As I mentioned a few weeks ago I couldn't afford the Gibson Switchmaster I crave, so I settled for a Vintage VSA575 to keep me happy for a while. It's a great guitar and I did try several Gibson guitars of similar build, the L5, L4, Byrdland and the latest ES-175 'Memphis' model. Although the Gibsons' are ten times more expensive than the Vintage it doesn't reflect in the quality, finish, playability or sound, thought the L4 in particular sounded tons better 'unplugged'. All was fine and I was getting along great with my Vintage until a friend offered me his Gibson ES-175 at a ridiculous price, so I went and tried it and bought it as it was un-played and in brand new condition, gold plated and beautiful yellow/black glossy sunburst, unlike the 'Memphis' that I tried a few weeks ago that had been made to look fifty years old. I found a slightly high fifteenth fret on the top 'E' string on the Vintage and took it back to the store for a levelling job which was successful and made it perfect and I picked it up yesterday, finally allowing me to put the two together and compare.
It turned out to be a revelation as with the amp set identical I struggled to hear any difference in sound on each of the pickups in any of the three positions. Playing wise they feel the same too and apart from the Vintage not being a copy of the ES-175 because it is quite a bit deeper and wider, it was hard to see why the Gibson was ten times the price of the Vintage. I know that the Gibson will always hold it's value, but that is the extent of the difference between the two guitars in terms of playability, sound, looks and feel. I had already done this test with the Les Paul DeLuxe and an equivalent Vintage model and had the same experience, so there you have it, I own all of them and have no biased opinion, those are the facts. I just thought it may help anyone who is wondering whether or not the Vintage models are up to it, from my experience they certainly are and yes I'm shocked and a little disappointed.
