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Today I had the pleasure of playing a '62 Gibson ES 140T, a thin hollowbody, single cutaway, single pickup, great neck, great acoustic sound. I just wish it wasn't vintage, because the P90's pole pieces are rusted over, and the sound is muddy. Because it's a vintage piece, and a rare one at that, I'd never replace the stock pickup.
I'd wan't something like it, but brand new. Problem is, Gibson discontinued it in '70. I'm really picky in certain areas, such as:
-It has to be hollow, not semihollow. Period.
-No Bigsby style vibrato, just a floating tailpiece.
Anybody know of guitars fitting the bill?
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11-30-2011 09:56 PM
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Are you looking for something that size? If so, that may present a problem. It's very small with a short scale length.
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Good question! Scale length is one thing I'm not picky about.
But as for small, well, it's 16.4 inches at the lower bout, which felt comfortable to me.
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Guild T100CE or a T50(like and X50 but thinner)
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Gibson L5 CT, or a Custom Heritage H525 with the rim thickness you like...
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There's the Sadowsky SS15, but it's about 4k
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Now see, that Sadowsky is right on the money. Single pickup, laminate maple, ebony board. Ah, but speaking of "the money"...
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Of course, if you like the ES-140T, and the price is right...you can buy it and fix it.
If the pole pieces are rusted over, and if the pickup cannot be refurbished -- replace it along with the pots.
It doesn't matter that it's "vintage." Old guitars are worth more in restored playable condition than they are as original, yet broken down, junk.
Needed repairs and maintenance don't destroy value and shouldn't be confused with modifications. Repairs help restore value...the former owner's neglect and/or abuse is what devalued the instrument.
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Eastman makes a few thinlines. Check out the El Reys and the T146 (there used to be a T145, which you might be able to find discontinued). The D'Angelico EX-SS is a thinline. And the Benedetto Bambino is a thinline, though it's also about $4k.
My mistake - the EX-SS is considered a semi-hollow; there's a T-shaped sound block under the bridge.Last edited by goshawk; 12-01-2011 at 12:02 PM.
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When I say thin, I mean taking the Sadowsky picture as a maximum thickness, see? When I say thin, I mean thin. Keep the suggestions coming, though. I've played an El Rey, and it wasn't very comfortable for me. I play seated a lot, and it didn't fit me. It had some great tone though.
I'd like to buy new, so anything discontinued won't work for me. I prefer single pickup guitars, where the pickup is mounted to the body. I like laminate tops and ebony fingerboards. I don't like pickguards, fingerrests, or vibratos.
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I thought that Sadowsky was a semi-hollow.
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The SS-15 is hollow...
Originally Posted by FatJeff
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The SS-15 is only 1 3/4" thick. The only thing I can think of that's thinner is a solidbody, but that might be worth considering (with the right pickup) if super-thin is a crucial requirement. Originally Posted by =DK=
Last edited by AlohaJoe; 12-02-2011 at 08:03 PM.
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An Epiphone Casino would do the completely hollow thin thing for me.
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The new Eastman AR150 meets most of your specs... except it's solid wood rather than a laminate. I think it's based on the El Rey, however, so if the El Rey wasn't comfortable, this one might not be either:
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I'd go with the ES-140 and find another P-90 if the one on it cannot be refurbished.
Something else, not expensive (1K-2K), that may fit the bill could be a late 1950's-early 1960's Guild M-65. They came in full size and 3/4 size as well. They do come up on a semi-regular basis on eBay.
I'd like to have a 3/4 M-65 or an ES-140 one day...
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you might want to check out Mark Campellone's thinline archtops
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If you care for small thinbody, I'm a big proponent of the Guild M-65.....its a 13.5" slim hollowbody.
Quite undervalued guitars as many old Guilds are....
The Franz single coil sounds wonderful to my ears and they're light as a feather and big fun to play.
A drawback for some might be that an 1 5/8" nut width is pretty common for Guilds of the late 50's.
But I like Guild necks...the profile is comfy and they never seem to be out of whack. When its good I'm adaptable.
As the Eddie Lang above mentioned....(not the one out in the ether)...
.....they do come in 3/4 (23.5") scale and full (24.75") scale.
I've got these three full scale versions....two from 1958 and one from '59.
Probably one or two too many but some of you may understand!
The 16" thin body Guild T-100 and T-50 are also very nice jazz guitars at reasonable prices these days.
zLast edited by zizala; 12-04-2011 at 02:00 PM.
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Those are beautiful guitars, Z. Congratulations.
Pierrot, I'll look into that builder.
The ES-140 is really beat up, scratches and gashes all over the body, and at $1,400. I don't mind the idea of updating the electronics. Heck, I'd revel in the idea of installing a Bare Knuckle Half Note P-90, along with fresh pots and a new jack. That way the only needed soldering is removing the ground, and I could keep the old electronics in one piece for if I decide to sell it. The only thing is, should I?
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Curious to know who else has found thin-line hollow bodies are great workhorse gigging axes. Years ago I benched my ES-175D for my ES-125TDC because it's lighter, more comfortable to hold, and I can cut back a lot of (though not all) bass-note boom and feedback without compromising much chord-comping tone, which is mostly what I play. I do prefer the wider 175 neck, but not enough to make up for all the other tradeoffs.
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I don't know why, but my '61 ES-125T always sounded about the same as my ES-175 (and everybody else's). I never noticed less in the way of bass, mids, or highs. It was even quite acoustically alive.
The chief difference between the 125T and the 175 guitars was less bling and no cutaway.
The fellow I sold it to is eager for me to buy it back (he never learned to play). I may just have to...
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I DEFINITELY prefer the comfort factor of a thinline.
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I love them both. No preference. They are both the cat's whiskers.
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My El Rey 4 has been much more fun that I anticipated.
It's been a good lesson in releasing preconceptions. If I had listened to Sam Sherry I never would have liked that guitar so much.
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While I love vintage thinline hollow body gits, my all time favorite is this Heritage (H525 Custom) take on the Gibson ES225.
It has great tone, acoustic volume and ergonomic comfort, making it a joy to play, with or without an amp.
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