onewilyfool Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Hi Guys.....which guitar do you think is the better investment???? I have similar priced guitars both with beautiful flame. Both sound good, both look good. One, is a Gibson ES 335, blonde 1997, the other is a cherry burst ES 346 Paul Jackson, both used and both in good shape. I like the sound and looks of both. The 346 is a custom shop model, nice size, comfy. The 335 is big and beautiful......help me, any advice is welcomed and appreciated.....wily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayville Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Which one sounds best to you? Though there are PJ Jr. partisans out there (and heck, I'm a 356 guy which shares construction similarities), I think that perhaps in this situation the straight-pull headstock and somewhat unusual nature of the PJ might tend to make them less easy to sell should you ever want to. A small thing, perhaps... Head to head, one is a classic and popular design while the other... isn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted August 21, 2008 Author Share Posted August 21, 2008 Clayville.....I would tend to agree......but when I saw your 356 I just drooled.....lol....If you were going to sell that (and please let me know if you are) do you think you would have ANY problem selling that beautiful guitar even though it is not as classic or popular as the 335? Did you ever play the PJ jr? How does it compare to your 356? I think it has a smaller headstock and an "access panel" in the back which the 356 doesn't but other wise similar pups, solid wood construction, etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 A 335 will hold it's value better than ANY of the other ES off-shoots, including the sig models, 345, 355 etc. That being said, I'd keep which ever one you like best. You've got prefer one over the other, even every parent has a favorite child. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86general Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 A 335 will hold it's value better than ANY of the other ES off-shoots' date=' including the sig models, 345, 355 etc. That being said, I'd keep which ever one you like best. You've got prefer one over the other, even every parent has a favorite child.[/quote'] Agree. If they are equal to you otherwise and you want to decide on the basis of resale, I think it's best to go with the 335. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnt Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Wily Following you around the threads it occurs to me you are closing in on the 335. Just to whet your appetite here's "the dumb blonde" with my Gibby acoustics! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayville Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Clayville.....I would tend to agree......but when I saw your 356 I just drooled.....lol....If you were going to sell that (and please let me know if you are) do you think you would have ANY problem selling that beautiful guitar even though it is not as classic or popular as the 335? Did you ever play the PJ jr? How does it compare to your 356? I think it has a smaller headstock and an "access panel" in the back which the 356 doesn't but other wise similar pups' date=' solid wood construction, etc? [/quote'] I'll never part with my 356, but imagine it would be a decade before I could get more than what I paid for it -- and then only if I found the perfect buyer and dug in my heels. Just sort of the nature of the audience/market as I imagine it -- even now, they're relatively unknown and unfamiliar models, and lots of folks tend to think "... its not a 335..." even though in no way is it a lesser beast to me. Just different. That unfamiliarity of the 336/356 design puts it in a bit of a hole for resale, and then mine has built-in upcharges that put it farther out of reach for many: the 356 appointments, the custom color, the quilt-top might not be valued used in quite the way they were new if you see what I'm saying. They weren't modest upcharges! I had one brief encounter with a PJ Jr, and my now hazy impression was that the small straight-pull headstock made it look odd to me. Even though in theory it should reduce potential tuning and string-through-nut-angle "issues", it hasn't caught on with traditionalist Gibson fan expectations. Seems kind of PRS-like to me, despite my willingness to go "non-traditional" with the 356. Similarly, the somewhat wider flare to the upper bout Mouse Ears and (maybe) wider waist doesn't look as proportionally "right" to me as the 336/356/339 shape does -- even though it gives perhaps greater access to the uppermost frets. I do remember thinking the switch was in an awkward place for right hand flailing, but that depends on your style I guess. If I remember right, the body is perhaps a bit thinner front to back than my 356. But it does, as I recall, have the Classic '57 pickups and I love those. Fretboard might be a touch wider and flatter too -- but I'm not sure about that. Personally I've never liked the split-parallelogram inlays as much as blocks or dots, but that's perhaps a quibble. http://www.gibsoncustom.com/flash/products/signature/jacksonjr/PaulJacksonJr.html I think in all of this I'm trying to respond to the "which is a better investment?" question, discounting unusualness as if the PJ were new. 'Course the other side of the, err, coin is that this PJ, though more rare and blessed with a few upscale appointments has likely already lost some of it's original value due to similar thinking to the above. Maybe that makes it a better value! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted August 22, 2008 Author Share Posted August 22, 2008 John T.....that is a nice little "Herd" of gibsons you got going.....damn....too many guitars, so little time. Clayville....thanks for the thoughtful response. I have also thought about all those things, and I'm leaning towards the Paul Jackson, probably because it is unique and custom, and funky, lol. Other things that are swaying me, smaller more comfortable size, can plug in from the bottom instead of the top (just don't like the cord sticking out of the top of a guitar, I know, non-tradtional....) and I like the solid woods vrs. the lam woods for construction. I know this is vain, but I do like the gold hardware. I played my friends 336 and the chrome just looked cheap on his beautiful flamed top. I also like the beveled back and the access panel to the electronics. The gymnastics you have to go through to change pots etc on a 335...ouch!! I'm meeting the guy today, and will update you all with pics if applicable....thanks for all the heads up on the two guitars... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted September 4, 2008 Author Share Posted September 4, 2008 Just a bump on this one.....I'm seeing a ES 355 (non Bigsby) this weekend.....any advice is appreciated ....wish me luck....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzGtr Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 Hi Guys.....which guitar do you think is the better investment???? I have similar priced guitars both with beautiful flame. Both sound good' date=' both look good. One, is a Gibson ES 335, blonde 1997, the other is a cherry burst ES 346 Paul Jackson, both used and both in good shape. I like the sound and looks of both. The 346 is a custom shop model, nice size, comfy. The 335 is big and beautiful......help me, any advice is welcomed and appreciated.....wily[/quote'] I think both guitars will appreciate in value in time. I would spend more thought into the musical value they bring to the player. I owned a limited addition, slim 60 neck, blocked 335. I spend more time trying to figure out how to play the thing than playing it. I kept adjusting the strap from low to high and vice or versa. Eventually, I sold it. I also owned a custom LP for 4 years, but it was too damm heavy to play for long periods of time. So I sold it. There's nothing like having a relationship with your guitar that allows you to express what's on the inside without fighting with it due to the neck or the wide body or the weight. I think this is why we guitar players go through so many guitars. We are trying to find what works for us. I currently own the ES 346 PJ and I love it. The size is just right. It stays tune, sounds great and plays with ease. I like to use D'Addario Chromes 10's to get the best smooth jazz sound. The problem I'm having is that I like the PJ so much for Jazz and Blues that I'm constantly changing my strings from chromes (jazz) to nickel (blues). I need another guitar for dedicated Blues work. And lately I've been "musing" for the the 356. The 335 and 355 are two big. Too much rear on these guitars. Also, they lack the smooth sound of Mahogany bodies that I like in the PJ and PRS. My 346 inspires me to play and that's priceless! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kapello Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Acouple of years ago I play'ed a gig together with Paul Jackson jr. - and was impressed by his sound from his ES 346. Last summer I found an ES 346 at E-bay, I bought it, and after a few days of playing it, I was addicted. By luck I found another about 2 weeks later and bought that too. One with 11'ths for more jazzy stuff and one with 10'ths for more blues/rock. Concerning the value ... apart from my own unlimited positive feelings for theese guitars, I've already have people in line for buying my guitars if I should decide to sell - so I can't imagine them decreasing their value as an investment. I've mainly used them for sessions, but the last weeks I've gigged with them, and at every gig, people have been asking and showing a lot of interest for the guitars, and how I get that sustain, singing tone, and jazzy warmth. The only reason I can find for not recommending buying one, if you find one, should be that I want to buy it myself for backup!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hall Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Wily, "Do you take this .......". I'm 335 prejudice, so I am not a good one to make a suggestion other than to say I would buy the one that felt and sounded right to me. At least it is a guitar and can't get support or alimony from you should you divorce! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 The original question, from August of '08 (?) was the best "investment". There was no question of tone, ect. I'd have to agree with the Groper, and 86 General, the 335 would be easier to sell. Murph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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