tonkin335 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Hello, I am in the market for an ES335. I am an average guitar player and like the versatility the 335 offers. I have played a couple at local big chain stores, 2 of the 3 I tried were new. I noticed that the frets were pretty tall, so that if you pressed lightly your tone would sound and be in tune, if you continue to press so that the string hits the fret board, the tone goes up a 1/4 of a tone. The salesman said that was normal. He said I could buy it then get the frets taken down. Nice - $2800, then I have to work on it? I don't think so. I have played 100's of guitars in my life and never noticed this. Both new ones exhibited this to different degrees, the used '71 ES335 did not. Is this normal? Should a new guitar need "set-up" of this nature? I understand a little tweak here and there. I have a Martin that plays wonderfully, but I had to play 10 before I found the one that "fit" me out of the box, unfortunately its hard enough to find a store that has one 335. Thanks Tom. '79 strat '04 Schecter Martin D-28 Takamini Hirade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sok66 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 There's a tendency among manufacturers of new guitars these days to use a taller fret to facilitate bending, and add some height to extend fret life. Frets can get a lot of wear from bending. I just got a new '61 SG earlier this month and noticed the frets are tall & squarish. OTOH, the '71 335 you played came from a time when Gibson fit the guitars with heavy gauge strings & wound thirds for the jazz player primarily, who did less, if any, bending. You'd get accustomed to either over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarooster52 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I have 2 Gibson electrics. A 2008 ES335 and a 2005 Les Paul Custom. Both have tall frets, and that's what works for me. That's part of the reason I decided to sell an Epiphone Sheraton II and buy the ES 335. In my opinion, this isn't something I'd want to fix. The new ES 335s are Pleked to ensure that frets are dressed evenly. Seems like a waste to then take them down and count on somebody trying to level them again. That has to be expensive. Maybe you should look for a good used one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Hello' date=' I noticed that the frets were pretty tall, so that if you pressed lightly your tone would sound and be in tune, if you continue to press so that the string hits the fret board, the tone goes up a 1/4 of a tone... Is this normal? [/quote'] Yes. A guitar with tall frets definitately intonates better with a light touch, and will go sharp when you press too hard. You may have to adjust your technique a little. The advantages of the higher frets are that you CAN play with a lighter touch, you can really dig in when you bend, and the frets should last longer. If you want an ES335 with lower frets, try an Epiphone Elitist ES335 (not the standard Epiphone, the Elitist). It's an excellent alternative to the Gibson ES335 (though I bet you could adjust your technique in short order if you got the Gibby). Red 333 Gibson ES335; Gibson ES333; Gibson ES339; Epiphone Elitist ES335 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spitball Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I have a1967 ES-335; the frets are very flat. This indeed has the advantage of minimizing the pitch change from pressing firmly on the strings. And it has the disadvantage of making string bending a *****. I'm afraid of changing the frets on this guitar as it has such good intonation right now, which I value over the ease of bending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rigormortis Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 My 1982 335 has low frets also. I always figured this was a 335 characteristic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaicho8888 Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Like everybody say... gentle touch and easier bends; plus more fret life! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelgunner Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 I just bought a new 335 and I thought the frets were too tall. I'd tune the open strings to my Korg and then when I'd chord an open chord, the notes would be off. I took it to a guitar builder who said the nut needed to be lowered and the guitar setup. He actually did quite a bit to "tweak" the guitar, but it's fine now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelgunner Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 I just bought a new Gibson ES 335 about two weeks ago. I also felt the frets were high because when I would finger open chords, the chords were way off. Some "experts" on another forum said that yes, the frets are higher than my other guitars and that I needed to not press down so hard. Thankfully, I ignored their "expert" advice and took the guitar to a custom guitar builder who set it up professionally. I had never had a guitar set up before. Now my 335 plays unbelievably sweet. No, the frets are not too high. The nut was too high, though, and he reduced its size and recut the slots. He also tweaked it elsewhere, set the intonation and put on new strings. I can't believe the difference it makes. I have three more guitars. Needless to say, I'm going to have him look at all three. The 335, properly set up, will be everything you ever hoped it would be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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