New Aquisition - Gibson 335-S

[dmt]

Just picked this up today. 1980 Gibson 335-S Deluxe. Factoy Coiltap Dirty Finger Pickups, Brassnut, Hardtail bridge w/ Fine tuners, and Silverburst Finish. Woot. Sounds killer too.

 

[MesaNoobie]

****.. it looks SWEET!
congrats!

 

[devilrob1979]

That thing is rad! Congrats. Silverburst kicks ***.

 

[dmt]

Mahogony Body w/ Ebony Fretboard. Mmmm.

 

[SixVeeSix]

This is one of the sleeper Gibsons for sure. If I am not mistaken they were solid maple? I know that the 2 or 3 I have seen were. Heavy, played like a Gibson and nice looking. If it were mine I would replace the fine tuner tailpiece, it is a tone-suck. A heavy, solid metal tailpiece will put you in Les Paul tone territory. Nice find, these are usually priced very buyer-friendly.

 

[sixlicks]

I had one sold it .WishI still had it .

 

[cvansickle]

Wow! It's got to be 22 years since I've seen one of those.

 

[dmt]

Why is the tailpeice a tone suck? Doesn't it have extra mass and lend more sustain?

 

[cvansickle]

Why is the tailpeice a tone suck? Doesn't it have extra mass and lend more sustain?

I don't find this to be true. I have three Gibsons with the TP-6 tailpiece, and they all sound terrific.

 

[Mr_You]

I'm jealous. Nice find indeed.

 

[SixVeeSix]

Why is the tailpeice a tone suck? Doesn't it have extra mass and lend more sustain?

The mass is not the problem, it is what your strings are now attached to: a skinny piece of metal suspended by a pin and positioned with a fugitive (non-locking) thread. There is no solid contact between the string and the tailpiece. I have been repairing guitars for 30+ years and have swapped a few of these out. The owners have always thanked me for improving their tone so cheaply and easily. You can always put the thing back on but you won't until it is time to sell. If your tuners are not holding, why do you want them on both ends? Better to put a set of Sperzels on and be done with it. JMHO, your mileage may vary.

 

[dmt]

The tuners hold just fine actually, and I probably have an extra tailpeice someplace actually, but I like the bridge as it is. It adds charecter if nothing else. And I like how easy it makes to change strings. The guitar sounds great as is. No reason to change anything.

On another note, do you have any tips for maintenence of the finish? Is it a good idea to wipe down the nect after each use? Or will that wear the finish? Will sweat/skin gunk eat the finish?

 

[devilrob1979]

Yeah you should wipe it off. There're acids in your sweat/gunk that will deteriorate the finish over time.

 

[carnivore]

I have one of these that is red I believe mahogany. I have owned it for at least 25 years and probably have not taken it out of the case in the past 5 yrs other than to clean and check. I have never seen another one. What are these things worth in near mint conditon?

 

[dmt]

650-800, Depends on the condition and the Finish. Standard is less than the Profession. Do a search on google there is a google books page for it.

http://vintage-guitars.blogspot.com/2005/10/gibson-335-s-guitars.html

 

[Strategy500]

Nice axe mang!!!!

 

[Sludgenutz]

I've had my "sg-red" 1981 335-S Deluxe Professional since the mid 1980's! I love it, and will never sell it. It has the neck binding/splittable Dirty Fingers/TP-6 tailpiece.

One odd thing...a word of warning...

Covered humbuckers don't fit my guitar. Not even Gibsons! Not only are the pickup cavities too small by a fraction...the pickup rings will NOT accept a metal cover without force/tweaking the shape. I have tried a Gibson 490R, as well as two Gibson Iommi's!

Ya know, sometimes I get the urge to get a custom pickguard cut, and have the sucker modded for two P90's!!! 8)

BTW People. 335-S guitars are some of the most awesomely physically-balanced guitars imagineable!