JuanCarlosVejar Posted November 4, 2011 Posted November 4, 2011 Guys I've been keeping an eye on this one for years now ... the store is asking for 25,000 and I know there are not many Es 335 with bigsbys out there in lefty ... is this a fair price ? I mean it hasn't sold for a long time
j45nick Posted November 4, 2011 Posted November 4, 2011 Guys I've been keeping an eye on this one for years now ... the store is asking for 25,000 and I know there are not many Es 335 with bigsbys out there in lefty ... is this a fair price ? I mean it hasn't sold for a long time Juan Carlos, The vintage ES 335 market is all over the place. The lefty's seem to bring about the same price as a righty, if asking prices reflect sales prices. 1965 is a transition year, so you have to be careful. If it is a narrow nut guitar ( 1 9/16" as opposed to 1 11/16"), you can drop the price by about 75%. In any case, this price is way high for a '65. You can buy a decent '59-'62 with unopened PAF's for that kind of money. The Bigsby actually reduces the market value of the guitar compared to a stop tail, as relatively few people like them in a 335. It is really easy to get burned in the 335 market, and you really need to understand it well before you jump in. If you don't do it already, you MUST read Charlie Gelber's ES 335 website/blog, es-335.org.
GotTheSilver Posted November 4, 2011 Posted November 4, 2011 is this a fair price ? I mean it hasn't sold for a long time I think you have answered your own question there.
JuanCarlosVejar Posted November 4, 2011 Author Posted November 4, 2011 I think you have answered your own question there. lol yeah . but I was looking for input by someone who has knowledge of the 335 market :D but thats to both of you :D
JuanCarlosVejar Posted November 4, 2011 Author Posted November 4, 2011 Juan Carlos, The vintage ES 335 market is all over the place. The lefty's seem to bring about the same price as a righty, if asking prices reflect sales prices. 1965 is a transition year, so you have to be careful. If it is a narrow nut guitar ( 1 9/16" as opposed to 1 11/16"), you can drop the price by about 75%. In any case, this price is way high for a '65. You can buy a decent '59-'62 with unopened PAF's for that kind of money. The Bigsby actually reduces the market value of the guitar compared to a stop tail, as relatively few people like them in a 335. It is really easy to get burned in the 335 market, and you really need to understand it well before you jump in. If you don't do it already, you MUST read Charlie Gelber's ES 335 website/blog, es-335.org. Nick thanks alot . I will read the blog . and it makes sense that about the stop tail piece vs bigsby .
j45nick Posted November 4, 2011 Posted November 4, 2011 Nick thanks alot . I will read the blog . and it makes sense that about the stop tail piece vs bigsby . Charlie also has a small side business selling vintage electric guitars, primarily Gibsons of the SG and 335 variety (opporknockitytunes). His prices are realistic, as it isn't how he makes his living, and he understands the market realities of today. He's a video producer in NYC in real life, but is an expert on 335-345-355's, and is obsessed with them. Like a lot of people of "my" vintage, he is an old rocker who still plays. He was a great deal of help to me when I started buying 335's, as I started out knowing virtually nothing except that they looked cool and Clapton played one.
zombywoof Posted November 4, 2011 Posted November 4, 2011 The new neck machines installed in 1965 not only turned out a thin profile neck but reduced the headstock pitch from 17 degrees to 14 degrees. That is also the year Gibson started using the auto,mated spray conveyor on all instruments except those built in the Custom Department.
JuanCarlosVejar Posted November 4, 2011 Author Posted November 4, 2011 The new neck machines installed in 1965 not only turned out a thin profile neck but reduced the headstock pitch from 17 degrees to 14 degrees. That is also the year Gibson started using the auto,mated spray conveyor on all instruments except those built in the Custom Department. zombywoof , so that lead to the "avoid 65's " label that nick was talking about ?
zombywoof Posted November 5, 2011 Posted November 5, 2011 I ain't saying avoid because a good guitar is any guitar that makes a sound you like and feels good to you. General thought though is that 1965 is the beginning of a downward spiral in quality due to an increased emphasis on quantity. Certainly, the combination of the thinner necks and reduced peghead angle were not the smartest design changes. Electric Gibsons have earned quite a reputation for broken necks usually at that spot right where the neck joins the headstock which Gibson tried to later correct by adding a volute. Although I have seen folks asking that much for that guitar (at least the righty version of it) I think the price is way high. I do not have a clue though whether a lefty version with factory installed Bigsby goes for that much as I have never seen one for sale.
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