chubbsdarcy Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 Hi folks, I've got an '84 ES347TDC with a TP6 tailpiece and it is all original, with the exception of the bridge pickup which was replaced with a '57 Classic before I bought it a couple of winters ago. This had been my dream guitar for many, many years and it took me nearly 13 years of searching to find this exact model from the correct era in cherry red. A guitar player in my uncle's band played a cherry red one from '85 and his was the only one I had ever seen anywhere, even online, until I found mine. It amazes me that not only are these hard to find for sale, but they are just plain hard to find, period. I have never seen another red 347 from the mid eighties or any other era for that matter. Are these really so rare? I can understand my fellow 347 owners for hanging on to them, but it baffles me that they would choose to hide them away! It's practically impossible to even find a brochure online documenting that these guitars even exist-especially red ones like mine! These are truly beautiful guitars in their own right and I just love mine... ...in fact, I love mine so much that I'm afraid to have any work done on it for fear that I would totally mess up this wonderful guitar, however, after 28 years of service, she is well overdue for an overall! A new set of tuners are in order, considering replacing the brass nut, the frets are overdue for replacement, considering having a set of Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates pickups installed with the Jimmy Page Les Paul wiring scheme, as well as installing a Tonepros tailpiece and bridge with Graphtech saddles. I'm curious about what model of bridge and tailpiece would fit on my guitar, would the Nashville model fit? Also, I'm partial to very low, wide frets. Can anyone recommend me some really great fretwire to replace whats left of the frets on this old guitar? I'm hoping that one of you good folks out there would be kind enough to shed some light on me and my guitar and point me in the right direction...is there a particular luthier you would recommend as being the ultimate guy to have work on a 335 guitar such as mine? Thank you so much folks, I'm much obliged to you for any help and information you can offer me! All the best everybody! Darcy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobB Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Here is some information on the ES-347: ES347TD Late '70s.doc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 That is a LOT of questions. Gratz on the find. I don't remember seeing much of them myself. I bet it was HARD to find, being as you are so particular. I think before you go and overhaul the whole thing, you might take all these "items" one at a time, as well as get to know the guitar for a bit before you decide to make so many changes. It's not like there is any hurry or things will change if you don't do them today. As an example, if you haven't played it plugged in very much, how do you know the new pups OR the "Jimmy Page" wiring will be better? Just my opinion, but I would suspect that for the most part it would just be a rats nest of wiring that you don't need that sacrifices "tone" for the ability to switch things. And, get to know the pups BEFORE you switch them. Otherwise, you might not be accomplishing anything. I could go on and on about each one, but I don't have the guitar to look at to know what I am talking about. But if it doesn't NEED to be changed, changing things might not be an improvement at all. If they are, it really comes down to what YOU prefer. It sure looks like a FINE guitar. I can see what you see in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubbsdarcy Posted August 12, 2013 Author Share Posted August 12, 2013 I'm sorry for not keeping in touch with you guys, I thought it was high time that I gave a little update on my guitar in case there are any other 347 owners out there who are searching for info on this guitar like I was, and still am for that matter... After playing my 347 the way it was when I first bought it in January of 2011, I realized what work needed to be done and in February of this year I had the Twelfth Fret in Toronto, ON perform an overall for me. The original tuners had seen better days so I had factory replacements installed. While I like super low action on my instruments, the original frets had run out of life so I had new frets installed. The guys at the shop recommended I replace the brass nut with a bone one and I don't regret doing so. The guitar seems to ring out cleaner to me and the guitar is easier to tune no-no PING on the G string anymore thankfully! The jack and the pots were crackling and so bad, no matter how I tried to clean them so I went ahead and had it rewired, but instead of bothering with the Jimmy Page wiring scheme I was once considering I just went with the stock wiring since there was a coil tap switch anyways. I only had the original neck pickup anyways since the bridge had been replaced with a '57 Classic before I bought it. The '57 Classic surely did the humbucker thing I wanted but I was missing being able to use the coil tap on it. The original neck pickup had far higher output and it didn't balance well with the '57 Classic and I didn't care for the sound to be completely honest-sounded almost too clean and "hi-fi" to my ears and didn't let my amp "break up" the way I like, if that makes any sense. Anyways, to make a longer story short, I went with a pair of Duncan Pearly Gates as replacements, and so far I do not regret it. I had the coil tap switch wired to the outer coil of each pickup and I've been very happy. I went with a Tonepros bridge and tailpiece with the little locks that hold them in place when I change strings, I had these on a LP before and I liked the locking feature a lot. I gotta tell you, this guitar probably holds far more sentimental value for me than anything else but without a doubt this is my baby! I fell in love with the look, the color, and the shape right around the time I learned which side of my playpen smelled the worse! I was overjoyed to find my dream guitar to begin with, and to have her sounding and playing the way she does today, well, I can't really describe it! Having played a Les Paul for about 8 years and a Telecaster since I was 14, I feel like I have the ultimate guitar for me. The small neck profile, the fret job, low action and hardness & feel of the ebony fretboard gives me a feel that bridges the gap between Fender and Gibson perfectly. The angle at which the neck meets the body suits me to a T. To me, with the Pearly Gates pups combined with the coil-tap switch as an option and the semi-hollowbody, I've got the best parts of a LP tone combined with the clarity of a telecaster and the "airy-ness" of an acoustic right there at my fingers. My baby fits me like a hand in glove and I couldn't be happier.... :D All the best guys, and rock on! Darcy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Hey Darcy....I just love a good Love Story Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-1854Me Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 I don't think I've seen too many in red, so maybe that was a rare colour for the 347.... ? Mine's an '88, and it is a natural finish guitar. I love its sound and the neck is super playable, just real easy to navigate! Mine has original pickups. Only the strings are non-original! Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubbsdarcy Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 This has been my kinda love affair Retrorod....the most stable relationship I've ever had! :D I tell you, I'm sweet on the redheads Fred, but that blonde you got there is one beauty! :D Rock on, my friends! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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