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Been a while

TomGuitar

Active member
Joined
Apr 28, 2005
Messages
3,700
It’s been a while since I posted anything. Sorry to be away so long. But tonight I want to share some thoughts. Might be the wrong area, but since The Other Gibsons is where I live, I’ll do it here.

I changed the strings tonight on the guitar in my avatar. It’s a blonde 59 335. Oh man, what a joy it is to play with new strings. I’ve been playing it for hours now. The thing just sings. It would make anyone sound better. I gig only occasionally, maybe 40 times a year. But I have one tomorrow night. With the big cover band I play in. It’s kind of important. One of the singers in this band hosts a block party every year. So we want to make her shine. This band is 12 pieces. Two guitars, keys, bass, drums, 4-piece horn section, 3 additional female singers. We do everything from 60’s pop, Motown, Beatles, Stones, Steely Dan, Delbert McClinton, Bonnie Raitt, right up to 2010’s pop, rock and country. Versatile cover band. Good band. If you’ve never played with a full horn section, you should try it. Makes a guitar players job a whole lot easier.

But back to this guitar. As many of you know, I have a bunch of old Gibsons.

But I’m in love again. There is nothing like a good 50’s Gibson. Maybe it was the water in Kalamazoo, or Kazoo, as we in Michigan called it. But whatever else it was, it was magic. Such a joy to play.

I feel so fortunate to be in a position to play this thing. It makes me sound so much better than I am.

Find an old Gibson and it will play you.

Anyway... peace... and play those old guitars
 

brandtkronholm

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 3, 2006
Messages
2,737
I changed the strings on my 1959 ES345 last week. Yup, it is a joyous instrument. The neck is full yet fast. It's all original with the obvious exception of the Schaller tuners. It has the black Varitone ring but isn't a "first-rack." The orange label was lost years ago...

Here it is next to some other guitar I play.

There is nothing like a good 50’s Gibson.


IMG_0112.PNG
 

Tom Wittrock

Les Paul Forum Co-Owner
Joined
Aug 2, 2001
Messages
42,567
It’s been a while since I posted anything. Sorry to be away so long. But tonight I want to share some thoughts. Might be the wrong area, but since The Other Gibsons is where I live, I’ll do it here.

I changed the strings tonight on the guitar in my avatar. It’s a blonde 59 335. Oh man, what a joy it is to play with new strings. I’ve been playing it for hours now. The thing just sings. It would make anyone sound better. I gig only occasionally, maybe 40 times a year. But I have one tomorrow night. With the big cover band I play in. It’s kind of important. One of the singers in this band hosts a block party every year. So we want to make her shine. This band is 12 pieces. Two guitars, keys, bass, drums, 4-piece horn section, 3 additional female singers. We do everything from 60’s pop, Motown, Beatles, Stones, Steely Dan, Delbert McClinton, Bonnie Raitt, right up to 2010’s pop, rock and country. Versatile cover band. Good band. If you’ve never played with a full horn section, you should try it. Makes a guitar players job a whole lot easier.

But back to this guitar. As many of you know, I have a bunch of old Gibsons.

But I’m in love again. There is nothing like a good 50’s Gibson. Maybe it was the water in Kalamazoo, or Kazoo, as we in Michigan called it. But whatever else it was, it was magic. Such a joy to play.

I feel so fortunate to be in a position to play this thing. It makes me sound so much better than I am.

Find an old Gibson and it will play you.

Anyway... peace... and play those old guitars

Sounds like a great idea! I'll get mine out and restring it tomorrow. Seems like I've been playing the Pauls all the time. :ganz

Have a great gig, Tom!! :salude
 

J.D.

Well-known member
Joined
May 24, 2006
Messages
10,030
Nice to see you posting again, Tom. Hope you are doing well.
 

F-Hole

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 2, 2015
Messages
2,171
I just restrung my entire herd after they'd been in storage prior to shipping for four months. It's quite a surprise to rediscover what the guitar "should" sound like again. Also, agree with you on old 335's Tom.....they're the nuts.

Nice to see you in print again.
 

mingus

Active member
Joined
Apr 3, 2006
Messages
4,243
Tom, it’s good to see you participating on this forum again!:salude
 

jrgtr42

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
2,308
I need to sit down and restring a bunch of mine. The strings fade so gradually you don't notice it, until your ears wake up one day and say, "this thing sounds like junk."
I did my MIM Tele a couple months ago when I replaced the electronics in there (put in a 4-way switch and new pots,) and it was night and day - I don't know how much was the strings and how much is the new stuff, but it's way louder and cleaner sounding than before.
 

OKGuitar

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2011
Messages
938
Nothing like a blonde 59. My main player is one as well (a converted 345 though). Oddly, it's not the one in my avatar. It does everything you say, especially when newly restrung. I've been having very good results with DR strings lately after years of stringing with D'Addarios (which I still like). Vintage 3x5's like 10's and 11's. 9's are trouble - the G string usually won't intonate. Nice to see you back here, Tom. How about an update of your excellent website-I have photos of about two hundred vintage 335's, 345's and 355's you could post.
 
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