Stick with tele or get a 335 style guitar?

[anton]

I'm a mostly fingerstyle player on guitar and clawhammer banjo. But I have a baja tele and few nice amps, and like messing around on electric. I like the Baja fine but have some money to play with and thought I might look into trying another style guitar.

Things I like about the baja. Love the neck and the frets. The tele body style and simple controls are comfy and easy to use. The bridge string spacing while narrower than an acoustic is doable for fingerpicking. It looks to be the same as a 335, about two inches.

On the downside it is one of the heavier ones, and yellow finish is not that appealing. I find myself mostly on the neck pickup, or middle, at least when playing clean. I am not much into that tele twang.

I saw a picture of martin simpson playing an eastman t64 and thought I should check out some 330 and 335 style guitars. No eastmans to play locally, but there 335's and a Collings I35. I think I could get used to that body style. Obviously a bigger lower bout than a tele but not that far from the acoustics I have.

Do folks fingerpick on 335 style guitars? Are humbuckers to dark and muddy for that? Maybe sticking with the clarity and simplicity of a tele would be better? The Eastman t59 has a wider nut at 2 1/4, and a flatter fingerboard radius. That might be nice for fingerpicking.

[stephenT]

You can fingerpick on any guitar of course, though IMO single coil pickups work better for string separation and clarity when fingerpicking. Maybe check out some upscale teles if you have an itch for a new guitar, something lighter.

Not a fan of 335 style guitars myself so can't comment there, but lot's of folks love em.

[Glennwillow]

I have a Tele and a Gibson ES-335. Both are nice, but if you are not into the Tele twang, you might appreciate the sound of an ES-335. It is quite a bit lighter than a Tele. I don't know what an Eastman ES-335 clone sounds like, but I do have an Eastman archtop with a pickup that sounds really good, a model AR910CE.

In fact, the AR910CE sounds much better for fingerstyle tunes than my Gibson ES-335. I always play the Eastman archtop with my bare fingers. With the ES-335 I sometimes play with bare fingers, sometimes use a flat pick. I have mostly used my ES-335 as a rock-n-roll guitar and my Eastman for playing fingerstyle jazz tunes. The ES-335 is also a terrific electric blues guitar.

- Glenn

[frankmcr]

Originally Posted by anton

I'm a mostly fingerstyle player on guitar and clawhammer banjo. But I have a baja tele and few nice amps, and like messing around on electric. I like the Baja fine but have some money to play with and thought I might look into trying another style guitar.

Things I like about the baja. Love the neck and the frets. The tele body style and simple controls are comfy and easy to use. The bridge string spacing while narrower than an acoustic is doable for fingerpicking. It looks to be the same as a 335, about two inches.

On the downside it is one of the heavier ones, and yellow finish is not that appealing. I find myself mostly on the neck pickup, or middle, at least when playing clean. I am not much into that tele twang.

I saw a picture of martin simpson playing an eastman t64 and thought I should check out some 330 and 335 style guitars. No eastmans to play locally, but there 335's and a Collings I35. I think I could get used to that body style. Obviously a bigger lower bout than a tele but not that far from the acoustics I have.

Do folks fingerpick on 335 style guitars? Are humbuckers to dark and muddy for that? Maybe sticking with the clarity and simplicity of a tele would be better? The Eastman t59 has a wider nut at 2 1/4, and a flatter fingerboard radius. That might be nice for fingerpicking.

Oh, definitely get another guitar. Here's an example of the kind of thing you simply cannot do with a tele:

[Steel and wood]

Yes, nothing stopping you from fingerpicking on any guitar.

Having said that, I too own a Telecaster and I too for whatever reason am not inspired to fingerpick on it. (Prefer to do it on my Martin or my Samick Greg Bennett Royale semi if I'm feeling Chet inspired).

Lots of love out there for Gibson 335's (they don't do a whole lot for me though) but they're expensive for what they are and my Royale semi is nearly if not as good at about a quarter the price. (I'm guessing).

Try a Gretsch Electromatic semi is but one suggestion. (Fantastic value for money and might inspire the Chet in you).

Good luck!

[zemgit]

If you add an Eastman thinline to your search -- the T59/v is tremendous!! -- you will appreciate the wider 1-3/4" nut width that they offer compared to the 1-5/8" on a Gibson 335. I believe that all of the Eastman thinlines have the wider nut width. They have ebony fingerboards and first-rate pickups and electronics. Most Eastman dealers will sell them for several hundred below the MAP.

[raysachs]

Are you thinking about ADDING a 335 or REPLACING your Baja with a 335? If adding, go for it. You’ll have both and can see how much you like them both and see how much use they each get. If you’re thinking of replacing the Baja, I’d tread more carefully. At least try to hang onto the Baja long enough to get past the honeymoon period with the 335 and see how much you reach for each of them. I have a tele (a roadworn, but I’ve had a Baja in the past and liked it) and a strat. I’ve had various semi-hollows and liked them a lot at first, but ended up selling each because once past the initial flurry, ended up reaching for the Fenders all the time. Turns out I just don’t much like humbuckers. Had a couple with P90s too, and I really like P90s a lot, but still didn’t play them enough to keep em. Give yourself a chance to own both for a while and find out what you like longer term. If you just sell the Baja to buy a 335, that how regrets happen. Because they’re very different guitars...

-Ray

[Bob Womack]

Though I use other guitars, I do a lot of sessions with just an ES-335 and a Tele and I play both with picks and with fingers. The '57 Classics pickups Gibson puts in the ES-335 are really nice pickups with plenty of upper end to give articulation.


Bob

[M Sarad]

I have had a 330, three 335s, and a 345. I loved just one, the ‘62 with PAFs. The last one I owned played perfectly and sounded awful. I sold it to a friend who won’t sell it back.
If I were to get it, I would probably put Duncan Antiquities in it.

That being said, I have a Tele I play both country and blues on.

[Jaden]

A heavy telecaster isn’t something I find comfortable - with two light weight Teles I’m not for want of a good electric guitar - weight has been an issue, either felt near the knee or over the shoulder. Looking for a replacement Tele might be a good way to go.

As for 335 style, I would go Gretsch without any hesitation.

[RussL30]

Originally Posted by M Sarad

I have had a 330, three 335s, and a 345. I loved just one, the ‘62 with PAFs. The last one I owned played perfectly and sounded awful. I sold it to a friend who won’t sell it back.
If I were to get it, I would probably put Duncan Antiquities in it.

That being said, I have a Tele I play both country and blues on.

The Antiquities are great pickups. I have them in my older Korean Sheraton and it really makes it sound like a high end semi hollow. I really love them for blues.

If I was the OP and don’t like the Tele bridge pickup, I would probably pursue the 335 style of guitar.

[seannx]

I got my Eastman T185MX instead of a Gibson 335. At about 1/2 the price, the specs are very similar, with the Eastman having a slightly smaller lower bout and a solid maple top. The fit and finish is excellent, and the pickups sound great. I also love the neck.

Neck Material:Mahogany
Fingerboard:Ebony
Fingerboard Radius:12"
Neck Profile:Traditional Even "C"
Nut:Bone 1 3/4"
1st Fret String Height:.022"
12th Fret String Height:Bass .078" & Treble .062"
Fretwire:22 Medium Jumbo Jescar 47104
Scale Length:25"
Body Style:15" Thinline
Body Dimensions:15" x 1 3/4"
Body Top:Solid Maple
Body Back/Sides:Solid Mahogany
Truss Rod:Single Acting
Binding:Body, Neck, Headstock
Binding Material:Flamed Maple
Logo:Pearl Headstock
Inlay:Pearl Dots
Finish:Nitrocellulose
Hardware Color:Nickel
Tailpiece:Gotoh
Bridge:Gotoh Tunomatic
Tuners:Gotoh SG301-05
Knobs:Amber Speed Knobs
Neck Pickup:Lollar Custom Wound Imperial Humbucker
Bridge Pickup:Lollar Custom Wound Imperial Humbucker
Pickup Height:3/32" bass side, 3/32" treble side
Pickup Frame:Black Plastic
3 Way Switch:Switchcraft
Switch Tip:Amber Switchcraft
Capacitors:0.047μF
Potentiometers:500K AudioTaper
Output Jack:Switchcraft
Strings: D’Addario NYXL .010 - .046
Case:Hardshell Case

[anton]

Thanks everyone for your input. Yea, I would be keeping the Baja Tele. I didnt pay a ton for it, and I love the neck, so might as well hold onto it. Something lighter with a nitro finish would be cool and more vibey, so maybe one day Ill get a lighter empty Tele body and swap everything out.

The Eastman thinlines are actually what I had my eye on. The T59 looks pretty nice and comes with Antiquity pickups. I was also eying the 185MX on reverb, there was a used one there for a good price. But I couldn't make up my mind and someone else snagged it. Its sort of a different thing with only a small block under the bridge. The slightly smaller lower bout would have been comfortable, but I think 16" is also fine based on playing 335's here in town.

[DukeX]

I have both a Tele and Epi 335 w/Antiquities. Both are great guitars that I enjoy tremendously. They are the only two electrics I own, and I doubt I'll ever tire of them.

However, I do not enjoy fingerpicking the 335 as much as the Tele. The 335 fretboard just seems a little cramped for my left hand for fingerpicking. Perhaps because of the short scale.

I haven't measured the string spacing at the nut or bridge.

[mr. beaumont]

As others have said, yeah, you can fingerpick on anything.

I don't think semi-hollows sound that much different than solidbodies, really. Try a full hollow electric if you really want something different.