ES-335 Top to block union.....

[kidsmoke*]

For those of you with this style of guitar...does anyone have any photos of the pickup cavity during a retrofit or some other maintenance? I have a similar bodied guitar, MIJ with the maple block down the middle, and I'm curious as to what is the normal build of these.

Since it's an arch top, with a block, in my case there is space between the block and the top. Is this standard? or evidence of "inferior" craftsmanship?

[ZMAN]

Take a look at this video. It is a documentary of the making of the Commenorative Eric Clapton ES335. They took his guitar that sold to Guitar Center for 800,000 dollars at the Ccrossroads auction, and duplicated it.
If you skip ahead to minute 32 or so you will se how they are constructed. This is a brace that fits between the block and the top called a contour brace.
It is a great vid to watch.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...7652331081865#

[kidsmoke*]

very cool Z, thanks for posting that! It appears that the contour piece you're referring to was for the back though. In that clip, the partially assembled body has the top on it, with the f-holes covered with tape. If you notice though, they keep showing the body with NO p'up cutouts, then suddenly, they're buffing it, and there they are!! Ahh well. Still very cool to see that, and in the buffing scene, it looks liek there is NO space between block and top. Wonder if they use that same type of contour piece.

What did those EC models go for when the hit the street? And the p'ups they showed being wound and waxed, what model are those considered? (maybe I missed that mention)

[ZMAN]

very cool Z, thanks for posting that! It appears that the contour piece you're referring to was for the back though. In that clip, the partially assembled body has the top on it, with the f-holes covered with tape. If you notice though, they keep showing the body with NO p'up cutouts, then suddenly, they're buffing it, and there they are!! Ahh well. Still very cool to see that, and in the buffing scene, it looks liek there is NO space between block and top. Wonder if they use that same type of contour piece.

What did those EC models go for when the hit the street? And the p'ups they showed being wound and waxed, what model are those considered? (maybe I missed that mention)

If you go back, (as I had to ) and listen to the guy explaining the contour piece he mentions one for the Front and the back. They must cut the pickup wells out after they buff it up. That makes a lot of sense.
What I was blown away by was the way they do the binding.
I think all Gibson, and any realy good pickups are wax potted. This stops a lot of the feeback. Especially on a semi hollow guitar, which are prone to feedback anyway.
As far as numbers go they built 250 of them 175 went to the US market and were sold out in 72 hours, 90 went on the first day. OH and the price was 12,000 each.
So the guys at Guitar Center did pretty good. for the initial price of $847,000 I figure the cost to them was probably under 4000 each and some procceeds went to the Crossroads foundation, but it looks as if they probably got a couple of million back.
BTW what make of guitar are you talking about?. I know my Gibson 335 has them and I am pretty sure my Epiphone Sheraton is the same.
Did you see how quickly the guy puts the electronics through the F holes.
That takes some skill.

[kidsmoke*]

'88 Washburn HB-35, MIJ
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love this guitar. Comfort, balance, neck, tone, all of it. When I played an '08 Gibson in a GC recently, I was very pleased with how mine stacked up on fit and finish. I'm tearing into it to do some electronics work, and I was noting the construction, and just don't know what the standard is. Now I do. Thanks again.

[wingsdad]

'88 Washburn HB-35, MIJ ...
...When I played an '08 Gibson in a GC recently, I was very pleased with how mine stacked up on fit and finish. ...

... and that's not all that surprising, IMO anyway, Tio. The MIJ Washburns from that era are well-regarded. And hard to come by, for that very reason. They're jewels, and you're lucky to have one. Your HB-35 is more '335-ish' than the HB-35 of the MIK/MIC versions of the past decade. Not sure exactly when they messed with the Gibson/Epiphone layout like yours and repositioned the vol/tone pots & moved the toggle switch to the upper bout, but I know it's been that way since at least the '03-'04 MIK model.

[Gregzy]

'88 Washburn HB-35, MIJ
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love this guitar. Comfort, balance, neck, tone, all of it. When I played an '08 Gibson in a GC recently, I was very pleased with how mine stacked up on fit and finish. I'm tearing into it to do some electronics work, and I was noting the construction, and just don't know what the standard is. Now I do. Thanks again.

Are you absolutely certain that your Washburn was MIJ? One look at that bridge and those cut aways and I can hear "SAMICK" being screamed in my head. That looks very similar to the Korean (by Samick) made Epiphones of 1986-1988....of which some have an interior rout in the center block to allow the pass through of the wiring harness and some don't (usually the earlier examples). If that rout isn't present you're going to have great fun fitting the harness through the "F" holes...do-able but again, not a lot of fun.

Greg

[Heywood Jablomie]

It do look a lot like a Samick Sheraton, don't it?