There are some photographers who believe that center columns are evil. I am not one of them, and I have used tripods with center columns for a long time. However, they do reduce stability. Think about it. Instead of mounting your camera/lens directly on top of the tripod, you are mounting it on a beam that is then attached through some type of locking collar mechanism. Each of these can flex and amplify any vibration due to wind, mirror slap, imbalance, etc. Any motion or flex of the legs against the ground is also amplified by the lever arm of the column.
That said, I do have a center column for my Gitzo 1325. It is quickly removable and can be replaced with the standard fixed center platform. I use the column mostly for macro work where the ability to make small vertical adjustments without resetting the tripod legs is very useful. The camera plus lens weight is usually smaller for close up work, even when using a bellows. Even then I try to avoid extending the column more than 6-8 inches or so. I switch back to the fixed platform when using long lenses for sports or wildlife shooting, or when opening the tripod legs to their widest setting to get close to the ground.
Since we are around the same height, it is possible that the 1325 may be tall enough for you. At maximum extension the plaform height is 59 inches (actually measured, and unlike flimsy tripods, the Gitzos are solid when fully extended). A good ball head adds around 3.5 to 4.5 inches. I have found the total tripod to viewfinder height to be about 7.5 to 9 inches for various equipment configurations including, lens foot mounted 70-200 VR, camera plate attached directly to the ball head, or with lens foot attached to a Wimberly sidekick on the ball head. To set the viewfinder at my preferred height of about 64-66 inches or so I usually use a couple of inches less than the maximum tripod extension. This leaves some extra margin for leveling on uneven ground when necessary. In addition, the center column when installed but not extended adds an additonal 2.5 inches without much stability loss.
I also looked at the 1348 when I purchased my tripod, but decided I did not need the extra height (or cost and complexity) of the 4 section leg design. It depends on what type of work you do, but I have never yet found the 1325 to be too short.
Gerry