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I've been saving for a long time and I'd like to get a real, professional quality hollow body jazz guitar. I love George Benson and the Ibanez GB10 seems like the logical choice, but the Gibson 335 is also great. How do I chose one, is there another guitar you'd suggest, and what are people's feelings about humbucker vs burstbucker? Does the year matter? Should I spend the money on an early 60's model vs. new?
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09-11-2018 01:24 AM
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You go out and try lots of different ones. That's how you choose one.
I have a Gibson ES with burstbuckers myself. It's the best guitar in the world, and it has quenched my GAS. I am never selling this. I don't even let my best friends and professional guitarists play it unless I'm in the room.
I found it by going into the store and just trying everything
The only thing that matters is that you fall for a guitar. Once that's done, once you start thinking up excuses like "hmm maybe I can buy some strings so that I can pop by the store and play that guitar", that's the one you get. Same goes for used. Just please, don't settle or get something you feel like you -should- be getting. Doesn't matter that I think an ES with burstbuckers is the perfect guitar, it's not right for everyone. It's just very right for me... Ya dig?
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Hi, Welcome to the Forum!
Since you're a new member, no one has any ideas about your level of skill/experience, what you know about neck shape/radius/scale length, whether you play at home or in the clubs, whether you have $100 to spend or $5000, what kind of "sound" you're wanting, etc., so it's a fairly open-ended question.
Marwin has the correct, easy answer: play some and buy what you like!
The more complex answer is: "It depends." If you hang out long enough here, you'll see there are A LOT of great guitars out there to buy!
Happy hunting!
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What you really need to do is to go shopping with an experienced & trusted friend or teacher who can help you figure out what you want. I'm not talking down to you but based on your questions, you are a prime candidate for a salesman to take unscrupulous advantage of. Don't even think about buying anything "vintage" or even a new Gibson. If you really don't know what you want, you will very likely a) buy the wrong guitar and b) pay much more than needed.
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TELECASTER!!!
Seriously though this is like asking a bunch of strangers what girl is the best to date lol. One guy I can think of plays better than just about anyone on a $200 Johnson hollow body. Play all of 'em and have fun.
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I couldn't agree more with Marwin.
Originally Posted by Marwin Moody
You will know which guitar you should get after playing lots of different ones.
There will be one guitar that excites you more than all of the others - get that guitar!
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Thank you so much for answering. Yes, I've made bad choices on guitars before, the only one I own is an 83 Strat that turns out was a much hated guitar because of it's straight in jack, tone is great, but the pickup switch cuts out if I slide it to the lead position too hard.
I do not play in front of people, so spending a lot of money would be stupid. But with that said, I'd like to "maybe some day" play with people? My skill level is I'm pretty good at lead, but I'm terrible at everything else. I've sold tie-dye t-shirts for nearly 30 years, and my fingers are wet constantly, so I have a very hard time building callouses. But I'm about to retire, and I'd really like to buy a guitar that's decent.
Since I already have a Fender, and I feel I need to start learning chord progressions and finger pic more, and I love Jazz guitar, this is why I wrote here. The GB10 is only about 3,500 bucks, which I can now afford, and the Gibson 335 about the same price range...but here's where I need help; there are dozens of models and years of both of these guitars, ranging from 1,200 to 10,000. I don't know what I'm getting. I've tried some Gibson's at Guitar Center, some sound great, others muted, same style, same model. Is the "sound" of a 60's Gibson ES-335 worth spending more money than a quality, new reissue? I do not want to get another guitar with maintenance issues.
I've looked at hours of Youtube videos to try and decide and the guitar players seem to rave about older model guitars having more tone, power, and generally being better sounding guitars. Are there pickups I should be staying away from? One independent guitar shop told me to stay away from P-90 pickups. I'll stop for now
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Marwin, So what year is your guitar? Are there new guitars that can rival 50 year old guitars? Other Gibson hollow body guitars like the 175, 330, were kind of bashed by some videos I saw on Youtube at Norman's Vintage Guitars...not as bright etc. Are there things I should look for electronically that are "must have's" as far as you're concerned? Thanks for the "burstbuckers" comment. Good to know.
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There’s no “best” guitar. If you are serious about playing jazz your needs and tastes will probably change as you learn and you may find you’ll want different guitars for different situations. To me the most important factors in an amplified guitar are the neck and setup. I can happily play anything from a Strat to a 17” carved archtop if the neck feels good, intonation is good, and it plays like butta’.
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If an Ibanez GB-10 will give you some sense of association with Benson, and you can afford one, then I say go get one. It's a great guitar with established quality and credibility. There are a million other choices, but why get bogged down?
Without a broad knowledge of guitars and their literally hundreds of nuances, you will never get past the minefield of opinions on the internet (or from sales people). You may be steered right or wrong or indifferent, but the choice will be someone else's and you'll always wonder "what if?"
So if I were you, I'd search Reverb.com for GB-10s, find shops that offer a trial and return policy, and start emailing/calling/asking/ordering.
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I'll double on the cheek and say the "must have's" as far as I'm concerned are the things that -you- consider to be essential. Originally Posted by Guitartobuy
To answer your first question, my Gibson ES-139 is a 2013 which arrived at the store I bought it from in either late 2013 or early 2014. I got it in 2014 and I am, and intend to be, its only owner. I paid about 12-1300 bucks for it. I have replaced the tailpiece with a faber aluminium stopbar, and the bridge with a faber ABR-1 with locking screws.
The ES-139 was to my knowledge only manufactured in small numbers in 2013 and quite budget-friendly with an MSRP of around 1500 bucks. It wasn't marketed by Gibson, and as I understand, was a guitar center exclusive in the US (I'm in Norway). It wasn't even listed in the Gibson catalog afaik.
I could go on about specs and recommendations (as I'm sure everyone in this subforum could!), but there is only one thing that matters, and that is how a guitar feels -to you-.
I've tried a lot of different supposedly "better" guitars - Jim Triggs L5-style guitar, 1982 Ibanez AS-200, 1978 Ibanez GB-10, Gibson custom ES-330's & 335's, L4 CES, 1963 ES-330, L5 CT, 1955 Les Paul, 1960 & 1964 ES-175, Collings I-35 Deluxe, and a bunch of different solidbodies like a 1969 tele thinline, and various boutique strats like anderson, suhr, james tyler etc. All great guitars, but none like my ES-139. It's like your favorite pair of jeans, shirt, shoes, chair etc. There's just something that's so right about it, even if it isn't what everyone else digs or the most well-crafted or priciest option. Y'all remember Marty Crane's chair in frasier?
e: some additional stuff
Could I ask why you wrote humbucker vs burstbucker? A burstbucker is just a regular humbucker that's made to old-school spec
Also, I lied when I said that my GAS was completely cured. I'd like to some day own a Fender Esprit:
No reason, I just think it looks cool as hell and I love robben ford's fusion stuff from the early eighties. Never tried one, though, so maybe I wouldn't like it.
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1)
2) The best guitar to buy is the one that fits you best ergonomically, and that speaks to you tonally. Test-play as many guitars as you can get your hands on, and ask your hands and ears how they feel. And as a visual person, don't forget to query your eyes on the subject. If an instrument doesn't inspire you to pick it up and play it, and once you've done that, keep playing it, keep looking and listening. Best of luck on your quest! 
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GB-10 and ES 335 are very different guitars ergonomically. GB-10 is small and deep, ES 335 is wide and thin. I don't know your size but if you're a small person, it's unlikely you will find ES-335 comfortable.
The truth is, the differences between different hollowbody guitars won't mean much to you until you have lots of experience playing jazz guitar and develop your own taste. I still think a nice guitar is worth it nevertheless if you have the money.
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For quite a few years I thought the ES-335 was theoretically the best of all worlds -- sort of a swiss army knife of guitars.
I shopped around and played a bunch of them -- I mean dozens of them, but in the end I never quite brought one home.
There were a couple that I liked but I just didn't fall head over heels in love, so it didn't happen. There was a satin red at a pawn shop that I made an offer on, but the shop owner wouldn't budge on price and I walked away.
I eventually gravitated toward the glorious ES-175, but that is a different story.
Also, I want to support that the telecaster suggestion is really valid and can be very economical.
It makes some excellent traditional jazzy sounds that a strat just can't do.
Have fun shopping! Trust your ears and your fingers and the neck pickup. The amp choice and settings are a big factor too.
And remember, you don't gotta blow your whole credit card to get a great playing guitar with a jazz sound.
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Given all this (and I also encourage you to read the other 1000 "what guitar should I buy?" posts here for more ideas!), I would say do not buy either of these guitars right now. I'm not sure where you live, or what kind of music stores are nearby, but I'd recommend buying an inexpensive Ibanez/Epiphone/Washburn/tele/etc., and then practice!! After 2-3 years of playing jazz -- by yourself or with others! -- you will have a completely different mindset, or a more seasoned one, as to what guitar you'd like and why you'd like it. You may come back to the GB or 335 -- which is fine -- or you may be onto something completely different! If you blow your whole budget now, you may be sorry in 2-3 years. Originally Posted by Guitartobuy
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IDK, I'm in a contrary mood tonight, so I'm gonna give you some straight up advice. I was once in the same boat as you.
I would not recommend a 335-style guitar. Even though it is a "Swiss Army knife" guitar, it takes a bit of work and expertise to get a good jazz tone out of it. The thin depth, center block and stop tailpiece make it great for classic rock and blues, but not a natural fit for jazz.
Chances are you will find it too bright, without much midrange, and you'll feel frustrated. You will go through many string sets trying to find the right sound. Plus as said it's not an ergonomically friendly guitar compared to others. Sure, Larry Carlton and Grant Green play guitars like that, but they're monsters who could make a frying pan sound good.
The Ibanez are a much better choice, IMHO, but despite having it in your budget I would recommend one of the cheaper George Benson guitars, unless you can get a good deal on the GB10 used. Or another more entry level Ibanez hollow. Spending a couple of thousand on a fine guitar when you are just working on the chops is a sure recipe for frustration and eventually mothballing or selling the guitar. DAMHIKT.
I would recommend looking at the Epiphone Joe Pass as a fine guitar and great entry into the world of hollow body jazz boxes. The Epiphone ES175 is also a worthy version of the iconic jazz guitar that's easily affordable.
I also just came across this great deal on a Godin Kingpin 2, which quality-wise is one of the best bangs for the buck out there:
Access Denied
Anyway, you asked for opinions, so you got a few here.
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Thank you all so much for your feedback. It really helps. My first guitar was an Alvarez acoustic...I couldn't afford the Martin. Today, that Alvarez has a bad tuner, slips and it's a great guitar for my small stubby fingers, but it's really a bad sounding guitar compared to a Martin I played last year. I mean...wow, my guitar sucked. So, I do not want to "NOT" spend money in an effort to "buy a guitar that's down to my level of play". I guess I'm thinking Clapton played a Gibson 335, Larry Carlton also and their sound was great. And it seemed versatile for both rock or jazz.
I'll figure out the neck for myself by playing...but my biggest concern is the salesperson showing me 10 guitars and finding out later they sold me something that was really missing a key component, cheaper tuning pegs, or cheap pickups. There is a wall of Gibsons at Guitar Center that the only difference I can see is the paint job and the price tag. But again, knowing that I can afford to go from the 1,200 guitar to the 3,500 dollar guitar, which I'm pretty sure gives you better components, anything else I should make sure I get?
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Marwin....
I saw two new reissue Gibson's (as I've been thinking about this for about two weeks now) that were both hollow bodies, different price tags. One was burst, other hum, and someone on the page in the "review" said the burstbucker was better. "Brighter tone". I've heard of humbuckers, but never the burstbucker. I thought it was something new, you know, to bring out the strength of the tone to replica the '59 ES-335.
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McLaughlin also played a 335-style guitar (355 IIRC?) but neither he nor Clapton nor even Carlton were getting traditional jazz tones out of it.
Anyhoo, if you really want that style of a guitar, I would consider the Epi Sheraton 2, which is a nicer instrument than the Dot and will get you 95% of the way to a 335 at a fraction of the price. They also look really cool.
Epiphone Sheraton-II PRO - Vintage Sunburst | Sweetwater
The Ibanez AS153 has also gotten a lot of love from people on the forum.
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I agree that having a quality guitar will enhance your playing experience, but my point is that there are excellent, high-quality guitars all over the price range. One needn't spend more than $1000 to get a wonderful guitar--in fact that pretty much describes my current collection: Godin 5th Avenue, Gibson ES-135 (bought used), Peerless Sunset, Harmony Brilliant Cutaway, Fender Telecaster, Alvarez A/E classical.
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If your local GC has a wall of Gibsons, how much fun will it be to go down there and play a bunch of em!?!
Oh yeah
If you are looking specifically at 335s, I don't think you need to go to the most expensive model to get a really great guitar, but I would avoid the cheapest -- being the studio model. If you find one you like, give it a thorough inspection -- make sure the neck is good and straight and make sure all the hardware looks properly installed before taking the plunge. Don't dismiss the used ones either.
If you like the 335s, you might also like the semihollow Les Paul model too.
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Let's admit it we aren't buying Gibson's, Fender's only to play quality instruments. We buy these because people who inspire us to play music played these instruments. There is a sentimental component to owning these instruments. Something satisfying beyond the mechanical facts of the build quality. It's also comforting to know you're not missing out on some magic mojo by playing a cheaper guitar.
It's surprising how often people respond to forum questions about gear by completely disregarding this fact, even though they know that they themselves own (or have owned) Gibson's, Fender's and Martin's partly for this exact reason.
These brands are benchmarks for tone. If a beginner can afford to get one, that's great. They are a good starting point. If anything only a very experienced player can tell whether a cheaper guitar gives them exactly what they want, not a beginner.
If it weren't for the sentimental factors nobody would pay 5 grands and up for an electric guitar in this day and age.Last edited by Tal_175; 09-12-2018 at 12:00 PM.
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It's impossible to recommend a guitar for you.
It depends on, among other things:
The kind of music you want to play.
The size of your hands.
Whether you find a full body comfortable to hold.
The scale length and neck contour that feels comfortable to you.
The pickup type that sounds good to you.
Whether the look of the guitar matters and, if so, what appeals to you.
About the only thing I can really say is to buy something with a return privilege. GC is good for that.
Also, if you spend a lot of money on a vintage guitar, make sure it's not a forgery and doesn't have hidden repairs or whatever would reduce the value. I have 50+ years of experience with guitars, and I'm not sure I'd trust myself to evaluate one.
I gigged for a couple of years, recently, with a guitar you can buy for $200, while leaving an expensive instrument at home. For me, it was the right tool for the job.
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Well, it is pretty much that! I -LOVE- Larry Carlton and the burstbuckers really nail that feel. Just had to make sure that it was fully understood that "Burstbucker" was one of Gibson's humbucker models Originally Posted by Guitartobuy
Also regarding one of your earlier post, I totally agree with wanting to get a proper guitar right away. I couldn't afford a Gibson, so I spent a lot of money on cheaper guitars, which I'm sure amounted to the price of a Gibson in the end. You play much better on a guitar you love. A learning curve on an OK instrument is linear. On an instrument you ADORE, which inspires you to PLAY every day, that curve is exponential.
When I got my Gibson, I was still a novice player. I didn't know what a #11 was. Couldn't really play changes. Terrible tone. Didn't know how any pedals worked even though I used them. Terrible time. etc etc.
I can only speculate, but I think that if I hadn't got the Gibson, I might not have been halfway done with a degree in guitar today. I might still be working at the meat plant. Who knows? I think that the joy, the love that came with that guitar, was an integral part in clinching the choice to study music.
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I have found it difficult to get comfortable avoiding the popular brand that everybody flocks to and, instead, buying a cheaper brand.
Maybe that's because you can really trust the quality of the name brand and it may well be better in ways which aren't immediately obvious.
But, after having "promoted" a guitar I bought to knock around (the cheapest Yamaha strat copy) to my main gigging instrument, I got over it. I'll admit that it took me a while to accept the fact that the Yamaha was working better than the alternatives. But, it felt a little odd to be gigging with what is usually a beginner's guitar. Of course, nobody ever complained.
Maybe that's relevant to this discussion.
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Well, what is the difference between the same "looking" guitars on a wall that are 1,200, 2,000, 3,500, or 5,500 dollars? This is my biggest problem, I don't know what they're offering or if I need it. I heard Clapton's Fender Strats have a wood block under the bridge to keep it stable, I'm assuming for better sustain. Well, do I get better tuning pegs, sustain, and electronics for the extra money? Again, I'm not asking you guys to pick the guitar for me...but educate me on components in a guitar that make a guitar better.
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