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What can I say? We do a lot of trading. The guitar is a guilded masterpiece.
The "trader" bought this maybe 10 years ago. I pried it from him a few of years ago. He really wanted it back, so we traded. Then he wanted to go acoustic for a while. Etc. So I now welcome it back.
It's always the shipping that scares me.
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02-05-2020 08:23 AM
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WOW! What's that? A Super 400 Switchmaster ES 5?
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I've never seen a Switchmaster with PAFs, only P90s or maybe Staples(?).
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I remember you telling me years ago about how many times it’s made the transit back and forth. Isn’t it a thin line guitar also ?? A real keeper, has great wood. Crazy, I’d be nuts worrying every time it shipped.
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I have posted this guitar before. It is certainly one of my favorites because of its boldness. There were no efforts or materials spared when Gibson made this one. I don't know if there are any other ones like it. I certainly haven't seen any.
You can argue that there is no need for three pickups, maybe even for two pickups. But the wiring allows you to blend the pickups in a million ways for a spectrum of tones.
It's a lot of fun to play. And it's not hard on the eyes.
I've posted two videos from my friend who originally sold it to me, wanted it back, traded once again, wanted it back, and now has traded it back again.
I have this relationship with a couple of people it turns out. I prepare for a guitar to be permanently gone but know there is a fair chance some day I'll have it again. It's almost like a co-op system.
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Wow, the King of Gibson Bling!
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Sounds great!
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Very sweet guitar and love the soulful sound of Foolin'. Kind'a reminds me of the early 70s -- like a Curtis Mayfield thang.
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He uses Elixir Nanowebs, 12s or 11s. He also uses all three pickups blended as I recall.
Originally Posted by dmorash
It sounds different with heavier flats.
It's fun regardless.
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Positively drool-worthy! Treat it well while it's in your care, in good health!
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If you put a bigsby on it, it'll stop leaving
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A really nice sounding guitar and your buddy really makes it sing.
Originally Posted by Marty Grass
I have posted this guitar before. It is certainly one of my favorites because of its boldness. There were no efforts or materials spared when Gibson made this one. I don't know if there are any other ones like it. I certainly haven't seen any.
You can argue that there is no need for three pickups, maybe even for two pickups. But the wiring allows you to blend the pickups in a million ways for a spectrum of tones.
It's a lot of fun to play. And it's not hard on the eyes.
I've posted two videos from my friend who originally sold it to me, wanted it back, traded once again, wanted it back, and now has traded it back again.
I have this relationship with a couple of people it turns out. I prepare for a guitar to be permanently gone but know there is a fair chance some day I'll have it again. It's almost like a co-op system.
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Every time I see a beautiful guitar like that I check current prices and divide by my hourly kitchen-cleaning rate. And then I cry!
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The last couple of model years, they put PAFs in them. Steve Howe of Yes used to occasionally play a 1959 or 1960 Switchmaster. Originally Posted by ruger9
1959 ES-5 Switchmaster
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Does a middle pick-up really bring anything when it's so close to the others? Also, it breaks the polepieces' symmetry...
Rickenbacker do that to on a few models; it seems superfluous, but then I've never heard the individual pick-ups up close.
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The Super 400 spreads out the three pickups a little more. So there is more of a difference among the pickups. There are some sounds you can get from the three pickups that would be harder to dial in with two. Originally Posted by Zina
The real question is whether three pickups are worthwhile. I can say that having the switchmaster setup is fun. The middle or bridge pickup can be set to zero volume and act like a kill switch.
It does have a striking appearance to have three gold pickups. And after all, the guitar is certainly an art piece as well as an instrument.
I don't think the Switchmaster design was created out of a tonal need so much. It's from the "more is more" school of thought.
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Beautiful guitar Mark. I hope she brings you hours of enjoyment.
In this life, I have owned about 100 guitars. There have been a few that I have sold that I have regretted selling. None of those have ever come back to me, and at this point I am certain that none ever will. Which is OK as the 15 guitars that I presently own more than meet my needs. And shipping guitars (whether buying or selling) causes me stress, which makes guitar buying and selling far less enjoyable than it did a few years back.
If you like this one enough to get it for the third time, you probably should keep it for the duration.
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It's more about friendship in my case. I have friends who like to rotate guitars, sometimes years apart. There are some of mine I'm firmly bonded to. The others I'm happy to cycle back if asked. The thinline Super 400 was one I wanted for maybe five to seven years before my friend decided he was done with it. I had it for about four years. The guy decided he missed it terribly, so he got it back. A few months later he determined he liked best semi-hollows, which he played as a kid. Then he changed his mind. And then again. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
There's nothing wrong with that as long as UPS does it's part. Well, there are the shipping charges, too.
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Wow. Such a beautiful guitar! Not to side track this thread... but, those pickup rings look very purposely tilted to accommodate picking between the neck and middle pickups—exactly where most jazz players would naturally position their hand. This adds credence to comments many of us have made regarding the tilt of the rings not being a result of Gibson being cheap or sloppy. A guitar that is made with such attention to every detail (as this one clearly is) helps show that the ring tilt is very intentional.
Ok, back your regularly scheduled program.
Thanks for posting this update and videos. And happy AGICHAD (Amazing Guitar Is Coming Home Again Day)!
Roli
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