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Finding ES-335 specs by year


ndross475

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Last year I studied and researched and found 2 Reissue Les Pauls. ( I was only supposed to keep 1,,, oops_). This year's quest is a "nice" 335.  It was relatively easy to find detailed specs on various years and models of LPs but the 335 is a bit more elusive... Will those in the know "teach a man to fish".  What are some good sites and forums for detailed specs on 335's?

My budget ($3k range but would be happy to spend $1800 on the right "player" don't care about hang tags and original case..... will precluded me from going the original 60s route... although I am curious about the 2020 '64 Reissue thats due to start shipping, I would be in line for a used one once people start letting them go.... but would be happy to spend $1800 on the right "player", I don't care about hang tags and original case.....)

I like a beefier neck and that is the spec I am most interested in... I have seen the 58 reissue that may be a bit too beefy...  I sound like Goldilocks.... not too thin, not too thick....

The profile on my R9 is very comfortable to me which seems to be in line with the 64 335 neck spec , or close enough,  just don't want the thin .80 that seems so prevalent.

If someone could point me to a chart / page/ book that details the neck dimensions by year, if such a thing exists, that would help when I am searching the web for used copies, that the owner doesn't know and cant provide that info....

Thanks,

Nick

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Thank you for the reply's... I am looking at the '59 reissues... as well as the '64s,  and some of the early 80's models with Tim Shaw pickups that had the 50s-ish necks.  The only spec that I am really concerned with is the neck, its unfortunate that in a city as large as Charlotte there just aren't any around... As for pickups I prefer low-wound PAF style pickups. Although if I found my "perfect" 335" it would be a player with the right neck that swapping pickups wouldn't be a big deal if they weren't the "right" ones.   

I don't care about dot / block inlays.  I prefer the block, but neck profile,  playability, tone and sustain are far more important to me.  If I custom made one it would probably be a VOS satin black, but again, like the blocks color just isn't that important... 

Thanks again for the input.

Nick

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Some ES-335 can be found right here on the Gibson site going back to 2015.  Not all inclusive, however. http://legacy.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Gibson-Memphis.aspx The newer the model, the less forthcoming Gibson has been with in depth specs on their models.  You can also use the Waybackmachine to dig further back in specs on the Gibson site. 

It has always said to try as many in person as possible.  This has never been more true than with necks on ES-335s.  They are known to vary considerably even within the same model.  So this needs to be understood when getting feedback from owners.

 

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Thanks @Wmachine. It makes buying tricky when there is so much variation.  If it were an Epiphone Dot, I wouldn't be so particular, but I am searching for what I hope is my "last 335".  I will keep that in my sources list...

Maybe at the end of this I will publish a page on this topic.... Would be good to have a data base with the year and specs from a bunch of owners... would be a cool resource..

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The Historic re-issue ES-335s are generally consistent with the neck profiles of the originals. The neck on my '59 Historic (from the Nashville Custom shop in 2010), is a nice, round C-profile, similar to the acoustic Gibson acoustic necks in the same historical periods. The '64, if historically accurate, will have a slightly thinner version of the same, while the '63 is likely to have a substantially slimmer profile like the early '60s acoustics.

Because of some inconsistency in Gibson specs, these may be generalizations with exceptions. I have not played other modern ES-335s, and can't comment on their neck profiles. I would say that the '59 neck is a Goldilocks neck for me, but I prefer a fairly substantial neck.

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