rschleicher Posted November 5, 2021 Share Posted November 5, 2021 I recently bought a new (2021) ES-345 (the new ones are non-stereo, basically just slightly "gussied-up" 335's). The guitar arrived in great shape, and very well set-up. Except for one thing that I am puzzled about:- the neck pick-up is tilted "forward" (toward the fretboard) a fair amount. The pick-up is evenly positioned within the pickup mounting ring, but the ring itself is a slanted ring, with the thinner side toward the fretboard, and the body itself is also a bit lower on the fretboard side. My question is - are all 335/345's (or at least newish ones) like this? Or was the pickup ring supposed to be mounted reversed from how mine is? (So that the tilt in the pick-up ring was compensating for the body's curve, not adding to it....)The bridge pickup is parallel to the strings - in that case the slanted pickup ring is indeed compensating for body curve. The attached pictures give a better idea of what I'm talking about. I suppose I could try to look at some other 335s in a store, but I thought I'd try here first. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted November 5, 2021 Share Posted November 5, 2021 Yes I think you could reverse the pickup surround (not the pickup itself) and it should improve things. Best wishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosesyr Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 Yes, a common complaint. That seems to be the way Gibson installs them. Not sure why they don't fix it or redesign it. Same with my 2010 339. I reversed the surround and put some foam under the pickup to level it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 It's time to trot out this photo again! Agree with jd & moose here. This is my 339 with the pickup ring reversed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted November 7, 2021 Share Posted November 7, 2021 You can take a bridge pickup ring and sand it flat on the bottom so it sits right. Or you can reverse the pickup ring and it'll be be better than it was, but maybe still not quite flat. They wouldn't have their supplier make a flat pickup ring if you gave them a lifetime supply of levis and leather jackets and a copy of the Boss's master's thesis, "Why the Fonz is Cool." 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted November 7, 2021 Share Posted November 7, 2021 Gibson has been doing that for years and none of know why, but most of us just flip the surrounding ring around and it straightens it up pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted November 8, 2021 Share Posted November 8, 2021 16 hours ago, Twang Gang said: Gibson has been doing that for years and none of know why, but most of us just flip the surrounding ring around and it straightens it up pretty well. Likely daren't mess with it, coz by now its traditional. -And If they did it would be like admitting a mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted November 8, 2021 Share Posted November 8, 2021 On 11/7/2021 at 8:48 AM, badbluesplayer said: You can take a bridge pickup ring and sand it flat on the bottom so it sits right. Or you can reverse the pickup ring and it'll be be better than it was, but maybe still not quite flat. They wouldn't have their supplier make a flat pickup ring if you gave them a lifetime supply of levis and leather jackets and a copy of the Boss's master's thesis, "Why the Fonz is Cool." That's f-in funny. I think SG's have the same issue too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rschleicher Posted November 13, 2021 Author Share Posted November 13, 2021 Interesting that this seems to be at least somewhat typical. (I'm the OP.) When I'm ready for new strings I think I will revers the pickup ring. I've been trying to pay attention to any pictures I see of 335-style Gibsons, including stock photos on guitar store web sites. In some photos you can see the the neck pickup is tilted, by looking at the reflections of the strings in the pickup cover (for example, in an "oblique view" photo. But I've also seen photos of 335's where the neck pickup seems very level. Maybe this has varied over the years...... You might also notice in my photos (in the OP), that I have some tarnish or other kind of blotchy film on both pickup covers. Is there a polish or tarnish remover that is recommended? The covers are polished nickel, I think. As a side comment, I had sent my tilted pickup question to a Gibson customer service e-mail, and never got a reply.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted November 14, 2021 Share Posted November 14, 2021 Wipe the dust off of the pick guard covers and trying polishing the covers with WD40 on a cotton cloth, you only need a little WD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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