Twang Gang

I do not currently own a 335, but I would tend to agree with you that the pickguard should be level with the pickup surrounds and not slant upward away from the guitar top. I'm sure others that have them can advise.

Sounds like the new case is doing it's job. The fact that there is an indent in the material where the bar sits when the case is closed is as it should be. After all the case is meant to protect the guitar, not the other way around 👍.

I would suggest removing one of the pickups entirely to see what is going on under the cover that prevents height adjustment. The guitar is 20 years old so there could be some corrosion or dirt and grime underneath the cover - who knows?

Taylor makes some great guitars, and I've owned quite a few different ones over the years. I don't own any now as I've really gotten away from long scale, although the 412 is 24 7/8s. If it is a new one with the V-class bracing I'm sure you will love it. If it is an older one (pre V-class) it might be a little quite unplugged and will certainly sound different than your maple jumbo. Should be a good compliment to what you have now. Let us know how it works out once you get it.

Nothing wrong with what you have especially if the action is good, no buzzing anywhere. But the strings (in the photo anyway) look pretty close to the top of the pickup. As you work through your setup you might want to try lowering the pickup away from the strings a little and see if it doesn't sound a little clearer and defined. The pickup height off the body is of no consequence, it is the distance from the strings that is important.

Sounds like that guitar needs to be blown apart, all the braces (top and bottom) checked and reglued, then put back together again. A huge job, but I've seen it done with acoustic flattops so there's no reason an archtop couldn't go through the same restoration. The cost would be high though, so you need to weigh that against overall value of a 125 and how much you want to keep and play it.

Wow, now you really got me. Max Miller is/was a jazz legend around the Midwest especially in Chicago (where I grew up and played for many years). I'm sure he was provided with many instruments from manufacturers over the years, and it might very well be a one of kind that he got from Gibson or special ordered it with the humbucker. I think I paid $150 for my used ES125TC back in 1965. Sight unseen I will offer you double that for yours 😜

I agree with jdgm - I think the Herb Ellis 165 is as close as you could get for a production model, and you'd probably be hard pressed to find one.

Nothing wrong with a rosewood board on a custom - it's just different from most. Personally, I always liked the feel of rosewood a little better than ebony but could adjust in a few minutes to either. My first Gibson had a rosewood board and so that is what I was always used to and felt the most familiar. My only remaining electric Gibson Custom Shop is a 356 from 2017 with the dreaded Richlite fingerboard and I can't tell the difference in sound or feel from ebony so CS has used alternatives over the years.

Sorry, never heard of them. Sounds cool - how about a few photos?

If you are too lazy to click on the specs for each guitar, I'm not going to do it for you 🙂 But from what I recall the studio is thinner, and comes with either a walnut or rosewood back and sides.

Great Job Anne and congratulations. That had to be very up lifting and I'm so happy for you. 👍

Rather than a maple/poplar/maple sandwich wood guitar (which sound great) how about a solid maple (which sounds better);

Since the Dove is a long scale most would use a heavier gauge string for volume at that tension. I say .13s would be the way to go.

We need to talk more about guitars and less about how ridiculous our society has become. I for one want the new Green Day LP jr. I don't like P-90s or wraparound bridges, but I still want one because of its case with the bright pink exterior and leopard print interior - what??

Sounds a lot like my flamed maple Hummingbird with sitka top.

Cool guitar. My first electric was a 125TC and of course it had a P-90 dog ear in it. That is one cool guitar and glad you have preserved it and that it still plays well.

Well it's just photos, and not in person, but I would side on that being the original finish. Cool guitar - enjoy it 👍

That's a beauty - congrats and enjoy!!

Congrats Sparky - hope this is finally the one that you bond with and enjoy for years to come.👍

I'm late to the party but glad you got past the initial GAS for that LP Lite. It was pretty (in the pictures, but apparently not as good in person) but either of your 336s is way more guitar than a LP Lite. I've owned both and there is nothing spectacular about a Lite other than it's comfortable to play. If you gig a lot and have back problems it's a great guitar because you can get LP sound without the weight. I've known Rabs long enough to know that he isn't gigging much anymore. Rabs has some cools LPs, and two really cool 336s and I am so glad that cooler heads prevailed and that his collection wasn't broken up for the sake of a guitar with a rare color. 👍

I really like Tribe and Died Young. Go get 'em!

Looks a little wide grained to be Sitka, and Gibson doesn't use Adirondack that often so I'd guess maybe it's Lutz Spruce.

No question that the low E String is closer to the edge than the high E string. But what I notice in the photos is that the strings are almost perfectly centered over the screws in the pickups, so unless there is some problem with the low E slipping off the edge of the neck as you play I'd leave it alone. Your tech is a little goofy, none of these things should effect tuning, and the beveled nut is also common. How does the guitar play and sound? That's all that matters - these little nit picky things aren't important.

I think a solid body can "open up". Hard to prove, but I've had some that seem to become more resonant with time. This one while not a solid body has a back, sides and center block carved from one chunk of mahogany, then a carved maple top glued on. It definitely got better and better over the years.