[Gibson ES 347 - The Red-Headed Stepchild of the Gibson Line?]

That's yummy. Congrats.

 

 

It is a nice guitar, but that's a six-year old post.

 

Danny W.

[kenny burrel es]

I have 50 albums with Kenny as leader or featured sideman so I'm rather obsessed with him too. Midnight Blue was a groundbreaking and highly influential recording that's provided me with years of listening enjoyment--I bought my first copy in 1963 and have listened to it often since then.

 

Great-looking guitar, Jim. I've never owned a guitar with a CC, mostly because I hate the looks of the mounting screws; maybe I should reconsider that.

 

Danny W.

[ES-339 Neck Pickup Alignment]

Many of my Gibsons over the years have had this, so much so that I'm not sure if it's a defect or just "The Gibson Way."

 

In either case it doesn't bother me and I just ignore it. Many years ago I leveled one, found it made no difference in anything and haven't bothered with it since.

 

Danny W.

[Amplify a Gibson L48 without piercing the guitar]

I would like to amplify my l48 without piercing the guitar. I found this Korg CM-100L , a contact microphone used on a tuner but I think there should be no problem to connect it to an amplifier and take the wonderful sound of L48. I could connect the clip to the side of the wooden bridge or tailpiece. Does anyone have experience of amplifier on this guitar?

Thank you

 

The acoustic sound of your L-48 does not exist on the surface of it, but in front of the f-holes. If you want to preserve the acoustic sound, your best bet is a small body condenser mike--see this:

 

My link

 

If you really want a more typical jazz guitar sound, the floating pickup mentioned previously will work.

 

Danny W.

[Gibson L5 Wes Montgomery]

Hi guys,

 

Got two questions regarding the L5 Wes Montgomery.

 

1. I've seen a 'Heart model' L5 Wes a while ago. Was it somekind of anniversary model or a 'one time only' run done by the Custom shop ? What year(s) were these produced? Is it still possible to order a 'Heart model' Wes ?

 

2. To be frank I don't like the Natural color of the new L5 guitars, way, way too white ! I prefer a bit more honey colored look. Would that come on special order only ?

 

1.Limited edition but some have been built on order. Not sure if they'll still do it.

 

2. I agree. When Gibson replaced a 1994 WesN for me under warranty, the replacement was much too white for me. I asked them to color-match my original, which they did. The result was spectacular.

 

Original:

 

 

Replacement one (note that this is a stock WesMo antique natural):

 

 

replacement two:

 

 

Danny W.

[ES-355 - Why don't I hear much about these?]

Es-355's were my main guitars for stand-up gigs for about 40 years--here are some of the more recent ones:

 

 

About ten years ago I decided they were too heavy and switched to a couple of CS-356's and Johnny A's.

 

Danny W.

[how to place the string ends on a L5 tailpiece]

As usual, my opinion is contrary to everything written above.

 

I very deliberately, and specifically, string my L-5 (and any other "trapeze" type tailpiece guitars) with the holes facing sideways..... for two reasons:

 

1. The curve of the ball end on the string and the curve of the bent tailpiece flange will match.

 

2. The wide portion of double string between the ball end and the twist is not bent and stressed by the sides of the slot.

I just checked a few guitars and found out that I've actually put them on either way, sometimes on the same guitar, so never mind. <_<

 

OTOH, I've never ever had a string break, not counting restringing accidents, and I change strings as seldom as I can, so I doubt that stress on the string is a significant factor.

 

Danny W.

[how to place the string ends on a L5 tailpiece]

after some decades of professinal playing i'm coming up with a somewhat stupid sounding question.

how should the ballends of strings be placed in a L5 tailpiece - the hole facing towards the top of the guitar or rather to the side?

what are the advantages of the two positions?

does it affect the sound at all?

what do the technicians recommend?

 

TIA,

JazzNote

 

I prefer to put them in flat (hole towards top), but they stay in either way and no, it doesn't affect the sound. If you put them in flat you you can more easily use a fingertip to find if they are well seated--they other way they will all stick out somewhat, seated or not.

 

Danny W.

[Post your Gibson Chet Atkins Country Gentleman?]

Gibson also built a sunburst version of that blonde CG/L-5:

 

 

Danny W.

 

Now THAT's a nice guitar, IMHO. All the appointments, befitting it's heritage.

 

CB

 

Eight years ago I asked Gibson to quote on making that same guitar for me. When I saw the price I lost interest, but it is a beautiful-looking guitar.

 

Danny W.

[BJB floating pick]

but you have to admit.. guitars can be hard to photograph.

 

No, I don't, but in any case, it's a lighting problem rather than a camera problem.

 

Danny W.

[BJB floating pick]

Man great photo! What kind of camera are you using? My camera does not do justice at all to my es 300's butterscoth color patina and I'd like to be able to get good photos of my guitars like you seem to be getting with your camera of your guitar here. very crisp clean photo.

 

Your seemingly innocent question earns you a lecture:

 

I am, in fact, a very skilled photographer, and I use top-quality equipment.

 

However, the photo in question evinces non of those traits. It's a completely artless, straight-on shot using on-camera flash, (causing the ugly bright reflection) and required no skill whatsoever. Furthermore, it was taken over nine years ago with a Nikon Coolpix 990, a camera from the paleolithic era of digital cameras--it would be hard to imagine a camera made in recent history (except maybe in a cell phone) that would not produce better results, if properly used.

 

Which brings me to my point: unless your camera is actually defective, the problem is operator error. Either you have it set wrong or you need to learn the basics of photography, or both. Over the years I have found that anyone who has to ask if better equipment would improve their photos needs to learn more about photography. Once someone knows how to take photos they can usually figure out whether equipment is limiting their technique.

 

Danny W.

[BJB floating pick]

 

 

The new 165s have the BJB floating pickup. I have searched the web a lot to see exactly what is a BJB pickup, and I have found nothing about it. What does the "BJB" stand for, and can anyone tell me any specs of this pickup? Thanks!

 

 

 

The BJB was a revised version of the Gibson Johnny Smith pickup, and as Jim has mentioned, it was designed by Bruce Bolan. Unlike the Smith, it doesn't have adjustable slugs, and has somewhat more mid-range; it's punchier overall, but not as "hi-fi."

 

Since it's not adjustable, installation and string choice are more critical than with the Smith--it's got to be level and electrically centered under the strings. Despite that limitation, I generally prefer it to the Smith, and have it on most of my floater-equipped guitars, all of which have T-I Benson roundwound .012's.

 

Here's what one looks like:

 

 

Hope this helps,

 

Danny W.

[Clapton's Guitar "A Concert for Bangladesh"]

 

Based on the rental question the body depth issue a question in my mind now watching this video regarding neck width not just the inlays and the hybrid tail piece I am wondering if this guitar could be an L5 CES wish I could remmebr where those pics are of the byrdland tail piece on the L% CES it was posted in one of the threads here but I can't recall where and my eyes are in pretty poor shape for doing this at the moment but it is a good old fashioned mystery and it would be nice to say one way or another. I just sent Billy an e mail too.

It has a short scale, so it's no more likely to be an L-5 than a Byrdland.

 

I don't know if this is the photo you were referencing, but this is an L-5CES Thin on the right and a Byrdland on the left, both with 25.5" scales:

 

 

Danny W.

[Clapton's Guitar "A Concert for Bangladesh"]

Here are five thin L-5 variants with four different body depths--I wouldn't make too much of it.

 

 

Danny W.

[Clapton's Guitar "A Concert for Bangladesh"]

The location of the pickups varies.

 

Here's my 1959 (photo taken in 1970):

 

 

Here's my 1966:

 

 

 

Here's a 1968--not mine:

 

 

Please note that the front of the mounting ring easily fits under the curved edge of the raised fretboard extension.

 

The guitar in question seems to have all the features of a Byrdland with either a replacement fretboard or a custom ordered one and the wrong pickguard. That seems easier to believe than a 350T with different headstock, binding and top.

 

Danny W.

[Clapton's Guitar "A Concert for Bangladesh"]

In 2004 a dealer had a blonde Custom Shop Byrdland for sale. It had a 25.5" scale length, Bigsby and parallelogram inlays in an ebony fretboard. Since I'm obsessed with long-scale, thin-body archtops, I was thinking about buying it, but it was sold in the meantime. A year later, the same guitar showed up on another dealer's site. The price I was quoted on it seemed reasonable, but when I contacted the dealer again, he told me that the price had been a mistake and quoted one $1300 higher. I thought the new price was too high considering the Bigsby and inlays, and passed on it. I sometimes keep photos of interesting guitars I didn't buy, but apparently not for this one.

 

Anyway, that's at least one Byrdland with factory parallelogram inlays, so I figure there could be more.

 

Danny W.

[Post your Gibson Chet Atkins Country Gentleman?]

Gibson also built a sunburst version of that blonde CG/L-5:

 

 

Danny W.

[Welcome CS336 and 356 owners and admirers]

Umm... I've never see a CS-356 with bound f-holes and narrow horns like that.

 

Don't be too sure about the f-holes:

 

 

Danny W.

[3 Pickup ES 355???]

The ES-357 was originally built at the request of studio ace Mitch Holder, who wanted a Gibson thinline with a more cutting tone for increased versatility in the studio. His guitar was based on an ES-347 (hence the ES-357 moniker), with three P-90’s hidden inside humbucker covers, so he could fool people with the sound. It seemed successful enough that they built five more and sold them all. In collecting and studio circles this model was often called the “ES-Mitch.”

 

The one I had was not from that run, but appears to be a one-off. It was based on an ES-355 and the P-90’s weren’t hidden--in addition, Holder’s had a slightly deeper body.

 

In an odd coincidence there’s a lesson by Holder in this month’s Guitar Player (Sept 2010 issue) on page 94, which shows him with his ES-357, so check it out!

 

Danny W.

[3 Pickup ES 355???]

Wow! That's very pretty.

 

So.... I've always wondered about guitars with three outwardly identical pickups... what does the middle pickup do? Is it just a different winding/magnet to the neck pickup to broaden your tone palette? And what are the switching options? And how does the 2V 2T tone circuit operate?

 

And why would you move on such a fine looking guitar?

 

RN

 

It's been around ten years since I've seen that guitar, but I think the switching was Neck--Middle + Bridge--Bridge. There was a mini-toggle that I think combined all three, although it's also possible it put the middle pu out of phase with the bridge--I can't remember.

 

There was a tone and volume for the neck and another for the bridge--I'm pretty sure you couldn't blend the pickups.

 

It was a nice guitar, but I never particularly liked the neck on it.

 

Danny W.

[3 Pickup ES 355???]

Here's a one-off ES-357 that I used to own. It's an ES-355 sans f-holes with three P-90 pickups:

 

 

Danny W.