The hunt for a new 335 begins... Advice welcome!

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DDtBDDtB Frets: 60
Hi folks, 

Decided that a cherry 335 is something I need in my life so planning to buy one in the next few months hopefully.  

I've never actually bought myself a proper/expensive guitar in a shop before though.  Current collection comprises of guitars I've won or traded up to with others mainly, with my AVRI strat being the only one I've bought at over £1,000 and that was a Reverb impulse purchase in the 1st lockdown.

The 335 I want (I think), will be a 60s cherry red one, with some obvious grain showing through the paint and a nice fretboard, ideally a darkish one but doesn't need to be uniform, quite like the streaky rosewoods too.  I have a Slash Les Paul and love it, but want something with a slightly smaller neck than that, but not as small as my AVRI strat one.  Want to be able to do some John Mayer thumb over the top stuff and find that's slightly harder than I'd like with the size/girth of the slash neck.   

From pics on the web, some 335s out there appear to meet the brief but I'm aware photoshop skills may be at play to boost contrast and make the grain pop more in a pic than it does in the flesh, so keen to see them in real life before purchasing.   Also aware that even at £2.5k+, Gibson QC isn't always where it should be.  As an example.. my Slash LP has a couple bits on the neck binding where they were a bit 'enthusiastic' with the scraper.  Just cosmetic and doesn't bother me as much as it initially did, but I'd like a guitar I pick for myself to be as good as it can be.

Also want to enjoy the process of actually shopping for a guitar and trying a few out.  Maybe even a custom shop to see what all the fuss is about!  The budget is flexible to a degree and love the slightly aged look of the custom shop stuff with the yellow-ish binding a lot.  This is a bit of a vanity purchase obviously. I'm definitely not the best player out there and this isn't for gigging, it's just for me in the house so a custom shop would be total overkill, but you only live once etc.

Every bit of guidance out there suggests that for a 335, you should go to lots of places and play lots of them, which is a bit of a challenge just now due to stock out there but even when there is stock, not that many places in Glasgow/Scotland stock them and when they do, they tend to have 1 in stock and not 10.  Apparently most custom shops are special order too.

So.. the plan and the advice....   I'm going to be in London for a few weekends over the next few months and thinking I could spend a day or two visiting decent guitar shops, if they are likely to have a 335.  Hoping some folks on here might be able to suggest the best places I should target for success in that regard.

Also happy to hear any other advice folks may have about 335s and how to get the 'best' one for me.  

All advice welcome!

Cheers.


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Comments

  • BillDLBillDL Frets: 7039
    Do you have your mind set on a proper Gibson ES-335, or would you consider other very good quality brands that make very close approximations of 335s in terms of look and sound?
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  • DDtBDDtB Frets: 60
    BillDL said:
    Do you have your mind set on a proper Gibson ES-335, or would you consider other very good quality brands that make very close approximations of 335s in terms of look and sound?

    Focussing on a Gibson this time.  No objections to the other brands as such and have been tempted by a Sire or something to test the water.

    I did have an Epiphone Les Paul for a while and it made me think I didn't like Les Pauls though.  Something about it just didn't work for me.  

    So thinking this time I'm going with the Gibson, even though i know there are probably better built guitars at the price.  Figure once I have the 'traditional' fleet sorted, I can start adding some of the other boutique brands and stuff too.

    Ultimately I want all the guitars!!
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  • rprrpr Frets: 308
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  • TeleMasterTeleMaster Frets: 10103
    Weird I thought the exact same thing this weekend too!
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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11413
    I bought one about 3 years ago.  I played a Custom Shop one alongside a regular factory one.  There was a significant difference.  I ended up getting the CS guitar.  Thankfully it was about 30% off in one of the post chapter 11 blowout deals.
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  • markjmarkj Frets: 910
    edited January 2022
    I had a standard Gibson Es335 from 2016 beautiful guitar but found the neck just too slim for me.  I’ve now got a Custom shop 59 335 with a lovely fat neck that suits me fine.  I think that the standard one would suit your needs well and the build quality on these guitars is very good. I only play at home as well so a Custom shop wouldn’t be wasted.
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  • BillDLBillDL Frets: 7039
    edited January 2022
    I understand.  The reason I wondered was because I was looking through some semi-acoustics on Jimmy Egypt's (Great Western Rd) website yesterday and spotted a Tokai "335":
    I couldn't afford it right now anyway, so I didn't dwell on it, but I now see that it's candy apple red rather than cherry red.  That guitar would be very close to a real 335 for handling and sound.
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  • robinbowesrobinbowes Frets: 3021
    You should checkout a Yamaha SA2200 as well.
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  • TeleMasterTeleMaster Frets: 10103
    Tbh I think I prefer the 339 as it’s a much smaller body shape. I had a 355 and it was bloody massive. 
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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11413
    Tbh I think I prefer the 339 as it’s a much smaller body shape. I had a 355 and it was bloody massive. 

    I've had a 339 in the past.  It doesn't sound the same as a 335. It's more of a Les Paul / 335 hybrid in terms of tone.  I prefer the ES Les Paul as a smaller bodied semi.
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  • SRichSRich Frets: 762
    edited January 2022
    Tbh I think I prefer the 339 as it’s a much smaller body shape. I had a 355 and it was bloody massive. 
    I have both..........the 335 isn't necessarily massive. There is however a significant tonal difference.

    The 335 balances well on a strap and for seated playing.

    The 339 is a sweet size but sounds closer to a Les Paul than a full-fat 335.

    YMMV of course - good luck with your hunt but be patient.

    "There's things I want, there's things I think I want 
    There's things I've had, there's things I wanna have" 
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  • mikeyrob73mikeyrob73 Frets: 4663
    Eastman 

    i love mine 
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  • dazzajldazzajl Frets: 5653
    Some thoughts, in totally random order. 

    If your heart is set on a Gibson, don’t even pick up anything else. You’ll end up playing a gorgeous Tokai, Yamaha or whatever and be swayed because it plays and sounds just how you want. But after the honeymoon, the itch for a Gibson will be back stronger than before. 

    Let the journey be as important as the destination. Time and money spent on traveling to try all the 335s you can is not wasted. It’s all part of the experience. 

    Don’t be too wedded to the spec you think you want. It might be that your perfect partner isn’t the colour you thought it should be. Or a neck profile you weren’t expecting to like might feel just right in the hand. 

    Looking forward to your NGD post :)
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  • Tbh I think I prefer the 339 as it’s a much smaller body shape. I had a 355 and it was bloody massive. 
    The 339 is cool but upper fret access is not that good compared to a 335 for my chunky hands. I tried two that didn’t stick around long. A good 335, however, can be a lifetime guitar for me. Still searching for ‘the one’. 
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  • rlwrlw Frets: 4671
    edited January 2022
    If you are even only thinking Tokai, do look at the Japanese dealers and don't buy one in the UK.



    Max £1800 delivered to your door.

    Save a cow.  Eat a vegetarian.
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  • markjmarkj Frets: 910
    Eastman 

    i love mine 
    Didn’t love mine it went back to Peach guitars for a refund.
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  • markjmarkj Frets: 910
    dazzajl said:
    Some thoughts, in totally random order. 

    If your heart is set on a Gibson, don’t even pick up anything else. You’ll end up playing a gorgeous Tokai, Yamaha or whatever and be swayed because it plays and sounds just how you want. But after the honeymoon, the itch for a Gibson will be back stronger than before. 

    Let the journey be as important as the destination. Time and money spent on traveling to try all the 335s you can is not wasted. It’s all part of the experience. 

    Don’t be too wedded to the spec you think you want. It might be that your perfect partner isn’t the colour you thought it should be. Or a neck profile you weren’t expecting to like might feel just right in the hand. 

    Looking forward to your NGD post :)
    Totally agree, I went down the Eastman route after owning a Gibson 335. I sent the guitar back to the shop for a refund, realising that I would regret not getting a Gibson again. Managed to hunt down a second hand es 335 Custom shop in perfect condition, absolutely fantastic guitar.
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  • If you are in London you have guitar guitar in Camden. 
    There is Denmark street but meh, seems over priced and not what it used to be. 
    I personally would take a train from London to Coda Music or Peach. Or do both :-)

    as a side note I wouldn't be wedded to the colour. I hate sunburst/tobacco burst but ended up buying a 345 in that very colour as it was the best playing and sounding guitar out of a wide selection. 
    The Bigsby was the first successful design of what is now called a whammy bar or tremolo arm, although vibrato is the technically correct term for the musical effect it produces. In standard usage, tremolo is a rapid fluctuation of the volume of a note, while vibrato is a fluctuation in pitch. The origin of this nonstandard usage of the term by electric guitarists is attributed to Leo Fender, who also used the term “vibrato” to refer to what is really a tremolo effect.
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  • SRD81SRD81 Frets: 310
    It took me about a year of playing 335s in shops all over the South East before I finally found the one for me. I went into the search thinking that I wanted a fat neck sunburst 50s model and actually came out with a 2014 Cherry ‘63RI Memphis VOS.

    Many that I played just did not do it for me for whatever reason. Sometimes it was the neck profile, other times the pickups or aesthetics, but I nearly gave up altogether. When I found the one I ended up buying it was on a rack at Peach guitars and didn’t even have any strings on it at the time! It was the ‘wrong’ colour, had the ‘wrong’ horn shape and ‘wrong’ inlays vs what I was looking for. As soon as I picked it up I knew it was a contender. When it was strung up and plugged in I simply had to have it. Even amongst some Custom Shop and vintage stuff I have now it’s likely my favourite guitar.

    So my advice would not necessarily be to go for a Memphis ‘63RI (although I hear good things generally) or to focus on a certain year or spec, but rather to take your time and play as many as you possibly can until one chooses you!


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  • My experience for what it’s worth:

    Back in 2007 I was gearing up to buy a Yamaha SA2200 and put down a deposit - nowhere had them in stock. A couple of months went by, and then due to the exchange rate going a bit bonkers, Gibson prices dropped substantially and a 335 was suddenly in budget.

    I cancelled the SA2200 order and went to Peter Cook’s (sadly missed) as they had two cherry ES335s (Memphis dot, slim taper neck) in stock. There was very little between them in terms of playability, cosmetics and sound/resonance. I think I ended up going for the slightly plainer example as I preferred the feel of it.

    The nut accuracy and fret profiles were fine, although the fretboard was a bit dry with some scuff marks and the frets felt slightly gritty, so I had a bit of a tidy up done and it was gorgeous.

    A few months later I tried 11’s on it, and the low E chewed through the tusq nut so I had it replaced with a bone one from Dickinson Amps in Crystal Palace as Jon always does a stunning job. It’s been fine ever since, barely needs a setup tweak from season to season and remains my most treasured possession after nearly 15 years. So glad I bought it. I’ve always been a bit wary of tusq nuts after that though.

    Here are a couple of pics - the flame is quite subtle: 

    https://flic.kr/p/2m1sGK9

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