Review: Gibson Custom ES 137 (Classic)

Posted at April 6, 2010

The Gibson Custom ES-137 is a fantastic semi-hollow guitar which has a mix between a Les Paul and full arch top sound which is perfectly suited for jazz, blues, rockabilly, funk, or rock.

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The Gibson Custom ES 137 also combines two looks- that of a Gibson single cutaway and a gorgeous semi-hollow. What really makes this guitar steal the show is the amazing level of detail found on it. First, the entire guitar has a high level of cream colored binding which adorns the front, back, and fretboard of this luxurious instrument. Moreover, Gibson has added some great trapezoid inlays complete with a unique "C" on the 12th fret which makes this guitar a custom shop piece.

Gibson was smart to include two famous pickups, here the Gibson 490R and 498T pickup which have a full and hot sound most resembling a Les Paul tone. The back, top, and sides are crafted from highly figured laminated maple with a thick finish. You will find the neck at a length of 22 frets constructed out of maple with a rosewood fretboard.

Adding another Les Paul touch are the hardware, here the Grover Tuners and a chrome Tune-O-Matic bridge with a stop tailpiece.

The guitar ships with a Gibson Custom Shop hardshell case, which features a cool cloth cover which will keep your investment from collecting scratched.

When plugged in and played, this Gibson Es-137 Classic Custom Shop has a great feel and solid hardware. As for my collection, I find that this Es 137 may be the most reliable guitar I own, as it continuously stays in tune even after huge bends and heavy duty playing. If you have never played a semi-hollow guitar, you are in for a real treat. The Gibson Es 137 has such a nice tone due to the engineering of this guitar. Basically, instead of the inside of the guitar being completely hollow, Gibson has placed a thick slab of solid mahogany. This causes a complete separation between the upper and lower chambers inside this guitar, held in place with a variety of wooden bracing pieces. The result is amazing though- notes and sustain last forever on this guitar, making your solos have a great jazzy or blues quality you simply cannot achieve on a solid body guitar (even the Les Paul). That being said, my favorite parts of a Les Paul tone- the warm, lush, almost round tone quality are all here.

Don't let the look of this guitar fool you- it is still well suited for rock music, thanks in part to the hot pickups Gibson has placed on this monster. It has a dark, smokey, lush tone which is like that of a Les Paul with something different added to the mix.

Many people compares this guitar to Gibson's other Semi-Hollow, the Gibson ES 335. The 335 retails for almost twice as much as the 137 and many agree that many of the tonal qualities of the 335 are present in the ES 137 for a fraction of the price.

This guitar, like other high end Gibson Custom shop pieces, is as much an instrument as it is a work of art and will hold it's value well over the years.

The ES-137 Classic comes strung with Gibson .010 Brite Wire strings for a fat feel and nice overall examination for playability by the custom shop engineers.