Any ES-345 owners here?

[Plank_Spanker]

They're amazing guitars, especially the older ones. Our lead player plays a '68, and it's a tone guru's wet dream.

[Plank_Spanker]

I guess not..........................

[jpfeifer]

Plank Spanker,

I'd love to have one of these ES-345s, or a ES-335, or a CS-336. They're all great guitars by my book.

I saw a really striking blue CS-336 with a flame maple top at Guitar Center a while back. It was in good shape, gently used. Then I checked it out further and the guys at Guitar Center told me that the neck was not set correctly and it needed a lot of work to fix it. Apparently it was a manufacturing defect. It buzzed like crazy. I was really bummed about that because I had been looking for one of these for a while and it was the first one I'd ever seen.

I'm a little afraid to buy some of the newer Gibsons because of stuff like this that I've seen on some of their newer guitars. But it you can find a good one new or used I'm sure that they're great to have.

-- Jim

[Plank_Spanker]

Jim,

I don't fear buying a new Gibson. Both of mine are newer models and they're perfect. The bad old "Norlin days" are long over. I have a new LP on order.

Everybody turns out a clunker once in a while, and it's "buyer beware", regardless of the brand.

The thing that gives the older Gibsons "classic" status is that those guitars made the cut of quality. I'll bet that more than a few original '59 LP's were also clunkers and you certainly don't hear about them these days! Factor in the old pickups and whatever mood the winder was in that day - "It's Friday. Here's a few more winds for all you do." The old Gibson pickups are notorious for that - and that is another major point on why thay are deemed "crown jewels".

THAT is what sticks in people's minds about the old Gibsons. The ones that are coveted are the ones that made the genetic cut and survived.

Will the newer Gibsons become top shelf collector's items? Only time will tell.

[jpfeifer]

Yeah, good points.
Some day I might get one. Who knows.

I've always loved 335's. But I was psych'ed when I found out about the CS-336 because it's a smaller-lighter version of the 335. I think that the CS-336 is also completely hollow without a center block if I remember correctly.

I went to see Steely Dan earlier this summer and one of the guitarists was playing one of these. It sounded extremely good.

-- Jim

[Plank_Spanker]

I've played a few 335's that really got my attention........