Gibson ES135 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar with Humbuckers (With Case)

PAF '57 humbuckers. Chrome hardware.

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Gibson ES135 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar with Humbuckers (With Case) reviews

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210 People rated this product : * * * * * * * * * * 9 out of 10

 

10 People wrote reviews

Read all Gibson ES135 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar with Humbuckers (With Case) reviews...
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

"Best Gibson Guitar for the Money."

Feature:
It has the typical three way pickup selector and the tone knobs seem to be of high quality. I was planning on trading in my 82 Flying V for the Line 6 Variax, but when I saw this guitar I nearly fell down. For a guitar under 1000 bucks, it looks like much more. It plays just as well as my LP Custom and honds it's own. The Grover tuners are the SAME as my Paul and the vintage sunburst finish is stunning.

Quality:
OK, there are MINOR cosmetical problems. The filler used on the Rosewood on the side of the neck does not match well in places, but the guitar played so well that I chose it over another one with a better finish on the neck.

Value:
I never give anything a 10 but I feel that this guitar is worth all of it's price and more. You just do not find guitars like this for under 1000 dollars. I heard that the F-Hole versions are not being made anymore- so pick on up while you can. They are selling like hotcakes.

Desirability:
From 10 feet away this guitar looks like a $2500 to $3000 guitar. No joke.

Sound:
Hey- this puppy has a GREAT sound. I play a Les Paul custom and this guitar has more tonality and flexibilty. It can get a real good jazz mellow tone and a good twangy bite. I have not played it live at loud volume- it does not seem like Metal guitar and did not buy it to play Metal. :)

Support:
It's a guitar... what do you do-- call up tech support to help you change strings or turn the knobs????

Overall:
This was an impulse buy- I was not planning on buying another Gibson (since I own three). I did not think that I could afford a semi hollow body of this quality. This is by far the best pound for pound guitar that Gibson makes (or made since it is a limited edition).

Style of Music: Rock

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* * * * * * * * * * 9 out of 10 zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.

"Like finding a brand new 57 Bel Air in the showroom..."

Feature:
Best feature: the PAF Humbuckers. Adequate tuners, frets could have used more attention at the factory, but then it would have cost a hell of a lot more than 999.00!! New Blue Burst finish is STUNNING, although I opted for the more traditional Vintage Sunburst.

Quality:
Put this one in perspective. For a guitar that cost 999.00 there are very few instruments that are comparable, with the possible exception of a few hollow-body Epiphones, but they don't say Gibson on them , do they? No. Gibson uses some less expensive materials here. The craftsmanship is very good, but not meticulous. The included case is adequate, but not awe-inspiring. The bindings - well, this is no Super 400, but it wasn't meant to be. I feel like I got a great value when compared to the purchase price.

Value:
I know of no better value in a semi-hollow electric than this.

Desirability:
I love this guitar. I'm seriously thinking about getting another, just to have the Blue Burst finish.

Sound:
Although there are variations from instrument to instrument, the sound of this guitar, and the lost sound of the PAF's was like a call from my early musician days. This was the guitar I had wanted in the late fifties but couldn't afford. By the tome I could afford it, it was gone. Finding it again was like walking into your local Chevy dealer and finding a brand-new 57 BelAir convertible on the showroom floor. It took less than five minutes from the moment I first saw it until I had the credit card out. It can bark if you really push it, but that's not what I bought it for. The sweetest jazz tones you ever heard played through my Fender Blond, along with wonderful nostalgia through my Vox Berkeley. Even some really exciting vintage country sounds when it's set up right. This is the guitar Chet would have played if he hadn't been rich.

Support:
My favorite kind of support. Build a great instrument, let me and my guitar tech sweat the details.

Overall:
There is nothing to dislike about this instrument, and much to love. My other guitars, three Gibsons, a Fender, a PRS, and a vintage Epiphone have been languishing in their cases since I brought this home. It talks to me. It gives me new song ideas just because it sounds so different. I've started digging for songs written in the Thirties and Forties just so I can play those gorgeous chords, now that they come so easily. Put this one in my coffin please.

Style of Music: Jazz, Country, Pop, Production

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Read all Gibson ES135 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar with Humbuckers (With Case) reviews...

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About This Product!
Description
The only true authentic, vintage humbucker reissue available, the limited edition ES-135 features the famous "Patent-Applied-For" '57 humbuckers instead of the original P-100.

Features
Body: Laminated Maple, Chromyte center block

Neck: Maple

Fingerboard: Rosewood

Inlay: Dot

Binding: Body/White

Bridge: Tune-o-matic

Tailpiece: Trapeze

Pickups: 2 PAF '57 humbuckers

Technical Info

Body: Laminated Maple, Chromyte center block

Neck/Profile: Maple/1959 Rounded Les Paul

Fingerboard: Rosewood

Inlay: Dot

Scale: 24-3/4 in.

Nut Width: 1-11/16 in.

Binding: Body/White

Bridge: Tune-o-matic

Tailpiece: Trapeze

Hardware: Chrome on Ebony & Vintage Sunburst / Gold on Natural & Wine Red, Grover tuners

Pickups: 2 PAF '57 humbuckers

Controls: 2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way switch

Strings: Brite Wires .010-.046
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