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tjon901 « The semi-hollow Ive been waiting for »
Published on 12/07/11 at 21:08I was pretty excited when my buddy showed me a picture of the new Gibson Midtown Custom. I had known of the Midtown standard which I wasnt a big fan of. It was pretty much just a smaller 335 but with a Bigsby. This Custom model has sold me on the Midtown design. The Midtown is a semi-hollow from Gibson. It has a solid block running down the middle to cut down on feedback. It has a slightly smaller body than a 335 so it is lighter and not as hard to handle. The Custom neck and headstock is what caught my eye at first. I love the look of the split diamond headstock and the block Inlays. I wish Gibson would use it more often on models. This guitar has benefited from the Wacky 2011 Gibson lineup. It does not have an ebony fretboard but has a composite fretboard. Something called Richlite which sounds and feels just like ebony. I prefer this kind of alternative to the baked maple junk they are putting on some guitars. At least Richlite looks the part. The body is mahogany with a maple top and a set mahogany neck. The neck has the sweet 60s profile that everyone likes. The Richlite fretboard has 22 frets with the nice block inlays. The guitar comes with a set of Burstbucker pickups and the controls are the standard Gibson layout.
UTILIZATION
The smaller body means this guitar is a lot easier to handle than a normal 335. The old 335 when you play it you always feel like you are reaching around the guitar to play. The feeling isnt as bad on this guitar. The 60s neck is a dream to play. It has a very modern feel to it compared to the super chunky 50s feel of the fat Gibson necks of yesteryear. The composite fretboard is dark and smooth with no blemishes. I would rather have this than a weird pale looking baked maple fretboard. If someone didnt know this wasnt ebony they would never guess it wasnt ebony. Typical Gibson problems there is a little bit of string binding on the B and the G strings on the headstock. I dont even mention that on most reviews since it is so common but this guitar really has no other problems really.
SOUNDS
The sound on this is straight Gibson. The construction gives a slightly woody sound to the overall tone but the fat tone is there. I would have preferred a set of Classic 57s on this guitar but the Burstbuckers get the job done. They are mellowed out a bit by the semi-hollow design. You can play for hours before you even plug it in due to the great natural tone the guitar has. The slightly too hot Burstbucker pickups give the guitar a screamy lead sound when you are rocking out. This guitar can do a lot of different things. The screaming leads mixed with the mellow natural tone. You can get a great jazzy tone out of this guitar as well.
OVERALL OPINION
I thought this guitar was mispriced when I first saw it as well. This is probably the cheapest guitar you can get with the Custom style neck and Headstock. Even though its not really ebony it is all but ebony with its dark looks and smooth feel. I am not sure if Gibson ever made a real 335 with the Custom neck and headstock but if they did they would probably charge an arm and a leg for it. With this guitar you get all that for 1500 and I believe it plays better than a real 335 due to its reduced size. If you are looking for a classy Semi-hollow guitar this guitar is really a steal and I do not think Gibson will let you steal from them for much longer.
UTILIZATION
The smaller body means this guitar is a lot easier to handle than a normal 335. The old 335 when you play it you always feel like you are reaching around the guitar to play. The feeling isnt as bad on this guitar. The 60s neck is a dream to play. It has a very modern feel to it compared to the super chunky 50s feel of the fat Gibson necks of yesteryear. The composite fretboard is dark and smooth with no blemishes. I would rather have this than a weird pale looking baked maple fretboard. If someone didnt know this wasnt ebony they would never guess it wasnt ebony. Typical Gibson problems there is a little bit of string binding on the B and the G strings on the headstock. I dont even mention that on most reviews since it is so common but this guitar really has no other problems really.
SOUNDS
The sound on this is straight Gibson. The construction gives a slightly woody sound to the overall tone but the fat tone is there. I would have preferred a set of Classic 57s on this guitar but the Burstbuckers get the job done. They are mellowed out a bit by the semi-hollow design. You can play for hours before you even plug it in due to the great natural tone the guitar has. The slightly too hot Burstbucker pickups give the guitar a screamy lead sound when you are rocking out. This guitar can do a lot of different things. The screaming leads mixed with the mellow natural tone. You can get a great jazzy tone out of this guitar as well.
OVERALL OPINION
I thought this guitar was mispriced when I first saw it as well. This is probably the cheapest guitar you can get with the Custom style neck and Headstock. Even though its not really ebony it is all but ebony with its dark looks and smooth feel. I am not sure if Gibson ever made a real 335 with the Custom neck and headstock but if they did they would probably charge an arm and a leg for it. With this guitar you get all that for 1500 and I believe it plays better than a real 335 due to its reduced size. If you are looking for a classy Semi-hollow guitar this guitar is really a steal and I do not think Gibson will let you steal from them for much longer.