Navy Vet. Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 I have 12 days until I'm officially retired. In addition to this I have a closing date on a home in Johnson City TN 18 days away. Retirement and moving to a new state and a new home has been on my mind. But more importantly a new guitar has taken priority, This will not be just a new guitar for the sake of a new guitar, but a significant new guitar marking my retirement and realizing and achieving a goal of living in the mountains of East Tennessee and trout fishing at will. Now the guitar. I love Telecasters, they are the only guitar that Fender offers that I will own. Now I'm a Gibson freak, I love just about every Gibson that they offer. Price is a limiting factor due to my limited skills as a guitar player. In short I'm not Custom Shop material. I like to keep it real as they say. Guitars I have on my list. Telecaster Thinline either Vintera or American made. I don't see much of a difference in MIM and made in USA. but that's just me. Now for Gibson, I have the 2019 Original Collection Flying V in natural, Firebird, an ES-335 on my list of potential "retirement" guitar. What should I get? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPguitarman Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 (edited) In the end, its ultimately your decision. I have a Gibson Les Paul Classic Antique, and the only guitar I would want right now is a Fender Strat. MIM or USA is still undecided. So if it were me, I'd go with the Telecaster (that would be the closest to the Strat.). Congrats on your upcoming retirement. Edited December 2, 2019 by LPguitarman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 ES-335 😜 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 MIM have a lot of experienced player devotees... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FemmeParallell Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 Congratulations for retiring! very well deserved gift/guitar you are getting for yourself Of course it will be your decision, i just want to throw my opinion... About Fenders (cuz i started out as a Fender fan), i will say that for strats i have always preferred mim, and for telecasters USA. I dont know what it is but i do find difference in sound in the USA telecasters vs MIM. Although the price gap is wide. Anyways, I really liked the new color Fender came up on the new Ultra series, "TEXAS TEA", you should check it out, but try to look for a video cuz in the pictures they dont show the color as it is (it has a bit of a shine), wish i could get my hands on a texas tea strat haha...oh one thing is that for the new USA Telecasters i know they changed the neck profile to a D, they say its slender with more shoulder, or something like that If you want a Gibson, that one is hard haha cuz i would tell you to get both the Firebird and the 335 hahha..have you played both models? are you inclining more towards one? they are very different 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 Congrats the retirement and new fly fishing abode! As to guitars I would say you deserve a 335. But if you start leaning that way also consider a 336. I like the tone from the mahogany back/sides/center block with maple top so much better than a 335s maple/poplar/maple sandwich and they are way more comfortable to play (just slightly bigger than a LP, but much lighter). The range and quality of tones is just amazing. Everyone that has one will never give it up. I'm not sure if they are currently in production, but look for a used one. If you find one and buy it you'll never regret it. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 Used Firebird, used 335, used Flying V. Shop around and you can do it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Vet. Posted December 2, 2019 Author Share Posted December 2, 2019 2 hours ago, Twang Gang said: Congrats the retirement and new fly fishing abode! As to guitars I would say you deserve a 335. But if you start leaning that way also consider a 336. I like the tone from the mahogany back/sides/center block with maple top so much better than a 335s maple/poplar/maple sandwich and they are way more comfortable to play (just slightly bigger than a LP, but much lighter). The range and quality of tones is just amazing. Everyone that has one will never give it up. I'm not sure if they are currently in production, but look for a used one. If you find one and buy it you'll never regret it. Holy semi-hollow center block, Batman! I’m digging it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 Vet - the CS-336 is a unique build by Gibson and the only guitar they make this way as far as I know. It is carved almost like a violin. The back, sides and center block start out as one big chunk of mahogany and the upper and lower bouts are routed out for the chambers. Then a solid carved maple top (with a little bit of center block too) is fitted to the back and rims which are all one piece. The result is a guitar that can sound very much like a LP or very much like any other ES semi-hollow body. But the tonewood combination results in a much mellower woodier sound than a maple/poplar/maple laminate guitar. They were made with '57 Classic pickups. They don't make them all the time so you'd have to search for a used one but it is worth the hunt. To plagiarize Carlos Sanatana "a guitar is like a color - but my 336 is like a rainbow". There are several on Reverb ranging from about $2K to over $4K so expensive, but when you consider what a new 335 goes for the 336 is a better value. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 Congrats, Navy Vet. I would go for the Firebird, but that's just me. Re; Johnson City. I spent quite a bit of time up there just a few years ago, working on a helicopter project that had us flying aircraft in and out of the Bell Helicopters facility there in Piney Flats. I always saw fellows out fly-fishing in the broad streams just east-northeast of there. The mountains nearby, and the lakes, were just gorgeous. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanHenry Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 Congratulations on your forthcoming retirement, may it be long and happy. Regarding guitar choice , this is a very personal thing, but if it was my money I'd go for the ES335, everyone should have a 335👍 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle fester Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 Used 335 and used telecaster thin line... nah it's retirement - new 335 and new telecaster thin line. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 If you can manage it, a 335 all the way, No way in He11 you can make a mistake with that choice. you can always shlep a Tele later on, the MIM would be just the ticket. This one, as a matter of fact, has be on the top of my drool list for a few weeks now. Ever since Capmaster mentioned he got one,, so it's basically all his fault.. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TeleV70TVB--fender-vintera-70s-telecaster-thinline-vintage-blonde 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Vet. Posted December 4, 2019 Author Share Posted December 4, 2019 Well I have made my decision. But I haven’t pulled the trigger because I can’t decide on the finish. Is it dark natural, caramel burst or sixties cherry. Give me a few more days deciding this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tx-ogre Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 Congrats on your retirement. I have been retired for nearly 8 years to the day and I highly recommend it to everyone. As far as my 2 cents worth about a guitar, they are all good choices, but when in doubt, I always seems to lean toward an ES-335. Very versatile. Can’t go wrong. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Vet. Posted December 4, 2019 Author Share Posted December 4, 2019 1 hour ago, tx-ogre said: Congrats on your retirement. I have been retired for nearly 8 years to the day and I highly recommend it to everyone. As far as my 2 cents worth about a guitar, they are all good choices, but when in doubt, I always seems to lean toward an ES-335. Very versatile. Can’t go wrong. I don’t doubt you but I’m not getting a 35. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 I'm still holding out for you getting that Firebird. I only have the cheapest US made Firebird ever, the Zero. But I love it dearly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 A J-45... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 1 hour ago, Murph said: A J-45... I would have never thought you'd suggest that,, yep came right out a the blue.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 20 minutes ago, kidblast said: I would have never thought you'd suggest that,, yep came right out a the blue.. Yea, I'm getting predictable. Hell, I swapped my ES-339 for my J-15. With the mandolin, resonator and other acoustics I simply never play the electrics anymore. I'm gonna sell the Boogie and buy an ETL mic and a round neck...... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Vet. Posted December 4, 2019 Author Share Posted December 4, 2019 4 hours ago, Murph said: A J-45... I have a J-15 that I love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle fester Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 If it's electric, does it come with an amp... it should 🙂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 (edited) I think a lot depends on whether you want to look at it or play it. Ultimately, I think we gravitate to the guitar that plays the best, so body style and fit, neck, fretboard, scale length, balance, weight, etc. are big factors. But, you gotta look at it, too, and that can be important. One thing to consider, though, is that with all of the pickups available today, they can always be an aftermarket choice. Lots of decisions that only you can make. Congratulations on retirement. You're gonna love it. My wife and I are considering a last move to the NC mountains. That part of TN is beautiful... maybe the prettiest in three or four states. Edited December 4, 2019 by zigzag 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 YaY! Retirement is good. Get the Tele. Yer welcome. rct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Vet. Posted December 5, 2019 Author Share Posted December 5, 2019 Well I have made my decision. I’m going to buy a Gibson 339 figured model in sixties cherry. I toyed with the Fender Tele thin-line, now I love Tele’s but the 339 is a whole different breed of cat that seems to me a guitar worthy of a lifetime of playing enjoyment. And I think they are beautiful. But the Firebird is............, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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