1969 Yamaha AE-11 Hollowbody Electric Guitar

A while back a friend was asking after ES-175-style guitars that weren't ES-175 prices. I kept trying to get him to buy one of these because they're a lot like a 175 -- cutaway, hollowbody, humbuckers, fancy trim, excellent build quality -- but they're also still relatively inexpensive in the market for what they are.

This AE-11 was made in Japan and has a 1969 serial number stamped in the fretboard's end. It has a pair of bright-sounding humbuckers and, after a level/dress of the frets and setup work, it plays like a champ. It has a quick neck, too.

What I like best about domestic-market-intended Yamahas of the '60s is that while they're well-built and have sounds and good-feeling references to other instruments made in the US at the time, they're still their own designs. This is a 175, pretty-much, on paper -- but it's skewed and stylized a bit. I think it's better to win at your own plan than try to completely ape someone else's idea and fall face-first into disappointment.