Bob Drake Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 I just bought a used Gibson es335 with a factory installed Bigsby. Though the hard shell case was supposed to be "original," there is no Gibson logo. It doesn't seem to fit as precisely as the case for my Les Paul, and I'm wondering how to know for certain whether this is the best case! If I buy a replacement case online, will ANY Gibson es335 case work, or do I need a specific model that will properly house the Bigsby? Any advice or thoughts you can offer will be appreciated. Thanks in advance! -Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willsjazz Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 What year is the 335? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Drake Posted June 17 Author Share Posted June 17 (edited) First, thanks for your response! Second, it's a 2018, Memphis model. It also has a "Custom Made" label attached below the bridge. The serial # is five digits long, and I haven't had any luck finding information to help interpret what that serial number means. I only know it's a 2018 because the seller said it. Once again, I appreciate any help you can provide! -Bob Edited June 17 by Bob Drake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10PoundLester Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 56 minutes ago, Bob Drake said: First, thanks for your response! Second, it's a 2018, Memphis model. It also has a "Custom Made" label attached below the bridge. The serial # is five digits long, and I haven't had any luck finding information to help interpret what that serial number means. I only know it's a 2018 because the seller said it. Once again, I appreciate any help you can provide! -Bob I also have a 2018 Memphis made 335 and it has the year stamped on the back of the headstock. Unlike my Les Paul, the serial number on the 335 does not indicate the date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Drake Posted June 17 Author Share Posted June 17 Thanks, "10PoundLester." Hmm... Mine has the serial number (which matches the label pasted inside the instrument) , but there's no year on the back of the head. I wonder if the "Custom Made" label makes a difference regarding whether they stamp year on the back of head? You're probably correct that this model's serial # doesn't indicate the date. I wonder if the seerial # indicates anything other than the number of instruments made. My 5 digit serial # begins with "8", and I don't know if they produce that 80,000+ units a year! Anyway, I appreciate the info. Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Drake Posted June 17 Author Share Posted June 17 UPDATE: A Gibson representative just responded to my email to them. Apparently the case I have IS the original! He wrote... Thanks for reaching out. The case that the ES-335 '63 Reissue Varitone/Bigsby model shipped with would have been black with a gold interior. The Gibson name would not have been used on the case, and would have a key lock. I was able to locate a stock photo of the guitar in the case from our archives. I have attached it for your viewing, as this may help to confirm if your case features the same appointments. Thanks again for your responses. Who knew that Gibson would sell a case that did NOT have their logo? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10PoundLester Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 2 hours ago, Bob Drake said: Thanks, "10PoundLester." Hmm... Mine has the serial number (which matches the label pasted inside the instrument) , but there's no year on the back of the head. I wonder if the "Custom Made" label makes a difference regarding whether they stamp year on the back of head? You're probably correct that this model's serial # doesn't indicate the date. I wonder if the seerial # indicates anything other than the number of instruments made. My 5 digit serial # begins with "8", and I don't know if they produce that 80,000+ units a year! Anyway, I appreciate the info. Thanks! My SN starts with a 3 and is 6 digits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JO'C Posted June 18 Share Posted June 18 Hi Bob, Just another tidbit of info for you. The Custom Made plaque is installed to cover the holes for the stop tail piece when a Bigsby is installed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Drake Posted June 18 Author Share Posted June 18 Wow! I recently saw a guitar listed for sale on eBay that had a Bigsby, and also had two holes where the tail piece would have been, but I never made the connection that the plaque was designed to cover those holes! Duh... It seems obvious now that you point it out. I love learning new things! Thanks a bunch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grog Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 Going back 50 years, my ‘67 ES-335 with a Bigsby came with a thicker Lifton case. I thought the guitar flopped around too much & found a thinner 70’s era case, it fit perfectly. Gibson must have allowed extra room for the Bigsby on the OHSC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Drake Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 That's really interesting. My 2018 335 case doesn't seem to fit as snuggly as the case on my Les Paul, which is part of why I asked originally. Also, the case on my 335 does NOT have the Gibson logo, which I thought was really odd. A Gibson rep was kind enough to track down an image of my exact model and sent me an image. Lo and behold, it's EXACTLY the case that came with mine. The person from whom I bought it said it was the original hard shell case (OHSC), but I wasn't convinced until I received that photo from the Gibson representative. It was really surprising. I was certain that the logo would appear on the case, but apparently that's not true. Until I received confirmation, I shopped online to see what a 335 case would cost, and whether there are any "variations" in design. What you've described suggests there is a variation. In order to know if my guitar would fit a different case, I'd need to try it. With my luck, I'd end up with a case that fit less well than the current one! Anyway, Thanks for writing. For the moment, I'll just stay with what I have since it's really the OHSC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willsjazz Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 Plain black case with yellow interior and no logo on the outside is correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted July 17 Share Posted July 17 Did you rotate the Bigsby arm completely to the upright position? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted July 20 Share Posted July 20 Yes 🍇 - like grapes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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