Larsongs

I had a 59 Gibson ES345 with PAF's a long time ago when I first started playing. I knew nothing about Guitars & bought it 2nd hand from someone who also knew nothing about Guitars for $100.00. Not knowing what I had I traded it for a bunch of Gear at GC. I've spent years buying Guitars chasing that sound.. Nothing does... Some of those original old PAF Humbucker Pickups were incredible. I happened to have one of those Guitars. Some say it was accidental as they were hand wound back then. Everyone including Gibson has tried to recreate them.. The really good PAF's.. Nobody has.. Why? Because no 2 were the same & their Sound is subjective.. From what I've heard Thro Bak bought the original Winder after Gibson moved from Kalamazoo. They claim they can recreate them...

You can buy Guitars til the Cows come home. But, It won't matter if you don't know how to employ good Dynamics. This is my #1 pet peeve when I play with other Musicians or listen to others play..

Or do both... Dynamics!

Yes, most important, take your time dialing in the Volume, Bass & Treble Settings on your Amp with your Guitar... You gotta find the Sweet Spot.... Also, Have you tried any other Tubes than the Stock ones that came with the Amp? Many times with quality Tubes all your problems disappear..

I have the Gibson Memphis Blacktop ES Les Paul with MHS Pickups & Bigsby.. It is a truly fabulous Guitar.. A Black Beauty weighing in at 5.5lbs.... I'm in the Market for the same Guitar only in a Gold Top ES LP with P90's & Bigsby... With those 2 Guitars I can probably do anything my 35 other various Electric Guitars can do... I'll probably sell them all... L PS Grog, that Bass is a beauty... I'd like to get one of those too.......

Gibson has had great Guitars overall for years. There were some years where Players thought Epi's were better built. I don't know that to be true.. Although some Epi's are great. Sometimes, I think it comes down to envy & jealousy.. These days People think if you own something expensive you're pretentious & trying to show off.. it's weird & sad people are that way.. Having great Guitars, Cars etc. is really knowing the difference between excellence & mediocrity... Congratulations to you for not settling on the latter..

Scotty Moore was probably the first.. Many more since... My first good Electric was a mid 50's Gibson LP Jr. I scored in a Pawn Shop in D.C. For $70.00 way back in the day. Beat up & sitting way back on a Shelf in the Corner behind a bunch of stuff. The Store Owner tried to talk me out of it.. He said, you don't want that old thing... It was the only thing I could afford.. I didn't know it would turn out to be an incredible Guitar! Should never have sold it!

Sounds like you're playing too loud for the Room. Regardless of Gear.. In many Instances Guitars & Instruments tend to drown out Vocalists... Poor Dynamics.. It would be beneficial to learn good Dynamics with the Gear you have. As you evolve to larger venues upgrade to a Mixer & some Powered Neo Dymium PA Speakers. Still, using good Dynamics in relationship to the Room. Otherwise with your new Gear, as Venues get bigger, playing without good Dynamics you'll still think you need better Gear...

Maybe an EQ Pedal? Some Cut on Mids & Highs. Some Boost on Bass...

You should record it!

As has always been the case with SS Amps (or whatever you want to call them) vs. Tube Amps... OffsetGuitarForum has had long discussions on these.. Some think they're great some don't.

Unless you have an extremely high end Vintage Collection of Guitars & Amps renting a Van would be the easiest & most cost effective. You can probably do it in one trip. Drive carefully! Maybe even consider some type of Travel Insurance for your Gear... You never know... Good luck on your move...

I've had a BCB-60 for about 5-6 years & use it almost daily... I have Boss Tuner, Byrds Janglebox, TS-808, Boss Digital Delay, Fender 64 Reverb & a Keeley 30MS Double Tracker Pedal.. I also like that I can run Stereo to 2 Amps easily. Never had any problems.. Very neat, organized, pedals stay in place, cords are hidden, folds up like a small Suitacase & is ez to travel with... IMO they're great! L

IMO it's always best to buy the best. New aren't always the best.. As is the case for ES335's.. A mint 1959 Vintage ES335 with PAF's, IMO, would be the best.. But too expensive for most of us.. A recent, non Studio, New or Used Gibson Memphis ES335 with MHS Pickups is a great choice for a great ES335.. No need to upgrade later.... L

You need to call Gibson Customer Service & file a Warranty Claim. You bought it new & have a Lifetime Warranty. Tell them what's wrong with it, send them Pictures if need be.. In my experience they will either repair the Guitar perfect or replace with a new one that is perfect.. L

I own Reverse Gibson Firebird V from 2013 or thereabout. It's a great sounding Firebird. Though, I think the older you can afford to buy the closer you'll get to the Firebird sound you hear on Records... Many were mid to late 60's Firebirds.. For me the Original or Reissue '65 Sunburst Reverse & Non Reverse Gibson Firebird VII's are at the top of my Want list..

I use the Martin Retro Monels on my Solid Top Gibson J-160E Bozeman Masterbilt & they sound excellent. Perfect balanced Strings for playing it Acoustic or Electric... Lars

My wife bought me a new Martin D-35 back in 1975... It as been a workhorse for all these years.. It is a wonderful sounding Guitar. Well, About 20 years ago I started accumulating a few Guitars.. The Martin needed some Work done & I wanted to add Factory Fishman Electronics... I called Martin & arranged to send it to them & did so. While it was there I called them & asked them if they would refinish it to New Condition... Their answer, NO! They asked me how long I'd had the Guitar? I told them. They said, It will take that long for it to sound as good as it does now... They completed all the Work, much of it under Factory Warranty & it came back perfect & beautifully Detailed... Still sounds fantastic! Glad they said, NO!

I have been waiting years for Gibson to reissue the Reverse VII & the Non Reverse VII exactly like Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones played.. I'll buy one of each... If they aren't crazy money... 2 of the coolest Guitars ever built by Man!!!! I love my Reverse Gibson Firebird V.... Lars

It worked for John Lennon.. Anymore I can't see buying a Guitar that doesn't have a Bigsby, Vibrato, Tremelo, Marstro or Lyre.... IMO it completes the Guitar... Lars

Why the heck didn't you guys call Gibson? I've had issues on one of my Gibsons & one of my Epiphones. I called Gibson, they emailed a UPS return Label, I sent Guitars to Gibson, they re-inspected the entire Guitars, they repaired them, did perfect Set ups & they came back perfect. They were excellent to work with.. 180 degrees from Fender...

I really like the 490R & 498T Pickups. I have them on one of my Les Paul's & think they are probably the best sounding of Gibson's HB's of the past 20+ years.... Including the MHS's on my recent Les Paul & ES335...... But, your Ears are what matters....

They have taken care of a couple of my Guitars the same way... They came back Perfect!

Sweet! I wish Gibson would bring back the ES Goldtop Les Paul with Bigsby & P90's......

Nice! It's got the Tremotone Vibrato...