Revelation Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 (edited) First Impressions: I just received a late 2020 made Gibson 335 Figured cherry red guitar. First off it looks so beautiful and it brings a smile to your face when you look and play it. I found the craftmanship to be excellent and no flaws in construction or quality of parts an issue. It looks beautiful and smells nice. The action was a little too low so I moved the screws up on the saddle a little just to get it low but not that low. The pickups on this guitar are the calibrated pickups. They are much brighter and open than some of the older 335's I have played. To be honest even with reducing my treble knob on my Fender Twin to 5, the front pickup for what I was expecting was a little too bright with a clean setting. I turned down the tone control to 8 and its now perfect. Now I am getting the beautiful tone of the Gibson that I expect. On the back pickup I have the tone knob down to 7 1/2. It sounds closer to my LP on the back pickup in the treble response. The 335 can sound a little icy picky with the tone control at 10. I reduced my Fender Twin treble to 4 but then with the tone control at 10, it lacks the top end you want from the back pickup. So my work around works best. The sound though has the classic Gibson sound that you expect. To be honest for my taste I think I would prefer the 1961 335 Reissue pickups which are not as bright for just the clean setting but its so much more money. With that being said, I like the neck better on my 2020 335 which is not as big as the reissue. Right now I am just using my Fender Twin and have not used my Boogie or other amps yet. So granted with each amp you will get different results. I just went through my Boss Angry Driver and the extra top end is just great by the way. When adding distortion, the higher treble response on the new 335 is amazing, so forget when I said before. I compared it to my 1989 Gibson Les Paul Custom. The LP has a thicker tone with the front pickup and has a tighter sound. On the back pickup, the LP rocks more, while the 335 which also rocks but it has a little less punch. LP is clearly a better guitar for heavier rocking than the 335. The 335 has a pleasant open sound in comparison. There is clearly enough of a difference between my LP and 335 especially with the different pickups helps justifying owning both. The case is nice but it feels so large compared to my Fender and LP cases. They include the tools you need, a thin black strap, and the inspection card. Turning pegs have a material that is non slip and tuning feels very secure. They also look great. All in all I think the the 335's from Gibson are really great. Edited March 4, 2021 by Revelation 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 (edited) Stunning. The ES-335 may be the best thing Gibson ever did. I had a BB King Signature Model, and a 335. Edited March 4, 2021 by Sgt. Pepper 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 You aren't kidding that looks beautiful, congratulations! Thanks for the review on the pick ups, I was wondering about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 beautiful! congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 Beautiful shade of Red! What are calibrated Pickups? Not familiar with them.. Gibson has no shortage of Humbucker Pickups! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Natural Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 BEAUTY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revelation Posted March 6, 2021 Author Share Posted March 6, 2021 On 3/5/2021 at 12:42 AM, Larsongs said: Beautiful shade of Red! What are calibrated Pickups? Not familiar with them.. Gibson has no shortage of Humbucker Pickups! See their web page that states the pickup. Gibson | ES-335 Figured - Sixties Cherry Some say they are like the pickups they had in the 70's but I comment on that. I found the pickups to be a little bright for jazz. When I went to put the neck pickup tone control on 8 however it was perfect. It provides the sound you expect to hear from a Gibson 335. It has that warm tone and its beautiful. I found when adding a little distortion with a pedal, the little extra treble the pickups have provide a fantastic sound and bite. I love these new pickups. Some 335's have a muddier sound and lacks the clarity that this new pickups have. No complaints here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 Listened to some YouTube’s & those pups sound great... My 2013 Memphis ES335 has Classics which sound great also.. I think Gibson is building some really great higher end Guitars in recent years.. Some of their best! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Manhost Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 I find the tone control on the bridge pickup set around 5, tames the treble, and gives a better sound when using both pickups on my 2020 ES-335 Satin Sunburst Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 Block inlays I think look much better than dots, but that is just me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 Congrats on your 335. Thanks for the detailed review. Always good to hear positive stuff too. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Gibson Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 Never thought I would want a ES style guitar ever, then I bought one,now I have two. Never say never ever. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Natural Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 On 3/8/2021 at 12:24 PM, Sgt. Pepper said: Block inlays I think look much better than dots, but that is just me. I've got a lefty ES 335 with dots. If I had had the option when I bought, I probably would have bought the guitar with blocks, but now, I'm very happy with the dots. To me, now, I like the looks of both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 7 minutes ago, Mr. Natural said: I've got a lefty ES 335 with dots. If I had had the option when I bought, I probably would have bought the guitar with blocks, but now, I'm very happy with the dots. To me, now, I like the looks of both. My BB had blocks and my 335 had dots. I can beat that up for you if you like. I'll just re-string it and deal with intonation then reverse it after the job is done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Natural Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 Thanks, but I can beat it up myself, and I don't want it reversed. I have a hard enough time already playing left-handed. But, thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 On 3/8/2021 at 1:06 PM, Mike Manhost said: I find the tone control on the bridge pickup set around 5, tames the treble, and gives a better sound when using both pickups on my 2020 ES-335 Satin Sunburst nice,, hey,, word to the wise, don't leave that tuner clipped on your headstock. ya'll wont like what it does to the finish.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tx-ogre Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 Very nice. Congrats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joebloggs Posted April 10, 2021 Share Posted April 10, 2021 (edited) On 3/3/2021 at 7:09 PM, Revelation said: First Impressions: I just received a late 2020 made Gibson 335 Figured cherry red guitar. First off it looks so beautiful and it brings a smile to your face when you look and play it. I found the craftmanship to be excellent and no flaws in construction or quality of parts an issue. It looks beautiful and smells nice. The action was a little too low so I moved the screws up on the saddle a little just to get it low but not that low. The pickups on this guitar are the calibrated pickups. They are much brighter and open than some of the older 335's I have played. To be honest even with reducing my treble knob on my Fender Twin to 5, the front pickup for what I was expecting was a little too bright with a clean setting. I turned down the tone control to 8 and its now perfect. Now I am getting the beautiful tone of the Gibson that I expect. On the back pickup I have the tone knob down to 7 1/2. It sounds closer to my LP on the back pickup in the treble response. The 335 can sound a little icy picky with the tone control at 10. I reduced my Fender Twin treble to 4 but then with the tone control at 10, it lacks the top end you want from the back pickup. So my work around works best. The sound though has the classic Gibson sound that you expect. To be honest for my taste I think I would prefer the 1961 335 Reissue pickups which are not as bright for just the clean setting but its so much more money. With that being said, I like the neck better on my 2020 335 which is not as big as the reissue. Right now I am just using my Fender Twin and have not used my Boogie or other amps yet. So granted with each amp you will get different results. I just went through my Boss Angry Driver and the extra top end is just great by the way. When adding distortion, the higher treble response on the new 335 is amazing, so forget when I said before. I compared it to my 1989 Gibson Les Paul Custom. The LP has a thicker tone with the front pickup and has a tighter sound. On the back pickup, the LP rocks more, while the 335 which also rocks but it has a little less punch. LP is clearly a better guitar for heavier rocking than the 335. The 335 has a pleasant open sound in comparison. There is clearly enough of a difference between my LP and 335 especially with the different pickups helps justifying owning both. The case is nice but it feels so large compared to my Fender and LP cases. They include the tools you need, a thin black strap, and the inspection card. Turning pegs have a material that is non slip and tuning feels very secure. They also look great. All in all I think the the 335's from Gibson are really great. Try changing the saddles for some nylon ones. That will soften the tone up and add some girth. I have a TonePro bridge with the nylon G saddles in my ES-335 and it has that vintage vibe. I would try that before a pickup swap. Beautiful guitar! Edited April 10, 2021 by joebloggs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revelation Posted April 11, 2021 Author Share Posted April 11, 2021 I found the slightly brighter sound fantastic with distortion. It cuts through and is exciting. When going clean, just moving the treble knob on my amp down by one number reduces the brightness for clean. I really love the pickups now that I have had this guitar for over a month now. Its actually my favorite 335 guitar that I have ever played. I also love the neck on this thing. Its not as thick as the 1964 reissue but not as small as the later 60's 335. I play this guitar every day and my Strat and Tele have stayed in their cases the whole time. I don't see my Fenders seeing the light of day for at least another month. I can't recommend the new 335's enough. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 The dot necks always make me think of Dave Edmunds so either dot of blocks are fine with me. When you do give your Fedners a spin after a layoff, let us know if they feel weird to you. I could never get the hang of the necks but plenty of people sure do. I chalk it up to my ineptitude, not the instrument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semi Posted April 17, 2021 Share Posted April 17, 2021 It’s great to see some love for “new” 335s! Not everything has to be vintage. 🙂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunking101 Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 (edited) Dots for me. Edited April 23, 2021 by sunking101 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 I've never even played a 335. When music shops return to near normal again I'll try to rectify that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 I am not familiar with the new "calibrated" pickups but just because the tone and volume knobs go up to 10 doesn't mean you need to set them there when playing. Many players think that they will get the most output and best tone with the knobs all at ten, but that is not the way the Gibson pickup systems are really designed to work. I have been playing Gibson electrics since 1965 and rarely had my tone or volume knobs at 10, once in a while for certain lead work, but rarely. Leave your amp where you like it's tone and work with the volume and tone knobs on the guitar - especially in the middle position so you can blend the sounds of the two pickups together. Don't be afraid to have a pickup tone knob set at less than 5. I am sure with some experimentation you will tame the treble and get the tones you want. Beautiful 335, congratulations and enjoy it 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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