Oh Whoops ...NGD (Custom Shop content!) More pics added

[WezV]

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

[AndyR]

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:

[gwEm]

(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)

[Ian Price]

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).

[AndyR]

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.

[Twinfan]

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".

[AndyR]

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.

[Philly Q]

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.

[roland_rat]

I really like that one Andy,

If it was a lefty I would be wanting it myself.

[AndyR]

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:

[Philly Q]

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.

[AndyR]

More pics.

The geetar plus the absolutely silky, thumpy and generally wonderful SG bass. And various other shots of the geetar.

[AndyR]

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:

[shobet]

Titties!

[AndyR]

Yep, it's my "other" hobby :lol: