3 Pickup ES 355???

[therookie_123]

Hey guys. Anyway, my question is if anyone has ever seen a 3 pickup ES 355. Preferably a 355, but anything in the 335 family would do, excluding the 339. And if not, could it be added? Similiar to Alvin Lee's "Big Red" guitar, but with a full size humbucker in the Middle.

[Andre S]

Hey guys. Anyway' date=' my question is if anyone has ever seen a 3 pickup ES 355. Preferably a 355, but anything in the 335 family would do, excluding the 339. And if not, could it be added? Similiar to Alvin Lee's "Big Red" guitar, but with a full size humbucker in the Middle. [/quote']

 

This is a Memphis Factory tour done by PremierGuitar.

 

Skip ahead to 1.38

 

They are walking to the finishing area, the guitars on the wall are a representative sample of the guitars made in the Memphis Factory.

 

Its a 3 pickup ES 335/345/355....I'm not sure, can't tell

 

[YOUTUBE]

[/YOUTUBE]

[Danny W.]

Here's a one-off ES-357 that I used to own. It's an ES-355 sans f-holes with three P-90 pickups:

 

 

Danny W.

[Robin Nahum]

Wow! That's very pretty.

 

So.... I've always wondered about guitars with three outwardly identical pickups... what does the middle pickup do? Is it just a different winding/magnet to the neck pickup to broaden your tone palette? And what are the switching options? And how does the 2V 2T tone circuit operate?

 

And why would you move on such a fine looking guitar?

 

RN

[Danny W.]

Wow! That's very pretty.

 

So.... I've always wondered about guitars with three outwardly identical pickups... what does the middle pickup do? Is it just a different winding/magnet to the neck pickup to broaden your tone palette? And what are the switching options? And how does the 2V 2T tone circuit operate?

 

And why would you move on such a fine looking guitar?

 

RN

 

It's been around ten years since I've seen that guitar, but I think the switching was Neck--Middle + Bridge--Bridge. There was a mini-toggle that I think combined all three, although it's also possible it put the middle pu out of phase with the bridge--I can't remember.

 

There was a tone and volume for the neck and another for the bridge--I'm pretty sure you couldn't blend the pickups.

 

It was a nice guitar, but I never particularly liked the neck on it.

 

Danny W.

[Danny W.]

The ES-357 was originally built at the request of studio ace Mitch Holder, who wanted a Gibson thinline with a more cutting tone for increased versatility in the studio. His guitar was based on an ES-347 (hence the ES-357 moniker), with three P-90’s hidden inside humbucker covers, so he could fool people with the sound. It seemed successful enough that they built five more and sold them all. In collecting and studio circles this model was often called the “ES-Mitch.”

 

The one I had was not from that run, but appears to be a one-off. It was based on an ES-355 and the P-90’s weren’t hidden--in addition, Holder’s had a slightly deeper body.

 

In an odd coincidence there’s a lesson by Holder in this month’s Guitar Player (Sept 2010 issue) on page 94, which shows him with his ES-357, so check it out!

 

Danny W.

[Dub-T-123]

It was a nice guitar' date=' but I never particularly liked the neck on it.[/quote']

 

That'll do it.

 

Awesome looking guitar though.

[skypilot]

I purchased the Epiphone P93 which is more of an ES-335 with three pickups. It rocks.