PuerAeternus Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 When I A/Be'd a limited ed. 1999 trans brown ES-335 with goldhardware/crank tuners with my 2013 Dot Cherry, the brown one sounded about 15% nicer. Perhaps maybe QC was just better during then, or the woods were better, or the original owner swapped the PU's with some gold fralin pafs, but anyway I can pick it up if i trade in my own ES-335 with $500 cash. I'm quite tempted cuz it is a pretty rare color. The brown one also seemed to have more fret and less binding cutting into the fret (on my cherry one, i have to be very careful doing pull off licks on the high E to open strings or the string slips off the fret). the downside is the brown one had sharp saddles that cut into my hand when palm muting, but the owner said he can fix that easy if i make the trade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR TOAD Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I have found that Gibson especially the Memphis Plant had a much looser QC then did Kalamazoo however that being said I have never seen the Black wiring come out of an F hole and go under a pick guard... as for the binding the frets etc.. any good tech can set up your guitar as you wish for it to be.. I like the brown look and am only bothered by the wiring.. I also think the +$500 might be more then the trade is worth.. I have a 67 in Cherry and I would not get rid of her for any amount now being much older then when I traded every other day I have found once one fits KEEP IT and wait for the next one stop getting rid of and wish I had kept it.. your choice but before I do any trade Please let me know what that wire is *)O(* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuerAeternus Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 not the same model as the one in the shop , thats just a picture I found of a similar one. So are you saying Trans Brown 335's were made in the kalamazoo plant instead of the memphis where current 335's are coming from? if so i think that is a pretty good trade, especially since the brown one did sound noticeably nice- i read 57 classics used to be made differently in the past, this might be why they sound different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I think the main thing Mr. Toad was saying is simply that if one has an instrument that works, and helps one's playing, one may be best advised to keep it regardless of other factors. And with that, I am in wholehearted agreement. As for "aging," remember we're talking laminated tops. I've been told that one may expect some "aging" of a lam top, but it'll take perhaps 40-50 years or more, where a single piece of wood will "age" much more rapidly. If that's correct, and I have a cupla lam archtops from the '50s, '70s and "current," and two "current" semis. Each is "different," but I doubt the major factor is age as it may be with two "identical" flattops 60 years apart in age. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuerAeternus Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 I think the main thing Mr. Toad was saying is simply that if one has an instrument that works, and helps one's playing, one may be best advised to keep it regardless of other factors. And with that, I am in wholehearted agreement. As for "aging," remember we're talking laminated tops. I've been told that one may expect some "aging" of a lam top, but it'll take perhaps 40-50 years or more, where a single piece of wood will "age" much more rapidly. If that's correct, and I have a cupla lam archtops from the '50s, '70s and "current," and two "current" semis. Each is "different," but I doubt the major factor is age as it may be with two "identical" flattops 60 years apart in age. m I'm sure a better sounding guitar with less tendency for the HIgh E string to pull off the fret would help my playing though. Did some research, apparently 1999 was one of the last years Gibson made regular USA 335's in Nashville, which seems to be favored around here, even with the regular 335 models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuerAeternus Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 I think the main thing Mr. Toad was saying is simply that if one has an instrument that works, and helps one's playing, one may be best advised to keep it regardless of other factors. And with that, I am in wholehearted agreement. As for "aging," remember we're talking laminated tops. I've been told that one may expect some "aging" of a lam top, but it'll take perhaps 40-50 years or more, where a single piece of wood will "age" much more rapidly. If that's correct, and I have a cupla lam archtops from the '50s, '70s and "current," and two "current" semis. Each is "different," but I doubt the major factor is age as it may be with two "identical" flattops 60 years apart in age. m I'm sure a better sounding guitar with less tendency for the HIgh E string to pull off the fret would help my playing though. Did some research, apparently 1999 was one of the last years Gibson made regular USA 335's in Nashville, which seems to be favored around here, even with the regular 335 models. also i think 57 classics were made with different bobbin wire back then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Vonnegut Fan Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Not only is the top laminated, but there's a BF centerblock underneath. Not a helluva lot of acoustic resonance going on there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Eternal boy... Yeah... but is that the nut or the bridge giving the problem? Both? Technique on a narrower nut than one is more familiar with? Lighter string gauge that can require somewhat different technique? Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch'entrate.... <grin> m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuerAeternus Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 Eternal boy... Yeah... but is that the nut or the bridge giving the problem? Both? Technique on a narrower nut than one is more familiar with? Lighter string gauge that can require somewhat different technique? Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch'entrate.... <grin> m On my LP studio and my strat, the fret goes all the way, no binding, so I would rather have a more consistent technique going across all 3 guitars. I think the string spacing is fine, the angle of the fret bevel/binding is just a little bit too much on my 335, the 1999 trans brown model im looking at has binding but has slightly more fret to work with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Yeah, they're each one an individual creature. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 All timbers will age, on principal regardless of thickness or lamination. Differences in design and construction, glues, finishes and manufacturing process will determine pace and degree of aging effects to a certain extent, as well as playing, maintenance and storage will. However, I think it's hard to predict the progress for a particular instrument. When talking of mine, I experienced that aging made and still keeps on making all of them better. Whenever I decided to buy an instrument, I evaluated the status quo and tried to keep out dreaming of how perhaps it might be one day. I only bought for just now so to say. Since I purchased most of mine new, it could have been and still keep on being only luck, but none of them deteriorated at any time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.