Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Dmoney on November 23, 2010, 12:32:29 PM
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New Semi Hollow Guitar Day,
After looking at expensive ES-336's and ES-339's, I popped into Angel Music and Frank JPF pointed me in the direction of this thing.
It's a Gibson ES-333.
I like it a lot.
It's a full size semi hollow as opposed to the smaller 336 and 339's. It's basically a ES-335 cheapo.
The advantage is the rear access panel for the wiring.
It feels really nice. It has a switchcraft jack and toggle switch. I'm not sure if those are original. It has also had one pot changed and the split shaft from another pot is broken. I need to replace some pots, but I'll probably replace them all in one go, along with the tiny ceramic caps.
It is meant to have a 490R and 498T. 498T in the bridge. It seems really hot! I've used a 498T before, but this doesn't really clean up at all. Even with my Avenger's preamp gain on 2, I have to turn the bridge pup almost all the way down to get a clean tone.
Below are some pics.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/xtattybobx/IMAG0185-1.jpg?t=1290514547)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/xtattybobx/IMAG0189-1.jpg?t=1290514574)
This is also a 333...
(http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p81/dynasonic/Music%20Gear/03%20333/GibsonES-33303003.jpg)
...It has been polished and a few bits changed. knobs, maybe pickup covers, etc... It looks very much like a 60's 335! quite nice. So, this is what my Polishing thread in the tech pages has been about...
I plan on getting some new pickups for it. with aged nickel covers. maybe Emeralds.
possibly changed the knobs
get some 500K pots in there.
shine it up.
i may or may not add a scratchplate... i probably won't.
possibly change the tuners cos these feel a touch loose. not sure what to go for if i do that...
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It looks very cool. From the front it is just like a 335. A set of Riff-Raff's might be nice in it. I would change the knobs because I don't like black hat box knobs!
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Nice, I'd really like one of those.
Paddy
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Mine has speed knobs currently.
I agree. I'm undecided on the hat knobs.
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Congrats! :)
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Nice buy! :D
And the spiffed-up one looks bloody fantastic. You should deffo change some parts and hardware, even if you don't go for the polished finish.
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I'm stuck on what to go for.
Locking Kluson?
Fake 58 aged tulip Klusons?
double ring nickel Klusons?
what knobs? I do like speed knobs but I can't help but think there might be something better.
as for how it plays and sounds so far (even it its aggressive) it feels and sounds awesome!
going to be a great tool next to my les paul for sure!
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What tuners does it have now, the Kluson lookalikes with screw-in bushings? The TonePros/Kluson TPKB3 set is a good direct replacement, and there's a locking version too.
http://www.toneproskluson.com/models.html (http://www.toneproskluson.com/models.html)
And reflector knobs like the ones in the picture, for sure.
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The back of them does say kluson deluxe. single ring tulip pegs.
One or two just feels a touch loose.
the locking klusons look a bit brutal.
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I'm a big Grover fan so I would go with them. I also think the black reflectors would look great on it.
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yess!!! very nice, in fact i like the original finish and look. i like it alot - just as it is. very much my cup of tea.
i would put some obnoxious pickups (riff raffs?) in and rock out. i think aged double screw pole would be a good look in that thing.
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I don't want to have extra holes of anything like that showing. I think grovers would leave those. I like Grovers too.
I'm going to get some aged nickel kluson style ones.
right now the wiring has a jumper on the toggle, with the caps wired to the back of the tone pots.
I'm going to change it to 50's style wiring and get rid of that jumper.
defo going for the reflector knobs too. you all talked me into it!
Yeah Gwem, I'm tempted by Riff Raffs, Black Dogs sparked my interest a little... I'm tempted by Emeralds too, primarily because I know I like Emeralds as I've owned them in the past. Double screw pole? interesting!
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Yeah Gwem, I'm tempted by Riff Raffs, Black Dogs sparked my interest a little... I'm tempted by Emeralds too, primarily because I know I like Emeralds as I've owned them in the past. Double screw pole? interesting!
they put dirty fingers in some semi acoustic models in the 80s.. now i think they would lead to too much acoustic feedback in real use, but i think it would suit the stripped down look of yours.
edit: i have to say, the stock look leaves me drooling, its by far the coolest looking semi i've ever seen.
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I struck me by surprise that they would put a 498T in these. I think the DC resistance for a 498T is 13K or 14K. Not sure what the one in my guitar is but it rips the front of my amp. I don't want to mellow it out too much as it is kind of cool, though I haven't cranked it up yet to see how it handles feedback.
My les paul has cavity shielding and so on. I don't know whether to add that to the pickup cavities. I'm going to use single core braided shield throughout when I rewire it. So I guess the wiring will be shielded pretty well anyway. I read somewhere about people adding foam to pup cavities to reduce feedback. seems extreme. maybe steve vai does that.
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My les paul has cavity shielding and so on. I don't know whether to add that to the pickup cavities.
Shielding a semi is a bit of a non-starter, so much of the body is hollow you really can't reach the walls of the cavities!
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I wouldnt have done those cavities. just the pups. but its probably not worth it.
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Very nice. I will be intrested to here what pickups you go for forthis one.
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Oh WOW! That guitar is sex on stick!!! :lol:
Lovely, lovely, lovely - and like gwem, I'm loving the look of the finish as is, but the polished one looks kinda cute as well. I'm almost feeling GAS stirrings here...
I can't really tell from the pic, but I'm guessing it's not like the finishes on the Fadeds - it looks flatter and that maybe it does have clear coat(s). In which case, I'd probably not do my Briwax thing on it. That's been really effective on making my Faded SG "glow" righteously, but I'm not sure it would do the same job on this. If I wanted to go shiny on this one, I probably would start looking at t-cut like Philly and Wez suggested.
If it is nitro, one thing worth mentioning might be what I've been doing to my Roadworn strats. From new, they are very "flat" and unloved-looking... polish them lovingly with a dry soft cloth while you're watching the telly and they start shining and glowing in just a couple of weeks.
Anyway, that's a fine, fine looking guitar there... congratulations :D
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its flatter because its on maple - therefore it wont have the open grained feel of the mahogany guitars (except on its mahogany neck). This also solves the problem of getting compound stuck in the grain (except on its mahogany neck).
just did a search and found this 04 faded 333 thats been polished
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/bobbymack/333a.jpg)
apparently done with turtle wax polishing compound. its still quite orange peely in a straight from the spray gun way
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I've seen that pick.
The neck is pretty glossy anyway. probably from playing. so i don't intend to touch it.
I might try and just polish it up a lot first, see how it looks. On reflection, If im using aged nickel parts, it might be odd to have a super glossy body.
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Lovely!
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very nice
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Congrats- that is a great looking guitar. I was recommended to Virtuoso cleaner and polish though as my 339 is newish, it was just a question of light cleaning whereas for the heavy duty stuff I am not sure. The Virtuoso cleaner does clear off gunge on old finishes and the polish is superb. I had to get both from the USA though at $10 per bottle plus postage ( though actually my Brother picked some up for me when he was last there). In fact I have been busy a a polishin' and a shinin' tonight and my 339 looks lovely- ready for me to sweat over at the next gig.
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Here's some more pics with a bit more light.
finish isn't as faded as some of the pics I've seen of the same model 333 online.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/xtattybobx/IMAG0192.jpg?t=1290554019)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/xtattybobx/IMAG0194.jpg?t=1290554021)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/xtattybobx/IMAG0193.jpg?t=1290554087)
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that thing is great 8) edit: i want it badly
how about a picture of the rear?
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Pure rock! Nice guitar man! Now some Mules in it, Riff Raffs or VHII's.
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Cor! I've got proper GAS for one of these! New amp calls first though!
Paddy
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the back......
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/xtattybobx/IMAG0197.jpg?t=1290598008)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/xtattybobx/IMAG0196.jpg?t=1290598087)
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that access panel must be a joy
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My les paul has cavity shielding and so on. I don't know whether to add that to the pickup cavities.
Shielding a semi is a bit of a non-starter, so much of the body is hollow you really can't reach the walls of the cavities!
The best thing about the ES333 is that it has a rear control panel that lets you get to the electronics easily
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Just seen the newer pics - yumyum...
Where do you get these??! I did a little hunting the other night and reached the conclusion they're not made no more... so second hand... is that right?
Not that I want one... no... not all... must resist... etc... :lol:
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The best thing about the ES333 is that it has a rear control panel that lets you get to the electronics easily
Truly the words of someone who repairs quitars!
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got some new bits on the way for this...
CTS 500K pot to replace the broken pot.
Orange drop caps to replace the teenie tiny ceramic ones.
also... got some new pickups on the way! gonna test it out before I say what I got... ps It isn't an Aftermath set.
a few people have had a go on this guitar now and most are surprised. they think its going to sound like a weedy jazz box but its actually hot enough to surprise people with its output.
now I need to start a band to use it in!!!
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UPDATE
Got some bits. stuck em on... kept all the old bits.
I like this look.
the pickups are aged raw nickel covered rebel yells!
the bridge pickup sounds incredible. clearer than the 498T but equally as aggressive, but it cleans up much better.
the rebel yell neck is mighty thick in this thing. I weighed up the suggestions, but i really liked the 498T. My original adventure into BKPs started with a 498T, then to Emeralds, then to Rebel Yells. so I went back to Rebel Yells for for higher output A5's.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/xtattybobx/IMAG0212.jpg?t=1291574968)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/xtattybobx/IMAG0211.jpg?t=1291574925)
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Looking good!
(Off topic, but how did you find the Emeralds compared with the Gibson pickups and Rebel Yells? I'm familiar with the 498T/490R and RY, but still haven't tried Emeralds)
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Really cool!
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Looking good!
(Off topic, but how did you find the Emeralds compared with the Gibson pickups and Rebel Yells? I'm familiar with the 498T/490R and RY, but still haven't tried Emeralds)
well, I was just trying to remember what guitar i was searching for pickups for. I remember I went to Wunjo Music as they use BKP;s in the guitars they make, so I could try them out. However they only used black dogs and emeralds. I didn't like the black dogs so i went with the emeralds.
I had used 498/490 in an SG special i used to own, and applied that to a gordon smith. The Emeralds went into my Les Paul Custom, replacing 'the original' HB humbuckers. So for a time I had a few guitars with 498T/490R and the LPC with the calibrated Emeralds set. The emeralds are warm and sound great in a les paul. a nice balance of frequencies and detail. When I started using these, I stopped using a noise suppressor completely.
My issue originally was that I didn't find them giving quite the edge that the 498T was. It was a few years ago and I was really only concerned with sounding heavy and clean was an afterthought. I emailed Tim and asked about what to go for while saying I really liked the Emeralds. His suggestion was the RY's. He said the RY's are very much like the emeralds with a stronger output. Once I got the RY's in I loved them.
incidentally, I now have nailbombs in my Les Paul. Those came via a EC-1000 that had 490R/Miracle Man bridge which then got swapped to nailbombs. Then the nailbombs and RY's got exchanged. I REALLY liked the RY's in the EC-1000 and I REALLY liked the nailbombs in the LPC.
that was long. hope it made sense. you could condense it to one sentence really.
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Very useful, thanks! I had a RY bridge for a while and found it a bit too "modern" sounding. Been considering the Emeralds for a while as something fairly bright but still relatively vintage sounding.
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Maybe somewhat off topic, but that's what I love about the Crawler. More output, but a lot of vintagecharacter. Cleans up great too.
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The 333 looks great, I would not do any more. No polishing, it's perfect like that!
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agreed.
I'm not going to polish it.
I rewired it because one of the split shafts had broken. It was a weird spiders nest inside. I wired it like this...
(http://www.doctorvintage.com/images/drv_es_harness_2.jpg)
and converted it to 50's tone wiring.
It's better that way. no cables crossing the f hole. which in my mind is a 33X no no!
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cool idea to fit rebel yells. do you have enough low end?
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yeah I do. I was just jamming again a bit louder before work. The bridge pup definitely cuts. I did back off the treble coming out my amp a bit though, but not massively. The neck is super thick. If i roll the tone right down it sounds crazy. With a fuzz between that and the amp it would just sound like like some fat distorted tone generator.
I REALLY like the bridge... I the neck will need getting used to a little.
I'm closer to getting a better setup for recording from my amp. I just need to fix an XLR to Jack cable. Then I might be able to get some tones out of it for the players section... although then I'd have to think of something to play!
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yeah I do. I was just jamming again a bit louder before work. The bridge pup definitely cuts. I did back off the treble coming out my amp a bit though, but not massively. The neck is super thick. If i roll the tone right down it sounds crazy. With a fuzz between that and the amp it would just sound like like some fat distorted tone generator.
I REALLY like the bridge... I the neck will need getting used to a little.
I'm closer to getting a better setup for recording from my amp. I just need to fix an XLR to Jack cable. Then I might be able to get some tones out of it for the players section... although then I'd have to think of something to play!
cool, i was kind of curious, because I found my rebel yell was lacking bass in my V90, but I later put it in an Agile Les Paul where it sounds ridiculously large. so was wondering how it worked in your semi
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the bridge works well. I tend to play with a bit too much low end as it is. so its cool.
I loved the RY in my les paul, but when I put them in my EC-1000 (a smaller bodied mahogany les paul shaped thing) they just seemed to fit so much better.
I tried a MM in my les paul once and that felt like it had too much low end for me. I didn't expect to like nailbombs in my LP as much as I ended up doing.
I was a bit worried too. I almost went with the riff raffs, but I fancied something a little different and I thought the 498T was a bit high output and modern for a semi hollow. I think the RY has about the same level of output with more clarity. So i guess it wasn't a huge difference from what was there in terms of output or how modern the pickup was. the 498T is probably quite far away from a vintage PAF.
Right now I feel like i need to jam on the neck pup some more to get settled. I'm going to do some A/B'ing with my les paul.
my 333 now has 50s tone wiring! and my les paul has modern! haha. yes i changed the 333 after reading your thread!
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I want to try more pickups in this... hmmm.
not because I dislike what is there.... just to try some more sounds out...
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No equipped with VHII's!
i like the VHII neck. need to play it the guitar louder. only got 10mins at low levels before work.
ps. for those who read my outburst and were offended. my apologies.
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Did I miss your outburst? I didn't read something like that. Thx for sharing your experiences with the different pickups. Very usefull. Have fun with this beautifull ES-baby.