[Joe Bonamassa ES-335]

Check Guitar Center. If they can't get the JB ES-335 for you, then it's sold out.

 

Guitar center in Sherman Oaks, CA has one. Saw it yesterday.

[Steve Howe ES-175]

so I was just letting the old head clamor around in the clouds for a bit here at the office place and I got thinking about the ES-175 Steve Howe and how I'd never seen a post about it on here. So anyone have any opinions, any big issues on this that they need to get off their chests? any devout lovers or ardent detractors? Steve Howe is one of my favorites of all time, and I did get to play the 175SH once, but it had a poorly done headstock repair which is never a good thing and so it was not that great, but I know Steve himself does use them so they must be pretty good, right? I've also played a number of early to mid 60's 175's and if they're anything like Steve's original 64 then I'm sure Steve has some very high standards which would be saying a lot since he uses his signature on tour. It's also Gibson USA from the look of the inside stickers I've seen on these and I did think that all 175's were custom shop. Anyone know anything on this? Ok, DISCUSS!!!

[Mid 90's 335's]

TBB, I have owned two 1997 Nashville Custom Shop 335 '59 reissues and both had necks that would not straighten out for low action. I had one refretted and neck straigtened by a luthier and sold it. The other I still have, though I am not satisfied with the action. It is a blonde with lots of flame and looks good on the wall. Also, on both of these models the neck joint is about 3/4 inch off from the traditional neck/body joint. The neck joins the body that much further out. Not a big deal, but interesting, since no 335's before or since have this deviance. That's my experience with '97 335's. I have a 2009 50th Anniversary '59 model made in Memphis and it is nearly perfect. Can't say enough good things about it.

 

Ooooohhh! Not good. Well, I passed up the one I was going to get because the price went to high and to be honest, even from the pics it didn't look like it had that "it" factor. To me it seems like quality ramped up around the mid 00's and I think I'm going to stick with looking at those.

[Mid 90's 335's]

I once owned a 1996 ES 335 TDC. It had no quality issues, per se, but it was sort of nondescript and soul-less... sorta like a Yamaha.

 

The neck shape was plain vanilla, the joinery and detail work were excellent, the wood was pretty, but I never really "bonded" with that guitar, for whatever reason.

 

I agree completely with the comments about guitars coming out of the Memphis shop. I love my ES 137 C probably better than any other Gibson I have owned or still own, but I have had another 4 or 5 that were nothing to write home about. Don't buy the specs is my advice. Let the guitar talk to your soul. If you hear music when it speaks, open your wallet!

 

My $0.02/FWIW/YMMV

J/W

Jelly, I get it, the souless thing. That's what I'm worried about. I've played some like that and I'm worried this might be that kind of situation, but the price....is.....so.....good! We'll see what happens.

[Mid 90's 335's]

Hey Nick,

Thanks for the response. I actually don't know where it was made. I could call the guy that's selling it and find out, but I'm guessing Memphis. It's in good condition, it looks great, and the value is there, no matter what year we're talking about, but I'm just wondering quality in relation to other 335's. while today's are really hit and miss, some of them are so sweet, I know that's probably the case for all eras, but I'm hoping someone either has a really good experience with this era or a really bad experience to sway me one way or the other.

[Mid 90's 335's]

Hey guys,

 

I saw a pretty nice 335 for a decent price, but it was a mid 90's model. Not that that even necessitates a "but" per se, but I am not is a position where I can play it and I was just wondering if these years are generally looked upon with favor in the eyes of my fellow gibbaholics. Obviously it's not Norlin era and all the negativity that goes with that time period, but I never hear much one way or the other on 90's guitars. Anyone have an ES from the mid 90's and what is the quality and feel like compared to the ones that are getting cranked out nowadays? One thing I know that is different is the custom shop designations the 335's get currently. I'm pretty sure that was not part of the deal back in the glorious 90's. Anyway, any info, experience or opinions would be VERY welcome. Thanks again guys!

[Es-335 vs. Es-345]

And most semi hollow players prefer a 335. hence the price difference. Thats all it boils down to..The fanbase for that guitar. Look at the 330 with trapeze tail piece what a beautiful and great guitar. TBH in one sense if you want to get a better value for your money your better off looking at modern contemporary like a 339 or 137. But still if you you buy a 335 it's always gonna be worth it.

Actually the price difference is something that has me wondering. I'd like to get a VOS 335 used, preferably, but those are right in the same wheelhouse as a 345 used, and the VOS, I imagine, is going to be far better craftsmanship than a regular 345. Is this assumption true? Why are the 345's new so much more than a standard dot reissue new? If its just an inlay/varitone thing, can that really amount to almost a thousand bucks more? I assume there's got to be something more going on with the 345 quality-wise. Also I have been looking into 330's but as a full hollow body I don't think it will be all that great for really cranking it on stage. I have a 66 pro reverb that I push pretty hard and use my volume to control the gain, but I run it full bore a lot of times. Also I like to get pretty fuzzy with an old big muff. I just don't know that a full on hollow body could be manageable in that situation, but then again look at Steve Howe with the 175. God knows how he pulled that off live all these years!

[Es-335 vs. Es-345]

I get what everyone is saying. I do like the varitone actually, and I don't mind it's aesthetic impact on the guitar, in fact I kind of like it. I guess what I'm driving at is there any real difference in the over all play ie feel, action, etc... between the two guitars. Also are they essentially the same construction or are different woods involved in the body, making a tonal difference between the guitars? Also the place on manufacture, there is a lot of discussion regarding memphis vs. nashville, I'm wonder about the impact this might make on the two guitars. Also from I what I recall about a mid 2000's 345 I played was that it was a harder guitar to play on than was the 59 335 vos I played. The normal 335's also have this kind hard to play vibe about them for me which, could be alleviated by a good setup, but I'm wondering if this a standard thing across the board for all the standard 335's and 345's. Thanks again everyone!

[Es-335 vs. Es-345]

Hello everyone! I'm new to posting, but have been reading this messageboard for quite sometime now, so I'm pretty keen on all the goings on here. Anyway I am struggling to decide which guitar to dive in and get. Initially I was completely wooed by the the 345. I love the parallelogram neck inlays and the varitone switch, but recently I've become enamored with the 335's and it's not hard to see why. I think if I went the 335 route I would have to go with the VOS 1960. BUUUUUT, both of these particular guit-fiddles are pretty tough to come by in person; I very rarely see an es-345 in the store and only once have I seen a VOS 335 and it was 59. That said I know I like the slim taper 60's neck which both guitar have. So I'm turning to my fellow depraved, itching, mouth frothing 6 string junkies to throw their two cents into the ring and help me make a decision. What are your thoughts on these two guitars head to head, what are the major differences? Hook a brother up, y'all!!