I polished my ES-333

[nickysplendid]

i'm really impressed!...it looks very very good.
i've got a Martin 00015s, it's all mahogamy and has a satin finish. The back of the neck quickly took on a polished sheen and the bit where my armpit hugs the body has taken on a shine...
I was curious if i could polish the whole guitar...but, seeing as it's an acoustic i'm worried that it may affect the sound.
what do u guys think??

 

[bluesjuke]

I think I would leave that Martin alone.

 

[DANELECTRO]

Dan,

Looks great! I have thought about using Meg's #7. What is the proper technique when applying the polish by hand? Is it similiar to fine waxing a vehicle? Where is the best place to order it online, or can you pick it up at any quality auto parts store. Thanks for your help!

I think you can pick up the #7 polish at about any auto parts store. Once you diassemble the guitar, do yourself a favor and wrap piece of tape around the bridge studs so you don't tear you skin on them while polishing the top (this happened to me three times before I wised up) . I started out by applying the polish with a dry flannel rag, but it seemed to dry out quickly and create a bit of friction, so I dampened the rag slightly and the polish seemed to rub in much smoother. Once the polish hazes over, which happens quickly, you just take a clean flannel cloth to wipe and polish the surface. It doesn't create swirl marks at all, and the sheen is completely uniform. Overlaping areas is not a problem. I followed up by polishing with the entire guitar with Gibson Guitar Polish.

OK you didn't say & no one asked yet.....What pickups did you put in it & how do you like them?

I started out with a pair of Seth Lovers in it, which sound great. I'm always playing around with different pickups in my guitars, so I swapped the Seths for a pair of Darkbursts that I pulled from an R9 to see how they sound. They sounded great as well, although they are a bit darker sounding and have more have more bite to them. I left it like this for a few weeks, then eventially decided that the Seths were more appropriate for the 333, and the Darkbursts in the Les Paul, so I swapped them back.

 

[sliding-tom]

Did the same on my Special DC faded - much better now - although the mahogany is more porous than the maple on a 333. Good job, looks fantastic!

 

[DANELECTRO]

Here are a few more photos that I took outdoors today. These display the overall appearance a little better.

 

[Oh_Well!]

Dan,

Thanks for the advice! I have all of the supplies you mentioned (less the polish of course)! I think I might give it a try this weekend if I get some free time (High School Teacher; many papers left to grade before Christmas break!). With a little luck, maybe it will look as nice as your 333! Well Done!

 

[Bill Morgan]

I love it. I had initially bought a vintage 1967 335, but then I returned it because I didn't like the skinny neck. The 333 has got a '59 profile neck that feels identical to my R9. As far as tone and playability goes, the 333 is equivalent to a 335 at half the cost.

Just curious about the neck on your 333. The specs on those guitars say they have the 60's slim taper neck, and the ones I played had skinny little pencil necks. Did they make some of the 333's with fatter necks? If so, I'll have to start searching for one. Just what I need, another case of GAS. :toobad

Bill

 

[scooby]

My guitar already had the pickguard on it, which is a WD part. I looked it up on WD's website and found that the pickguard is p/n ES-2403 ($28.95) and the bracket is p/n S175N ($14.95). The fit is good, although its made of a 3 layer laminate rather than a 5 layer, so it doesn't have the wide beveled edge as it should. I would try to get a Gibson part if they're available

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated!

 

[DANELECTRO]

Just curious about the neck on your 333. The specs on those guitars say they have the 60's slim taper neck, and the ones I played had skinny little pencil necks. Did they make some of the 333's with fatter necks? If so, I'll have to start searching for one. Just what I need, another case of GAS. :toobad

Bill

The Gibson spec sheets call for the neck of the 333 to be a 60's taper (.800" thick, measured at the first fret). My 333 measures .886" at the first fret. For comparison , the average neck thickness of a '59 burst is .883", based on the 33 bursts documented in BOTB. I'd call the neck on my 333 a '59 taper.

 

[threedogdad]

DANELECTRO,

DAMN!!! That's a fantastic guitar. :bug


At first I sorta thought you were making a mistake by returning the '67, but now I'm convinced you did the right thing.

Now you got me looking at the 333s. When you have a chance please see my other post about my new found 333 curiosity. And thanks for the pix.

Wow.

 

[Leña_Costoso]

The ES-175 bracket is really not a good thing for a 335/333 etc. The riser is too tall, and you end up with a weird angle. Also the aftermarket brackets all have acorn nuts that get you in the leg! The factory one has a flat blind nut that doesn't gouge you. Finally, the LP bracket works just fine on a 335/333 IF you dont mind the hole in the pickguard (not original, but you can get "allparts" pickguards for about $12 on ebay....)

 

[Sonny]

Hi all,

I'm new here and a proud player of an ES-333. I've been debating on polishing my guitar because of the arm rub spots as well as wanting a finished look. I was asking around on another site when someone turned me on to this forum and this particular thread. Great read... Thanks for the tips! I may give it a light sanding prior to the polish like you suggested.

Here's a pic of my baby... She's a natural with a set of '57s, handmade rosewood pickguard and TRC, nickel hardware, and all the vintage trimmings.

I'll post some pics of the polishing results. I think the last thing I might do is replace the cream p/u rings with rosewood.

 

[threedogdad]

Sonny, welcome to the forum.

Nice looking guitar.

Just my own thoughts, but I wouldn't polish [or change in any way] something that looked so nice.

She's a real beauty.

 

[Sonny]

Hi threedogdad,

Thank you for the welcome and the compliments on the guitar. I am still up in the air on whether or not I'm going to polish it. Aside from her tone, the satin finish is definately something that sold me on this guitar. Part of me wants go ahead and do it and the other part says leave her as is and enjoy what I have.

When I talk to people about Gibson 333s I get mixed opinions as well. Like I said, there is a good part of me that enjoys the satin finish especially when she's plugged in and I'm having a good night and nail that sweet woody tone. Man... when that happens, I like to put her down after the jam and just admire her

I'm in no rush though... there's plenty of time to think about it.

 

[sliding-tom]

Hi, sonny - beautiful guitar and welcome! :salude

 

[Leña_Costoso]

Anybody who poo-poohs the ES-333 is either an elitist ES-335/345/355(etc) owner, or jealous that you scored one. They're fantastic guitars, with perhaps exception for the choice of pickups, but thats the case with any guitar actually.

Hey I've got an ES-333 question!! Does everyone's triple-3 have Gibson Deluxe or Grover Deluxe tuners? My brown one has Gibson Deluxe.. the natural one, I just noticed has the same tuner, but its marked "Grover Deluxe". Any thoughts there? Got 'em both new and sealed so I dont think there's an issue with somebody changing them.

 

[bluesjuke]

As I've posted before I have had two 333's before & would like to have another inspite of currently having a 335 & an Historic '59 335.

They are quality built, the price is right & they play very well. Wish they had kept on making these.




Welcome to the Forum Sonny!

 

[Sonny]

Hey Fellas,

Thanks again for the warm welcomes. My 333 is an '03 and has the Gibson Deluxe tuners. I've never heard of them comming with Grover Deluxe tuners, but they may have durring another year of their run. I'm almost certain they are exactly the same aside from the marking.

What amp are you guys most happy with while playing this guitar?

I had a mid 90's US made 2x12 Fender Tweed Blues Deville (I'm a moron for selling it) and now play through a new 1x12 Tweed Blues Deluxe Reissue. With the blues/jazzed blues group I'm playing with now, we like to play at a lower volume. The 40W 1x12 BDR is plenty. I'm still searching for either a vintage Fender or may go with a hand wired Allen amp. I haven't played through one yet but have heard nothing but the highest praises with Allen amplifiers.

Sonny

 

[Leña_Costoso]

66 Deluxe Reverb

 

[rpavich]

I just polished my satin 335...and it came out great..thanks for the tips. I just got Meguires wax from wal mart.

bob