rlan52

I think the Grover's add a little weight but in a balanced way. Mine feels pretty natural but, I have Grovers in all of my guitars...

I have a 2007 ES-339 that I bought used about 9 months ago. The person I bought it from (Ebay) evidently, never played it as it seemed to have the original strings on it when I got it. Anyway, for such a great guitar, it never stayed in tune and I had issues with the G string slipping. I tried a new set up, 2X to the luthier for neck adjustments, nut carving, saddle work, lube, nut juice etc. Nothing worked Finally, I took out the Deluxe tuners and dropped in a set of Gold Grovers. Immediately the guitar stayed in tune, no longer has any problems with slippage and, I think it helps the sustain with the added weight. It certainly feels more balanced. Recently, I changed out the bridge for a Gold one and added a TP-6 for better intonation. Both pieces were taken from an ES-336 and fit perfectly without any alterations. The guitar plays flawlessly now. I can put it in the case for a week and when I take it out it is perfectly in tune. I know a lot of people say those Deluxe tuners are fine and point to other issues when it comes to tuning but, with my ES-333, my Les Pauls and my SG (to a lesser degree) I have always had tuning problems with the Deluxe tuners and it has always been solved perfectly with the addition of Grovers. Just my opinion. I mean, how many set-ups and neck adjustments should a relatively new and in good condition guitar have to go through in order to get the tuning issues resolved?

Here is my 2002 ES-333. I bought it on Ebay and paid about $750 because it had a professionally repaired headstock. When I received the guitar, the first thing I did was to open the control cavity and I noticed a lot of solder. When I pulled out the pickups I found a Seymour Duncan 59 in the neck position and what appears to be the original pickup in the bridge. The guitar was also buffed out and had a nice shine. After many years of Les Pauls, the ES-333 and my 2007 ES-339 meet all of my recording and performing needs. I used to use a Fender Twin Reverb with my Les Pauls but now I use a Fender Vibrochamp XP with an old Fender MusicMaster bass amp. I get my sound with the amp modeling on the Vibrochamp and then send it from the line out to the MusicMaster for power. The sound is just great for me...

I have sold most of my Solid body collection over the last few years and have totally switched to Semi-Hollow Body guitars. I started with a 2007 ES-339 which was great because it was the bridge between my Les Pauls and the ES-line. I then picked up a Toaki ES-60 which is known as a poor mans ES-335. I liked it much better than the Sheraton I used to have and it felt great and plays great. However, the wood that they use leaves a lot to be desired. I then saw an ES-333 on eBay for $1,000.00 with the case and I pulled the trigger. Unfortunately, when it arrived, the headstock was cracked! I thought about asking for partial refund and then fixing it but, the owner was very quick to take it back, refund my money and open a case with UPS. I did feel that maybe the neck was cracked before it made it into the case? Anyway, after holding that ES-333 in my hands I was hooked. A few weeks later I found another ES-333 on eBay, this time with a "Professionally Repaired" headstock. I was able to get it for $700 with a Gibson hard shell case. It already had been upgraded to Seymour Duncan PAF 59's and I recently installed Grovers. When the guitar arrived it was like magic in my hands. Extremely resonant, much more than my ES-339. The action was great and I could hardly tell there was a headstock break. One other thing, when I took the guitar out of the case, the previous owner had buffed out and shined the satin finish so that it now looks almost like a very vintage ES. It is sweet sounding and I play it for hours every day. It is my new go-to guitar for rehearsals, shows, recording. The ES-339 is a great guitar and I do use it in situations where I would normally use a Les Paul but the ES-333 is the absolute best guitar I have ever owned in my 35 years of playing. If finances will allow, I will pick up another one in the near future...