The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Electric Guitars

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #16  
Old 01-23-2017, 06:18 AM
Bob Womack's Avatar
Bob Womack Bob Womack is offline
Guitar Gourmet
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Between Clever and Stupid
Posts: 26,963
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by DanR View Post
Nice playing and tone, btw ♫
Thank you kindly!

Bob
__________________
"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' "
Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring

THE MUSICIAN'S ROOM (my website)
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 01-23-2017, 03:08 PM
HNS HNS is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Fairfax, Virginia
Posts: 313
Default

Bob: Great playing ! and thanks for your input .

Steve : Thanks a million that's good advice. I already have DRRI, but the Bugera is a good amp as well. How do you feel about the king Kingpin, it was on my initial list.

Blue: You're right, I'm getting older as well, a guitar has to feel good on the couch or chair. I just play for fun at home. Les Pauls are really body heavy! So you're 100% right, ergonomics first. In that case the PRS, or my strat or tele.

Mike: How does it sit on your lap sitting down? I even looked at the CS 336 ... nice size, but ergonomically, it was body heavy, which is exactly what I hate most about Les Pauls and one of the reasons why I started the search in the first place. I was offered a Heritage H575 though. Not bad !!

Dan: Nice guitar !

vindibona1: Thanks !
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 01-23-2017, 04:28 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Staten Island, NY - for now
Posts: 14,965
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nayoud View Post
...How do you feel about the Kingpin, it was on my initial list...I'm getting older as well, a guitar has to feel good on the couch or chair. I just play for fun at home. Les Pauls are really body heavy! So you're 100% right, ergonomics first...
I own two Godin archtops - an all-acoustic cognacburst 5th Avenue and a blonde CW II electric - the latter bought from an Amazon Christmas Day stealth sale a few years ago; the dual P-90 pickups give it an early-50s ES-175 visual/tonal vibe, but more lively like an old Brooklyn Gretsch thanks to the lightweight woods used in its construction (probably about half the thickness of a typical all-lam archtop). In terms of weight, mine tips the scales at just a hair over five pounds - about as much as a typical dread/small-jumbo acoustic (my couch guitar, BTW ) - it sounds fabulous with flatwound 13's, and factory setup/QC is good enough that I've needed no adjustment whatsoever even with the heavier strings (comes from the factory with wound-G 11's TMK). You could literally gig this one right out of the box if need be; in my book that's the ultimate testament to quality - and it won't cost you an arm, a leg, and a couple other indispensable body parts to get it...

Bottom line: if you're a rockabilly/roots, early soul/R&B, first-wave Brit Invasion, blues, or jazz player you need one of these, period; sounds killer through a nice tube amp (I've run it through a '65 Super Reverb RI, my mildly-modded Bugera V22, and the '64 Ampeg Rocket I got brand new back in sixth grade - as well as a couple decent solid-state rigs - and I just can't get a bad sound out of it), and FWIW I understand Tony Bennett's guitarist is using one - I'd tend to think that both of them know a little something about tone...
__________________
"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool"
- Sicilian proverb (paraphrased)
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 01-23-2017, 04:39 PM
HNS HNS is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Fairfax, Virginia
Posts: 313
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
I own two Godin archtops - an all-acoustic cognacburst 5th Avenue and a blonde CW II electric - the latter bought from an Amazon Christmas Day stealth sale a few years ago; the dual P-90 pickups give it an early-50s ES-175 visual/tonal vibe, but more lively like an old Brooklyn Gretsch thanks to the lightweight woods used in its construction (probably about half the thickness of a typical all-lam archtop). In terms of weight, mine tips the scales at just a hair over five pounds - about as much as a typical dread/small-jumbo acoustic (my couch guitar, BTW ) - it sounds fabulous with flatwound 13's, and factory setup/QC is good enough that I've needed no adjustment whatsoever even with the heavier strings (comes from the factory with wound-G 11's TMK). You could literally gig this one right out of the box if need be; in my book that's the ultimate testament to quality - and it won't cost you an arm, a leg, and a couple other indispensable body parts to get it...

Bottom line: if you're a rockabilly/roots, early soul/R&B, first-wave Brit Invasion, blues, or jazz player you need one of these, period; sounds killer through a nice tube amp (I've run it through a '65 Super Reverb RI, my mildly-modded Bugera V22, and the '64 Ampeg Rocket I got brand new back in sixth grade - as well as a couple decent solid-state rigs - and I just can't get a bad sound out of it), and FWIW I understand Tony Bennett's guitarist is using one - I'd tend to think that both of them know a little something about tone...

Steve: Thanks ! I'm into blues mainly and jazz/blues .... that's where the 335 lust comes from. I played a Kingpin a few weeks ago, but the strings were totally dead. I couldn't draw any conclusions out of that one time. I also played a 335 "bourbonburst" that day and it was fabulous, even compared to the other dots that were in the shop. I've yet to try a full gibson archtop.

I guess I got to try the kingpins again. They're not easy to come by in my neck of the woods, but I had a Godin multiac a few years back. I really like their workmanship, down to earth and good instruments. 13 flatwounds, that must give you a great jazzy tone !
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 01-23-2017, 05:27 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Staten Island, NY - for now
Posts: 14,965
Default

Kingpin's great if you want that T-Bone Walker/Charlie Christian vibe, but practically speaking I find the two-pickup/cutaway CW II a far more versatile instrument; BTW, if you find 13's a little too heavy for your intended use there'd be no problem going down to 12's - overall you need a slightly heavier string with this type of guitar anyway, to get some "wood" into your tone (the raison d'etre for these instruments in the first place) - and with the short scale and light action you should have no problem bending. If you can't find one in your neck of the woods to try out - a little surprising since you're located in the Baltimore/Washington area - IME the quality is so high and consistent that I wouldn't hesitate to order one sight unseen/unheard from a reputable Internet dealer like Sweetwater:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/5AvCWK2CNB
__________________
"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool"
- Sicilian proverb (paraphrased)
Reply With Quote
  #21  
Old 01-24-2017, 10:51 AM
Scotso Scotso is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,449
Default

Do not be shy of Heritage. Have owned both a 335 and a Heritage 535. The 535 was a better guitar for me. I also own a Prospect...the smaller version. They are a lot of guitar for the money vs the 335. Build quality is spectacular and made at same plant the Kalamazoo Gibsons were made by many of the same folks. At least until they move.
Reply With Quote
  #22  
Old 01-24-2017, 01:51 PM
g4vrr57 g4vrr57 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: River Thames Delta, West London.
Posts: 28
Default

Another vote for the 335. The Heritage mentioned is great too. I have a Heritage Sweet16 and it's lush. Also, with the Heritage it's going to be carved solid timbers, whereas the Gibson's have been laminated and pressed since the war? I stand to be corrected there because I'm just trotting out what I've read, but the bottom line is I'd pick a Heritage over Gibson any day. (Especially judging by the "quality" of my 2007 Firebird...)

I also have a Yamaha SA2000 which just sounds so sweet, looks great and plays so well that I find it impossible to envisage that a Gibson 335 would have the edge over it. I would imagine any number of other wannabees from the Fuji Gen Gakki plant are equally as good? (an old argument that has been done to death.)

Good luck in your search, the journey is half of the fun.

e&oe...
__________________
e&oe...
Reply With Quote
  #23  
Old 01-24-2017, 03:23 PM
moon moon is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Scotland YES!
Posts: 1,983
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nayoud View Post
Honestly, I'm unsure what to do, the difference between these guitars and the Les Paul - although clearly audible to me- may not be enough to "pays your money and make your choice"
What kind of pickups are in the Les Paul? If the LP has medium or high output pickups, a 335 with traditional low-wind humbuckers should sound noticeably different.
Reply With Quote
  #24  
Old 01-24-2017, 05:12 PM
HNS HNS is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Fairfax, Virginia
Posts: 313
Default

Steve: Thanks a million.

Scotso: Thanks, will try to find them around here, and report back.

g4vrr57: The Yamaha has been on my list of "to try" guitars.

Moon: It has low output Alnico V Burstbucker Pro's. They're brighter, less mid heavy (and less warm) and lower output than the 57's & the BB 1-2-3.

Thank you all for these comments
Cheers
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Electric Guitars

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:54 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=