Twang Gang

So another signature model announced, the Alvin Lee 335. I have been a big Alvin fan since about 1970, loved Ten Years After Undead album. "homina, homina, homina, homina Woochopper's Ball". They describe the guitar, but don't tell too many details. Has a single coil added in the middle, but don't describe how it is switched on or off and in what combinations? Supposed to be his exact specs, but I'm not so sure that Custombuckers were being used back in the late 60s and early 70s ? Don't mention a price, but I guess if you have to ask you can't afford one. Only making 50 so we know it will be expensive. Maybe I'll sell all my guitars and order one and then tell everyone I bought Alvin's actual guitar from his estate. Has all the scratches and stuff so hard to prove me wrong. Still won't be able to play like him though and getting way too old to carry around 3 or 4 Marshall stacks. I really like the general direction Gibson has been going this year with back to basics Les Pauls and SGs, but all these artist models seem unnecessary, guess they have to have some high ticket, high profit units?

Many good suggestions here as to songs that used a whammy. If you are performing though, just use it sparingly - less is more. If you are using it just to use it cause you can, it will lose it's effectiveness. I don't think any of us on here have Jeff Beck or Chet Atkins level skills so just have fun with it, but don't get too carried away.

I think the guitar is worth maybe $3000, but the replica "Zuni Bolo Tie" must be what bumps it up to $10,000.🤣

That would seem like whoever wrote the model number on the certificate did make a mistake. However most 335s are made from a maple/poplar/maple laminate wood for the back, sides, and top. Since yours is Walnut (I'm assuming just the top) it might be considered a different model designation? But ES55 doesn't seem correct. If nothing else you have a unique COA.

I don't think here is anything particularly unusual about you guitar, although some photos of it might be nice. Because it is a custom there should be a large diamond shaped inlay on the headstock where the Les Paul signature would be on a Standard model. None of the customs would've had the name Les Paul on them. Here is a photo of mine (not a 1968), but yours probably looks very similar:

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I'm sorry to say I don't think that white pearl fits in with your red guitar. It just doesn't match anything else on it. I think maybe black would be a better choice. Tortoise shell is reserved for natural finish guitars.

I don't have a Walnut 335, but I have two other Custom Shop Guitars that came with Certificate of Authenticity. I have a 356 and on the COA the model is hand-written as CS-356. I have a L-5 and on that certificate it is hand written L-5 CES. Below the models numbers the serial numbers are also hand written. Based on that I would think that your COA should say ES-335 (or CS -335 if it was made in custom shop) and below that the serial numbers. Hope that helps.

Cool - we'd love to see some photos of that guitar if you have time.

OK no movers - understandable. But I would still rent a U-Haul as suggested with some pads and take them all in one trip. Forget about converting Tenn. fans to Bama - not going to happen.

Just go over the guitar very carefully before you purchase. A second has something wrong with it, and you don't know what it was. Remember in the above video Mark is working at a guitar store and trying to sell the guitar so he minimizes the fact that it is a "second". It could've been a minor finish blemish as he mentions, but it could also have been something more serious. Be sure to check the nut, the neck, the intonation etc. as you don't want to buy a problem that can't be fixed.

I don't know what kind of car you have, but if you 19 guitars and 4 amps I don't think making two trips is the solution. Are you using movers for furniture and clothes and dishes and stuff? Let them pack and move the guitars and amps, they are pros and if there is any damage it will be insured.

I don't see the point of using a guitar case to protect your guitar, if you have to buy something else to cover and protect the case. Where does it end? If your guitar case is old and leaky and won't keep a little rain off your axe, then maybe you need a new case.

I always associated him with 345s or 355s, but his son on the video is claiming this 350 model is just like what he often played?

So what do you guys think of the new Custom Shop Chuck Berry 350T? Cool looking guitar although I've never cared for P-90s that much. Noticed it has a short 23.5 inch scale which I don't recall in any other Gibson guitars. Although the Byrdland has a short scale. Only $10K retail price and only making 55 of them so better get your orders in right away.

20% VAT + auction house fees don't make it very attractive. Confused about what was actually available, they only described 3 guitars, but then scrolling down to photos there were a lot more guitars shown - not sure if they were to be in the auction or not. Lot of Marshall heads.

No, it is not a mistake. The Les Paul guitar was made through the 1960 model year. In 1961 the Les Paul (as we know it) was discontinued and was not made again until 1968. In 1961 the Les Paul (single cutaway, mahogany back, maple top) was replaced by the SG model (double cutaway, mahogany body, no maple cap), but was still referred to as a Les Paul. The man Les Paul who designed the original Les Paul model did not like the design of the SG and did not want his name on it, so his name was removed after a year or two. Your 1961 model SG recreation would indeed be a Les Paul model SG and should have the Les Paul name on it to be accurate.

Not sure what the point of this is? Two different guitars, made from different woods, different body shapes and depth and guess what? They sound different. Probably have different pickups in them as well. 😕 Really nice looking L-4 though.

Sorry, I don't understand why you can't flip the saddle to give more leeway in adjusting the intonation? My experience with LPs is that the groove in the saddle is pretty much in the middle of the saddle so flipping it shouldn't bring it off center. But I'll take your word for it that it won't work. So maybe just buy a new saddle without a groove in it (StewMac) and install it and file a groove where you need it. This has to be a problem easily remedied as a $2500 guitar has to intonate properly.

Great find and it looks wonderful after you cleaned it up. I agree it looks exactly like some Hamers I've seen. Enjoy it.

A question I've been meaning to ask for a long time, but keep forgetting. Just wondering how many of you guitar guys also play golf regularly? And if you do, are you any good at it? I started when I was about 12 years old, played on my high school and college teams, but pretty much gave it up after graduation due to the cost. Started playing again when I was about 30 and have continued ever since. Play about 3 times a week now - the old body won't take much more than that. Used to be really good with the irons, and the putter, but a little wild with the driver and fairway woods. Now I am very consistent with the driver, but the iron approach shots are lacking. Settled in about a 12 handicap these days.

I think it may depend on what finish the guitar is. Looking at the Gibson website there on 10 finishes available for the Custom Shop 60th anniversary guitar and if you click on the different finishes, the lettering seems to be whiter on some of them, and the gold on others. Do you recall the two you saw in the shop that were different, did they have different body finishes?

Everyone has their preferences, but I never cared for the P-90 sound. My first two electric guitars had them, and the second one I went so far as to have the top routed out and Humbuckers installed. The traditional Firebird tone comes from the mini-humbuckers, the P-90 is a variant on that. I would say play them both if you can and decide which you like better.

I have never purchased through Reverb, but from what I've heard it is a little better than E-Bay.

I'd say stick with the white - there are many wine reds ones out there, but not so many white so you have something people will remember when they see it. Fading to yellowish will take a long time, and wine red will eventually fade some as well so don't be concerned about that.

Reading this I started to think back about tuning over the years. I never had a tuner until the early 1980s when I bought a Boss "Chromatic TU -12A" which cost about $120 at that time. I still have it, and it still works. I'm sure tuners were around before then, but just never bothered with it. My bands were probably not tuned to A440 most of the time, but as long as we were all tuned the same it was OK. It was done by ear. We have gotten so spoiled. I tune before starting to play and usually need to re-tune shortly thereafter, but after that my guitars rarely go out of tune. I got a couple of those little NS micro tuners a couple years ago for about $20 for both and thought they were convenient, but then I noticed I was leaving a little mark on my headstocks so have pretty much stopped using them. Since I went to an Eleven Rack on stage instead of an amp, it has a tuner function when needed so have eliminated clip ons and pedal board plug in type tuners for the most part.