Gibson ES-335 opinions?

[DCCougar]

Originally Posted by arwhite

Anybody got opinions on the current crop of ES335 from Gibson?

The 335 has always been ICONIC.

[arwhite]

Tell me more about your Epiphone 335. The good, the bad, and the ugly so to speak.

Originally Posted by 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.

[jseth]

I hate 'em... Ha! That's why I've had my ES-345 since 1975... it's been pretty much a 335 since the early 80's, when I had the varitone switch yanked out of it...

The guitar has been so modified at this point that it really has only a little of it's vintage value... were it completely stock, in the shape it's in I would guess I could get upwards of $5k for it, but I'm not interested in selling it!

I have Seymour Duncan pickups in it (Jeff Beck for the bridge and a PAF '59 in the neck), with individual coil taps. Fatter frets, too.

My 345 was very unstable, so far as tuning goes... I didn't notice it at first (bought it used but immaculate), but that became a real sticking point for me... I tried everything, from swapping out the tuning machines to having the nut filed and then replaced, to getting rid of the trapeze tailpiece and getting a stop bar, to having ALL brass saddle, tailpiece and nut... nothing would get the guitar to remain in tune for more than a song at a time...

Until I finally had the face of the guitar routed to accept a Kahler locking nut and tremelo system! Had this done in 1983, a very clean install... and since then the guitar is the most stable instrument I have! Go figure... I don't use the trem arm often, but it's nice to have it when you want it... and even after using it, the guitar holds tune really well!

I use the middle position with the coil taps engaged quite often, especially for anything funky... gets a fair approximation of a classic Strat sound... but my favorite position, by far, is the neck pickup on full humbucker... smooth, rich and creamy - the way I love my coffee! Kidding, but it's a marvelous tone.

There are several companies that make or have made really good copies of a 335... the aforementioned Yamaha, the Heritage version - those are a couple of my favorites. Truth be told, both of those have much better fit and finish than a Gibson.

I absolutely agree with the sentiment of playing the guitar before you buy it, comparing it to other 335s... they really can vary in both tone and feel. Play it unplugged a bit; a good one will resonate and sound lovely with no amplification... not going to be loud or anything, but you'll get the idea of what the tone of that guitar really is and how it sustains all over the neck.

I have not played any of the current offerings from Gibson. As always, Gibson's fit and finish can be questionable, so REALLY take a close look at whatever guitar you are considering purchasing...

Good luck! Let us all know what you decide upon...

[FrankHudson]

Originally Posted by arwhite

Tell me more about your Epiphone 335. The good, the bad, and the ugly so to speak.

The short version: I got it and the Epi 339 P90 nearly the same time. I thought maybe I'd keep one, instead I kept both. The Epi ES-335 Pro came with a near perfect setup, fretwork nice, and the Epi humbucker pickups were good enough I've had no desire to swap them. The 339 on the other hand had a couple of high frets I had to deal with. Neither are fine-craftsmanship instruments, you can see rough spots in the f-holes etc, but this is not something I care about much. The humbuckers split, not to make a great sound by themselves in a featured part (like most splitable humbuckers, frankly) but it's an occasionally useful option.

Neck is an odd carve, hint at a U shape with more shoulder than many generic necks. This also has not been a big issue to me, but could be a deal breaker to others. Mine is from the generation before the IBG makeovers.

[arwhite]

I finally pulled the trigger last week. I never did find one locally to play first though I was able to check out an Epiphone ES335. It was okay but not really to my liking. So I emailed my dude at Sweetwater and he made me a deal on a new Gibson ES335. I've had it a few days now and am absolutely thrilled with it. Sweet guitar. Feels like it was made for me. Very happy with it and enjoying it tremendously. I hate I waited this long to get one now.

[6L6]

Originally Posted by 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

My experience too. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

[pieterh]

Originally Posted by arwhite

I finally pulled the trigger last week. I never did find one locally to play first though I was able to check out an Epiphone ES335. It was okay but not really to my liking. So I emailed my dude at Sweetwater and he made me a deal on a new Gibson ES335. I've had it a few days now and am absolutely thrilled with it. Sweet guitar. Feels like it was made for me. Very happy with it and enjoying it tremendously. I hate I waited this long to get one now.

Congratulations! Got any pics to share with us fellow 335-lovers?

[Steve DeRosa]

I like big-body double-cut semis in general, and I could use something in that vein with full-size humbuckers in my arsenal - thing is I prefer the early-60's style thin flat-C necks, and I really can't justify sinking $6-7K into something from the Custom Shop collection ('61 RI/'64 RI/Marcus King 345) if it's going to be essentially a niche guitar for me...

[Vigier]

If you haven’t already,you might want to check out the Sire H7 Larry Carlton 355 copy Steve,it’s got a lovely thin neck with rolled edge fingerboard,it might be what you’re looking for.very reasonable in price too

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by arwhite

I finally pulled the trigger last week. I never did find one locally to play first though I was able to check out an Epiphone ES335. It was okay but not really to my liking. So I emailed my dude at Sweetwater and he made me a deal on a new Gibson ES335. I've had it a few days now and am absolutely thrilled with it. Sweet guitar. Feels like it was made for me. Very happy with it and enjoying it tremendously. I hate I waited this long to get one now.

Congratulations AR! Good for you! I'm glad you are happy with your new ES-335!

I have learned to appreciate my ES-335 more and more over the years.

- Glenn

[Beachrunner]

I scored a new 2017 335 Studio from the CME Memphis blowout of that same year, and I absolutely love it.

I got it for an unbelievably low price at that blowout. I noticed that these are now going for well over twice what I paid for mine.

So for once, I jumped on a good deal before waiting too long and missing out...

[Maicobmw]

I have a 2011 Memphis dot, satin cherry. Simply a fabulous instrument, nothing else quite like it.

[Rolph]

Real nice job on the Neil Finn tune!!!!

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

[Rolph]

Great Sounds, Mr Womack.!!!!

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

[pieterh]

Originally Posted by Beachrunner

I scored a new 2017 335 Studio from the CME Memphis blowout of that same year, and I absolutely love it.

I got it for an unbelievably low price at that blowout. I noticed that these are now going for well over twice what I paid for mine.

So for once, I jumped on a good deal before waiting too long and missing out...

That’s gorgeous!

I got my wine red 2016-studio ex-demo for about 50-60% new price in 2017. They didn’t have the pick guard then - did yours come with it or did you add it afterwards?