thomasdk Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Hey folks, Im still havent choosen, which Gibson I would prefer. I mainly play "the jazzzzz" so I was thinking something like the ES 335? I would prefer it would end up under $2000. I have went through all local stores and didnt find one which suited my needs so Im prepared to buy online. I was think about one of these used Gibson ES 335? Your time is appreciated! Cheers, Thom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Thom . No two guitars are alike similar maybe but not identical . Play em all , The "one" will speak to you and you will know it . Comfort , Tone and Playability are the key , we could look at pictures for days . I cant hear, feel or taste em , let your ears and eyes make the choice . Peace . Yer O'l Pal AXE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ignatius Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Hey Thom-- I don't want to say that the guitars that are linked above have problems, but I don't think that website is anything more than a Gibson search engine for ebay listings. As far as I can tell, most of the links I clicked led to different sellers with differing degrees of experience with guitars. One listing, for instance, for an ES-125 started its description with "I don't really know anything about guitars." That makes me a bit skeptical about the main site's claim that they are carefully selecting the best used Gibsons around. You could run into a lot of problems trying to resolve a dispute if you buy through that site. You would be better off just logging into ebay and running a search for ES guitars. The ES-335 can be great for jazz although I also would suggest you look at the full-depth hollow-bodies like the ES-175 and other archtops made by Gibson. Many of those will give you an even jazzier tone. If you are looking at used, I suspect the ES-330 might work well too. It is the same basic body shape as the 335, but it is a hollow-body, and it has P-90 pickups rather than humbuckers. Humbuckers can at times seem muddy for jazz, I think, although many great jazz players use them. I am currently on a P-90 kick right now; they are warmer than Strat or Telecaster single-coil pickups, but because P-90s are basically fat single-coils, they have a rich warmth and clarity that straddles the fence between single-coil and humbucker. It really comes down to personal preference. By the way, if this is your first venture into hollow-bodies, you may wish to look at some of the better Epiphones as well. Some of them can be very nice, but finding replacement parts--even for new ones--can be difficult because the Epiphone specs do change from year to year, and the foreign manufacturers do not provide Gibson with backstock of the parts. And I should not neglect to mention the satin finish 335 by Gibson: you can have a great Gibson 335 brand new with lifetime warranty and all the same electronics and build as the high-end 335s, but you can get it NEW for right about $2000 or even a little less. If you don't mind satin finishes, get yourself to Guitar Center and try out this guitar. It is a nice baseline marker for the 335s, new or used, when you see what $2000 gets you new. As AXE said, try to get out and get your hands on some of these guitars. When working with semihollow- and full hollowbody guitars, you should try them both acoustically and through an amp. The 335 will not produce much acoustic sound (nor will the 330), but they should at least sound pleasing as you are playing them without the amp. Then try the sound through the amp. Make sure you try out the guitar with the sort of amp you have or the type you want to buy down the road because different amps bring out different characteristics of different guitars. I hope that helps for a start. By the way, I own a full-depth ES-125. They often are in shops fairly cheap and looking beat up, but a good one has the tone and mojo that just might be what you want. They tend to favor a bluesier tone, but I think they could do well for jazz, and they created instant mojo: I don't think I've met anyone who didn't enjoy playing the old 125s. I haven't played the thinline versions, but the full-depth ones actually don't sound bad as straight acoustics so you almost get two guitars for the price of one. They aren't Martins or high-end Gibson acoustics, and they were student-model electrics in their day, but they hold up and have aged very well. Gibson quit making them around 1970, but they were in the line-up from 1940 on. They worked well enough that they are beginning to go up in price as people see they are good vintage guitars available cheap--which might not be the case for many more years. Ignatius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Hey, Thom. You didn't specify if you played a certain jazz genre. That could certainly influence your choice of guitars. The ES 335 is one of the most versatile guitars ever. You can proabably play about anything on it, and it's widely used by many modern jazz and progressive players, for sure. For under $2K, the satin-finished model would be a good choice, as would a used gloss top. The ES 137's are constructed similarly to the ES 335, though with a single cutaway, and have the same '57 Classic pups (I think). The center block is a different material, so I'm not sure how similar or different this would sound to an ES 335, but gloss models are within your budget. Ignatious wisely pointed out to look into the better Epiphones. These would be the Elitist models. They are built to exacting standards in Japan using high grade materials, Gibson pick ups, and traditional techniques (though the finish is a well-applied and thin poly instead of traditional laquer, like on a Gibson). If you are a traditional jazzer or bebopper, you might look into the Byrdland or Broadway hollow body archtops (the Broadway being very similar to an L5). Both of these are priced under $2K, and are absolutley excellent instruments. The Gibson equivalent of either of these models would be about three times the price. Both of these hollow bodies are a great bang for the buck, and the Japanese luthiers are fanatical about build quality. There is also an Elitist ES 335 for about $1300. I would suspect you might want to spend an extra couple hundred and swap the pups for '57 Classics (like on a GIbson ES 335), as the pups this version comes with are slightly hotter. The more elaborately decorated Elitist Sheraton has minihumbuckers. Since these have fewer winds, and less output, they have a cleaner voice that you might find appropriate for your jazz stylings. If you want a P90 equipped hollow body, the Elitist Casino is about $1350, but the two Lennon signature versions are much improved over even these, and do have traditional nitro cellulose laquer finishes. These are about $2500, though. (These would be similar to the ES 330 Ignatious suggested.) Gibson and Epiphone provide you with a lot of choices under $2000, when you think about it. You might also ask some of the ES 339 owners on one of the other how threads if they think their axe would do a proper job at jazz, too. Since you spell your name Thom, look into Thomastic Enfield strings. They are available round wound and flat wound and voiced for many jazz styles. Gibson L5 strings are also a good option on a big arch top. Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lkmuller Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 I would say a 175, but It won't be easy to find one for under two grand. I own two 335's, a dot and a block inlay, and they are, as it's been mentioned before, very versatile. But I recently picked up an Artcore AF105f full hollow body with a floating pickup, and fell in love with the feel and the sound. The only problem is that it loses it's sweet tone at higher volumes. It's a different animal from the 335. So I'm gonna get that 175. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxx Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Hey lkmuller, I'll agree with your 175 sentiments! My wife and I just got back from Hawaii ( Big Island) You've got a beautiful place there to inspire music making!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stewie Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 I really like my ES335. It was owned by a friend of mine since 1990. He purchased it brand new. I borrowed the guitar and played it off and on for several months at a time over those years. He really didn't like the feel of the guitar. He had shopped it around but nobody liked the way it felt so nobody would buy it. I had finally found a guitar tech that I think walks on water. I took the guitar to my tech and paid for a set up. It came back a different instrument. My tech told me it had never been properly intonated and the nut needed work, and a few other tweeks and it is now my number one. The tone is amazing and the action is low and buzzless. I would say for versatility the 335 is perfect. I would also say that a good set up can change a guitar drastically. I now look differently at guitars. I look more for potential than the initial feel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spitball Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 This guy isn't really looking for a guitar. He's just going around to various forums trying to get traffic to that website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ignatius Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 This guy isn't really looking for a guitar. He's just going around to various forums trying to get traffic to that website. I was wondering if that was the case once I saw how crappy the website is, that it is not really a sales site but only a pre-fabricated ebay search engine, and that this guy has not responded to any information offered here in the forum. I probably should have realized that no self-respecting jazz musician would call his or her music "the jazzz." The website linked above is NOT to be trusted in my opinion, folks. I don't know what this guy's schtick is, but I suspect it has a con job attached to it. Ignatius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I probably should have realized that no self-respecting jazz musician would call his or her music "the jazzz." Ignatius Yeah, wouldn't it be, "le jazzz"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spitball Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I probably should have realized that no self-respecting jazz musician would call his or her music "the jazzz." LOL' date=' true... The website linked above is NOT to be trusted in my opinion, folks. I don't know what this guy's schtick is, but I suspect it has a con job attached to it. You may be right; it could be something malicious...or he's just testing out a page he created that simply makes use of eBay web services. I bet it's got a scam somehow behind it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ignatius Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Yeah' date=' wouldn't it be, "le jazzz"?[/quote'] I almost blew coffee all over my computer when I read that. That is very good. Ignatius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Ignatius- Have you found your guitar yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ignatius Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Ignatius- Have you found your guitar yet? No. It's kind of a bummer. I am expanding my search a bit these days. I was set on an ES-335, but then I started thinking about all the music I most enjoy (J.J. Cale, Clapton, Beatles, Stones, Tom Petty, Dylan, the Police, the Clash, Billy Squier, early Zep and early Who, etc.), and I realized that almost none of them use guitars with humbuckers on a regular basis. I don't know about the gear of some of the others (Buffalo Tom, ZZ Top (lots of different guitar sounds there), along with some of the blues guys I listen to regularly), but I got to thinking that I maybe need to expand my search. What I probably really want is a good guitar with P-90s, but (I know I am about to speak blasphemy) I don't really dig Les Pauls or SGs. That leaves me with the land of easily modified guitars: Fender. I also don't think I am a Strat guy, so a Telecaster seems a strong option. I'm hesitant to go back down the Epiphone road because of all the stories (and my personal experiences) with the impossibility of changing out pickups, etc. I also posted back a bit about putting humbuckers with coil-taps into a 335, but that is running the price up, and on top of that, the 57 Classics don't allow split coils. I did see that GuitarSale.com has 335s with P-90s, but they are over $3000, and they are a limited run anyway. That is too much for this little boy to be spending on a guitar, no matter how great it is. That pretty much kills the ES-330 vintage market for me, too, because those are pushing up into real money these days as well. I have been re-discovering my ES-125 in the meantime. It is a mighty fine guitar, and it has a P-90. Part of me wonders if I should just learn to push it harder first before I jump into another guitar. Any thoughts? How goes your search? Ignatius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 <...>What I probably really want is a good guitar with P-90s' date=' but (I know I am about to speak blasphemy) I don't really dig Les Pauls or SGs. <...> Ignatius [/quote'] You might look at the Epiphone Casino if you like P90s. It looks almost like the ES330 or ES 335 (see pictures below), has P90s and if mine is any example, plays and sounds great. The first picture is my Casino an ES before I changed the pickguard and knobs on my Casino, the second is the "After" picture. With the Casino you lose the "Bragging Rights" of playing a genuine Gibson, but I find the Casino to be about 95% of the Gibson, and they don't make the ES-330 anymore. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I did see that GuitarSale.com has 335s with P-90s' date=' but they are over $3000, and they are a limited run anyway. That is too much for this little boy to be spending on a guitar, no matter how great it is. Ignatius [/quote'] How about the Elitist Nick Valensi Riviera. That has P94s. Aren't those just P90s designed to fit into a humbucker sized opening? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ignatius Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 How about the Elitist Nick Valensi Riviera. That has P94s. Aren't those just P90s designed to fit into a humbucker sized opening? Hey Red-- Yeah, the P-94s are P-90s designed to fit where humbuckers belong. Now that is an interesting thought. Not only should I try out guitars with those in place, but they are options for replacement in another guitar that might feel great but not have the sound I want. Hmmmm. . . . I think I'll go run a search of the forums for more info. I am much obliged. Ignatius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLiveSoundGuy Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 Thanks for that Ignatius. I had just asked that very question in another section of the forums. Now to go delete that question and eliminate forum clutter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ignatius Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 Thanks for that Ignatius. I had just asked that very question in another section of the forums. Now to go delete that question and eliminate forum clutter. Or would it be better for us to move this discussion to a more obvious place? Some people probably still think we are talking about the pseudo-advertisement that started this thread. If you want to move us to a more prominent place' date=' let us know here where to go, and I'll move the discussion there because I think this is a good issue to discuss--and a good topic to bring to the forefront. [i']Unless no one cares that I am contemplating a Telecaster . . . [/i] Just kidding. I know there are lots of people here who respect the Distinguished Competition (let's see who knows where that reference comes from). Ignatius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarJunkie Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 You might also want to look into an ES-135. These are pretty plentiful, and can usually be had for well under a grand. Basically a Gibson at Epiphone prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Mr Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 I have a 335 and my friend has a 335-Satin finish. They sound identical. There's no binding on the neck of the Satin finish model. Not sure about the body binding. Other than that I think it's a great guitar. The ES-335 is certainly one of my most versatile guitars. I think it's great buy (at least as great a buy as you can get from Gibson). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edmondss Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 you can buy my 1999 es-33 block limited edition plain natural for 3k, all original Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edmondss Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 you can buy my 1999 es-335 limited edition block plain natural for 3k. all original w/original case, paperwork execellent condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarJunkie Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 I bought that red ES-135 two months ago for $900 canadian. And it was only that expensive because it had a factory Bigsby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edmondss Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 you can buy mine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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