Company is a musical instrument manufacturer founded in 1873 by Anastasios Stathopoulos. Epiphone was bought by Chicago Musical Instrument Company, which also owned Gibson Guitar Corporation, in 1957. Epiphone was Gibson's main rival in the archtop market...
product line presented the Zephyr Regent guitar. Similar in size and construction to the ES-165, differs in having a laminated mahogany back and sides and dot inlays on the fingerboard.