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Gibson ES 335 help

rafalynch

Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2019
Messages
96
Hello, I'm new to the forum and I would like to introduce myself first, I'm Rafa from Spain, I've been playing electric guitar for over 35 years and I consider myself a Les Paul boy .. I own several, my first one was bought in 2000, a very nice Standard Plus , the next one was a white Custom of 1987, a cannon, the next one was a whim .. a CC17 Louis, which I got very well of second hand price but in mint state and the last one a black Custom of 1979, is last is my preferred ... the t top tablets make a big difference in my Marshall 1971. removed the first one I bought the others on line and never had any problems with the shipments and the guitars were fabulous. I recently became an EN 335 ... for more than 6 months I have been looking at the different models and years of manufacture on the Internet ... colors etc. In the end I decided to buy one of the 80 'in natural color and I found one from 1987 in an immaculate state ... beautiful, with its Tim Swan, I fell in love and bought it on Line, where I live I have no chance to try them on I do not even know anyone who owns a 335 ... so I do not have a clear reference of how a 335 should sound, I mean to sound without plugging it in. I received the guitar this week, and I am devastated and very worried, it's like new without bumps or a lot of use, but artistically it sounds very sharp and bright, I have adjusted the bar of the trus rod ... and height of the bridge etc, but it continues dreaming close ... my question is if all the ES 335 are like this and if the acoustic tone can be improved with some modification of bridge and tailpiece etc. thank you very much and excuse my english
 

rafalynch

Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2019
Messages
96
The guitar is beautiful. but I expected an acoustic sound similar to a Les Paul but with more volume. It sounds very bright and sharp ... is it normal? or is it a guitar that has gone wrong in the factory? The little use that has been given can be for its bad sound? It can be fixed? Thank you

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OKGuitar

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2011
Messages
938
What pickups are in it? Some 80's 335's have Bill Lawrence pickups which, in my opinion, are pretty awful. If it has Shaws, then the best mod to make it sound better is to change the pots from 300K to 500K. The design didn't change from the "good" 80's years (81-85) so, once you get the electronics sorted, you should have a 335 that sounds like a 335 should. An 80's 335 isn't a 50's or 60's but I've owned enough 81-85's to know just how great they can be.
 

CAGinLA

Active member
Joined
Jan 4, 2016
Messages
489
Wait, what??? You adjusted the truss rod to make it less bright??? The truss rod only affects the bow of the neck (and thus your action on the fretboard).

First thing you should be doing is adjusting the pickup height - if it's still too bright, is turning the treble down on your amp not an option?

More drastic fixes are brass saddles for the bridge, new pots and caps, and new pickups.

As for the unplugged sound..well who cares about that? It's not an acoustic guitar - it's an electric - you judge it from it's sound plugged into an amp.
 

wmachine

Active member
Joined
Mar 17, 2016
Messages
303
As for the unplugged sound..well who cares about that? It's not an acoustic guitar - it's an electric - you judge it from it's sound plugged into an amp.

A whole lot of people, including myself care about that. Fine for you if that is your way of doing things. But that is a proven gauge for lots of very knowledgeable players.
Quite frankly I don't care if anyone thinks that doesn't matter. I know better.
 

progger

New member
Joined
Aug 30, 2008
Messages
86
First, if I read your question correctly, you're referring to the sound of the guitar unplugged, yes? It's acoustic properties, not how it sounds through an amp. Yes, acoustically, they are much brighter than an unplugged Les Paul, but I've never seen that as an undesirable trait. It's an electric guitar that is more audible when played acoustically than a solid body, but it was never designed to be dual-purpose in that regard, and the only way to judge the instrument is plugged in. If you were hoping it would sound like an acoustic guitar when unplugged, it will not, and any 335 would disappoint you if that is your expectation. I'm sure you've got a great guitar there, plug it in and enjoy it. :)
 

rafalynch

Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2019
Messages
96
Thank you very much for your answers. I usually practice on the sofa in my living room with the guitar unplugged when I wake up in the mornings and my family sleeps ... I like to listen to the electric guitars of good woods sound like that, balanced in tone and resonant ... the 335 I thought sound thick and with more volume when carrying a block of central maple. If I play with her soft and loose with the pua sounds very well and the mast and freatboard are luxurious, the sharp and not very musical sound for my taste is to play strong with chords, there comes a sound in my opinion poorly balanced without serious and a little metallic tin. But I mean the sound without plugging. I bought a Faber bridge and post upgrade ... the studs on the bridge are a bit longer than the ones on the current bridge that only come in contact with the cover, these new ones reach the central maple block ... I do not know if it will improve, when I arrive and install it I will update here. thank you
 

rafalynch

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Joined
Jun 5, 2019
Messages
96
The Freatboard is ebony ... perhaps it is also brighter than the Rosewood? My Les paul custom Blanca from 1987 is also ebony and the best guitars I have in unplugged sound. These pills are Tim Shaw?
 
Last edited:

fakejake

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Messages
1,274
I would try different strings. Maybe chromes or flatwounds, as many jazzers do. This will likely give it a more mellow accoustic sound.
Also, if you're already changing strings, try topwraping them. This will reduce the downpressure on the bridge and might also take away a bit of the harshness.
 

rafalynch

Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2019
Messages
96
Fakejake thank you very much for your advice. I use strings Dadario XL 10/46 ... of Nickel. I really like the tension of that thickness and the sound of nickel in my les paul. But I'm going to try something different in l 335 to see the change. thank you
 

deytookerjaabs

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Joined
Nov 6, 2016
Messages
1,592
Something no one talks about I use are ABS saddles, oh the humanity! But, they feel stiffer like the old nylon saddles and if they have any effect at all it's to knock a tiny hair of brightness out...if they have any effect. They feel great and work well though in general plus here in the US they're cheap. There are some on Ebay being sold out of Germany so maybe give them a shot.
 

rafalynch

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Joined
Jun 5, 2019
Messages
96
thank you very much ... I do not translate your comment very well ... I understand that you try naylon saddles?
 

rafalynch

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Joined
Jun 5, 2019
Messages
96
thank you very much ... they are not very expensive and to try .. I'm going to look for them here in europe ... thanks
 

CAGinLA

Active member
Joined
Jan 4, 2016
Messages
489
A whole lot of people, including myself care about that. Fine for you if that is your way of doing things. But that is a proven gauge for lots of very knowledgeable players.
Quite frankly I don't care if anyone thinks that doesn't matter. I know better.

LOL, if you're judging an electric guitar based on its unplugged tone, you're doing it wrong.
 

rafalynch

Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2019
Messages
96
Vmachine I also believe that the quality and tonal balance of the guitar sound without plugging is very important.
 

Wilko

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Mar 11, 2002
Messages
20,854
Acoustic tone of an electric guitars very important. Anyone thinks otherwise doesn't know what they're talking about. The wood and construction make a huge difference. If it didn't make a difference than a Les Paul would sound the same as a 335. Guess what? they don't sound the same.

Perhaps you just weren't expecting the sound you are getting. I love the sound of the 335 unplugged. I did have a 1984 and it was fine sounding acoustic tone. My current 335 is a 1965 and is very light weight and sounds quite bright acoustically. I prefer the brightness and actually use a lightweight tail piece and metal saddles to make it brighter/clearer sounding.
 
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