After some chonky flight delays, I owed you lot a GAS thread.
Having successfully split opinion in my last thread, I went back on our last morning in Tokyo and played the black one again. This time wearing the closest I had to stage clothes so I could get a proper vibe check…
A decision didn’t take long - this thing’s awesome
2022 Gibson CS ES-355 in VOS with factory Bigsby and all the mojo in the world. It’s in great condition and setup to perfection. Also barely half the price of a new one from Peach, thanks to a good deal and a low Yen.
Ultimately it came down to picking the better instrument, combined with wanting more of a blank canvas and not something that would push me to play something specific based on my own preconceptions about what that guitar is “for” (ie Marr, Butler, NG)
Comments
p.s. I am glad you picked the black one!
All that remains to say is "thank fuck it wasn't a Murphy Labs job" :-)
HNGD!
Seriously though you did the right thing in picking the one that felt better to play - Plus that pic looks better than the original shop pic as you can now see some of the VOS character - The original pic made it look to glossy - Enjoy owning and playing a might fine guitar
I still want to get a bit more “age” on it but that'll come in time - ideally through gigging & sweat!
One thing that is really nice though is the bridge - the top edge is gently chamfered which makes it much nicer under your hand. Not sure if it’s the original bridge but the gold plating is over the top so I assume it is standard like this. I didn’t notice the same on any others though.
I may also switch to vintage style machineheads as well, partly for looks and partly for lightness, but no hurry there. I doubt I'll change the pickups or wiring unless I have any real problems with feedback through my own gear at gig volume.
That's a very nice looking thing.
Enjoy mate. Hope it serves you well.
I can't help about the shape I'm in, I can't sing I ain't pretty and my legs are thin
But don't ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to
Must be a relatively recent thing as the VOS 330 I have from the 2018 run has a regular ABR-1.
My VOS TL has the same softened-edge ABR-1 btw, it’s a nice touch for sure. Just a shame that yours has a bigsby
I’m so bored I might as well be listening to Pink Floyd
I think a 355 is about as tasty as it gets. Also, black ESs are fairly rare compared to their cherry or sunburst counterparts so extra points for that.
A proper gent's guitar.
It really is a beauty - it must play amazingly well for you to put up with the visual war crime of having a bigsby on it!
I’m so bored I might as well be listening to Pink Floyd