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It's good to be cautious, but I wouldn't put much stock in what a GC employee says about condition. Did anyone actually say this guitar was on display for nearly a decade (I couldn't find that info from the ad)? Of course, you could buy it and have it shipped to you, then return it to your nearest GC if you don't like it. Easy-peasy.
Originally Posted by Alder Statesman
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12-10-2024 12:26 PM
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I hold zero trust with them. I “chatted” about a half dozen times with them regarding condition and terms, The best I got was I could exercise my right to return it within 45 days if dissatisfied. I probably would have moved ahead if I could have gotten a couple cell phone pics, but none were to be had. Shop rash did come up in the discussion. Originally Posted by jazzshrink
The model itself is not bad. I played two of these when Gibson introduced them and really liked them, but I had blown my guitar budget at the time. This one is cheaper than most new Epiphone 335’s and with Classic 57 pups it should be a deal for those who like to gamble.
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Dog-hater. Originally Posted by entresz
Thanks everyone for the replies, they make for enjoyable reading!
Nobody has talked me out of buying one though
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I've been checking GC fairly regularly for es-335's (semi-toying with the idea of trading in my D'A semi for some flavor of gibson semi); this is the first time I've seen that one listed. I doubt it's been sitting in a GC store for 9 years. There's something off/incomplete in the description. Originally Posted by jazzshrink
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I bought a few from GC based on a phone description. I had them ship it to my nearby GC and unboxed it there. Once the condition was less than described. The manage at the store saw this at the unboxing and returned it for me. I had an instant refund.
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How about a banjo? You could amass a real collection at the drop of a hat!
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Haha! Already have two banjos for trad gigs. Originally Posted by ewall
How about a banjo? You could amass a real collection at the drop of a hat!
Many would say that is two too many...
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So disrespectful. I have a new 335. Go somewhere else! And far away from my lawn!
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There are a lot of 335s out there. Take your time.
The two things I liked about distant GCs is that I can have it shipped to my GC, which is about five miles away, and open the box there. My local GC will ship it back on the spot if it isn't as described. No hassle. The other is that GC commonly takes reasonable offers.
The last guitar I got from GC was a Heritage Super Kenny Burrell. I got it for a great price and they threw in a pack of strings.
Super Kenny Burrell
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Yup. In the last couple of years I've bought a used Les Paul, Quilter amp, and Eastman acoustic guitar from non-local GC's and and had them shipped to the local one. All for reasonable prices (they accepted an offer on the Quilter). I've had many problems getting things shipped to my home (lost shipments, packages stolen from the lobby, damage), and this method of buying removes that risk entirely. Originally Posted by Marty Grass
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This is interesting: playing the Twin ”treble cranked”. Most of us adjust the amp according to the guitar (and the room), but You adjust the guitar (& pickups) according the amp? Originally Posted by DawgBone
Does Your twin sound better or different when treble cranked? How?
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I recall the days of toting a Twin Reverb or a Super Reverb to gigs. Originally Posted by Herbie
Here's an old Gibson catalog (1966). I had an Atlas amp shown in there. That was heavy also. https://archive.org/details/gibson-g...e/n25/mode/2up
My big amp is a Fender Concert, which is small in comparison.
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I play blues not jazz but those settings are the Freddie King-BB King settings though BB would turn mids and bass to about 2 or so. So any ES should sound good that way without adjusting EQ . I removed a set of Seth Lovers because it was a little too shrill. Dialing down the treble didn't really change it enough whereas a 490r or 57 classic was ideal at those settings. I adjust it that way every time unless there are volume restrictions or the room is exceedingly bright, this way I get the same sound every night, eliminating variables and guesswork. Originally Posted by Herbie
It doesn't make sense if you were in a room playing alone, it'll sound slightly shrill, but as soon as you have a really loud band behind you it makes sense. It's just bright enough to cut through the mix. At lower volume it'll sound more bright with the treble cranked but as the volume rises everything warms up and it sits in the mix quite well.
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Back to the 335. McCarty's team designed this with a lot of thought. It needed to look like a real guitar, not like the solid bodies Gibson made, be relatively light, and not feedback. It's brilliant. It also dazzles with a lot of finished wood to dazzle an audience compared to a Tele.
For most, the 335 does an excellent job. I have had a lot of experience with the 345, 355, and the Lucille. Given the same pickups, my ears can't tell the difference unless you go stereo or take the Varitone off of 1.
I get the notion of ebony affecting the attack. I'd like to see frequency-amplitude-time data with a blinded study to prove it. If that's so, the block inlays may also affect the output. It makes more sense that ebony affects the violin tone in that there are no steel frets.
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I had the red version of that guitar, same model year. I loved almost everything about it. Workmanship was good, neck was good, the sound was perfect; it was the only humbucker-equipped guitar I ever owned with which I could get a decent sound from the bridge pickup (usually i sound like I’m playing rubber bands; it’s me, not the guitars. I played a Tele for forty years). The one thing I didn’t like about it was the baked-maple fingerboard, and I really hated that. I eventually sold it to finance my Epiphone Devon. The newer versions had rosewood and four controls. I probably would have kept one of those. Originally Posted by Alder Statesman
But I’m still jonesing for a 335. The perfect Gibson for me. I’ll pick one up one of these days. But I have played little electric for the last five years, and not at all on stage.
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Efforts to talk me out of buying a 335 were utterly fruitless.
Put a deposit down on this today. It's a 2018 model.
It sounds fantastic and I love the beefy neck. The shop were willing to sell it to me at a very modest price, and I particularly liked the combination of small blocks and the ebony finish.
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His name was Fido.
You have blood on your hands.
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I will play a song dedicated to Fido's memory Originally Posted by Hammertone
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Congrats big dawg that is a beauty now let's hear those BB King licks! No more excuses now that you have a semi heh heh.... Originally Posted by entresz
Efforts to talk me out of buying a 335 were utterly fruitless.
Put a deposit down on this today. It's a 2018 model.
It sounds fantastic and I love the beefy neck. The shop were willing to sell it to me at a very modest price, and I particularly liked the combination of small blocks and the ebony finish.
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335s have the pickup selector in a horrible place, and the whole guitar is small and cramped. Not fun to play at all. That help?
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Buy a 335, if you like it, it's all good. If not, sell it, that's fine too.
I once bought a very old ES 330. Great guitar, but not for me.
After a few gigs I had to admit to myself that the guitar wasn't for me.
I sold it and bought a small Yamaha, which I still enjoy today.
The good thing about the Yamaha is that if I leave the guitar on stage and go
into the break, the guitar is still there when I come back.
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Do you have a favorite between the Gibson ES-335, Heritage H-535, and Ibanez JSM100? Originally Posted by Gitfiddler
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hey, how did it work out? Originally Posted by entresz
Efforts to talk me out of buying a 335 were utterly fruitless.
Put a deposit down on this today. It's a 2018 model.
It sounds fantastic and I love the beefy neck. The shop were willing to sell it to me at a very modest price, and I particularly liked the combination of small blocks and the ebony finish.
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It's worked out great! Originally Posted by Cunamara
I've used it for dozens of gigs already and it's a great guitar.
I especially like the fairly thick neck profile. The MHS pickups are very nice. The ebony finish looks great on the bandstand too.
My only criticism (a small one at that) is that I wish it had normal vol/tone wiring instead of the '50s wiring.
The process to change that is not so easy on an ES style guitar so I'm learning to work with the 50s wiring - all the sounds still can be achieved it just takes a little more fiddling.
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Congrats to your new guitar!
A wise man said: "A new guitar is a commitment"
It means that you'll do what it takes to make the guitar perform, i.e you'll adapt the guitar to your playing style... and you'll adapt your playing style to the guitar. In other words; If you really think you need a different guitar model, you are bound to put in the hours. This is a slow process, don't underestimate the effort.
The question is; -Why do I want this? -Do I really need another guitar?
It depends, right? Sometimes we're just looking for inspiration, sometimes we're looking for a whole new approach.
An ES-335 is a different guitar in many ways. It's a very interesting model that also comes with certain challenges. There are also myths and misconceptions, e.g
"It's hollow and therefore resonant and can be played unplugged" Truth: It's an electric guitar that is supposed to be amplified. Its acoustic sound is very thin and not particularly inspiring.
"It's hollow and therefore light weight" Truth: It's semi-hollow with a big maple center block. The body is made of plywood and it's big, meaning there are other guitars that are much lighter if this would be important to you.
"It's a very versatile guitar, possibly the most versatile of them all". Truth: It depends on your definition of versatility in this context as well as the configuration of the individual 335.
"It's easy to swap pickups if you like a different tone". Truth: It's an absolute pita to change pickups and electronics in a 335 because there is no service hatch.
"The 335 is a good Jazz guitar". Truth: It got F-holes and therefore looks like a Jazz guitar. Other than that it would depend on the tailpiece, your choice of strings and a few other things
Hard facts for those still contemplating:
- The ES-335 is capable of excellent tone and playability (still tone is in your fingers).
- The ES-335 got great fret access.
- The ES-335 is basically a very cool guitar, a successful guitar model. It's beautiful guitar. Attractive, desirable and....expensive.
- The ES-335 got much in common with a Les Paul, but it doesn't look like a Les Paul (a fact that some of you that are reluctant to play Jazz on a LP may appreciate?)
- Until you've spent time with an ES-335, your training is not complete.
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