Ask for it ....Wait for it .... They made it ....

[1jamman]

In my seeming to be ,never ending search always asking for 1 of these, for that ES guitar Pictured in my mind ,. I've been lusting after a 60's (thin neck) Vintage Natural 335 small block(New 13/14specs) .... The CS 1's , for me were a more figured then I like for a 335(plus way over priced ,imo) . Plain top 335's look right ,imo .


After seeing these new 63 small block listed , I knew I had a shoot at getting 1 . Holding out can be the hardest part , But it can be rewarded too .....
Lightly figured is OK , but I want grain patterns in mine .Very Organic looking which goes along with a 335's sound ,imo .

NGD coming to me in a few weeks , So here's the 2 pics I received so far. better pics once she gets home ......

 

[GotTheSilver]

Beautiful! Congrats on finally getting what you wanted!

 

[J T]

That's a great looking 335! Put up pics after it arrives at it's new home.

 

[Rev.WillieVK]

The waiting is the hardest part! :dude:

 

[SkyPalermo]

Super cool guitar!

 

[TM1]

Very Nice!! Congrats!

 

[jwalker]

Great looking guitar!

 

[TM1]

I'm gonna give one plug here...
Buy a set of the Throbak "Pre-T-301" to put in it. I have the `63 Block Inlay ES-335TDC with the Throbak's and it sounds identical to some of the ES-335's from the early-mid Sixties!

 

[garywright]

congrats ...you may love the sound of that guitar stock :salude

 

[Cogswell]

Beautiful!

 

[1jamman]

Thanks for all the kind words Guys ..... It should be going out to me today, so Hopefully Friday or Monday it will be here . it will be great to get a 60's necked 335 ,,,finally . :spabout


Thanks for the input TM1 . I do give weight to your opinions and appreciate your advice . I'll give the stock pups a chance/time to prove themselves worth keeping or not (doesn't take long for me, But I'm fair with evals.) . From my Exp. The 550K pots may seal the deal as I'm not fond of brighter pots . Plus, I have a harnesses with TVT pots and Vintage PIO BB caps just waiting .

If anything is done about the pups , I think the set of Early Pat.#'s I have would get a try 1st . IMO, they are a great sounding set . But you never really know until you hear them in the guitar .
There are a few different sets of Pups I need/like to try so ,I may start down that road again :laugh2:

 

[Watermelon 335]

That's one really gorgeous guitar!

That color of finish looks great in that yellow case. :salude

 

[TM1]

Thanks for all the kind words Guys ..... It should be going out to me today, so Hopefully Friday or Monday it will be here . it will be great to get a 60's necked 335 ,,,finally . :spabout


Thanks for the input TM1 . I do give weight to your opinions and appreciate your advice . I'll give the stock pups a chance/time to prove themselves worth keeping or not (doesn't take long for me, But I'm fair with evals.) . From my Exp. The 550K pots may seal the deal as I'm not fond of brighter pots . Plus, I have a harnesses with TVT pots and Vintage PIO BB caps just waiting .

If anything is done about the pups , I think the set of Early Pat.#'s I have would get a try 1st . IMO, they are a great sounding set . But you never really know until you hear them in the guitar .
There are a few different sets of Pups I need/like to try so ,I may start down that road again :laugh2:

Yeah, you just don't know until you play the guitar. The MHS pickups didn't work for me. Maybe I got a duff set. Hope you enjoy it!

 

[1jamman]

Yeah, you just don't know until you play the guitar. The MHS pickups didn't work for me. Maybe I got a duff set. Hope you enjoy it!

I'm not betting they were .... I don't like the MHS in my 345 all that much . I've left them in for now ,but it's always in the back of my head ,,,they gotta go .... Finding time to work on a 345 as the 1st. 3X5 I'll do pickup and maybe a Harness swap in ,is not what I'd think ,,, would be FUN ...From all I've read ..... :wow
I'm real good at doing stuff , But the 1st time is the learning curve . After that , it's much easier and faster :jim


It's being Shipped Monday , I found out today. Works for me as ,IMO , better it doesn't sit over the week-end at a UPS center being drooled over ..

I'm thinking Wednesday -Thursday next week ....

 

[Progrocker111]

I'm not betting they were .... I don't like the MHS in my 345 all that much .

Why?

I liked the bridge on my former 59 ES345, although the neck was a bit too dark to my taste.

 

[1jamman]

Why?

I liked the bridge on my former 59 ES345, although the neck was a bit too dark to my taste.

Difficult to say ,with assuredness, but darker(both pups) and muffled ,less output without clarity when played through my Marshall 210H and 1960AX cab. Playing through my Fender '65 Deluxe RI using the #1 channel is just not possible . Just not what I like . I'm not much of a bridge pickup player so if the neck isn't working (it's sound) for me , It's sort of downhill from there .

I really would need to do pup swaps and testing to figure it out if it's both the harness and the pups or what .
Time and desire to do the work play a factor in that for me.

I'm not a fan of the CB's (any iteration so far) as I've haven't played a set that did anything or worked for me. It's all subjective as to what we like . Only opinion . And those who like them , That's all good ....
My Ears guide me and tell me .

I , 100% will give them (MHS pups) a chance . I'm not 1 who mods just for the sake to mod . Time will tell ....

 

[1jamman]

Well , Seems Fate has reared it's head once again.... Shipped Monday ...

Enter ,,,,, Mr. Murphy . Only Not T. Murphy . Which would have been OK if it had been TM'ed ,
But NOOOO , I found my long lost fiend ....Murphy's Law Decided to return for a short visit , :##.....

Seems (as I was told) the Box was addressed with the wrong Zip code and went to Miami (OK , Ch*t happens) .... Which, I could of gone and picked up in an hour ..... But Not with UPS .... Now, why do they want a telephone and email address ????

Sooooo , It Went back to NY and will be Re-shipped Monday ,I think ,I Hope :laugh2: ...

The Saga continues :laugh2:
Wait for it ......:rofl

 

[1jamman]

So Finally She's here ,,,, And Unbelievable , this is an Outstanding playing guitar ....
As Nothing is truly perfect , Take the good with the not so good and see what you got left .

Out of the Box , The guitar is stunning (to me) and as good as I thought (even better) it would be as to it's looks. All 7 lbs , 11 Oz's of it . A Sweet light weight Axe .
The guitar has an amazing resonance to it . Makes me think Acoustic guitar. Out of the Box-it rang like a bell . Every note played on the treble strings ring. Up and down the whole FB ...Un-Amped

Imo these 2015's have stepped UP . I can't put my finger in what it might be ,,,just yet ,,,,But it's there . The Woods , Build or the package .

The #1 , 1st. important aspect to me was the neck . After talking to WW about these guitars (since that's the only place In the VN finish they have been listed so far) I got the impression the neck would be/feel chunkier then it is in hand .
It has depth , but it's all a 60's neck IIRC I was told .830 the 1st. . 1 great neck ,in hand , for me .... Very small shoulders (if at all) . If you like 60's style necks and 335's , Check these out .... Nicely Rounded ,and Not Flat on the back (which I really like best ,But ,,) This 1's sweet . Think V2 neck ....

Of course the Bridge has the same issue as so many others I've seen/tried and bought ..HIGH-SET bridge .(IMO This needs to be Addressed, as it 'imo not a minor issue) But , the guitar plays fantastic. It came with the slinkiest feeling set up of any Gibson I've ever had in hand . Any . After lowering the bridge it still rings almost the same and the action is now very close to what I want it to be at .

Pups , No hard conclusion about them ,yet . They are nice ,and testing them with a Marshall 210H /1960AX cab. and my Fender '65 RI Deluxe Reverb they sound good , pretty clear sounding .

Pots , Well as always I still don't care for a 550K pot which IIRC is what are used for these guitars . They don't sound "harsh" but a bit to bright for my taste.
The only "Good" IMO , about the pots is , less turning Torque is needed to use them . This is a nice Plus . I think many will like this about them . Finally
The harness will go after some Pup testing using them 1st. Some Vintage '62 pots, Vintage caps(BB's) and Early Pat.# pups are looking at their new Home .

The big ,imo negative ,,,, The FB wood ... Something feels very different about it . The color is nice and dark ,Really beautiful , But , iT WAS SO DRY , That after 1 treatment of Fret Dr.(Pics above are after using Fret Dr.) I'm thing another will be needed . Plus the feel of the wood itself is different . Some more time is needed to form a more complete opinion .

All in All ,,, if your looking at a 60's neck 335 ....Look and check out these . They don't call them LP killers for nothing ... I agree :salude

Now some pics :











Really Gibson ????

 

[Progrocker111]

Nice one and great review. :dude:

And yes, many fretboards of latest Gibsons have very dry, but still dark fingerboard. It will take many months of heavy playing to darken them a bit.

 

[Watermelon 335]

What a beautiful 335!
Wish I could hear it.
Wish I could play it.
Hell, I wish I could HAVE it! :spabout

Enjoy!

Like you, since I got my beloved 335 I'm also thinking of selling my, now rarely-played, Les Paul.