Larry Carlton ES 335LC Question

[stratman100]

I have just bought a new June 2008 LC 335 from a trader in the USA who shipped it to me in England.

I am over the moon with the guitar, it is superb, but I have a question.

When I compare my guitar with the photo on the Gibson website and with other photos I have found of the LC335, my guitar is slightly different and it has me worried if I have a genuine model.

The pickups and pickguard are located about 1/2 inch further up the body ie towards the neck and the fingerboard extends over the body by only two frets not three as in the Gibson website picture.

Also the bridge is an ABR-1 not a Nashville as per the Gibson spec.

My guitar has the CS logo on the back of the neck and it has a CS serial number.

Could it be that Gibson have simply changed the spec recently? Has anyone else experienced this or is there an explanation?

[ET335]

The best way to find out for sure would be the Gibson site stratman100.

Contact them and check out the serial number,should be able to confirm that it is an LC 335 or not. hope this will help you.

http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Support/SerialNumberSearch/

[ZMAN]

It looks as if Gibson only makes one ES335 in that color. If it is the Larry Carlton burst, which is one of the nicest that Gibson makes it is probably an LC
If you look on the bottom of the LC335 web page it states that specs are subject to change at any time.
If you have the slightest doubt I would contact Gibson Customer Service and have it checked out. It should also have a slim taper neck, that is unusual for a 335. I would expect that you have all of the authentication paperwork, that should have come with the guitar as case candy.
If not I would be after the dealer for it.
I have an ebony 335 dot and I love the guitar but I have always had a soft spot for the LC. You are a lucky guy to have one.

[stratman100]

Hello and thanks for your responses.

It is in the Carltonburst colour and has COA and serial number and everything points it being the genuine article, its just that the pickups and pickguard positon on the body are a good 1/2 inch further north so to speak.

I would just like to know why that is. Why should one be different you wonder.

You are both correct I should contact Gibson CS dept, which in fact I have just done and I await a response.

I am a lucky guy, I really am, and I am over the moon with the guitar, I am just curious as to why it does not look like the pictures in the Gibson website and all the pictures I have seen othe LC335

[ZMAN]

I don't know if it is just the semi holow bodies but I had two Sheraton II guitars both made in Korea but with different pickup, and neck locations on the body. They were only different by about 1/2 inch. I always thought my 335 and Sheraton were identical but I noticed that the pickups and neck are also different by about a 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch.
I would also ask about the different bridge that you mentioned.
It is amazing at what great lengths the CS goes to adhere to specs.
I saw a video of the making of the red Clapton 335. They even copied the sticker that Clapton had on the back of the neck.
Let us know what the outcome is.

[wingsdad]

...I had two Sheraton II guitars both made in Korea but with different pickup, and neck locations on the body. ...

That sort of thing can happen as Gibson/Epiphone moves production around from one Pacific Rim factory to another. I've got a Sheraton II made in the Samick Korea factory, but they shut that down and moved to Indonesia. I've got a Casino made in the Peerless (part Aria owned) Korea Factory. If I compared them to current models made in Gibson China (s/n starts EE), or Samick Indonesia (s/n starts SI) or whatever the factory flavor of the latest production run is, they could differ in some details.

Changing specs of materials is one thing; but for the pups and pg to be located differently? Are these Carlton 335's USA Gibsons? aren't the ES's made in Memphis? Check the s/n for what day it was made (you can determine not only the day, but what # it was coming off the line at what factory). Maybe this was a Monday morning or Friday afternoon guitar....

[ZMAN]

Yea WD the Ebony Sheraton was from Saien, and the Natural is a 2001 from Samick. I think by far the best quality Sheraton I have seen. I have a 1990 ES 335 and I can see why Carlton wanted the slim taper. My natural Sheraton has the slim taper neck and it is very easy to play.

[stratman100]

Thanks again for replies.

I have now established that my bridge is correct to spec, ie it is actually an Nashville TOM. I first thought it was aan ABR due to the fact that it has small diameter posts and the Nashvilles I had seen had a larger diameter post. I now realise there are three different types of Nashville that Gibson make and I have one of those types fitted ... so no problems there after all.

The pickguard hanging over the cutaway and pickup positions are definately different to the photos I have seen of other LC335s. I am still waiting of a reply from Gibson, I guess I will be lucky to get a response.

ZMAN ... when the neck is refered to as slim taper does it mean slim as in the nut width or is it the thickness as measured from the back of the neck to the fingerboard.

Denis

[wingsdad]

Yea WD the Ebony Sheraton was from Saien, and the Natural is a 2001 from Samick. I think by far the best quality Sheraton I have seen. I have a 1990 ES 335 and I can see why Carlton wanted the slim taper. My natural Sheraton has the slim taper neck and it is very easy to play.

So, we both have '01 Samick-Korea Epi Sheraton II's (mine's ebony) with the slim taper (nut width is about 1 5/8", it's the thickness -- slim all the way down to the heel, stratman) neck. Quality through & through.

[ZMAN]

Stratman: I can't get too technical about the slim vs 50s taper on Gibson necks all I can say is that the Slim taper seems flatter and less rounded than the 50s neck. I like the slim taper but I have seen them in various Gibsons and there is a range. The Gibson Studio and my 335 all have a slightly rounded neck and my Sheraton II has a flatter neck. ie distance from back to fretboard.
I was checking out the LC that LC played on the Crossroads DVD in Texas from 2004. Great tone on that cut.
Wingsdad: I was so impressed with the weight, feel and quality of the Natural that I sold my Ebony Saien built. It was a sweet looking guitar with a White Pearl pickguard and nut cover. It was a special edition. It weighed a ton. I traded it with cash for a 50th Anniversary Deluxe Strat. It was 2 years old and still in the unopened box at my local store.

[stratman100]

For anyone on the forum reading this, Geoff Clark, Gibson Production Manager contacted me eventually, gaving me his phone number and email address and I have now got answers to my questions namely :

The guitar I have bought is genuine and was made in Memphis Mar 2008.

The frets running to the edge of the board over the binding ( ie with no plastic knib ) is intentional. This is reflecting the detail of Larry Carltons guitar accurately as he had his standard 1968 335 re-fretted with taller frets.

The fingerboard on my guitar starting level with the bottom of the cutaway is correct and intended to provide maximum access to the very last fret.

So the guitar I have bought is how they are now leaving the factory and the guitar in the Gibson website photograph was a prototype from around early 2005.


I should also add that I am over the moon with the guitar it is simply superb, I just had these little issues in my mind which is explained when he told me the website pic is was prototype.

[ZMAN]

I love my 335 and that is what makes them so easy to play. The neck position is much higher on the body and it makes the higher frets way more accessible. You get the same feeling with an SG. No more crabbing your fingers to get to the 21st fret like ou have to with a Strat or Les Paul.
What I love is the tone from these guitars.

[stratman100]

Zman, you are right about the tone. I was playing along to my favorite Carlton and Rbben Ford tracks and this guitar absolutely nails the tone.

I use the LC with a late 60's Fender Princeton Reverb and a Exotic BB pedal which overdrives it with out being too loud for home.

[stratman100]

I have just spent an hour trying to upload a pic of my LC335 and keep getting an error message saying file too big, but it is below the 1200 x 1800 limit and is only 200 kb.

What am I doing wrong, this is frustrating the hell out of me!!