SeriesGibson ES

Made in Memphis, TN, right out from Gibson’s Custom Shop workshop 2013 50th Anniversary Limited Edition. Product name : Gibson 1963 ES-335TD 50th Anniversary ltd Category: Guitare Electrique Semi Hollow Body Series: Custom Shop Electric Spanish Made in : the USA Top: 'Plain' laminated maple Back: 'Plain' laminated maple Sides: 'Plain' laminated maple Center block: light maple Neck: solid mahogany with a 60 profile identical to the original Fingerboard: single-piece Indian rosewood with "historic block" cellulose inlays Neck fit: set, mortise & tenon, hide glued. Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo Scale length: 24.75" Radius: 12" Nut width: 1.6875" - 42.86 mm Nut: Corian (acrylic polymer), plek technology Bridge pickup: Gibson Burstbucker 2 Alnico II Humbucker Neck pickup: Gibson Burstbucker 1 Alnico II Humbucker Controls: 1 volume and 1 tone control per pickup, 3-way switch Electronics: Switchcraft toggle switch & jack, CTS pots (volume: 300k linear, tone: 500k non-linear), Black Beauty capacitors Bridge: aluminium Gibson ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic Lightweight with nylon saddles. Tailpiece: Gibson Lightweight Aluminum Stopbar Tailpiece. Tuners: Kluson™ Deluxe Vintage tulip double rings, ratio 15:1 Hardware: nickel aged Colors: Sixties Cherry (also available in Historic Burst) Lacquer: V.O.S. (Vintage Original Specs) nitrocellulose Accessories: comes with a 1963/64 model copy Gibson Custom Shop Memphis hardcase (golden inside), an authenticity certificate, quality control sheet and keys. Recommended string gauge: 010.046, 010.052 Gibson SKU reference: ES63SBNH1 Link on Gibson’s website: http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/ES/Gibson-Memphis/50th-Anniversary-1963-ES-335.aspx USE The guitar is pleasant from the moment you hold it. The neck’s shape was carefully reproduced from the original, making it closer to the brand’s “rounded ’60” than the thin and flat “slim taper” (as announced on some websites). Let’s describe it as thin and shortened at the nut but not too much, for an awesome contour thicker at the 12th fret. Il falls perfectly right in the hand. I was astounded by how lightweight it was (3.3 kg). Considering how ergonomic this 335 is, needless to say the highest notes are easily reached. As for its sound, it’s balanced, woody and warm – especially with the switch in the middle position. I would have preferred the warm sound of a Classic '57 set (way more adapted to an ES to my taste) instead of these Burstbucker 1&2, which I consider not to allow this beauty to give all it has. Probably the sole upgrade I’m considering, it’s really worthy of a Sheptone Tribute set :-) SOUND It perfectly fits my favorite musical genres which are Blues, Rock'n'Roll... By the way, it adapts to just any style. The CTS potentiometers are reactive and rather precise, I like to exploit them to get from a crystal-clear clean to a fat crunch. When plugged on my Marshall JTM 45, it brings me a rather wide sound palette, even without any added effect – except for a Weber attenuator aimed at providing me a nice crunch sound at a “reasonable” sound level at home, without making my cat go through the roof in sheer panic ^^ Think everything from classic Chuck Berry to Crossroads-era crunchy Clapton, Alvin Lee, Freddy King and many other historical references so dear to our musical hearts. I’ve also used it with my '57 Fender Twin – and this is sound heaven! The sound is even woodier, more organic and warmer. From time to time I use a Fulltone OCD for perfect crunch sound with a Strymon Flint tremolo/reverb, and here we go, back to the 50's/ 60's! OVERALL I’ve use dit for a short time now and may complement my review later on, when I’ve replaced the Burstbucker pickups by another set more to my taste – which this guitar really deserves. After ordering it, I had to wait for two (very) long months to finally lay my hands on it. Mind you, such a guitar can’t be built one day for the other. ^^ But my patience really paid :-) Of ocurse, I have owned and tried many an ES335 model before (Historic '63, Block, dot), and even had an opportunity to try for a long moment an Eric Clapton Crossroads Signature 335 at Guitar Center US, which features are close to those of this model – except that of course it was way out of my budget as it’s a signed collector’s model in a very limited edition. To be really picky, I’ll say that except for the stock pickups I love absolutely everything in that guitar. In a nutshell: Aesthetically, its horns are thinner and "Historically correct" (from the middle of the year '63), it’s a real lightweight! The neck ("hide glue" and so on) isn’t as thin as a slim taper, but rather round and close to that of a '60's LP (which is a good thing), nylon saddles as on the original... The finish is neat and perfect! Wit hits « goldie » finish, the hardcase is nice, very sturdy and efficiently protects and maintains the guitar. This copy was made respecting the standards of the original’s period, and it sports no Gibson Custom logo on the outside. Its value-for-money is excellent, compared with a more expensive Historic Nashville model (no less great a model, though) which is also made in Memphis TN just like the ES, then assembled and tweaked in the Custom Shop workshop in Nashville TN. In the end, a real high-end instrument - and a real achievement by Gibson!

Body Top Laminated Maple Body Type Semi-Hollow, Chambered Back Laminated Maple Binding Single-ply, CreamNeck Species Mahogany Profile 30/60 Slender and ’59 Rounded Truss Rod Traditional Joint Angle 4° (+/- 15 seconds)Neck Fit Joint Mortise & Tenon Adhesive Franklin Titebond 50 Joint Angle Tolerance +/- .005"Fingerboard Species Rosewood Frets 22 Radius 12" Nut/E.O.B 1.687/2.062 Inlays Mother-of-Pearl Dots Binding Single-ply, Cream Other Standard Fret WireNut Material White Corian Width 1.687 Slots Gibson PLEK SystemHeadstock Inlay Mother of Pearl “Holly” Logo Pearl Gibson Inlay Truss Rod Cover Vintage Truss Rod Cover Angle 17 Degrees Tuners Model Vintage Tulip (Single Band) Plating Nickel Tuning Ratio 12:01Bridge Type Tune-o-matic (ABR) Material Zinc Surrounded by a die casting alloy Plating NickelTailpiece Type Stop Bar Material ZAMAK Plating Nickel Plated GlossHardware Knobs Knobs Black Top Hats w/Silver Inserts Pickguard 5-ply binding Strings .010 - .046, Vintage Style strings Strap Buttons Aluminum End PinsPickups Neck Position '57 Classic Bridge Position '57 Classic Magnet Material Neck: Alnico II, Bridge: Alnico IIElectronics Potentiometers Neck: Alnico II Bridge: Alnico II Type 500k Audio Taper Coil Wiring Parallel-Machine Wound Toggle Switch Switchcraft Axial Toggle with Crème Toggle Cap Output Jack 1/4" SwitchcraftFinish Process Gloss Sealer Nitrocellulose LacquerAntique Red Antique Vintage Sunburst Light Caramel Burst Case Type Custom Shop Silkscreened Case Case Exterior Black Pleather Case Interior Charcoal PlushAccessories Certificate of Authenticity Custom Shop COA Additional Materials Owners Manual, Adjustment Literature, Lifetime Warranty Information UTILIZATION Whoa! Gibson is really onto something here. They've had the ES-335 for a long time, since about 1958. While that truly is a great guitar, it has a rather large body. A few years ago, some genius at Gibson decided to make a scaled-down version of the 335, but keep the neck at the proper length. Thusly, the 339 was born! All the good things one would expect from a high end Gibson - great craftsmanship, gorgeous finish, solid hardware - it's here. The playability is very nice - it's the 30/60 neck, which means it's akin to the neck carve of their 60s models, yet with an extra three hundredths of an inch added on for more resonance. SOUNDS This gets a ten. A solid, perfect 10. The 339 has a very sweet tone - sweet as a baby eating chocolate ice cream. The overall resonance of the guitar is very pronounced - this axe vibrates in your hands, and you can FEEL every note. The F-holes allow the acoustic sound to project more when unplugged, but the magic is in the plugged in sound. These pickups are wonderful! I've always loved the '57 Classics from Gibson, and these pickups are the perfect combination for this guitar's body. Rock, blues, jazz, funk, whatever - it all lives inside this axe. OVERALL OPINION Breathtakingly good. I'm so impressed with this guitar. I'd have given it a ten if it was just a bit less expensive and had better inlays, like split parallelograms. Gibsons can be a bit pricey for what they are, especially for something like a Les Paul. However, this one is still priced very well for the quality of guitar it is. I'd recommend anyone try this baby out!

The Gibson ES335 Dot Figured Gloss is a semi hollow body electric guitar in the classic line of ES-335s put out by Gibson over the last fifty years. Beyond its beautiful appearance, it also has a great make up. You've got two humbucker pick ups which are '57 Gibsons. Like most electric guitars, there is a tone and volume knob for each of the picks up as well as a switch to choose between them or to blend them. The neck is made out of rosewood and really has a beautiful feel. UTILIZATION Playing and using the Gibson ES335 Dot Figured Gloss is a breeze. In terms of learning how to use everything, if you're got any experience with electric guitars, the make up of this guitar should be pretty self explanatory. As far as playing the guitar goes, it definitely has one of the nicer playing necks around that I have played. Its always easy to play as the action is set perfectly (at least on the one I used it was) and I feel like I can slide up and down the neck easily. The shape has become famous by this point, and weight is on the lighter side. I've found this version of the ES-335 to be capable of getting a variety of tones for different situations. SOUNDS While the Gibson ES335 Dot Figured Gloss is a versatile guitar, I haven't been able to find a sound on this guitar that I didn't like. You can get some perfect hollow body type tones, but it is also capable of getting thicker and more traditional solid body electric guitar tones. Having both of these types of sounds within one guitar is pretty special as not too many guitars can do that at the level that this one does. I've used the guitar for recording with a '65 Fender Deluxe Reverb and a few effects pedals, but found that even without the pedals and built in effects on the amp, I was able to get a number of killer tones just between the ES335 and the amplifier. OVERALL OPINION If you're reading this review, you probably have some idea of what the line of 335s is all about. As far as the modern day manufactured 335s go, the Dot Figured Gloss model has one of the coolest looks of them all in my opinion with the legendary sound quality and versatility to match it. It will certainly cost you a pretty penny, but is meant for professionals and the truly devoted (or rich!) guitar players amongst us. If you can't afford this, hopefully like me you're lucky and have the chance to do some recording with this beautiful instrument!

Victor's Music, Paramus, NJ Price paid: $1,299.90 No instrument can be all things to all players, however, for me this comes close and is a very versatile, semi-hollow body electric guitar at a good value. Wasn't looking for an archtop/florentine cutaway (which is what the ES-137 is) but rather something more along the line of the ES-335. After shopping around and then trying a number of semi-hollow's, including several 335's at Victor's, the manager of the guitar department suggested I plug in this ES-137 Classic. I quickly learned that it had a voice and body for a number of different styles, and I had trouble putting it down. You can hear the character and depth of the instrument coming through, and you can also run it through effects processors, pedals or stomp boxes and get a wide range of great electronic sounds. Construction is high quality, finish is great, electronics good, intonation terrific. The fretboard has excellent action. Sounds range from warm, resonant, earthy to hard biting crunch. Good for playing everything from mellow jazz to classic/hard rock to blues, country, fingerpicking and more (although, if you lean more toward heavy metal, this is not your axe). Also, nice sustain when you want it. It's got balls and can take and give a good beating almost as good as the toughest Les Paul, can scream like a banshee, and also responds beautifully to a light sensitive touch. After shopping around a while for something different from the several acoustics and electric Lone Star Strat and Ibanez Artist I own, I played this for some time plugged into a Fender Hot Rod De Ville in the store. Didn't notice until after playing it a couple of days at home and then trying it sans amp (which is another plus--you can practice, though not perform, acoustic w/ this instrument) that there was a bit of a buzz at the 3rd fret, especially on the B string. Brought it back to the guitar tech at Victor's, where I bought it and he did a little tweaking and fret filing to get it near perfect. Probably wouldn't make any difference when playing it amplified--after all it is an electric guitar and meant to be played as such--but I'm anal about details and prefer to have everything be, if not perfect, approaching perfection. Also, through some of my amps when playing certain rock songs I wish it could get more treble...but then I remember that's one of the reasons I own a Strat. As noted above, very good quality. For the money, you cannot beat it. To get any better in a semi-hollow electric you'd probably be looking at one of the Custom Shop models and spending at least $1,000 more. For versatility, tonal character, and great playability the Gibson ES-137 Classic semi-hollow electric guitar is an outstanding value. You can take this baby out in an evening gown to a fancy night club accompanied by strings and clarinets or you can go down and dirty in the back of a raunchy saloon and set the town afire. It's against my nature to give anything a perfect score but I'm giving this a "5" on the rating scale because a “4 plus high decimals” rounds out to “5.” This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Wasn't really looking for an archtop. Saw the 137's, liked their looks so I tried them out. The store actually had two 137 customs and four 137 classics. I played them all and they were ALL different. Three sounded somewhat dull. Two sounded really good. And one sounded great, really bright and lively. I had tried them un-amped. I really liked this guitar and didn't want to leave the store without it. Paid $2000 cash out the door. Maybe could have paid less... I don't care. Feels solid. Plays fast. Great resonance (un-amped). Amazing range of sounds with the 6-way switch (amped). Beautifully constructed and in general it's just really fun to play. Hard to play above the 18th fret... but then that's just the way archtops are and I am getting more used to it. Excelant quality of constrution. Cosmetics are "very good". Just couple of very minor flaws. Really solid, this thing will lest a long time. A+ Having owned older archtops over the years, (1972 es-335, 1968 es-175, 60's Gretsch Chet Atkins). I would say that this instrument is as good as any. The semi-hollow configuration and the 6 way Varitone switch make this guitar really versitale. I have 5 other very good quality guitars at this time and haven't played any of them since buying the 137. I would highly recomend checking one out. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com