ES-335 Tune-o-matic Bridge

[avgur]

i have purchased ES-335 1976 in one of the american shops. while changing the strings i discovered that Tune-o-matic Bridge is engraved with "made in germany". have anybody seen something like this on all-original (and the dealer was saying it was all original) ESs of the late 70th?

thanks

[guitarfish]

I've heard of this before. I don't have any details, but do remember hearing it before.

[L5Larry]

It is widely known that the German company Schaller made some original parts for Gibson guitars such as the SG's "harmonica" bridge, and various tuning machines. It is quite possible (and very likely) that Gibson had contracted them to also make Tune-O-Matics at some time, and is probably original to the guitar.

[avgur]

thanks everybody. i just wanted to be sure before cheating the dealer[angry]

anyway the sound of it is JUST BLOWING AWAY! it also have one usefull feature, which i havnt seen on any other ES, though: humbucker to single switcher, located at the low edge of the deck, down the neck. have anybody seen something like this?

[L5Larry]

Yes, this second switch was a factory feature of the 335 for a short period.

[avgur]

Yes' date=' this second switch was a factory feature of the 335 for a short period. [/quote']

 

L5Larry, thank you very much. i dont know how to describe more accurate... i have seen some additional switches but near the pickups main switcher. the one i am talking about is at the low cutaway horn. have never seen it before!

[Guest BentonC]

The switch is called a "coil-tap" switch (as it taps the coils of the humbucker). It was used from 76/77 until sometime around 1981. (though there are likely examples of this outside of this period as well).

[avgur]

The switch is called a "coil-tap" switch (as it taps the coils of the humbucker). It was used from 76/77 until sometime around 1981. (though there are likely examples of this outside of this period as well).

 

thank you very much. very helpfull and calming info, indeed, as i was thinking the prev owner have moded it this way.

by the way, can you advice what type of strings you prefer? i understand it depends on many subjective things, but perhaps there are some recomendations for this very guitar.

[milod]

avgur...

 

Welcome to the English language forums...

 

The Gibson company has pioneered much in the "Western world" for generations.

 

But I have often wondered about Russian guitars. I know there have been many stringed instrument makers in Russia. How do they compare to what you have seen of U.S. guitars?

 

Also, Russian "tubes" for amplifiers are used here now. How are Russian guitar amplifiers?

 

m

[avgur]

avgur...

 

Welcome to the English language forums...

 

The Gibson company has pioneered much in the "Western world" for generations.

 

But I have often wondered about Russian guitars. I know there have been many stringed instrument makers in Russia. How do they compare to what you have seen of U.S. guitars?

 

Also' date=' Russian "tubes" for amplifiers are used here now. How are Russian guitar amplifiers?

 

m

[/quote']

 

oh, dear milod! you are asking such a complicated, almost existential questions!))

but cutting a long story short, i will tell you that due to drastic and terrible history of our poor and great country, it is turned out that everything, which is meant to be for peoples enertainment and leisure is bad! but the resources and everything wich has come from millitary industry is great! thats why the country with one the biggest wood resources hasnt produced a single great guitar brand. we just couldnt afford it while recovering after WW2. i think you know that rock-n-roll was prohibited here for a long time. so we just dont have traditions as well. thats why GIBSON and other companies has also pioneered in eastern world as well.

still, there were some really good masters, Shishkov from Fender is one of them, but they are so noticible that they always recieve proposals from America. a friend of mine is having very funny custom guitar with ugly heavy metal body shape but with the very marvelous SG-like sound. the way better than the rest of the modern SGs! i dont remember the master name, but he was famouse for his ability to make Les Paul absolutely the same as the originals, and in some casess even better sounding. as afar as you can guess he is now in America.)

as for the guitar heads, it is even worse. still there is a big achievements in monitors and monitors amplifier building.

it is called Filigrane, and is building in St. Petersberg. this device is JUST THE BEST monitor amplifier, believe it, or not.

[milod]

Thanks!

 

I wondered because Russia has a good face in the world for classical music and also instruments with frets such as guitar and balalaika.

 

I also know many Russian people have played guitar since World War II. But I did not know the quality.

 

There is more music than rock and roll in America too! <huge grin>

 

m

[avgur]

Thanks!

 

I wondered because Russia has a good face in the world for classical music and also instruments with frets such as guitar and balalaika.

 

I also know many Russian people have played guitar since World War II. But I did not know the quality.

 

There is more music than rock and roll in America too! <huge grin>

 

m

 

but russia has no such great violins as the italian ones, for instance... so i also think it is important here - why trying to compete with somebody if he has already made something better. it is easier to purchase it. i think it is also why there are no really great american microphones: germany and austria had made them before. the same is with guitars, as there are no such brands like gibson or fender in the whole world, not only in russia.

by the way saying "rock-n-roll" i was meaning just the whole modern music, not only Elvis or Chuck)

by the way what kind of guitar you are playing? i guess there are several?)

[milod]

 

There are 3 pieces there.

 

Most of the time I play a 35-year-old Ibanez ES-175 guitar that is so much like the Gibson for that time period that the Gibson company made a lawsuit to make that company stop making "copies." They call this a "Patent Infringement" guitar from that time period when Gibson company had some weakness under another ownership.

 

I also have a mid 1970s Guild guitar that is very much like the Gibson SG.

 

Also two 1970s Ovation electric-acoustic guitars. One is nylon string, one is steel string. These were some of the first with piezo-electric pickups instead of regular magnetic pickups or a "contact microphone" that was used before that.

 

I also have some other instruments.

 

Music in Russia has always interested me. The U.S. and Russia are similar in ways. We have big cities, we have very big spaces with grassy plains. Where I live in America we have people known as "Germans from Russia" who came here about 1870. Catherine the Great invited them to Russia to farm. Later they had to learn Russian and be put into the Army, so many came to Canada and the U.S.A.

 

m

[Murph]

Welcome avgur.