Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: AndyR on July 27, 2011, 10:02:19 PM
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Nope, it's not what some folks might expect from me if I ever did go Custom Shop (some sort of stratty thing)...
It's an ES-335 Dot. And it would appear that all Gibson semis are "Custom Shop". This one is kinda like the Faded range, so not swanky as some of the things coming out of the "shop". But I do suddenly have a guitar with a certificate of authenticity now :lol:.
I've also finally broken my "I ain't paying more than a grand for a geetar" rule. I knew it was probably coming, and I knew that if I finally found a 335 I wanted it would definitely break that barrier.
I found it on DV247's website at the weekend, a "1959 ES-335 Dot Reissue in Translucent Black" for £1499. It has a satin finish, and there appears to be one other colour "faded cherry".
I have a feeling it's a new-ish model, I can't find any exact info about these on Gibson's web site. There is a 1959 ES-335 Dot Reissue range on there, but those are mostly glossy and expensive. I've found a few more of this one on sale on the internet, eg Thoman. And some of them seem to call it a "Memphis". The model number is ESDSTBKCH1 if you want to track it down somewhere (and now I have it in my hands I can confirm they're made in the Memphis shop, not the Nashville one).
I asked my local DV to get their one and only unit shipped to their branch so I could try it. I tried it, and it did the business (more than the Orange Thunder-something they got me to play through... Yuk! :lol:), so I bought it.
The blurb DV247 have on their website at the moment is actually for the main range. Eg this has chrome hardware, not nickel. And I'm not convinced this is a 50s neck - but neither am I convinced it's 60s either... it's kind of a cross between my Explorer and and my Faded SG (which has a blocky/clubby feel to it that I love).
Anyway, who gives a sh1t!! It's FAB!! :lol:
I've had a vague hankering for a 335 on and off for years. I used to have a Westone Rainbow, the very first one before they became the Rainbow I, it sounded great, but I only used it for open G stuff live. I sold it years ago when I needed some cash. I tried a more expensive glossy Gibson 335 a few years ago and I didn't like it at all. This one just felt right though.
The "translucent black" isn't that translucent. If you hold it at a severe angle in very severe light you can see the grain through it, but I think that might improve with time.
Trying it in the shop, it sounded ok through this Orange, enough for me to go "Yeah". When I got it home and put it through my trusty Laney CUB12, though... it is utterly god-like. It's unbelievable gorgeous. I believe it has 57 Classics in it. As set-up it was loads more aggressive than my Riff Raff'd SG. But the pickups were a spot close to the strings for my tastes - it was a bit grittier than I like. Out came the screwdriver and it's now even more gorgeous - scrunchy, biting, mellow, clean, raunchy, and all points in between just on the guitar controls. I suspect it will be monstrous through the AC4TV, but I won't be able to run that until the weekend.
The fretwork is amazing compared to the other Gibsons I own. Intonation is perfect at the moment, with plenty travel either direction for when I put my usual 11s on and raise the action slightly at the weekend.
Overall, I'm very pleased with it. Let's say VERY pleased :lol:. I thought it was good and a "must buy" in the shop. When I got it out the case and plugged in at home, it turned out it's even better than I thought. Not always the case, is it? :lol:
Please find enclosed a cr@ppy photograph (I'm a musician not a photographer! 8)).
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Nice one Andy - welcome to the £1,000+ Club! :lol:
I'm beginning to think Custom Shop is the only way to go with Gibson (although I do quite like the look of those rough-as-$%&# new Melody Maker models!)
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That is a very pretty guitar. I don't often get misty eyed about Gibsons but a good 335 is a lovely thing indeed.
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Very cool! :D
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Now THAT is cool - love it! I could see myself playing that...
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Wow! That's great !Lucky guy 8)!When you have the chance to try multiple guitars and,finally,find "the one",it's fantastic !Congrats !
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Congratz, you happy man. I've been wanting a 335 type guitar for some times now, but it will have to wait. Hope you'll enjoy your.
Oh, and yes: it looks really sexy in black. Me jealous ;)
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Congrats. This one is serious COOL. 8) Something different then cherryred.
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Oh very nice, welcome to the CS club, your bank manager will never forgive you...
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That looks such a blues guitar. Any idea of the weight?
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Really nice, Andy.
But...
You put 11's on your guitars??? Are you a masochist..?
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Thanks guys :D
Various responses:
@Twinfan: I was wondering about whether you'd go for it. I like my Tokai "LP", but I don't use it much, I much prefer my SG. Now I've got a thinline semi again, even in the few scant hours I was able to play last night, I know that the biggest loser in the AndyR armoury will be the LP. So that made me think that mebbe you'd go for this style as well (seeing as you're in the "I really want to like LPs but I don't seem to bond..." camp)
@choucas (and Philly to some extent :lol:): It is definitely blues and R&B coming out of it at the moment. It does some reasonable "jangling" as well, but the amp was too quiet to really tell how well yet. And it satisfies my rock-cravings big-time. It's actually a lot more versatile than I was expecting. As to weight (Philly close your eyes!!), I realised this morning, giving it a little strum before leaving for work, it weighs a friggin ton!! :lol:
@MrBump: Yep, 11s on everything electric. It used to be just Gibson scale-length and 10s on Fender so that the two felt similar. But a few years back I needed to restring a strat and I only had sets of 11s. I kinda liked the feel so I switched to one-size-fits-all. Funnily enough, though, having a little go this morning, this one feels quite stiff already. But they sound like 10s, and I suspect the 11s are just going to nudge it over into "omigod" territory tonally for me.
Now, I've just got to wait until "home-time" so that I can get back and play it some more...
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Very nice Andy. I like the colour, makes a change from the usual red or Sunburst 335's.
Any chance of a clip?
I'm with you on the 11's, I always put 11's on Gibson scale length guitars...
But they just don't feel right on Fenders!
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Very nice! I have fallen in love with Gibson all over again. I have finally found a les paul that I like so much I bought two of them!
335 is very definately on my list of must haves - just never found one that really does it for me. Congrats 8)
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The Dot has always been always been one of those guitars that instantly turn you into the most dashing, classy man in the room simply by strapping it on. I approve.
Especially in a dark, faded colour, that thing just oozes cool.
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i like semi-acoustics alot, i think they really embody the spirit of rock'n'roll, and furthermore (as a taller person) have a large body shape which looks cool on stage.
i've always thought they can pull off hard rock and earlier heavy metal type gain tones, while still having the looks not to seem ridiculous.
in short : congratulations! :D
first thing i'd play when getting it home is Johnny B Goode!
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@Twinfan: I was wondering about whether you'd go for it. I like my Tokai "LP", but I don't use it much, I much prefer my SG. Now I've got a thinline semi again, even in the few scant hours I was able to play last night, I know that the biggest loser in the AndyR armoury will be the LP. So that made me think that mebbe you'd go for this style as well (seeing as you're in the "I really want to like LPs but I don't seem to bond..." camp)
I'm 100% satisfied with the PRS McCarty/Modern Eagle style to be honest, it just suits me and my playing perfectly. I prefer solidbodies for the stuff I play at the moment, but if I was gigging in a more relaxed/bluesy/southern rock style I'd be all over a cool 335 like yours. It screams Dave Grohl to me!
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very nice :)
Now THAT is cool - love it! I could see myself playing that...
ahahahahahahaha
are you up to 6 again yet? :D
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Nope. Just the simple handful :)
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@choucas (and Philly to some extent :lol:): It is definitely blues and R&B coming out of it at the moment. It does some reasonable "jangling" as well, but the amp was too quiet to really tell how well yet. And it satisfies my rock-cravings big-time. It's actually a lot more versatile than I was expecting. As to weight (Philly close your eyes!!), I realised this morning, giving it a little strum before leaving for work, it weighs a friggin ton!! :lol:
Yes, semis are deceptive - you kind of just assume they're going to be light, because they're big hollow things, but then they're maple ply with a big block of maple down the middle.... my ES-339 is the better part of 8 pounds, so I assume a 335 must be a fair bit heavier.
They're quite contradictory things - again, you see a hollow body and think "warm", but in fact there's quite a lot of brightness and snap, plus big twangy bass notes. And they really sing with distortion. I like the '57 Classics, don't really feel any inclination to change them.
Keep on with the updates as you get used to it, Andy!
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I really miss my 335 and this thread quite simply hasn't helped!
It looks like a cracker and I can't wait to hear some clips. Very pleased for you.
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They're quite contradictory things - again, you see a hollow body and think "warm", but in fact there's quite a lot of brightness and snap, plus big twangy bass notes. And they really sing with distortion. I like the '57 Classics, don't really feel any inclination to change them.
"brightness and snap, plus big twangy bass notes" - yes indeed :D. I'd forgotten how much. In fact I suspect that my old Rainbow had less brightness and snap. This one has very pleasing dollop of it. I'm finding I'm also turning the amp's bass up to a level that I don't like with strats, teles, SGs, and wotnots. With other guitars "too much" bass gets me into areas where I feel it's muddy, won't clean-up and sparkle like I want. With this one it just gets bigger, warmer and capable of more of that "mellow" you get on a semi's neck pickup.
And I have to say that so far I really like these pickups as well. While I was waiting for the guitar to travel to the local store, obviously I was wondering about "which BKP might I put in there eventually if I buy it?".
Now I've got it at home, I do have some very good ideas about which BKP I'd put in it, but... I have a feeling I won't need to:
- It's knocking out a tone that I don't feel the need to change at the moment
- With height and pole adjustments, the stock pickups seem to be giving me a lot of the attributes I get out of BKP humbuckers (clarity, responsive, etc, etc)
- It's a complete pain changing pickups on these things :lol: (although I do remember doing it on the Rainbow without a lot of shennanigins - I think I cheated and cut the leads short on the pups... :roll:)
Ian, I didn't realise (or had forgotten) that you'd had a 335. I know exactly what you mean. I've had this "hmmm... that guitar was rather tasty" feeling for years and years.
[Look Away Now]
All I can say is, it wasn't my imagination, a 335 type really is as gorgeous as I was remembering...
[/Look Away Now]
... Nah! It's really nothing special, save yer money/angst, you'll be extremely disappointed if you try one again, hang on to your memories instead! :lol:
It's starting to sound like a lot of people on here have some love for them. The problem is though, unless it's "your main type of guitar", it's more likely to be an "ooh I'd love one of those for a change of mood..." sort of guitar. And they're a bit expensive for that. I think that's why it's taken me so long to get one (and it's only happened now because random browsing unearthed one that looked cute and was going for a grand less than I'd have expected).
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My nephew bought this last october, the very one in the Gibson ad. Very possibly the best guitar I've ever played.
http://www.gibson.com/press/custom/product/2010/Memphis-Limited-Runs/HB046M.jpg
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Nice buy! i've always fancied a 335 type guitar one of these days. I'm also with you on the 11 club. on everything, except my baritone scale guitars i put 10's as bending can get real hard! it just feels right and stiff. a bit of a fight :)
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My nephew bought this last october, the very one in the Gibson ad. Very possibly the best guitar I've ever played.
http://www.gibson.com/press/custom/product/2010/Memphis-Limited-Runs/HB046M.jpg
Blimey, is that the biggest photo of all time?
It looks somewhat "aged" - so do they call it a VOS finish or something different?
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Nope. Just the simple handful :)
i can wait... ;)
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It looks somewhat "aged" - so do they call it a VOS finish or something different?
[/quote]
He's coming round later I'll ask him.
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It looks somewhat "aged" - so do they call it a VOS finish or something different?
He's coming round later I'll ask him.
It looks damn cute whatever it is :D.
A cherry of some sort was what I was always dreaming of (the first gig I ever went to was Alvin Lee), but this black one, right in my budget, jumped out at me from nowhere. I'm back home again, and it looks fabulous. Time to plug it in again...
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gorgeous, i too would have chosen cherry but colour wouldn't have been a factor for the right price.
i do wonder how people manage with 11's though, unless tuned to e flat and that has it's problems unless you exclusively play in e flat with all your guitars.
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Congratulations Andy. I am sure that you will grow to love it even more than you do already. I loved my 339 from the first play and it just gets better.
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I am not sure it would be classed as a 59 reissue with a black finish, chrome hardware and short pickguard. most likely the shops label for it rather than gibsons
one of my mates brought one round that he was sold as a "62 reissue". it did have small block inlays but that other than that it was a fairly normal 335 with a combination of features from many years made as a special run for the japanese dealers
possibly similar to a shop putting a 59 tag on yours because it has dots.
iirc all 335's are memphis made and as such tend to be done in smaller batches in a semi-custom shop fashion
something like this would be a very popular gibson, they spend ages marketing stupid guitars and ignore promotion of a simple design variation of their classic guitars which could have much more appeal
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I am not sure it would be classed as a 59 reissue with a black finish, chrome hardware and short pickguard. most likely the shops label for it rather than gibsons
That's the conclusion I'd reached before I got to the shop. I decided I was gonna go on the guitar in front of me, and ignore the "model name".
The guy who served me was a guitarist as well. He knew it had arrived for a customer try out, but apart from that it was just a box until I arrived. He got the box, got the case out the box, then he opened the case with something of a flourish... and then stopped... "Bluddy hell, never seen one of these before..."
He put it in my hands while he sorted out the Orange Thunder-thingy. I could already feel it was pretty good even with the strings rather flat. I was looking round for a reference note to tune to (I hate trying a guitar out not tuned to near "concert" - so many shops seem to think the guitar will sound ok 2 tones out!), but he thought I was having trouble tuning it so he whipped it out of my hands. He did it by ear, but it sounded close (Eb when I got home). When it was in tune he just kept playing and I could see his eyes glaze over and he was in another world :lol:. Then he realised what he was doing and handed it to me.
It looked good on first sight when we opened the case, it says "pick me up", and the minute it's in your hands you want to play it.
Which leads us on to this:
something like this would be a very popular gibson, they spend ages marketing stupid guitars and ignore promotion of a simple design variation of their classic guitars which could have much more appeal
It grabbed me big time. Although it's the most I've paid for an instrument, it's "cheap" for what it is - a nice semi with Gibson written on it.
Looks-wise, it hits a spot for me (I've only seen photos of the faded cherry, which seems a spot dearer, and either they don't do it justice or that one looks cheaper than this one). If you'd told me I was going to like a satin black one I'd have said "I'll have to see it first...", but it just looks "right" to me. Old style and modern at the same time...
I wasn't sure how many of you lot would think the same - and it wouldn't have worried me if it was just me. But it seems like there's quite a few who see the same thing.
So it looks to me like they're on to a bit of a winner here... but you're right - where's the bluddy info? Why isn't it on Gibson's own site?
Still, I'm not complaining... I've got one! :lol:
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(although I do quite like the look of those rough-as-$%&# new Melody Maker models!)
(they aren't bad - worth a demo at least, the shop below Angel Music in Denmark Street has them)
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Ian, I didn't realise (or had forgotten) that you'd had a 335. I know exactly what you mean. I've had this "hmmm... that guitar was rather tasty" feeling for years and years.
[Look Away Now]
All I can say is, it wasn't my imagination, a 335 type really is as gorgeous as I was remembering...
[/Look Away Now]
... Nah! It's really nothing special, save yer money/angst, you'll be extremely disappointed if you try one again, hang on to your memories instead! :lol:
:D
At the moment it's not really a guitar for me as the volume I mainly play my amp at wouldn't really drown out the acoustic volume from a semi. Every once in a while I can crank it but not often enough for my liking. Perhaps in a few years when the kids are older (I can dream).
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At the moment it's not really a guitar for me as the volume I mainly play my amp at wouldn't really drown out the acoustic volume from a semi. Every once in a while I can crank it but not often enough for my liking. Perhaps in a few years when the kids are older (I can dream).
That is definitely a slight issue with semis... or certainly an issue that the downstairs neighbour might have been experiencing the last couple of nights! ("But I have to turn it up that loud to drown out the sound of the guitar!" :lol:).
I've not tried it with modelling yet, but I suspect it's going to work reasonablly well, so I can probably alleviate any distress that she might be feeling...
Meanwhile, updates:
I'm finding it loves being played like I used to use my humbucking guitars live. Set the amp for the max raunch I want, set all the guitar's controls to 6 or 7, put the switch on middle and take it from there. Huge range of sounds and clean/distorted just using the guitar controls. All my guitars do it, but this is especially satisfying (of course, it might be that I'm running the amp's master just a tad higher than usual!).
The other thing that's happening is that I rather like taking the thing down to 4 or 5 and playing gentle stuff, blues-jazz chords etc. There's a vague danger I might go the same jazz route as Fourth Feline did when he got into semis... probably not though, I likes me raunchy rock n roll blues too much :lol:
The missus saw it for the first time last night (she was working away from home for a few days). She gave the budgetry go ahead last weekend, had heard updates by telephone, and had been wondering what the fuss might be about...
Her reaction was "oh yes, that is VERY nice". She even tried it out herself!! Not something she usually does... (I had to redirect a few fingers on long-forgotten G chords etc...). She reckons it's not a girl's guitar (too big), but it does look fantastic on her, and sounds pretty good as well.
And finally, I seem to have hit exactly the same quandry that Dmoney did when he got his satin 333 a while back. After two nights of playing, the back of the neck has developed this gorgeous sheen. It looks fabulous and feels warm and inviting without being sticky or mirror-like. The finish shines and looks a lot "deeper" without being too glossy.
One looks at it and thinks "woo, what if the whole geetar looked and felt like this?!". Most of us told him "it looks great satin!!" - but I now know exactly what he felt like :lol:.
I know how to do it, I even have an appropriate rubbing compound knocking around in the guitar DIY (Damage-It-Yourself) toolkit. But I also know from previous experience that while it's achievable and what I'd classify as a "low risk" undertaking (ie unlikely to screw it up), it is highly irreversible - you ain't ever going to get it back to satin again :lol:
I think I'll hold off for the moment, or at least wait until my fore-arm shines up the top edge/front a bit more and see how "odd" a shiny patch on a dull finish looks.
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I'd let it age/polish naturally Andy. It'll give it real character. My Modern Eagle has a similar thing going on and it's made it "mine".
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Yep, that's the "sensible" way that I'm leaning at the moment...
I wonder what Dmoney did in the end - I might search out the thread and see if it's in there.
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I know how to do it, I even have an appropriate rubbing compound knocking around in the guitar DIY (Damage-It-Yourself) toolkit. But I also know from previous experience that while it's achievable and what I'd classify as a "low risk" undertaking (ie unlikely to screw it up), it is highly irreversible - you ain't ever going to get it back to satin again :lol:
I think I'll hold off for the moment, or at least wait until my fore-arm shines up the top edge/front a bit more and see how "odd" a shiny patch on a dull finish looks.
I'd agree with Dave - old nitro-finished guitars seem to get a dull patina, but stay shiny on the neck and the top edge of the body..... you'll have the same thing, but by a reverse process!
I must admit, though, when I had the Pete Townshend SG I didn't like the dull finish on the face of the headstock - so I polished that bit and left everything else satin.
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I really like that one Andy,
If it was a lefty I would be wanting it myself.
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Well, it's growing on me... (and that's from an original position of "I love it" :lol:).
I restrung it with 11s last night. And I figured out why it already felt stiff - action at the nut rather high. I'd also been having trouble with strings binding in the nut slots with the original strings (10s I guess), even after lubrication. So I already knew I had some work to do in this area and was putting it off until the 11s were on.
First thing this morning I took my life (and my nut-files) in my hands and went ahead and widened and lowered the slots. Scary job, but less so than I feared. I almost blew it on the bottom E and A. In fact, I thought I had. But with normal playing there's no buzz, I think I've got away with it but there's not a lot of room for the nut wearing! I've still got some sticking on the D slot (I haven't cleaned/polished the slots yet - too eager to play it instead...) but it's not stopping me stay in tune anymore.
Suddenly, the action is a lot less stiff. It's not noticably lower, just slicker to play. I was OK with it before, but it's a nicer experience now.
But the big surprise for me was the change in sound on the increased string gauge. I expect and am used to getting a change on strats and teles. I originally upped gauges years ago for the change in sound, but nowadays I tend to stick around 11s for the feel.
So I was utterly floored by the tone I was getting when I was able to turn the amp up again after 9am this morning. It's almost a different guitar! And, for me, even better than it was 24 hours ago. The tone is still basically the same, but a lot more authority and even more responsive to picking attack.
I learnt a while back that archtop hollow bodies like heavier strings. Somehow I wasn't expecting this thing with its centre block to respond in the same way, but that's exactly what it seems to have done. It's a big plus to me because I need the 11s for the way I play, especially on open chords, etc... but the changed and, for me, improved tone is just fabulous.
This guitar is wonderful. It's been a fanastic "new guitar" experience. It's even completely stopped me playing my last acquisition - I've been playing bass almost exclusively since I bought a Faded SG bass a month or two back. I never even got round to posting a NGD for that one I was so engrossed in it... But this thing has left the bass on the stand for 3 days now.
I've just realised, if I could teach my drum machine to play like Ginger Baker, I've got everything I need for Cream covers now - and I've learnt a lot of Jack Bruce style and basslines over the past few weeks :lol:
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I went to Feline Guitars today to collect my ES-339.
Jon had only borrowed it because he has a customer who wants a solidbody built along the same lines, but he kindly gave it a bit of a fret dress and set up - maybe it's absence making the heart grow fonder, but it seems to sound and feel a lot better than it did before!
I know we moan a lot about Gibson, their QC and their silly "new" designs - but they definitely have a vibe that most other manufacturers can't match. Right now they're in my good books.
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More pics.
The geetar plus the absolutely silky, thumpy and generally wonderful SG bass. And various other shots of the geetar.
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And then a generally grainy and seedy shot of the girl on her own in the sort of environment she finds herself in now :lol:
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Titties!
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Yep, it's my "other" hobby :lol:
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Tell us more about the bass! I didn't realise you had a Gibson one, I thought you'd bought the Epi version.
Just looked at the Gibson site and got instant GAS for this:
http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Bass/Gibson-USA/LP-Junior-DC-Bass.aspx (http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Bass/Gibson-USA/LP-Junior-DC-Bass.aspx)
(http://www.sonicftp.com/news/images/gibson_lpjuniordcbass.jpg)
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I must admit, since getting mine, I've been getting attracted to the LP basses. And that beast looks cute... But I really cannot start getting into collecting basses as well! :lol:
Yep, mine's the Faded SG bass. I love my six-string Faded SG anyway and then I saw these. I was after a passive bass and had been considering a Jazz. I was also interested in an EB type because of the Andy Frazer connection. I was really unsure about going for short-scale, though. But when I found a Faded I tried it and loved it.
After getting it I ummed and aahed for a couple of weeks and then switched to flatwounds. It is THE bass for me. It's possibly even my favourite of all of the various instruments I own. The 335 edges it right at the moment, but we're in the honeymoon period for that one.
Now I've found the joys of flatwounds I'm still pondering getting a Jazz and putting some flats on it. But I do think now that this SG is the bass for me.
I'd definitely recommend that any guitarists who need a bass for part-time/recordings/whatever to look at a shortscale, and this Faded SG is a lot of bass for the money. I suppose it depends on the music you want to play. It does growl, but it's forte is thump and melodic stuff with a decent amount of weight higher up the neck and across on the D and G. It's not going to be everyone's taste for looks, but I love it. And it just feels so natural and easy to play.
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I'm impressed with your artwork Andy. Could you open up a section where we could get a better look.
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Where did they get the inspiration from:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/new/balance1.jpg)
It's Wez modeling my fretless that he made. This has a thunderbird bridge pickup - see notes on it:
http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=19395.0 (http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=19395.0)
Mine's also a 34" scale (its easier with fretless).
btw. I use flatwounds on my Thunderbird and 1950's Precision