jametey Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 There are many appalling looking walnut finish guitars from early to mid 70s, but they really improved it by '78-'79, from dung brown to dark chocolate. The finish on my 355 (the one earlier in the thread) is a dead ringer for Dylanita's when seen in decent light, and is one of my favourite Gibson finishes. coque protection galaxy A8 etui cuir samsung galaxy A8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankbm4 Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 Here's mine - ES-137 Classic. I added a Bigsby B6 and Towner USA tension bar and hinge plate adapter. Love this guitar! Nice! I really like the trapezoid inlays on that shape. My 135 has the dot inlays. -F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big jilm Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Nice! I really like the trapezoid inlays on that shape. My 135 has the dot inlays. -F. Thanks! I think the dots look great too, though - I like your 135 judging by the picture above. It looks great! The trapeze tailpiece is awesome looking. I see you play a Dr. Z amp - I used to have a Maz18NR combo which was a really nice amp that took pedals really well. I traded it off finally because of never-ending amp GAS. Do you still play the amp? Nice pedalboard, too! I think I see a Full Drive 2? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Hayden Posted November 25, 2015 Author Share Posted November 25, 2015 Figured I'd do sort of a repost since I've finally finished my ES quest. Got the ones I've been wanting for years with a couple of extras thrown in. 2013 Custom Shop Gibson ES-195 (Ebony) 2002 Gibson ES-135 Limited Edition (Natural) 2016 Gibson ES-335 Government Series (Gun Metal Grey) 2015 Gibson Memphis ES-335 (Vintage Sunburst) 2013 Gibson Memphis ES-335 (Gold) 1989 Gibson ES-335 Studio (Cherry) With these and my solid bodies, I'm done collecting..............for now. -Frank Don't stop collecting now Frank , nice collection 4H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankbm4 Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Don't stop collecting now Frank , nice collection 4H Thanks, 4H! I've actually got my eye on two more right now, old and new. We'll see what the new year brings. -F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Hayden Posted November 26, 2015 Author Share Posted November 26, 2015 Thanks, 4H! I've actually got my eye on two more right now, old and new. We'll see what the new year brings. -F. Don't forget to post pictures 4H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 This little lady has been taking up a lot of my time lately 2014 ES335 Lemonburst Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fromnabulax Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 I just added a new one yesterday. The previously posted guitars are at the bottom while the new cherry burst is a 1963 ES 125TDC. 1956 ES 125 deep Q 1960 ES 125T thin 2013 ES 175 I've also got a few Epiphone ES and ES style guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankbm4 Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 This little lady has been taking up a lot of my time lately 2014 ES335 Lemonburst Whoa! That is SWEET!! Love that color. -F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankbm4 Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 I just added a new one yesterday. The previously posted guitars are at the bottom while the new cherry burst is a 1963 ES 125TDC. Love that 1963 ES 125TDC! I think I'd like to add the similar ES-225 to my collection. -F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Hayden Posted December 31, 2015 Author Share Posted December 31, 2015 This little lady has been taking up a lot of my time lately 2014 ES335 Lemonburst I could see that at my house,really like the color 4H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisw123 Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 My 1968 345 ES. I have owned it for 15 yrs but have not managed to find out much about it. 3 PAFs and block inlays are very unusual so appears to be a one off. I have original case and some original tags etc. It hardly appears to have been played. Very little wear or tarnishing on the hardware and no scratches or marks on body or neck to speak of. Would be interested in any views anyone may have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 My 1968 345 ES. I have owned it for 15 yrs but have not managed to find out much about it. 3 PAFs and block inlays are very unusual so appears to be a one off. I have original case and some original tags etc. It hardly appears to have been played. Very little wear or tarnishing on the hardware and no scratches or marks on body or neck to speak of. Would be interested in any views anyone may have. How about some closer, more detailed, photos? Might help us (or Gibson) determine what's what, with it? Just a thought... Did your "case candy," or inside sticker, indicate it's actually a ES-345, or do you just think that, because it's got a Varitone? Veritone's can be added, or even special ordered, on ANY dual (or triple) pickup ES model. The Block indicators may also be a special order...the original owner may have preferred those, to the split markers on standard 345's. That whole guitar may have been a "Special Order," originally? Is the binding, on the top, multi-ply, or single. If single, it could be a special order 335 "block"?! Standard ES-345's have multi-ply binding, on the front, and single-ply binding on the back. Certainly, unusual! Nice Score!! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisw123 Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 How about some closer, more detailed, photos? Might help us (or Gibson) determine what's what, with it? Just a thought... Did your "case candy," or inside sticker, indicate it's actually a ES-345, or do you just think that, because it's got a Varitone? Veritone's can be added, or even special ordered, on ANY dual (or triple) pickup ES model. The Block indicators may also be a special order...the original owner may have preferred those, to the split markers on standard 345's. That whole guitar may have been a "Special Order," originally? Is the binding, on the top, multi-ply, or single. If single, it could be a special order 335 "block"?! Standard ES-345's have multi-ply binding, on the front, and single-ply binding on the back. Certainly, unusual! Nice Score!! CB Thanks CB. It does seem to be a bit of a mystery. The orange label says 345 and truss rod cover says "Custom 345". It has single edge binding front and back and all hardware is gold plated. Case candy is just some original wiring diagrams and generic Gibson pamphlets from the era. Gibson have confirmed the serial number as 1968 but other than saying "it is certainly very unusual" were unable to throw any further light on its origins. The most unusual thing appears to the the 3 PAF. I don't believe I have ever seen a 335/ 345/355 with 3. Looks like a special order for someone who wanted to combine some of the looks of a 335 with the features of a 345 and an extra pickup. It does not have the stereo jack feature. Whoever it was never played it very much. I'm afraid my photographic skills are limited to use of a smart phone! If you think a photo of a particular feature would be helpful I'll do my best. Would love to know if anyone has seen anything similar. I think it looks fabulous although others have said the triple pickup arrangement spoils it. I have to admit the middle pickup does get in the way a bit when playing. The neck and the action are beautiful though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cody78 Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 My 1968 345 ES. I have owned it for 15 yrs but have not managed to find out much about it. 3 PAFs and block inlays are very unusual so appears to be a one off. I have original case and some original tags etc. It hardly appears to have been played. Very little wear or tarnishing on the hardware and no scratches or marks on body or neck to speak of. Would be interested in any views anyone may have. Woah! That is one super cool ES-345. Never seen one with 3 pickups before, but I think it looks great. It must be a tone monster with all the varitone combinations possible plus the extra pickup. The only ES 3'' guitar I can think of with 3 pickups is Alvin Lee's ES-335, but I'm sure he got the middle pickup added at a later date. Sorry, I can't be much help with info, but hope you find out its history here or through Gibson directly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 Yeah, the only actual ES-345 component is the Varitone. All the rest of the spec's are ES-335 w/block neck markers. No big deal, just not really a (traditional) ES-345. Interesting, too, the additional pickup! But, that's what makes it "unique!" Alvin Lee's original ES-335 had a single coil (Strat looking) pickup, with a plastic plate, that fully spanned the area between the neck and bridge humbucker's mounting rings. All added, at some point. Plus, the TP-6 tailpiece. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisw123 Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 Yeah, the only actual ES-345 component is the Varitone. All the rest of the spec's are ES-335 w/block neck markers. No big deal, just not really a (traditional) ES-345. Interesting, too, the additional pickup! But, that's what makes it "unique!" Alvin Lee's original ES-335 had a single coil (Strat looking) pickup, with a plastic plate, that fully spanned the area between the neck and bridge humbucker's mounting rings. All added, at some point. Plus, the TP-6 tailpiece. CB Thanks for the interest and input guys. CB you make a good point about it being basically a 335 with added 345 features. I had never thought about the binding before. The truss rod cover notation, varitone and golf plated hardware had made me think a 345 with block markers. The orange lable inside has the serial number stamped which obviously matches the one on the back of the headstock but ES 345TD is hand written. The case candy includes a copy of a 1959 wiring diagram for a stereo varitone for all ES models. All very intriguing! You would have thought Gibson would be able to tell me but although they confirmed the date of manufacture as 1968 could tell me no more. The pickups are evenly spaced and graded in height so I am assuming they were fitted at manufacture. It is a very bottom heavy guitar to play and I'm not sure the extra pickup adds much In terms of sound but it does produce some interesting variations. The pots had all been changed when I got it but I have the originals with wiring loom and all the serial numbers accord with the date. Is it the only 3 PAF ES in the world?!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 Well, Gibson has a habit of "changing spec's without notice," and/or naming guitar models however they choose, correct spec wise, or not! LOL Example: I have two double cut Les Paul Specials, that Gibson named Les Paul "Junior Lite!" LP Junior's (Single or double cut) have ONE Dog ear P-90. Les Paul Specials have 2 Soap bar P-90's. Mine have the "Special" spec's, but with mini-trapezoid fret markers, instead of "dot" markers, and dual P-100 (humbucker P-90 soapbar) pickups. Still, they chose "Junior" lite, as the name! So...your ES-"345" was probably that, even though it really only has the Varitone, in common, with a 345 spec wise. But, whatever works, or whatever they call it...it's still a nice guitar, and "unique!" Again...Good Score! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwertypants Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 qwertypants, Late 70s? What's your impressions of it? It's been so long since I had that era 335 that a review would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwertypants Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 qwertypants, Late 70s? What's your impressions of it? It's been so long since I had that era 335 that a review would be appreciated. 1968 and i love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwertypants Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 its early day's i intend to keep this one so i got it refretted and i absolute love how it sounds through my Reverberocket. I know it hasnt got the desirable features of the early 60s 335s but i love mine and its here to stay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayyj Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 My 1968 345 ES. I have owned it for 15 yrs but have not managed to find out much about it. 3 PAFs and block inlays are very unusual so appears to be a one off. I have original case and some original tags etc. It hardly appears to have been played. Very little wear or tarnishing on the hardware and no scratches or marks on body or neck to speak of. Would be interested in any views anyone may have. My first thought is the Bigsby doesn't look like a 60s one - I would expect a '68 to be all gold without the black paint around the logo. I've never seen three original pickups in a 3*5 but I've seen them with added third pickups, and I'd expect either Patent Nos or possibly T Tops in a '68. I'm sure Gibson would have put together a guitar of this spec if asked for a special order, so I'm not saying I definitely don't think it could be original, just that there are a few things that raise questions that would be worth checking out. There are a couple of things you could do to try to figure out what is going on with it. If it were mine the first thing I'd do is carefully remove the pickups and closely examine the routs. Does the middle one look identical to the other two? For a start I'd expect to see lacquer around the edges of outer two and not (or obviously added lacquer) on the middle one if the third pickup was a later addition. Whilst the pickups were out I would check the underside of the pickups to confirm they had PAF stickers, and if so I'd get someone to authenticate them. The other thing to check is under the Bigsby - are there any extra holes suggesting a trapeze might have been on there at some point? My guess would be it started with a trap, then a stop bar was added, then the Bigsby and Custom Made plate, but if I'm wrong it should be obvious with the Bigsby off. The other thing I'd do with this guitar is email Charlie who runs the www.es-335.org blog and have him take a look. There's not much he doesn't know about 335s and if it is original I'm sure he'd be interested to see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Hayden Posted January 18, 2016 Author Share Posted January 18, 2016 My first thought is the Bigsby doesn't look like a 60s one - I would expect a '68 to be all gold without the black paint around the logo. I've never seen three original pickups in a 3*5 but I've seen them with added third pickups, and I'd expect either Patent Nos or possibly T Tops in a '68. I'm sure Gibson would have put together a guitar of this spec if asked for a special order, so I'm not saying I definitely don't think it could be original, just that there are a few things that raise questions that would be worth checking out. There are a couple of things you could do to try to figure out what is going on with it. If it were mine the first thing I'd do is carefully remove the pickups and closely examine the routs. Does the middle one look identical to the other two? For a start I'd expect to see lacquer around the edges of outer two and not (or obviously added lacquer) on the middle one if the third pickup was a later addition. Whilst the pickups were out I would check the underside of the pickups to confirm they had PAF stickers, and if so I'd get someone to authenticate them. The other thing to check is under the Bigsby - are there any extra holes suggesting a trapeze might have been on there at some point? My guess would be it started with a trap, then a stop bar was added, then the Bigsby and Custom Made plate, but if I'm wrong it should be obvious with the Bigsby off. The other thing I'd do with this guitar is email Charlie who runs the www.es-335.org blog and have him take a look. There's not much he doesn't know about 335s and if it is original I'm sure he'd be interested to see it. Good info 4H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankbm4 Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Added a new ES to my collection. A 2013 ES-335 Transparent Black Satin Finish. I had been looking for this one for awhile. I just couldn't justify buying a Chris Cornell signature model. Way too expensive, not exactly a fan of him as a guitarist. I'm really unsure why that guitar even exists as I never really thought of him an a major player. I hunted this down for about a year and finally found someone selling one in excellent condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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