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I am extremely envious of that guitar. I remember when they first came out with them and wanted one so badly, but I was a poor ($) student.
Originally Posted by Crm114
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10-25-2022 10:48 AM
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Love my Gretsch 5422TG, hollow-body, thin, great tonal variety, 24.6" scale. runs th gamut from a Jim Hall sound to a roaring rockabilly twang. Versatile, well-made, available used for around $600US, new at $899. look for a used Korean-made model for best bang for the buck.
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Guild Starfire IV ST Maple GRN
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The "logo tax" doesn't impress me on any brand, what does is what's IN my hand.
I have an Ibanez AS-103 and a Yamaha SA-2100 as well as a Gibson 335 and they all do what I need them to do as long I keep reminding myself that the git V-T/ V-T and EQ on the amp are there for good reasons, otherwise they could have easily put fixed resistors there! Needing / wanting to morph into a purist is not a blip on my RADAR screen.
Anyway I've had dud 335's, maybe more than other brands but the right one is worth the entry fee, and the journey to find it.
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What's VT/VT? Originally Posted by GNAPPI
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"The "logo tax" doesn't impress me on any brand, what does is what's IN my hand." GNAPPI
When I started playing in 1968, it was on a $25 Teisco from Woolworths Dime store. Two years of savings later and my first "real" guitar was a $200 "AIMS" telecaster copy with a flamed maple neck. Funny, those "lawsuit era" telly copies go for $2,000 on reverb these days!
In over 50 years of playing and working as a guitar tech, it all depends on the quality of the guitar in your hand! Period!
When your in the Recording Studio, nobody cares about the name on your headstock (unless you can't play it in tune... loll)
These days I own an upgraded USA Gibson HP Les Paul, 3x upgraded MIM Fenders, an upgraded MIM Martin, a highly upgraded INDY DAngelico, and an upgraded "hand crafted" CHINESE Hybrid Classical. They are all top-notch professional grade instruments, but a purist nob would say they're all crap (without even seeing them). His loss not mine!
Last edited by Old Guitar Player; 01-15-2023 at 09:47 PM.
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I've had a Gibson ES333, decent guitar. Good guitar, but I sold it. Someone mentioned theirs was heavy. Mine was light. I did hundreds of gigs on that guitar. The 498t pickup that comes standard in the bridge is a rock pickup and less useful for blues and jazz. I pullled mine for '57 classics but the 490 in the neck is actually just as good IMO and I wouldn't change it if I did it again. Action couldn't get very low without buzzing out. Slim taper neck needed quarterly adjustments to maintain best playability.
I had a Sheraton II Pro. Really nice guitar, great build quality. The 5 piece neck and action was incredibly stable and could be set extremely low and buzz free but like all chinese guitars it suffered from junk electronics, especially the selector switch and pots. The selector failed at a gig. Probuckers are decent pickups, a little hotter than a 57 classic. It had extreme neck dive thanks to the canoe paddle headstock so it was not comfortable to play standing. Thought about Bigsby-ing it to fix the dive but you wind up sinking more into the guitar than you paid for it so I also sold that one.
Also had the Epiphone 335 Pro. Decent neck and action but exceedingly junky pots, same cheap selector switch as the Sheraton, worse pickups.
If I buy anything China these days I just assume it will need upgraded electronics to sound good and be reliable. They aren't quality nor are they reliable from the factory. I would rather a guitar with decent stuff from the factory. I probably should've just bit the bullet and upgraded that Sheraton, it was a good guitar to mod to taste and the guitar itself was very well made and played impressively nice.
Currently using an ESP/Edwards SA series. Excellent guitar. Duncan '59 in the neck but the sh-14 bridge is a too hot for my tastes. Has a solid maple top and mahogany center block, so, slightly different arrangement than a standard 335. Net effect is ultimately the same. Low, buzz free action. Already racking up gig miles on this one.
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VT means volume tone. They're talking about the 4 knobs.
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I learned quickly in the 1970's that imports were not necessarily inferior instruments. In 1972 I had the opportunity to endorse Ibanez guitars (because of a friendship with someone at their USA facility) and I quickly realized that other than the electronics, the core quality of those instruments was as good (or better) than their big "name" branded competition. Originally Posted by DawgBone
So, 50 years later I appreciate instruments solely for their quality and playability. So what that my Musicians Friend 2am "STUPID DEAL" INDY DAngelico SS arrived with a crappy wiring harness, and cheapish hardware. It did come with USA Seymour HOT ROD (SH2 & SH4) pickups and the craftsmanship was impeccable! So I invested $150 in a custom wiring harness, $150 for a TonePros Locking tailpiece and Locking Bridge, and $100 for a set of Grover Locking Imperial tuners. In the end a couple of hours on my bench dressing and leveling the frets, and replacing that harness and hardware, and I have a Semi-Acoustic Jazz box, that plays and sounds as good or better than an ES-335. It also has a 3 piece maple neck, so that if it slips off a stand the headstock won't explode! Plus, it's cool to play onstage (very retro looking) and I have less than $1200 in that guitar! Does someone really need to drop another $2500 just to say they have a Gibson ES-335? I think not!
Last edited by Old Guitar Player; 12-01-2022 at 01:10 PM.
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Haven’t really bonded with Ibanezes. Probably better made than Gibson if you get a Japanese one, but those go for 2k up these days.
I think they have a different sound, a bit smoother, less ‘nasal’… but the slight nasality of the Gibson is one thing that works great live.
Be interested to compare with the Eastmans though …
And this came up today on my YouTube recommendation. I think Sire have got some of that 335 quality tonally… although Jimmy Blue Note had some reservations about Sire build quality
It probably depends on what kind of person you are - some people love to upgrade a diamond in the rough, others less so.
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I've heard the SIRE build quality is pretty good (and I've seen several in person), but unless you're willing to put in some serious TLC on the frets/neck, upgrade the electronics and some of the hardware, out of the box it's nowhere near comparable to an ES-335. I'll bet you in the studio Larry is still breaking out one of his Vintage ES-335's. I know he plays a SIRE "live"now, but do you really believe that particular guitar came off of an Indonesian Assembly line? Originally Posted by Christian Miller
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It seems that these Sire H7 have a narrow nut (41mm if I'm not mistaken)
May be a deal breaker to some (to me at least)
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Most of my guitars are 42.5mm-46mm, but my Deluxe Strat is a
"sort of" vintage 41.91mm/1.65 inch which I have grown to love!
But, vintage strats were considerably narrower than that, as they
also came with that "buzz friendly" 7 1/4" radius, which as a guitar
tech I HATED to work on! In the 70's that's ALL I saw at the shop!
"Get rid of the buzz, and replace my 3-way with a 5-way".
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Only strats I ever liked were the vintage radius equipped models. I called them my rhythm machines because chords were so easy to grab, pure comfort compared to a 12" radius. Bends on the 25.5 scale and a direction change in the music i was making ultimately drove me towards shorter scale ES guitars. Originally Posted by Old Guitar Player
Most of my guitars are 42.5mm-46mm, but my Deluxe Strat is a
"sort of" vintage 41.91mm/1.65 inch which I have grown to love!
But, vintage strats were considerably narrower than that, as they
also came with that "buzz friendly" 7 1/4" radius, which as a guitar
tech I HATED to work on! In the 70's that's ALL I saw at the shop!
"Get rid of the buzz, and replace my 3-way with a 5-way".
I didn't like the five way switch either because it doesn't detent as hard as the 3 way and I'd knock it out of place during aggressive funky chord strumming. Also, if you are into playing loud the heavy detent is noisier when thrown and can be used to goose the rig into feedback. I never cared for the in between sounds, neck and bridge were where I lived at the time. I thought a floated trem gave better tone but goodbye tuning if you break a string. Can't say I'd ever go back to strats but they do have their appeal.
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V/T = Volume and tone. Some think that a git or amp should be set at a neutral setting and magically deliver the tone in their head, IMO that's silly.
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What are your thoughts between the Seventy-Seven Albatross and the Heritage H-535? Originally Posted by classict1
Those are both at/near the top of my list (along with the Ibanez JSM100, FGN Masterfield, and Gibson ES-339). I'm specifically considering the Albatross Jazz model.
The Albatross has a quite smaller body, so it seems like it's probably the more comfortable of the two, but the H-353 might be different tonally due to the larger body.
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Which do you prefer between the Ibanez JSM100 and the Heritage H-535, and why? Originally Posted by Gitfiddler
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@DustinG...That's a tough question. I dearly love both of them, but for different reasons. Semi-hollow guitars are my personal favorite guitar type. I bought these two several years ago used, and each brings something special to the party, so to speak. Originally Posted by DustinG
The JSM100 is like a very refined, almost perfect version of the traditional semi-hollow guitar. Everything about it exudes classic Japanese high attention to detail. And the neck is just thick enough to fit my big hands. It plays like butter, and is like driving a high end, luxury sports car. The JSM can easily handle almost any musical genre. Finally, the Super 58 pickups are one of my favorites. I even put a set of 58's in my '78 Ibanez 2630. Overal the JSM100 is a great, high end semi-hollow guitar.
The Heritage H535 is no slouch! It is an amazing, high quality build, obviously a custom order, either by a dealer or customer. The neck profile is almost as thick as the JSM, and it's a unique Goldtop paint scheme. I put in a set of Seth Lover pickups which sound great. It differs from the JSM in its 'old school' flavor, and aesthetic. The best thing about the 535, in my opinion, is that it has 'soul'!
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I've now been with my Comins GCS-1 for 6 years or so.
I'm happy with the guitar. Feels comfortable and I can get my sound.
The only knock: tuning stability is better in some of my other guitars, including my Yamaha cheapie. I'm still not sure why. Possibilities include play between the bridge and the posts it sits on (Bill Comins sent me a replacement bridge, which didn't change things), binding at the nut or ???. The tuning stability isn't terrible, but I tune several times per set just to be sure and usually I have to tweak something.
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Thanks! Is your H-535 a Standard or Custom Core? Originally Posted by Gitfiddler
@DustinG...That's a tough question. I dearly love both of them, but for different reasons. Semi-hollow guitars are my personal favorite guitar type. I bought these two several years ago used, and each brings something special to the party, so to speak.
The JSM100 is like a very refined, almost perfect version of the traditional semi-hollow guitar. Everything about it exudes classic Japanese high attention to detail. And the neck is just thick enough to fit my big hands. It plays like butter, and is like driving a high end, luxury sports car. The JSM can easily handle almost any musical genre. Finally, the Super 58 pickups are one of my favorites. I even put a set of 58's in my '78 Ibanez 2630. Overal the JSM100 is a great, high end semi-hollow guitar.
The Heritage H535 is no slouch! It is an amazing, high quality build, obviously a custom order, either by a dealer or customer. The neck profile is almost as thick as the JSM, and it's a unique Goldtop paint scheme. I put in a set of Seth Lover pickups which sound great. It differs from the JSM in its 'old school' flavor, and aesthetic. The best thing about the 535, in my opinion, is that it has 'soul'!
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It's a 2008 built by the original Heritage owners, which pre-dates the current Standard or Custom Core monikers. Originally Posted by DustinG
I neglected to state that it also has an ebony fretboard.
Last edited by Gitfiddler; 05-28-2025 at 08:09 PM.
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Wow, that's a great looking axe. Love the color, and the ebony!!! Originally Posted by Gitfiddler
It's a 2008 built by the original Heritage owners, which pre-dates the current Standard or Custom Core monikers.
I neglected to state that it also has an ebony fretboard.
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Two weeks ago I spent an hour with a new Japan-made Ibanez Scofield model. Ibanez obviously makes great hollowbodies at very reasonable prices. I had high expectations. The workmanship was rock solid throughout but the guitar was a real disappointment. It sounded flat, lifeless and cold. On top of that, if the neck pickup sounded somewhat OK-ish then the bridge pickup sounded terrible and v.v. I A/B’d it to a Gibson Memphis 335, an Epi 335 and my own Eastman Romeo and that Sco just didn’t cut it.
Aesthetically I adore 335’s and sonically I love what I hear when my heroes play them. But that body shape doesn’t really suit me and too often the pickups sound unbalanced. For those reasons I let go of a CS ‘58 VOS reissue that I was sure would be a lifer. The neck on that thing was unreal and it was so beautiful to see. Traded it for a PRS 594HB-II and (to me) that was such an improvement: smaller, very ergonomic, fully hollow but no unwanted feedback, extremely versatile. The Romeo is cut from the same cloth: small, ergonomic, fully hollow, two excellent humbucking pickups, versatile. But Romeo has a solid spruce top where the 594 has a solid maple top and back.
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The cheapest Ibanez AS-50 from 1980 was better than any 335 style, Gibson or otherwise, I've ever come across. I bought it from a friend with the understanding that if he ever wanted it back, I'd return it at the same price. It was my main guitar for years. 25 years later, when his son reached the guitar playing age of appreciation--I had to let it go.
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I recently sold may AS-200 and I'm thinking of selling my '14 Tokai ES-168 as well. I love the look of 335s but I much prefer the 1.75" nut guitars these days and I didn't like the Eastman I tried that was 335 shaped with that nut width. I've got a number of guitars with that nut width now, so while I'll likely miss looking at the Tokai (it has the nicest burst), but I don't really play her anymore.
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