Larsongs

Yeah, I agree.. But, if it's "The One" it may be worth it to the OP? Personally, I'd Sell it. Take my lumps & buy a new 335..... Full Lifetime Warranty & Brand new. To my desired Specs.. Actually that is what I did recently... It's perfect...

Being a huge Elvis fan, from the first time I saw him on Ed Sullivan as a young kid, I saw most of those cheesy Movies too.. LOL! I agree. His Performances of Songs like "If I Can Dream" & "American Trilogy" are Magic!

If you really like this Guitar & think it's a keeper, You could call Gibson, make arrangements to send it to them & have them install a new Neck..

I have a Wide (3-4") Padded Leather Strap made by Gibson I use for my heavy Guitars... I must be getting Old. It's strange to think of a Guitar from 1987 as Vintage. Although, it is.... LOL! Enjoy your 335! Good luck

I was & still am a huge Fan of Elvis' Rock n Roll Period before the Army.... Elvis & his Music were never the same after the Army....

I've had excellent experiences with Sweetwater over several years buying Guitars, Amps & Studio Recording Gear.. Any Issue that ever arose was handled courteously, professionally & always resolved to my complete satisfaction.. They post. Photographs of almost every Guitar & give detailed information including the Weight of each Guitar... 1st Class!

My biggest regret is that my Brother & I & our Band weren't serious about the Business side of the Music Business.. We were experts at Drinking, Drugging, Partying & chasing Women..... We were very good at living the Rock Star life..... Even though we were really only Legends in our own minds.. We had an opportunity to Record with & be Produced by Columbia Records & we were more into Partying & acted like dumb asses & blew it.... We were stupid! We didn't realize that the Music Business had 2 essential Parts... Music........ & ......... "BUSINESS"! Big emphasis on Business!!

If you're playing old style Blues I'd use the J-45 in Open Tuning.. I think it would sound more authentic.. The Hummingbird I'd keep in Std Tuning for all my other types of playing...

Try selling it as is.. You'll find out if it's something anyone wants... If it isn't you can restore it back to like original Spec & list it for sale again.. In either case though it isn't original. Why don't you want to keep this one & sell one of the others?

Great looking Guitar! Nice Burst.. My recent Memphis 335 looks like yours. It didn't have a Case blanket in the Case & I bought it new. One of my Les Paul's has the Case Blanket & the Guitar is about 20 years old... Classy Case. I haven't had any issues with scratches on my Guitar..

I used to have an early 2000 Epi EJ-160E & it was a very good Guitar... Which was later replaced with a Solid Top Gibson J-160E Bozeman Masterbilt... A couple years ago I bought one of the Epi Inspired By Texans.. Cheap, MAP $399.00 & I paid less. Good Guitar but Electronics could be upgraded.. But the Electronics are ok... Haven't played a Masterbilt but imagine they're even better... Very nice Necks on them too.. They feel instantly familiar to a Gibson Electric Player..

Yes, my Brothers is BRW.. Mine is EIRW.. I'm not sure if the 3 piece back on my D-35 has much to do with the Sound.. My D-35 was originally owned by my Friend & Collaborator the late Rockabilly Hall of Fame inductee, Jody Reynolds.. Best known for his '50's Hit Record "Endless Sleep". He used to take this Guitar to the Elvis Jam Sessions at Elvis & Priscilla's Honeymoon House in Palm Springs... Jody had been friends with Elvis since before either of them became famous & both were touring around the same time... Jody supplied Elvis anything from the Store he wanted.. Elvis was his best Customer! I was a young guy working in Jody's Music Store in Palm Springs & my wife bought me this Guitars as a surprise Birthday Gift... Since it had never been sold Retail before it was bought as new.. It's documented with Martin.. It's a very special Guitar to me.....

Yes, the 3 Piece Backs on the D-35's was a way to not waste Precious Tone Woods.. And is a great looking Guitar.. My brother has a 60's D28 & I have a 1975 D-35. Both sound beautiful... My D-35 has a bigger & louder Sound than his D-28. I think the D-35's Sound is positioned, purposely, between the D-28 & the D-41... The D-28's sound great. Each higher level Model you go the better they sound to my ears.. The D-45 sounds the best to me... Love the extra Bling!

I have 3 LP's, 3 Casino's & 2 Tele's. I need them as back up just in case.. They are my most used Guitars.. Even though, each of the 3 different types of Guitars are almost identical none of them sound exactly the same.. I have a Royal Tan USA Casino with Nickel Dogear Covers ordered... None of my Acoustics are the same.. That said, I'm looking for the right D-28 as a backup for my D-35. I'm also looking for a Gibson CF-100E to pair with my Gibson Bozeman Masterbilt J-160E Solid Top...

Did you check the Specs on your J-45? Is it Traditional Spruce & Mahogany? Or Spruce & Rosewood?

And indeed you did... Wonderful Guitar! I wanted one that was Electric but never found the right one for me.. Until I played a Gibson Bozeman Masterbilt J-160E. Solid Spruce Top with Mahogany Back & Sides. Which, for me, is the ultimate J-45 style Guitar... Congrats & enjoy your new J-45! At some future point a good D-28 or D-35 would be the perfect pairing....

Still curious, which Martin did you have?

I've played several variations of both over the years... There is a J45 model that is made with a Spruce Top & Rosewood Sides & Back.. Can't remember the model designation off the top of my head.. I could see how that one could sound similar to a D-28. But, in my experience a Traditional HD-28 & a Traditional J-45 sound very different.. You might want to double check the Specs of your J-45.. Back in the early '70's I played my Brothers 1960's vintage D-28 & a few later I bought a D-35 which is an upgrade but very much lime a D-28. I still own it.. Solid Spruce Top with Indian Rosewood Back & Sides. Wonderful Guitar! Our friend owned a 1960's era Gibson J-160E which I played often. And I've played several J-45's over the years. In 2001 Gibson produced a Bozeman Masterbilt J-160E with Solid Spruce Top with Mahogany Sides & Back. In all other respects it was a J-160E. IMO a Top of the Line J-45 Style Guitar.. It too is a wonderful Guitar.. Both sound fantastic.. But, nothing alike. In any case, you are blessed to gave both! Enjoy on good health.... Larson

Nice Guitar! Enjoy! What kind of Martin did you have?

That's great! Keep us posted..

Just wanted to let you know we're thinking of you.. What an experience & then this Corona Virus Shut Down.... What a Drag.. Hope it's over soon & you get an Amazing Replacement Guitar.... All the best

I would've liked to have heard an A/B before & after with all things being equal.

I'm letting everyone in my family pick their favorite Guitar from my Collection. I will leave written Instructions in my Will who gets what. If there's anything left it can be sold & the money donated to Charity...

Yeah, I do that too.. Great preparation technique.. Sometimes in front of a mirror so I can see how I appear to the audience when I'm on Stage..

I started as a Singer & still am the Lead Vocalist in the Bands I play with. Early on I needed accompaniement.. Which led me to Guitar. I've been playing & singing all my life.. My first inspiration was Elvis.. It has evolved over the years... It's always been fun, frustrating, love, sometimes hate, up & down journey... Passion is a crazy thing... One day you think you've mastered it & the next you wonder why you waste your time with Music in the first place.. Ultimately, for me, it's in my blood & there doesn't seem to be anything I can do about it... So, I play & sing... As crazy as it is, I do love it.....