TinyBabyBrandon Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 So the search continues and I'm checking out all my options. In a different topic I was kind of exploring the differences between the 335 and the 345, all the while I've been looking into the 300L as well. I like the upper fret access and I've read some really good things about this guitar, but then I've also read a lot of negatives. Like the body being joined so low to the neck on a full hollowbody is a recipe for disaster and that the tone also suffers for this reason. I've also heard it's muddy and feeds back like crazy. anyone have any direct experience with this guitar, preferably the reissue? I love me some p-90's and I was thinking this might be a great guitar to really get some nice woody jazz tones, maybe more so than the 335 could deliver, but is it versatile too? Some many questions, and it's pretty much impossible to find one to try. Curses!!! Thanks again guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 One approach regarding the 330 is to immerse oneself in 'Casino' music.... An extended trial is recommended too Whenever I play my 330 it takes an hour or so to get with it Then it feels like anything is possible..... V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretplay Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I hear there's a reissue but haven't seen or heard one. Only know I have a 1966 and love it. The neck is superb and the sound from the P90s just rocks. Having said that the guitar sounds good jazz solo too. Buy an old one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinyBabyBrandon Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 Hi Fretplay, yeah ideally I'd love to get a vintage one of anything, 335, 345 or 330, but they are just SOOOO pricey, but I'll keep an eye out. For both you guys, Versatile and Fretplay, do your 330's have the recessed bouts giving better access to the upper frets or do you have the original, more casino style neck to body connection? I am just wondering if what I've heard about the the long neck version is true, that it's tumultuous at best and a tone killer. Also what are your opinions on a 1 pick up model of this guitar? Tone-wise what do you get from that p-90s smack dab in the middle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aerial Man Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Any of these guitars are good guitars. What they do, they do well. Maybe if you ask yourself what you want from the guitar it could give you more clues. Theres no guitar that is going to be able to do everything so to speak. You have to find one that fits with the tones you like using. The 330 and 335 really are chalk and cheese. Different beasts. I like the 330, but I like the 335. I dont envy your position of having to choose without playing both first. Look for any footage or recordings of 330's and 335's being played. Thats the best audition you are going to get sound wise! Both guitars will share some common ground but also have sounds that the other one cannot do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 What Aerial Man said. Very wise advice. I've owned both, and they're both great instruments. Very different, though, obviously. One major difference to remember is their weight. 330's are relatively light, and comfortable to play for extended periods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aerial Man Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 One major difference to remember is their weight. 330's are relatively light, and comfortable to play for extended periods. Good point. Also ill give a vote for p90's too! they just sound so satisfyingly rude to me. More vibe, more attitude. But clean up so well they sound almost acoustic. So great for those kind of blasted out shonky/twangy sounding blues chord colours And great for covering more british indy sounding stuff too. But it's the fingers that really make the sound come alive with p90's. Playing a bit sloppy just makes them sound even more harmonic and nasty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinyBabyBrandon Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 Yeah, I do love me some p-90's, that's for darn tootin'! As far as what I looking for out of this guitar is to be decidedly different than my other main electric which is an SG 3 pickup custom. That guitar is pure rock and roll, and for this I'd like something that is a little more on the cleaner, jazzier "woody" side of things, but can still get nice and dirty. I play in a band that's kind of this psychedelic wizard folk type thing. We can get pretty heavy, but more often its delicate or even an acoustic-y vibe, which has led me to the semi-hollow or hollow body world.I'm a big fan of the sound of these guitars, and I'm also getting into chord melodies and jazz stuff so I'd like a guitar that can really satisfy those inclinations. The one thing that still worries me about the 330 is the feedback. Because when you're on stage and a song calls for so many different things from one part to the next, I really want a guitar that can handle it all. I use a lot of echo, a lot of analogue delay and do some wacky stuff, I just don't want the guitar go into exorcist mode, wildly vibrating and causing an all encompassing low end boom that shakes the heavens and refuses to relent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aerial Man Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 If feedback is a big concern for you, then you could buy a 335 and stick some humbucker sized P90's in it. But then really your desire for jazzy sounds is limited, and im sure not that satisfying if thats your thing. If you want jazzy allthe way through to crunchy and les paul whailing without the feedback issue (there is some nice feedback) you could go with a 137 classic with humbucker P90s. It's what I have and I think that really this guitar covers the most ground. You wont get it to quite sound like a full hollow but it's really good for playing almost anything. Ofcourse this does not satisfy GAS for a 33* model, but I would definately consider it! And lastly I would say also that maybe you should not worry too much about feedback with a 330. Feedback can really add something to your performances lets face it, it sounds cool. Music is what YOU make of it. Practically every guitar in existance is capable of making good music, it's down to you to make it good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 And lastly I would say also that maybe you should not worry too much about feedback with a 330. Feedback can really add something to your performances lets face it, it sounds cool. I have an older brother who played a 330 in clubs for years. He said it wasn't difficult to control feedback, and that he enjoyed using it. I've been a jazz player for a long time, and have focused a lot on chord/melody playing. One thing that a 335 might have over a 330 for this kind of playing (let's say "probably", although you never know for sure) is the sustain quality that I think is nice for playing solo arrangements. That's just one consideration, though. Sometimes what you gain in terms of sustain, you'll lose in terms of that traditional hollowbody archtop tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 I've got a 1970 Kalamazoo model so I think the neck joint is OK for normal wear and tear. I run stage volumes between 85 and 100 db (A weighted, slow response) and have no feedback problems. Note: anything over 85db causes permanent ear damage unless you use ear attenuators. So if you are having feedback problems, you are probably playing too loud. I also have a Casino (Epiphone's contribution) but as you can see, it doesn't have the upper fret access. I love them both. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinyBabyBrandon Posted November 2, 2011 Author Share Posted November 2, 2011 ******UPDATE******!!! So I hit up the ole guitar center last night and I got my hands on a '61 single pick up 330. I ran it through a blackface princeton and a newish deluxe reverb reissue. Let me tell ya, I dug it! It was really an effortlessly playing guitar, maybe a little too effortless actually, I think it was strung with 10's but I might go 11s on this particular guitar and raise the action a bit (you don't hear that too much I bet) but it had a really nice sweet sound to it. Really a fantastic guitar. I cranked the deluxe and sat right in front of it, and the feedback was really controllable, actually. I could sustain octaves up and down the neck and it was, as Gibson states in the reissue's description, very "musical". the thing was they were asking what I felt like was way too much given the current market on these guitars, and there is no way I was paying over 5g's, vintage or not, clean or not (which this one was, VERY clean), but it's given me a nice idea on what to expect from this guitar. It's a little more subtle than a 335, and I really liked that about it. I might hold out for a reissue to come up, preferably in sunburst and make a little purchase, so back off ebay, y'all, and let me find a good one!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dylanita Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Hello. I,ve got one reissue ES330L (2009) Great, great guitar. I recommend it. Much better than a 335 for jazz, blues and classic rock but with the limitations that everybody knows: Feedback at very high volume. If you use to play with a light overdrive you won´t have problems but if you are a Metallica fun :lol: this is not your guitar. you can hear its great sound in this video: And, finally, this is mine: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinyBabyBrandon Posted November 10, 2011 Author Share Posted November 10, 2011 Hello. I,ve got one reissue ES330L (2009) Great, great guitar. I recommend it. Much better than a 335 for jazz, blues and classic rock but with the limitations that everybody knows: Feedback at very high volume. If you use to play with a light overdrive you won´t have problems but if you are a Metallica fun :lol: this is not your guitar. you can hear its great sound in this video: And, finally, this is mine: Cool, thanks for the vid, I've definitely seen it though. I've scoured the ole information super highway for all things 330L! My thing is I do want to crank it sometimes, and I do use a vintage Big Muff, and while its no Metallica, it still is real distorted, but we'll see. My mind still isn't made up. For the price it's a great guitar...if you can find one!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoiekvam Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I have the ES330L reissue. Bernadette is about a year old now. The finish has hardened a lot but the neck is still a bit sticky. I had her set up with a plek machine to round off the square edges on the frets and with medium action. She is beautifully resonant and everything I want in a guitar for the blues. I love this guitar and find myself playing her for hours every day. Bernadette is one in the holy grail collection for delta blues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g6120 Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 I as well have the Gibson ES 330L and it was perfect right out of the box . Great action and tone plays like a dream and it stays in tune oh yes its a sunburst . Love the way the P 90s sound and Ive compared the Casino side by side in fact it was the Lennon Limited version and ended up selling the Casino because the 330 L just suited me better . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 It's truly almost impossible to find a 330L in stock to play, so I took a leap of faith & bought one online (but with full return rights). Mine is a 2010 model in Beale St Blue. The 30/60 neck is extremely comfortable to play. Workmanship is very good. Only needed truss rod tweaking, and lowering of the low E string's nut slot. As for the pickups, I prefer the tone of P90s, which are very responsive when playing clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoiekvam Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 There are some great pictures on the net of ES-330 players. Martin Barre is standing with his first guitar, with chrome pu covers. And there are several great shots of Brian Jones on stage with the Stones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 And, finally, this is mine: That's a nice looking guitar. Loved to try one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 There are some great pictures on the net of ES-330 players. Martin Barre is standing with his first guitar, with chrome pu covers. And there are several great shots of Brian Jones on stage with the Stones. There are a ton of Grant Green photos too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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