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GRAIL 335

Pellman73

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Joined
Aug 9, 2016
Messages
1,762
Ok well I haven't posted in a while but I thought this one would be fun

a few years back I got on this quest to get one of the 2013 1959 TDNs they did in Memphis with these, well, quite honestly, kind of mythical blister tops. There was a video from NAMM 2013, I read about them (hide glue, spruce bracing, a special bit of wood they had squirreled away to make these guitars) but to be honest I didn't find any-- except this one that had been posted two years ago from a fella in Canada. Actually a very nice fella! HI Frank if you are reading. He had it priced a little high for my tastes and I bid a year and a half ago and then a few weeks back he contacted me and we made a deal for closer to what I wanted to pay. We had to deal with some weirdness at the border but it finally got thru. and....

In the best sense its even better looking in person than it was in the pictures but more than that its AN INCREDIBLE GUITAR! All pup settings it just sounds great. bridge has great attack and growl, neck blooms. Theres a warmth.. theres mid range punch, theres high end. It seems to cover the tonal spectrum. Neck (I haven't measured) but I'd guess its a little over 0.9 at 1st fret. a nice full profile.... 58/59 maybe?

I"m head over heels in love!

Is an OMG guitar.

To me, I guess if I had to have a type this is my type. I just think its perfection (with the imperfections)

Wabi-sabi !







http://
 

zoommutt

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Joined
Nov 15, 2003
Messages
1,448
What makes it look blistered? It is very interesting looking.
 

Pellman73

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 9, 2016
Messages
1,762
What makes it look blistered? It is very interesting looking.

thank you everyone!

Tom you would certainly be able to thumbs up or thumbs down this but some of the original 59's had these blister tops right?

Zoomutt here is probably the source of my obsession is this video. Its my Zapruder film!

when I saw those blisters I was like DAMN! That was a few years back.

I just don't think there are many of these go go around

the fella who sold it to me said Vic Dapra picked out the wood for this one-- Vic if you are there---- thanks!

I have always loved birdseye and 3D tops... and this part where you see him take the TDN off the rack, and he talks about how they did short run and might not have enough wood... well it kind of put these in grail status for me

I just think they are so beautiful -- I think a blond 335 is just perfection !

I love the big pic guard too. looks right to me.

the crazy thing is the guitar is just incredible too.

I measured the 1st fret today-- right at 0.9 -- feels chunky but comfortable to me.

 

renderit

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 19, 2009
Messages
10,950
What makes it look blistered? It is very interesting looking.

A certain kind of wasp stings the bark to lay eggs. I had them at my last house in Kansas. The nest kind of bubbles out and looks nasty. Actually, that is what my Ren's Good Eye which is a no-binding 58 replica is made of but it is much more subtle. I got mine from Wildwoods. They had one much more like Pellman's at the time as well.

Excellent machine there Sir!

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deytookerjaabs

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Joined
Nov 6, 2016
Messages
1,592
Badass! I had no idea about the blister thing, in terms of being coveted, I had an older LP Classic for a bit which had some blister to it and I never gave it a thought yet it was a great guitar. Sounds like a beefy but comfy neck. I recently got a Freddie King and that thing has the biggest damn Gibson neck I've ever felt, bigger than '58 reissues, any R7 I've played, and anything I've held from the 50's. Thanks for the detailed info!
 

F-Hole

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Joined
Sep 2, 2015
Messages
2,171
There was a period during Nov/Dec '58 when quite a few of the blonde tops were blister maple. One particular batch of maple ply was used across quite a few blondes in the same FON. Indeed, you could map specific groups of blisters from one guitar to another. I had consecutive serial blonde 58's, three FON positions apart, and the tops were undeniably from the same log of maple.
 
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renderit

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 19, 2009
Messages
10,950
For some reason the rest of the grain on these becomes much more 3d as well. Even in the non-blistered areas. It has a certain 'plushness' which is not captured in photos as well. If you look at Peter's back shot up near the edges of the horns you see it. I am sure it is all over it. Very rich grain.
 

1jamman

New member
Joined
Feb 28, 2013
Messages
610
Nice score , Beautiful guitar :salude . I too also saw the video when It 1st hit the Net . I went wild ... to get 1 (Thanks Curt ) . I love a VN finish 3X5 ....

I wanted the VN finish but I found it "to over the top" for my liking the blister tops that I found . So I got it in the Sunburst finish with not as much Blister to it . Man these 335's, Imo, as been 1 of the best runs to come along in years ... There is a reason they do not come up often ....
The neck is perfect for me ,for a fatter necked guitar . .870 @ the 1st....
Agree , imo , it's a great guitar ...

side note :
If you recall , At that time Gibson moved some it's CS builders over to Memphis (to do all the 335 builds at Memphis) and they did these builds . IIRC a '13 should make it 1 of them ... The COA should tell you or checking into the serial # will do it ...

Play that beauty and hold on to it , I doubt you'll find a better "new" 335 .ever .
 
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