wordsworth_jlg Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 So after several years of owning my Midtown I decided I wanted to spiff it up a bit. I found some pelham blue ES-335's out there that I really like the look of so I decided to try and model my Midtown after these. I always loved the greenish, keystone tuning pegs on the vintage Gibsons so I thought I'd get a set and install them but quickly realized that more holes would have to be drilled and enlarged and I didn't want to modify it that much and that permanently. Having Grover tuners I discovered that you can remove just the tuning buttons and replace it so I found (rather easily) some replacement keystone buttons that are nickel. It would have been nice to have the green ones but I do like the nickel and definitely prefer the look of the keystone buttons over the kidney-bean shaped ones that were the original. Unlike most guitar players I chose to install a pickguard instead of removing one. To me it adds a bit of class and somehow balances the aesthetic. I had to find a custom pickguard made specifically for the Midtown Standard and it's a pretty good one. It's more of a Les Paul style than a 335 style but it suits. I never liked the speed knobs that came with it. Super modern looking and bigger than I'm used to. It was easy enough to find the more vintage looking Gibson top hat style knobs. Big improvement in look and feel for me. To round out the upgrade I replaced the black pickup selector cap with a white, Gibson one. Here's what the original looks like: Here's what it looks like now: I much prefer the look of this Midtown now. I've always loved the pehlam blue and with the upgraded accessories I think it accents the blue even more. It still plays the same and sounds the same which is great. Though some of you would be interested in seeing this. Thanks for looking. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FemmeParallell Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 Nice improvements! i think it really added style! diggin it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordsworth_jlg Posted January 31, 2020 Author Share Posted January 31, 2020 Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marky Forrest Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 I'm diggin it, too. Looks fantastic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeman Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 19 hours ago, wordsworth_jlg said: So after several years of owning my Midtown I decided I wanted to spiff it up a bit. I found some pelham blue ES-335's out there that I really like the look of so I decided to try and model my Midtown after these. I always loved the greenish, keystone tuning pegs on the vintage Gibsons so I thought I'd get a set and install them but quickly realized that more holes would have to be drilled and enlarged and I didn't want to modify it that much and that permanently. Having Grover tuners I discovered that you can remove just the tuning buttons and replace it so I found (rather easily) some replacement keystone buttons that are nickel. It would have been nice to have the green ones but I do like the nickel and definitely prefer the look of the keystone buttons over the kidney-bean shaped ones that were the original. Unlike most guitar players I chose to install a pickguard instead of removing one. To me it adds a bit of class and somehow balances the aesthetic. I had to find a custom pickguard made specifically for the Midtown Standard and it's a pretty good one. It's more of a Les Paul style than a 335 style but it suits. I never liked the speed knobs that came with it. Super modern looking and bigger than I'm used to. It was easy enough to find the more vintage looking Gibson top hat style knobs. Big improvement in look and feel for me. To round out the upgrade I replaced the black pickup selector cap with a white, Gibson one. Here's what the original looks like: Here's what it looks like now: I much prefer the look of this Midtown now. I've always loved the pehlam blue and with the upgraded accessories I think it accents the blue even more. It still plays the same and sounds the same which is great. Though some of you would be interested in seeing this. Thanks for looking. Thanks for sharing, it looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 I'm with you almost all the way. I've always been a "pickguard on" guy, and never a fan of the speed knobs. As to the tuner knobs, not an important detail to me, but as long as you like them that's all that matters. I think the reflector knobs and white switch tip really make it look much better than the original. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 Yep.. that classed it right up. Even the small details like the ivory switch tip and the tulip heads make a difference to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NighthawkChris Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 Yeah, that just looks right to me. Nice job and nice looking guitar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 It does look good, and more importantly its what you want. Personally? I honestly prefer the aesthetics of the original pre-mod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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