Ignatius
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Posts posted by Ignatius
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Thanks for the informatin Ignatius. It was made an early '08 as far as I can tell by the serial number. I will contact Gibson to sort this out. I thought. I can see now that the Nashville bridge has the larger post with the slim thumbwheel screws. What's a bit confusing for me is the "thread" on the saddles. My bridge does have a small depression on each saddle that the strings lay on top of' date=' it is not crimped. And by the pictures posted above, the Nashville bridge does not seem to have those small depressions on the saddles. I will contact Gibson and ask, thank you all for the information. [/quote']
That's because those are new saddles in the pictures. Gibson saddles, when sold separately from a guitar, are not notched for strings. This allows the individual luthier to set his or her own precise string spacing (unlike, say, Gotoh bridges where each saddle has a default notch in its middle).
Don't look at the notches in the saddles; look instead at the screwheads where the six individual saddles are adjusted: if they are held in place by a thin wire that runs over all six screwheads (and looks something like an unfolded paperclip), then you have an ABR-1 bridge. If instead, it looks like those screws are screwed into the bridge itself (so to speak), and the bridge's own material is holding the screws in place, then you have a Nashville bridge.
Sorry all this is so confusing; it can be hard to explain something that you see everyday. I don't know how I would describe a toothbrush to someone who had never seen one before.
Ignatius
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It's a 2008 model new' date=' and by the pictures, I'm concluding that it's an ABR-1 bridge because it has slimmer posts and those little depressions on the saddle to hold the strings. Thanks for the information, everyone.[/quote']
Hey hi13ts--
I think you really should post some pictures. As everyone is trying to tell you, the new LP Studio comes with the Nashville bridge as far as I can tell. If you have one with an ABR-1, then something is odd about your guitar. Given that you have bought it new and it then is still under warranty, you might want to verify this ASAP.
If you look carefully at the pictures that DoubleSixx posted, you'll see that both the Nashville and the ABR-1 have the thumbwheels to adjust the height of the bridge so don't use that alone as the way to define which bridge you have. And the "Studio" logo on the trussrod cover means nothing; those can be bought online and put on virtually any Gibson guitar.
As far as I can tell, the Nashville is superior to the ABR-1; that little wire that runs the length of the ABR-1 bridge and holds the saddles in place is a major design flaw. If your guitar is supposed to have the Nashville, you should make sure you have it.
Ignatius
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Hey Archer993--
I hate to say it, but compared to most of the necks that I've seen lately, yours looks pretty good. I'm not saying that you shouldn't complain. I'm just saying that I don't think we are in a golden age in terms of the use of neck binding. I wonder if it is becoming a lost art. At this point, I prefer unbound necks just because of how rough the binding typically looks on the Gibson electrics that I've seen of late.
Ignatius
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I would never have thought a guitar would come from the Custom Shop with this kind of workmanship. There was another poster somewhere on this forum who said in fact that the ES-339 was NOT made in the Custom Shop after all.
Hey Archer993--
The confusion here comes from the fact that Gibson had dubbed the entire Memphis Plant as part of the "Custom Shop," even though it only makes standard-line guitars. All ES-model guitars are made in the Memphis plant and so are by Gibson's definition "Custom Shop guitars." However, Gibson also makes some historic re-issue ES-models in the Nashville plant, which also has a much smaller Custom Shop. So, if the person in the forum meant that the 339 is not made in Nashville, he or she was correct. But according to Gibson's rather odd self-definition, all ES-339s are made in the (Memphis) Custom Shop.
Neither plant, by the way, at this time accepts custom orders for one-shot custom guitars, which means that by most people's definitions, neither of them is a custom shop. Go figure.
Ignatius
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Good Afternoon gentlemen' date='
I doubt ebay (egay) or what other derivate people use for it would perhaps not have the class of guitars that this client is looking for. Other services have been used, however business on this level due to the value of the instrument and privacy of owner/buyer is very important to us.
Appreciate the suggestions and will not post any future wanteds.
Kindest regards,[/quote']
Hi Esq Guitars--
I hope the kidding in the posts was not taken in the wrong way. I do think such a large order for vintage guitars provokes some concern among those of us who are regulars. But truly, you should check out Gruhn Guitars. If you are not familiar with them, you are missing perhaps the best brain in the vintage guitar business. Check out the "Fretboard Journal" profile on Mr. Gruhn a few issues back: he has been doing this since the '60s, and he is the guy that people like Clapton call when they need a very specific guitar and want it to be legitimate, authentic, and excellent.
Your client(s) will be well-served by Gruhn.
Ignatius
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Either a veeerrry wealthy client--or else he or she should add a pony and a rocket to the wish list.
All kidding aside, this sounds like a job for Gruhn Guitars, rather than a forum posting.
Ignatius
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I had a ES-347 as of 3 days ago' date=' my home was broken into and they took the guitar. It was a guitar that my buddy had before he died at an early age. I purchased it from his wife so I could have one of his instruments. Very sentimental. My ES-347 was exactly like the one posted, blond. But mine had a switch on the lower horn. Glad I have renter insurance and I am hoping to find one just like mine. It is hard to adjust to the loss of a guitar, ES-347's are beautiful guitars.[/quote']
Wow, Steve, that is a sad story. I know how sentimental attachments to instruments make them valuable beyond any insurance check. Do you have the serial number and some photos? I would not only file a police report but (if you haven't) let some of the area's guitar shops know about it so they can be on watch for it. Also, maybe call some of the local pawn shops? Just a thought.
I know at least one Martin guitar site has a stolen guitar registry as well. I wonder if you could google to find out whether there is a similar Gibson registry or even just a simple general stolen guitar registry. In the case of the Martin registry, I know dealers regularly check the site to verify incoming guitars are not stolen.
Just a thought.
Ignatius
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Hey Mark--
My guess in terms of strings for you is that you probably should look at slightly heavier sets of pure nickel or nickel-plated electric strings. Don't use lights or extra lights: those gauges are great for heavy-metal and super-bending, but they will never get a lot of resonance out of the Casino's hollow body. If you want an archtop-type guitar to sing, you need heavier strings that act more like acoustic strings. You will never get a super acoustic sound from a Casino (or from an ES-335, for that matter) because these types of guitars use laminates rather than natural wood. The laminates are not a bad thing as they would be in laminate acoustic guitars. The laminates in hollow- and semi-hollowbody guitars are meant to reduce resonance--and so to reduce the possibility of feedback.
Still, with heavier strings (say, a 10-50 set or even a 12-52), you will get some decent acoustic sound from the Casino and still should have the ability to do some string-bending and relatively fast playing. These strings also might be a great gauge to use on any acoustic guitar you might have (or get down the road) so then both of your guitars will have a similar feel when you move back and forth between them.
I have to be honest; I don't hear much difference between specific brands of guitar strings once I choose to go with a particular material. I.e., nickel strings sound different from bronze, but I don't hear much difference between particular brands of nickel or bronze. Given this, I tend to buy cheaper strings. I actually hear a lot more variety arising from the type of guitar pick that I use: different types of celluloid sound different, and celluloid sounds different from derlin or from nylon or from ultex and so on. And then the thickness of picks makes a huge difference: the thicker the pick, the mellower the sound. So I vote, buy strings cheap at first, experiment with picks, and then when you hear what strings can do, move up in terms of string price until you don't hear anything different happening.
I think you may be surprised. Some cheap strings sometimes sound great if they fit the guitar and the picks that you are using.
Hope that helps.
Ignatius
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the guitar has a great crunch and sounds great clean too. i didn't know the value of these were going up so much as I play it quite a bit. I have resisted putting a pickguard on this for this reason. I like it better than the satin 335 as it has a bound fretboard. Gibson could have a made a lot more money if they continued to make the guitar at the price they were selling it for. it is really comfortable to play standing up
Wow, you guys are making a great case for the ES-333! I am thinking now that I definitely should wait for the upcoming Chicago area guitar show and go with cash in hand. Maybe I can find a 333 at a price that will make it worth it. In any case, it is great to hear that you are using the guitar as a regular player. I may just have stumbled on a very good, very available, and free hard-shell case that would fit an ES-335 perfectly so I think it would fit the ES-333 just fine. That already saves me a bit of potential upgrade cost.
I have seen the prices that I have been mentioning on gbase.com, which is an online database of many different American dealers' inventories in one searchable place. I suppose I could see if the prices the dealers are quoting there are firm, or perhaps others know if gbase tends to attract overly high prices for posting? I don't know, and it is a sample of only five or six ES-333s that I have seen there so maybe I shouldn't assume prices have moved as much over the last few years as they appear to have moved at gbase.com. On the other hand, the ebay ES-333s do seem to be getting stuck now up in the $1100-1300 range as well. I'm not saying the guitar isn't worth that; I just hate to stick so much money into an ebay guitar because there rarely is a no-strings approval period as there usually is with a reputable online dealer or through a solid online community like the Martin forum or the Telecaster Discussion pages. And there remains that problem of getting the fantastic Classic '57 pickups into the guitar.
It is too bad that Gibson dropped these from the lineup, and I am kicking myself for not having been looking at guitars during the very window of time that the ES-333 was in production! Man, I guess I just have to take on the burden of going more regularly to the Gibson dealers in the area (oh, what we do for the sake of our music. . . .)
Ignatius
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Hey Ron--
First off, a great effort there! You are making great progress if you are a new computer user and already posting in online forums. Welcome to the online Gibson world and to the wonders of the internet!
I thank you for your confidence in my abilities, but your question is one I don't feel comfortable answering alone. I will do a bit of looking about for resources and get back to you. In the meantime, though, I also am going to repost your message in a different thread here so others with more expertise can help us all to get up to speed on a great topic that you are asking about. When you ask a new question in a forum like this, it often is helpful to post it with the "new topic" button at the top of the page, rather than with the "add reply" button. When you only add a reply to a current discussion, then people who aren't interested in the current discussion never see your topic. But a newly added topic often is seen by everybody visiting the Gibson forum for at least a little while. So take a look at the new thread in the "Hollow and Semi-Hollow Body Guitar" Folder that has your name and question on it.
Take care, and thanks for joining in the discussion. I know getting the hang of a new machine like a computer or a computer forum can be hard-going, but I think people here will do their best to give you a hand. We want Gibson users to hang around and keep talking!
Ignatius
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Hey Mark--
I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to respond today. I will be thinking about your answers and offer some thoughts in a day or so. I also hope some other hollow-body players might respond with thoughts, too. Right now, though, I just spent a bunch of time responding to another question and probably need to get back to my life away from the computer for a while.
I'll be in touch!
Ignatius
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Hey Mark--
Congratulations on the purchase of the hollow-body! What brand/model did you buy? If you have time and are able, post a picture or two. We all should be showing off our semi- and hollow-body guitars. They are great instruments, aren't they? I hope you're liking yours.
Strings are as personal on a hollow-body as they are on a solid-body or on an acoustic, so I think we need some questions answered before we can make any recommendations. First off, I am assuming you are planning to play primarily electric, correct? If you have a full-depth hollow-body, you can use acoustic strings if you want to play it acoustically, but acoustic strings, especially those made of any bronze alloy mixture (vintage bronze, phosphor bronze, etc.) do not make good strings on an amplified electric guitar because the strings won't interact well with the pickups.
So assuming you are playing primarily amplified, here are the questions:
1. what sort of music do you play or want to play?
2. how important is it to get some of the hollow-body resonance in your sound?
3. do you enjoy more playing acoustic or electric guitar? (You can pick electric strings that will feel more "acoustic" in their playing style.)
4. do you plan to do a lot of string bending, etc.? I.e., are you a Van Halen/Hendrix/Vai disciple, or is that sort of thing not your cup of tea?
Write back with answers to some of those questions, and I think some of us here can give you a hand on picking a type of string. I don't think we need to recommend a particular brand, though, because brands are something you can explore on your own. Still, we can get you at least aimed in the right direction!
Ignatius
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Hey rdwivedi and Red 333--
Thanks for the responses. As Red said, it is great to see some discussion going on in the hollow and semi-hollow forum. It is part of the reason I posed the question in the first place: to learn about Gibsons, yes, but also to get some regular discussion rolling around here.
But back to the ES-333: it sounds like the ES-333 was a great deal, but these days, the prices on gbase.com seem to suggest that the easy upgrade to a near-335 is getting hard. A couple places there are advertising NOS ES-333s for $1450-1600, and the used ones in "mint" or even "excellent" condition are now listed only as "call or email for price." Major bummer. Replacing the pickups and adding a pickguard and a good case easily add $300-400 or more, and suddenly, the price for a 333 is the exact same or more than that for a brand-new satin finish 335. The 333 is even getting pricey on ebay these days.
That isn't to say it might not be worth it. I do like the idea of the bound neck, frets, and wider neck that are part of the 333 package. I only wish I could get my hands on one to try out. I have tried out a satin 335, and it was great. I have a Larrivee OM-03, and, yeah, I too like the satin finish. That sense of feeling broken in and already an old friend is great to feel in a guitar, and I even like the looks of the satin finish better as well.
I am going to hold out that I might track down a 333 in a local shop or perhaps at the Chicago area guitar show in the spring at the DuPage Expo Center.
Oh, and by the way, my other guitar is a '50s-era full-depth ES-125. It was already banged up when I got it, but boy, it is a great guitar. I had some maintenance done to it over the summer to repair some of the problems the last few owners had created through neglect. Maybe soon, I'll post another thread to talk about that great guitar. Still, nothing can beat the tone of a 335, can it?
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Okay, in my continuing quest to learn about the broad ES family, I am curious what those of you who own or have played them think of the ES-333. Given that some of these are still available new through a few dealers (although Gibson ceased production in 2005, right?), they seem like a great value in the ES family. On the plus side, the access panel on the back seems like a great option (although I can imagine that it might weaken the resonance of the body). On the down side, the lack of a hardshell case and the stock pickups (490R and 498T) seem odd choices to me for a semi-hollow. I can't imagine carrying a semi-hollow guitar around in a gigbag!
Did these evolve into the satin finish ES-335 currently available, or are these a different guitar in terms of sound and feel? And would you recommend that a prospective ES-335 purchaser find one to try out?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Which version of the Tune-O-matic?
in Gibson USA
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