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I've got a 50's ES175, and am struggling to get it sounding really good. I swapped out the rosewood bridge for a tun-o-matic, and that made a TON of difference. I tried lighter strings (11's) but that sucked, so I restrung it with DR Pure Blues 12-52's.

It sounds pretty good now, but is there a better type of strings I should use? I wanna try flat wounds, but at like $20 a set...

Are all the pots and caps up to spec?


Originally Posted by Benjy_26Are all the pots and caps up to spec?

The tone control doesn't work, but everything is original.

There are a few things you can check to improve the tone on this type of guitar. First off a 175 is a laminated top. This was done to eliminate the feedback issues that are common on Archtop guitars. I would recommend playing this tru a low wattage tube amp for best results. A Fender Deluxe Reverb or a Princeton would be good choices. If you want to go in another direction a Polytone cube amp is also a good choice, or for a more modern Jazz sound the Acoustic Image amps are very nice. You say it is a 50's era 175. Does it have p90's or does it have Humbuckers? If they are Humbuckers they are more than likely real PAF's if they are original. It would depend on the era. The early 50's would have P90's from '57 thru 63 they would have Pafs. I would think putting a meatal bridge as you have done would make the guitar sound much brighter than with the wood style bridge. Flatwounds would be a good choice also to mellow the tone out a little more. Bottom line is if this guitar has the original PUPS in it there isn't a Pickup out there that will sound better. Hands down PAF's are what ALL HB pups strive to sound like. If the top , sides or back have any cracks in it it will deterioate the transfer of sound so this will need to be addressed by a competent Luthier. As far as Archtops go the 175 is a middle of the road kind of guitar. The L5, Johnny Smith and the Super 400's are all solid woods and tend to sound a lot better. If the tone pot needs to be replaced don't!! have the pot repaired. this tyope of POT can de disassembled and repaired. This would be a better choice as it will be all original. As far as flatwounds go the Labella Flatwounds are what I like, but the D'Adarrio chromes would also be a good choice.

I can't believe I forgot this: Check to see if the feet of the bridge match the radius of the top. If not, you can lay a sheet of fine sandpaper across the top (rough side up) and run the bridge along it. This will help with the tone transfer. I assume the nut is OK, right?