Gibson ES-335 opinions?

[arwhite]

Anybody got opinions on the current crop of ES335 from Gibson? I've got the itch to try one out and just trying to talk myself into it now. Thanks!

[welshruss]

I bought a 2022 sunburst dot a few months ago. Love it, it’s currently my only electric and I just sold my telecaster as when I plug in I only want the 335.

I think Gibson are currently making great guitars. Go try one, that’s what I did. I like the big neck too.

[Bob Womack]

That itch was scratched for me in 2007 when my wife bought me a really nice Memphis ES-335. My understanding is that the current crop is first-rate. One thing I can tell you is that ES-335s are extremely individual instruments. I had access to about eleven locally at the time, everything from vintage to custom shop to USA Memphis guitars. I was looking for a "sweet" sounding ES-335. I found bright ones, powerful ones, dark ones, and finally one really sweet one, which was the one that came home. For a purchase like this, get your hands on actual instruments so you can get a choice of the actual character of the instrument.

Bob

[Glennwillow]

My first electric guitar was an ES-335 back in 1978. A friend told me I needed to go buy a Gibson Les Paul, but when I tried them out, I found that as an acoustic guitar player, I liked the ES-335 much better. It's still my favorite electric guitar, though I also greatly appreciate my Fender Strat.

My ES-335 has a pole splitting switch on the humbucker pickups and I have found that super useful for thinning out the sound at times.

- Glenn

[Gordon Currie]

Agree with everyone telling you to try them out.

I bought one relatively early (first decade of playing guitar). I already had a solid body SG, but I was trying to play Pat Metheny tunes and the SG did not cut the mustard.

It was visually gorgeous, with a tobacco sunburst to die for, but I was never able to raise the tone from the dead. It never sounded better than 'average.'

A good one will probably stay with you for life.

[Glennwillow]

This is a new thread I just posted in the Show & Tell section yesterday, very much an electric guitar song from Crowded House, a cover of "Don't Dream It's Over" from 1986. My Gibson ES-335 used in this song has the same kind of chorus effect and digital delay on it that Neil Finn used in the recording. To me, this is a good sounding guitar.

Note that my ES-335 has a coil splitting switch on it, the switch closest to the fretboard, and for this song the switch is engaged so that the two pickups being used are in single coil mode. And still the sound is quite solid sounding, not thin at all.

I hope this is helpful about what an ES-335 could sound like.

- Glenn

[arwhite]

Very cool! Great song and great job on it. Thanks for sharing that.

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

This is a new thread I just posted in the Show & Tell section yesterday, very much an electric guitar song from Crowded House, a cover of "Don't Dream It's Over" from 1986. My Gibson ES-335 used in this song has the same kind of chorus effect and digital delay on it that Neil Finn used in the recording. To me, this is a good sounding guitar.

Note that my ES-335 has a coil splitting switch on it, the switch closest to the fretboard, and for this song the switch is engaged so that the two pickups being used are in single coil mode. And still the sound is quite solid sounding, not thin at all.

I hope this is helpful about what an ES-335 could sound like.

- Glenn

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by arwhite

Very cool! Great song and great job on it. Thanks for sharing that.

Thanks AR.

- Glenn

[Mark L]

I’d suggest a Yamaha SA2200 unless “only a Gibson is good enough”.
New they’re just over $2K, and possibly less depending where you ask.

Used, well, there are 2 FS right now on a major electric guitar forum. Neither are mine, nor do I have any interest btw. Just saying.

Terrific build quality, beautiful burst finish, great pickups (usually slightly hotter than a 335) with push/push coil splitting on both pickups.

Simply a superb instrument in every way.

[Bob Womack]

I recorded mine as part of a "proof of concept" for recording at home and mixing at the studio. It is HERE. Leads and rhythm are both played on the bridge pickup with the tone control down at five.

Bob

[Chickee]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

I recorded mine as part of a "proof of concept" for recording at home and mixing at the studio. It is HERE. Leads and rhythm are both played on the bridge pickup with the tone control down at five.

Bob

Man, I like that Bob. I could have done with another five minutes of those guitars going through my head.
frank d.

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by Chickee

Man, I like that Bob. I could have done with another five minutes of those guitars going through my head.
frank d.

Thank you!

Bob

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

I recorded mine as part of a "proof of concept" for recording at home and mixing at the studio. It is HERE. Leads and rhythm are both played on the bridge pickup with the tone control down at five.

Bob

Some very nice sounds in there, Bob! It sounds great!

I have also found that turning the tone knob down to maybe 5-6 helps the bridge pickup sound less harsh, less "nasal."

Here is a video from Tim Pierce demonstrating a Black Star Studio 10 amp with his ES-335, and he refers to the bridge pickup sometimes sounding "nasily" at about 2:25 time on the video, and I know from some of his other videos that he also turns the tone knob down on the bridge pickup.



- Glenn

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Some very nice sounds in there, Bob! It sounds great!

I have also found that turning the tone knob down to maybe 5-6 helps the bridge pickup sound less harsh, less "nasal."

Here is a video from Tim Pierce demonstrating a Black Star Studio 10 amp with his ES-335, and he refers to the bridge pickup sometimes sounding "nasily" at about 2:25 time on the video, and I know from some of his other videos that he also turns the tone knob down on the bridge pickup.



- Glenn

Yeah, I typically do it on all of my Gibson four-knob guitars. The only downside is that it mucks up the middle position but that is correctable by rolling it back open! The biggest things it does is make switching between neck and bridge smooth and makes the bridge pickup smoother.

Bob

[FrankHudson]

My comments can be discounted as I don't, and never have, owned a Gibson branded 335.

I have owned: a 20th century Aria 339 size with a Varitone, whose previous owner had swapped in Gibson humbuckers for decades, and for a few years a more recent Epiphone P90 equipped 339, and finally an Epiphone ES-335.

The often mentioned "most versatile" summary has been slow to grow on me, but over the years I've come to understand some of that. Versatile is more at the player (and even other parts of the electric guitar system, like effects, amp, and amp settings), but there a good variety of sounds in them.

Observations? The typical Gibson control set does allow the different mix of volumes and tone knob settings (good!), but it makes some other kinds of manipulation more difficult. My guitar "hometown" is the Fender Telecaster, and the "master tone/master volume" thing has it's plus and minuses, but I particularly like the easy ability to do pinky volume swells which is near impossible on the 335.

There can be some hollow-body resonance in the ones I have. My current theory is that microphonic pickups assist with this. My Guild Starfire 1 (similar to 335 size body) has this to a greater degree than my Epi 335. I've also heard more resonance in the true hollow-body thinlines, but again I think pickups can be a larger factor than generally acknowledged.

Weight and body size can be a consideration. I have no idea how much weight variation there is with Gibson 335s, but my Epi is acceptable, but not ideal. I do find the 339 size a bit easier to work with, particularly in that I'm often engineering and running sessions with a guitar around my neck.