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Hi folks!
Just received a Gibson ES-330 (2018) which I bought used, but in almost new condition. I always wanted to have this guitar and it plays and sounds great to me.
However, there are a few little things I experienced when I was changing strings, that made me a bit concerned.
Firstly, the fretboard seems to have some cuts/scratches parallel to the frets, and there’s also some plaque at the frets... I thought it was just dirt, but lemon oil polish did absolutely nothing. So now it looks to me that someone inappropriately tried to sand the fretboard down? And the other thing could be rests of glue on the fretboard (or do they only hammer in the frets...)?
Would a Gibson leave the factory that way? Hard to believe. I have cheap asian made guitars, where the fretboard looks better...
I‘ll ask the preowner about the fretboard, but I guess I know his answer, as he never mentioned anything like that...
Secondly: the headstock logo looks unusual to me. It’s a little bit prominent and seems to be some kind of sticker (?) that got clear coated? So basically it stands out a bit, you can feel it with your fingers. I never have seen this with any Gibson or Epiphone guitar before...
Thats why I had some authenticity concerns, but actually the big picture seems to be alright, guitar and case should be original, case definitely is, and the certificate of authenticity is there as well. It also has the Gibson multitool and cloth.
Any thoughts on this?
Thanks!
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05-01-2020 05:53 AM
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The logo looks like a legit inlay in the pics to me.
The fretboard looks like maybe someone polished the frets without adequately protecting the board. It’s a little unsightly, but shouldn’t affect playability, I would think.
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The logo looks fine to me and as far as the fretboard is concerned I Suspect someone has cleaned it and/or the frets without being sufficiently careful - the horizontal scratches are possibly credit card (or something harder) scratches on the fingerboard. Some year ago I created a single scratch like that, and 5 years later it's invisible.....
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The guitar looks like it's been treated less than kindly. I have been playing Gibson guitars since the early 1960s, all purchased new, my first being an ES345 from 1965 (still my "go to" guitar) and I have never seen a fingerboard/frets with marks like that.
The logo with a raised surface is also troublesome. IMHO, there are other guitars on the market, both used and new, that are in much better condition, and that do not require a prolonged analysis as to why some things do not look right.Last edited by Dirk; 05-10-2020 at 05:56 AM.
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@ThatRhythmMan:
Thanks for the rating of the headstock logo. Yep, there’s definitely some sanding/scraping at the fretboard and I‘ll just hope it‘ll get less visible with playing it over the years.
I would just like to know, if it came out of factory like that. I guess that’s the case, as it’s somewhat unlikely that someone would try to sand down a factory new Gibson without reason?
I heard about issues with general quality and quality control at Gibson. That’s definitely a little disappointment. But the guitar sounds great, so I‘ll take it.
@Ray175:
Thanks for the rating of the headstock and the fretboard. I‘ll hope it will fade away a little over the years. That’s a reason to play it quite a lot
Tbh, it’s not too visible with strings on and only in certain light angles. You gotta „look for it“ a bit.
@pilotony:
Thank you for your expertise!
“Treated less than kindly“ is a good description, at least for the fretboard. Just wondering if it came out of factory like that and the Gibson guys were the mistreater. (That’s my guess somehow. I heard about Gibson quality issues, and the 330 is a little bit niche. Maybe they had a bad day at the factory and weren’t willing to pull of the fretboard again, after causing these marks...)
Regarding the headstock logo: It caused some major concerns for me, as I only know the inlays plain to the headstock. but it seems alright. It looks all fine from moderate distance and only at certain angles (up close) you see it being slightly elevated. Maybe they had a bad day here, too.
bottom line: I am a bit dissapointed with the quality. However, the guitar must be original. I checked the Serial number and papers, and the accessories are also authentic.
Maybe I’ll contact Gibson about the fretboard and logo, but not sure if they’ll respond.
Is there someone on this forum who also got a 2018 model of this guitar? That would be a great help.
Thanks again, good people!
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i think the logo is fine.
Headstock logo. Sticker or inlay? | My Les Paul Forum
may i ask how much you paid?
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@djg:
Thanks for that link! My concerns have gone away now.
I paid 2450 €, so it definitely wasn‘t an everday purchase (~2700 $).
They were priced around 3100 € new (here in Germany) but this 2018 model is out if stock everywhere.
We shouldn’t talk about bang-for-buck with Gibsons, but I guess this deal was alright? Of course, the fretboard thing is a little bummer.
Kind regards
Max
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sounds like a good price, right?
Originally Posted by django
greetings from dortmund
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I have a custom shop 330L and the logo is somewhat similar as it is an inlay rather than just a sticker or silkscreen. Nothing outside of normal there.
I agree with those that say that this guitar has been treated badly and the idea that someone did a horrible fret polishing job seems likely. I have no idea why someone would do this on such a new guitar. Maybe the previous owner got hammered one night and decided it was time to polish up those frets.
I seriously doubt that it left the factory like that.
At the end of the day it shouldn't matter as far as playability and as you say, nobody sees that fret stuff unless they look really closely.
If you otherwise like this guitar then you should adopt it. Cherish it, play the hell out of it, and give it the love and care that it deserves.
This is a great instrument.
As a side note, a ABR-1 bridge usually has the saddle screws pointing towards the headstock. In the picture it is installed backwards.
Enjoy that guitar!
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@gggguitar:
Oh cool, I didn't know that there is an ES-330L as well. It just has Humbuckers and a bigsby, right?
That would actually be a funny storyMaybe the previous owner got hammered one night and decided it was time to polish up those frets.
I seriously doubt that it left the factory like that.
As you said, it's only a cosmetic thing and I can live with it.
Thanks for the hint on the ABR-1 bridge, I will fix that.
Kind regards
Max
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Actually no need to fix it. As long as the strings don't touch the back of the bridge or the adjustment screws (as they would probably with a stop tailpiece) leave it like it is. Originally Posted by django
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Ah, no my 330L is from 2011 when they were P90s and no bigsby. Since the body and neck meet at the 19th fret instead of the 15th (hence the "L" for long-neck) it's basically a hollow 335 with P90s with some other minor alterations. Originally Posted by django
@gggguitar:
Oh cool, I didn't know that there is an ES-330L as well. It just has Humbuckers and a bigsby, right?
That would actually be a funny story
As you said, it's only a cosmetic thing and I can live with it.
Thanks for the hint on the ABR-1 bridge, I will fix that.
Kind regards
Max
Enjoy your new guitar!
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@TOMMO:
That makes sense, thanks!
@gggguitar:
Ah I see. I like the P90s so much, so I‘m happy for you to have them as well, instead of Humbuckers.
I fell in love with the neck P90 with the tone turned completely down, add a slight crunch and it sounds so great! Of course not a classic jazz sound, but it’s so cool for blues! A bit like Claptons „woman tone“, but with a lot more beef.
Thanks again! And enjoy yours, too
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I just sanded my fretboard with wet-dry 2500 grit sandpaper and lemon oil. It is now glassy smooth. You can't hurt it with 2500 grit.
Highly recommended.
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@rintincop:
Oh, really? I could try this, I even have some 3000 grit sandpaper. Did you just use the paper and lemon oil or also added some water (wet sanding)?
And I should try to not touch the frets, right?
Thanks for the tip!
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With 2500 or 3000 grit you can polish the frets with no problem, it won't take enough off to make any difference. That fine a grit is just for polishing, and it also won't take out the scratches in the fretboard. It will just polish the wood, and leave the scratches essentially untouched. If you want to get rid of the scratches in the wood, you would need to use coarser paper, maybe start with 220 or even a little coarser, and work up to the polishing grits. Doing this, you certainly want to avoid the frets.
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I understand, thanks!
But I think 200 grit would be a bit coarse and could even cause some scratches on the board/frets by itself.
Probably I'll just leave it the way it is and do the actual thing, wich is playing it ;-)
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Probably a good idea. 220 is actually considered pretty fine, as sandpaper goes, and you have to remove wood to get the scratches out. They're cosmetic, so if you can live with them, you're probably better off.
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I have a guitar with the fretboard that has similar marks on it. I put them there by polishing the frets with steel wool that was too course.
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[ATTACH=CONFIG]71974
I had this one, that was built in 2016 If I remember well, a high-end one with a Bigsby and natural highly figured maple. Really a beautiful guitar, but it also had tools marks on the fretboard, as if the builder had literally ripped with his tool on number of places. I found that very annoying on a guitar that was worth 4000€ new (I had bought it used for 2200€). ButvIt sounded really glorious.
I sold it since.
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@Cunanara:
oh yes, I guess that’s pretty much what happened here.
@Jx
Wow that must have been a good deal that you made there!
And yes, I also wouldn’t expect any fretboard issues with a new guitar above 500 bucks. I have a 250 $ cheap western guitar (framus) and the fretboard and overall quality (and sound!) is superb. But again, bang for buck is nothing that gibson is known for. I mean they sell „custom shop“ LP juniors for 3000 $, these are basically a plank of wood with a p90.
———
I will soon post an update photo, after I‘m done with sanding the fretboard, as advised here.
One more question: Can I flip one P90 to make it hum cancelling in the middle position?
thanks again!
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No that doesn’t work, you would have to switch the wires for that (hot and ground) which is not easy because they are probably the type of braided cloth wiring with the braided outside acting as ground... Originally Posted by django
Turning around the magnets could do it? Or is it then just out of phase?? (I always get confused by these things....)
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It'll be out of phase (Peter Green Sound). Did that on my LP Special - lots of great tonal shades in there...
For hum bucking mode the wiring on one of the pickups has to be reversed plus the magnets flipped so the pickups are back in phase again for the signal they pick up from the strings.
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Ah I see, thanks!
So the humcancelling option would take too much effort, and I generally don’t want to touch the electronics/wiring.
With „turning the magnets“ you mean turning the pickups by 180degree, right? And then that would give an out of phase sound?
Kind regards
Max
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Ah, flipping the wires AND the magnets, that was it!
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