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I am going to order a Gibson ES-137 Custom within the next 2-3 weeks, and man am I excited to get my paws on it. Unfortunately, I think you often have to order them.
I am going to get the lightburst color(the really light yellow to orange fade), and think the silver hardware may be my choice since gold hardware always fades and seems to get crusty (at least I have experienced this on all my guitars with gold parts).
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07-26-2007 08:42 PM
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I really like that color also. What is it about the 137 you like over a 335 or fully hollow guitar like the 175?
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That's a really good question. The thing that initially drew me to the 137 is that it seems to be the perfect compromise between a solid body, and a hollow body guitar. For example, I have an Epiphone 335 and I like the tone (but not as much as my Ibanez AG95), but it is a really big guitar. So unless I am standing up using a strap, it is pretty uncomfortable to play.
I also found that the sound of the 137 I played was so much better than any of my guitars that it was too hard not to choose it, and the Varitone is really awesome at making some beautiful tones - even though the switch is ugly as sin.
I considered the 175, and although I heard that feedback can be a problem, what was more of an issue was that I prefer the more 'modern' looking design of the 137. Plus as far as the 335 is concerned, I don't know why, but the 137 seems to have a much more 'hollow' sound than the Gibson 335 I tried while at the store.
I also absolutely HAD to have an ebony fretboard, because my classical guitar has one, and that is what I have played for the better part of 30 years -- I just prefer the feel of ebony to rosewood fretboards.
Ultimately the combination of a really cool sound that I love, having the size and features I want, and it's a nice looking guitar made it the choice for me.
I like the 175 too, but the 137 seemed to fit me better for now. Let's see if I go for a 175 in a couple years, you never know -- they ARE awfully nice too!
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Cool guitar, reminds me of a Washburn Les Paul model I once owned, it also had the lightburst color.
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It's beautiful!
What does the selector switch do?
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The Varitone switch is actually a pretty cool thing, and what it does is change the tone. The best way I can sum it up, is that it is like a built-in equalizer which has 6 different settings. On an electrical level, it is a notch filter, that lowers the level of certain frequencies for each setting.
Originally Posted by fingerpicker
The one down side to the Varitone, is that it also reduces the overall volume, so that is something that needs to be compensated for. For example, as I understand it the volume decreases more for each setting. A volume pedal, or ensuring the volume settings on the guitar allow for you to turn them up more would help combat this. Around the house, you would just turn up the volume on the amp or computer.. whatever.The Varitone Circuit which is a 6-position pickup tone modifier that's located above the control knobs. The Gibson Varitone Circuit was first introduced in 1959 on the ES-345. What it is is a series of "Bandpass" filters that notch out (remove) narrow bands of frequency from the overall Guitar sound. There are 5 different frequency points positions and a bypass position for 6 positions total. The Varitone circuit along with the ES-137's 3-way pickup selector allows for a very wide range of guitar tones before the signal even gets to the amp. Position 1: Bypass
Position 2: reduces the 1875Hz frequency by -8.5dB (more than twice). This removes some of mid range sound.
Position 3: is set at about 1kHz and reduces it by about -12 dB or 4 times that of normal.
Position 4:is set at 650Hz and reduces the frequency by about -15dB. This removes some of the "lower mid" frequencies.
Position 5:is set at 350Hz and reduces it by about -16dB.
Position 6: is set at 130 and reduces that frequency by -20dB. This removes a lot of the low end of the guitar.
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I played an ES 137 unplugged in a Guitar Center and as I recall it was only $1700. new.
In Gibson dollars that is a lot of Guitar for the money.
The one I played was heavy which I don't mind and had a nice deep tone with a lot of sustain.
I want to play one plugged in...I remember wishing the lower bout was just a tad smaller...it would look more balanced.
To the OP did the 137 you played seem darker and deeper than the Neck Tone of an ES 335 ?
I was impressed with the feel and craft of the 137- I hope you give us a Tone Report when you get it.
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ES-137s are awfully nice guitars. They sound quite different from ES-335s in a way I like (deeper, more mellow).
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Gravy,
Are you saying the 137C is back in production and can be ordered?
AFAIK they were discontinued in the 2003 timeframe.
As far as Derek's Q goes...
The 137 C is thicker than a 335, the body is more lively sounding, is balanced differently, has ebony fb and other "CUSTOM " appointments, necks are not as thin as most 335's, the varitone in 2 positions is cool but you REALLY need a volume pedal to use it as positions 3-6 drop volume quite a bit.
Lastly compared to a hollow body they do not feed back as much.
Also the single cut to me is aesthetically more visually pleasing as are the burst finishes on the 137C
I have both a 137C, and 335 they are very different sounding also. The specs I have seen claim they both have 57 custom pups, but the pups in 137's sound more like the 490's to me.
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When I first saw an ES-137, I thought, hmm...that's the guitar my 1957 ES-225 kinda sorta grew up to be. And it's also very much like the original Howard Roberts Fusion.
So here's hopin' the OP is out there somewhere, busy and happy rockin' that 137!
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I have a 135. It is a great guitar and fits my type of playing perfectly. The only downsides are that there's no bound headstock or fretboard, so with chrome hardware there's not much bling (though it's certainly a tasteful look), and it's heavy.
The 135 and 137 are IMO true workingman's guitars that can be used for anything from jazz to rock to fusion. From my perspective, it's dismaying that Gibson can't keep them in production and sell them for a reasonable price--$1000-1400. But there are certainly a lot of alternatives out there these days.
Last edited by Doctor Jeff; 06-24-2016 at 07:57 AM.
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The 137 came in Classic and Custom versions.....the Custom had upgraded appointments, ebony, gold and Varitone.
Be sure you know which is which when buying.
I bought a new one in 2010 or 2011 from sweetwater, it was discontinued after that.Last edited by boatheelmusic; 06-24-2016 at 09:14 AM.
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I have an '06 137 Classic. It's a great guitar!
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Me too, ES 137 classic - lovely! Mmmh, hated the pickups at first and replaced them with boutique PAFs. Looking back it was probably my incompetence more than the pubs. But the guitar sounds really sweet with the Amber PAFs. Very mellow, tons of sustain. Sounds great clean and distorted. It can take a lot of gain before feeding back.
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I believe Gnappi is right about the pickups in the Classic being 490s. I have new PAFs, Pat. Stickers, PRS, Various Duncans, as well as other Gibson pups in sundry axes, and I think the 490s in the Classic mate well with the mahogany center block, just as they do in my all-mahogany Les Paul Jr. Special. I had initially wanted the Custom, because if the Vari-Tone, but at the time of my order the great ebony kerfluffel had set back the wait time for ebony-equipped guitars for the foreseeable future and in the meantime the store found the Cherry Sunburst classic that graces my music room. Really, really dig the guitar!
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I liked the" darkness" depth of the 137 .
The only thing I didn't like was the large distance from the bridge to the end of the Guitar- just an appearance thing.
Does the lower bout have to be so long to achieve the sound I wonder .
But it was a lot of Guitar for the money..by Gibson Standards and very playable ..something to consider.
Would it look and feel better to play standing especially if the lower bout was two inches shorter ?
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