Gibson ES-335 - Figured Sixties Cherry

Overall:I live in a large city and it is still impossible to find a Gibson 335 that plays and sounds great, has no issues or questionable history and comes with a price tag lower than a new one to justify the gamble. As a result, I decided to pull the trigger on a new one and went for the figured, not so much for the flame but for the lower weight and select wood, knowing both my back would thank me and that the guitar would probably be a bit more open and resonant. Block inlays are certainly nice and that may have helped sway my decision too. The 335 arrived with an impeccable setup, right out of the box from the factory. In my 35 years of playing, I’ve never had this happen. I’ve heard of it happening but never to me. I always have to tweak the truss rod to ... MoreOverall:I live in a large city and it is still impossible to find a Gibson 335 that plays and sounds great, has no issues or questionable history and comes with a price tag lower than a new one to justify the gamble. As a result, I decided to pull the trigger on a new one and went for the figured, not so much for the flame but for the lower weight and select wood, knowing both my back would thank me and that the guitar would probably be a bit more open and resonant. Block inlays are certainly nice and that may have helped sway my decision too. The 335 arrived with an impeccable setup, right out of the box from the factory. In my 35 years of playing, I’ve never had this happen. I’ve heard of it happening but never to me. I always have to tweak the truss rod to straighten the neck a bit, adjust the bridge action, widen the nut slots and intimate the guitar. Every time. The only adjustment I’ve had to make is lower the pickups a bit for balance, that’s it! Plays like an absolute dream. Here is why you want this guitar rather than a used one—. the neck. None of that weird pencil thin 335 necks from the past or those horrible and slow baseball bat necks… this is perfect. I don’t know what Gibson is doing in Nashville now, but they are making these guitars better than they ever have. Having always been a fan of Classic ‘57 pickups, I read about these T Type pickups being bright. It is true that they are bright, however it works so well in this guitar. Roll back the tone knobs for the mellower and darker sounds, especially when in the neck position for a classic straight-ahead jazz sound, or rolled back in the bridge to fatten up rhythms…but the thing is, roll the tone up for that beautiful bite and thunk in single line solos. I have had bright guitars in the past and there is nothing you can do for them. No matter the pickups or amp, it remains bright and pingy. This is not a bright guitar and has such a beautifully balanced and mellow acoustic voice, the pickups suit it well and I will not replace them. Is it an insane amount of money? Yes. It is. In 10 years when I have blown through $4K many times over and have nothing to show for it, will I still have this 335? Yes. I will. It’s an investment and zZounds makes it possible for someone like me to have something nice. This is an absolutely breathtaking guitar. In playability, sound, and appearance—Gibson is on top of their game these days and I think the future will look back at this era as their new golden age.

I've wanted an ES-335 for 20 years. I finally got one. Figured cherry red. Hard to imagine a prettier guitar. Figuring is great. It's really stunning, has great tone, responsive, fast, soulful. The action is beautiful. The guitar was so close to perfect. The first fret, lower open chords. Especially E, but F barred too had a slightly sour voicing. Made me crazy. The equivalent chords played elsewhere on the neck were fine. Finally I diagnosed it. The G string (and to a lesser extent the D). At the 1st fret should nominally read G#. But it was always sharp from G# like it was under a 1/4 tone bend. In the end it was simply a poorly cut nut, too proud to the bridge. Required slightly too much deflection and so it was slightly sharp always. It took me 20 minutes to fix ... MoreI've wanted an ES-335 for 20 years. I finally got one. Figured cherry red. Hard to imagine a prettier guitar. Figuring is great. It's really stunning, has great tone, responsive, fast, soulful. The action is beautiful. The guitar was so close to perfect. The first fret, lower open chords. Especially E, but F barred too had a slightly sour voicing. Made me crazy. The equivalent chords played elsewhere on the neck were fine. Finally I diagnosed it. The G string (and to a lesser extent the D). At the 1st fret should nominally read G#. But it was always sharp from G# like it was under a 1/4 tone bend. In the end it was simply a poorly cut nut, too proud to the bridge. Required slightly too much deflection and so it was slightly sharp always. It took me 20 minutes to fix and too long to diagnose. But I struggle to understand. Why, on a highly sought after 4,000USD guitar (the prices of which were raised 10% this year alone) I am dealing with issues I didn't have on Epiphones and squires 20 years ago. It's an amazing instrument and now it sounds as it should. But I imagine a luthier or a tech in Memphis should have caught this.

I've owned this guitar for 4 years, bought new at GC. Had a mid '70s that I foolishly parted with. This one is superior in every respect. Gorgeous figured wood, very comfortable neck and excellent intonation up and down. Best for clean, lush sounds through an old Fender amp with a touch of delay, chorus and reverb. Not a shredder - feeds back badly through my wound up Marshall but you expect that with this type of design. That's why you have a high end solid body in your collection. My "go to" guitar when I just want to sit down and play for my own enjoyment.