ksdaddy

It's going to last a long, long time. Every year or so I would take it apart, clean and oil the threads on the saddle screws, and keep using it. It will look old and funky but it's not like it's ever going to rot through. And if it gets to the point where the aesthetics are too bad for you, just buy a new bridge and put the old one in the case pocket so you keep the original part, for whatever value that may have in the future. It's all good. Use it, try to wear it out. Bet ya can't.

I have one guitar that is like that. Which is why I never play it. Last time I tried to clean my Telecaster it didn't play right for two months. Shock to the system. Kinda like when the Ewell family showed up in the courtroom scrubbed clean (To Kill a Mockingbird).

The pores will fill up with finger grunge in time. No worries.

It's an ES-330.

Hopefully someone guffawed.

Not sure what font was used for "MADE IN USA". I'm thinking Pocket Knife Sans Serif.

I vote fake.

Pretty sure the 70s arched backs were the same as the 90s Gospels. Got no proof other than a 1976 music store memory and the brief ownership of a ‘93 Bozeman Gospel.

A couple years ago I bought a 1973 JG0 (bare bones square shoulder dread) cheap on ebay that was a disaster. Slathered in varnish, cracked peghead, no frets left. Oh, and all the bad features of the era from Day One. The cracked peghead had not been disclosed and I returned it. I should have kept it, glued the crack, refretted it and played it. It weighed about as much as a business letter in a #10 envelope and SHOOK when played. I was stupid.

Beginning in the early 60s there was a steady flow of changes that people didn't like, and some things were reversed. Some not. Skinny necks from 1965-69 or so. Heavier bracing, double X bracing beginning in 1971, switch from a 17 degree peghead to 14 from 1965 to 1973, things like that. In retrospect, Gibson went downhill design-wise beginning a lot earlier than most Gibson fans care to admit. People are quick to blame the Norlin era. True, many bad things took place, but the best Les Pauls I have ever played were 1979-80 models from Norlin Nashville. My only LP is a sandwich body 71. Can't get more Norlin than that. Beginning around 1983 they did truly try to change the acoustics for the better. And in my opinion, they did. Bozeman gets all the credit but Nashville brought the build quality up a huge amount. I'm rambling. There are things I would look for in a 70s Gibson. Twisted neck. Truss rod that doesn't do anything. Shallow neck angle. Rotting binding. Having said all that, the 70s necks were mega-comfortable. I would hesitate to buy a 70s Gibson online but if you try one in person and it's structurally sound (see previous statement) and you LIKE it, buy it and ignore the "experts".

I've owned two or three of them. Made in Vietnam or Indonesia in the 60s/70s.

It is not a Gibson.

I’ve seen lots of Epiphones stamped USED. I always figured they were sales samples, returns, etc.

I see no harm in using the same spec on your 339 as what Gibson recommends for the Les Paul. However, their recommendation shouldn't be viewed as 'the rule', but rather a good ballpark setting or starting point.

Troll alert.

Most all Gibson bridges went from belly-up to belly-down in 1968 or so. The rosewood saddle is typical of that period as well.

You should be okay now.

A walnut colored EB-2 was the first Gibson I ever owned. I bought it in 1976 for $10. Unfortunately the headstock didn't come with it.

EB-2

I can only offer my two cents. Put mediums on it. 13-56. Yes, you may have to have the truss rod adjusted. Trust me. It may be a tish tougher to play but the tone improvement will far outweigh that.

I had a dozen stands here. Sold them all on Facebook for $20 or $25 for the entire lot. Pure trash.

Not really but this site is always a help: http://www.guitarhq.com/gibson5.html#melody Any of them. I've never played a bad one. I rehabilitated a junk 1964. The only metal left on it was the frets and truss rod. I gave it the Cadillac treatment, Schallers, Dimarzio Super Distortion, gold Schaller fine tuner bridge, all gold hardware, spared no expense. It was one of the best playing guitars I ever owned. Yes, I dumped a bunch of money into it but it had to be good to begin with. Bling didn't fix anything. It was spot on from Day One. Always The Melody Makers have much thinner bodies and also the narrower headstock. They were also more likely to be seen in a 3/4 scale for young players. They truly were an entry level Gibson that just happened to be rock solid, legit, and viable 60 years later.

Looks real to me. The serial number puts it in the early 70s but that's a gray area at best, as far as getting it closer. I wouldn't get too hung up on the inside label. Someone probably found some in a drawer somewhere and was told to use them. I'm not well versed enough in 335s to know this (or not) but I'm not sure the stop tailpiece was used during that time. It may have been but seems like most of the ones I've seen had trapeze or had been converted. The knobs have been changed and it wouldn't have had that case. Looks sweet though.

lol sorry

I've seen some Kalamazoo Doves from around 1980 that were tobacco sunburst.