GIBSON Club. Part II

[sleepingEB0]

Quick question for Gibson Afficianados... I have been looking to purchase a Gibson ES-335 bass. I was pretty much set on the Vintage sunburst but then happened upon an ebony for sale that has white binding.. owner and paperwork says it is original factory. I have never seen the ebony with binding. (Only the ebony midtowns that I have seen have binding) Anyone have an insight ? Could it be a one-off ?

ES335 bass is made on the old press that made the ES335s from the old days. It’s the 3 ply maple poplar maple and the bent wood blah blah. Crafted and old world so to speak.

the Midtown is made in Nashville and takes a block of wood and machines the es335 shape out of the wood.
It LOOKs the same but is totally different. I beleive the scale lengths are different as well.

both are nice, but the ES bass is certainly the more prestigious model.

as far as actual tone? I don’t have a clue and I’m not sure it matters.

 

[xsnrg27]

ES335 bass is made on the old press that made the ES335s from the old days. It’s the 3 ply maple poplar maple and the bent wood blah blah. Crafted and old world so to speak.

the Midtown is made in Nashville and takes a block of wood and machines the es335 shape out of the wood.
It LOOKs the same but is totally different. I beleive the scale lengths are different as well.

both are nice, but the ES bass is certainly the more prestigious model.

as far as actual tone? I don’t have a clue and I’m not sure it matters.

Thanks however I'm well aware of the difference between a 335 and the Midtown bass. What I have not seen prior is an ebony 335 with white binding.

 

[ajkula66]

What I have not seen prior is an ebony 335 with white binding.

No wisdom to offer, but it does look great...IMO...

 

[sleepingEB0]

Thanks however I'm well aware of the difference between a 335 and the Midtown bass. What I have not seen prior is an ebony 335 with white binding.

Whoops I thought you were using them interchangably.

 

[vates]

NBD!

Well, what a charming little beast.
Feels very nice. I'm not used to short scale basses but this one was perfectly fine after about 30 minutes.
I like the color in person: more 'cherry' than 'faded'.
Also, I like the sound in the pulled-up position more. I understand it's somewhat akin to OMG mode on wunkays.
Purchased this bass mostly for tours (planned as early as back in late 2019, but then something happened to live music globally).
But this cub shall see some studio work first, hopefully early January.

 

[msb]

They are really great little basses! Congratulations. Just in time.
I suppose they are going to get harder ,and harder to find.

 

[rockscott]

I wonder how many les paul jr dc's were built in total before gibson pulled the plug?

 

[sleepingEB0]

I wonder how many les paul jr dc's were built in total before gibson pulled the plug?

Did they pull the plug? They sold very well. I think they’re just sold out of EVERYTHING and prioritizing guitars with higher profit margins. Aka Les Pauls standards and they even introduced the faded standards.

I’d like to see a ‘standard’ version of thsi les Paul bass tbh. Maple top, binding, gloss, etc. short scale though pls.

 

[xsnrg27]

NBD!

Well, what a charming little beast.
Feels very nice. I'm not used to short scale basses but this one was perfectly fine after about 30 minutes.
I like the color in person: more 'cherry' than 'faded'.
Also, I like the sound in the pulled-up position more. I understand it's somewhat akin to OMG mode on wunkays.
Purchased this bass mostly for tours (planned as early as back in late 2019, but then something happened to live music globally).
But this cub shall see some studio work first, hopefully early January.

View attachment 4911336

Have the CME exclusive in worn TV Yellow and absolutely love it!! Congrats !!

 

[Pyrat]

Rock'n'Roll machine, for SURE! Best gigging bass I ever owned~

 

[sleepingEB0]

Have the CME exclusive in worn TV Yellow and absolutely love it!! Congrats !!

Jealous

 

[rockscott]

The emails from gibson said out of production as opposed to out of stock?

 

[vates]

The emails from gibson said out of production as opposed to out of stock?

Yes.

 

[Michael Jewels]

My 2014 SG bass.

Mike

 

[bobyoung53]

No wisdom to offer, but it does look great...IMO...

I had never heard of an ES-335 bass until just now, it looks like an EB-2 with different pickups, I know about the guitar. Did they only make them in 2013? They look like nice basses.

 

[xsnrg27]

I had never heard of an ES-335 bass until just now, it looks like an EB-2 with different pickups, I know about the guitar. Did they only make them in 2013? They look like nice basses.

The Gibson Memphis ES-335 bass is a modern interpretation of the legendary semi-hollowbody EB-2 that was in production from 1958 to 1972. You get several playability- and tone-enhancing improvements over the original, starting with a 34" scale (the original was a short-scale instrument). There are still two humbuckers, but in the ES-335, Gibson moved the neck pickup to the middle position for crisper note delineation. And your fingers will fly on the '335's fast maple neck and bound rosewood fingerboard.

The EB-2 had two humbucking pickups, a full-sized one at the neck, affectionately dubbed "the mudbucker," and a mini 'bucker at the bridge. The mudbucker nickname stuck, as it clearly described what you get when you place a humbucking pickup as far north as you can on a short-scale bass (which is treble-challenged to begin with). With its 34" standard scale, today's ES-335 bass is balanced-sounding from the get-go. Gibson's Custom Shop then wisely placed the "neck" pickup in the "middle" position (think J-Bass) and added another at the bridge. Giving you big, punchy, balanced tone, along with the means to control it, courtesy of a 3-way toggle and separate volume and tone pots for each pickup.

There's a reason 34 inches became the standard scale for electric basses. It works. You won't find many studio pros using short-scale basses for recording. That's because the looser string tension delivers a "flubby" sound (for lack of a better word), it's the antithesis of the "tight" bass that's desirable in much of today's music. So, Gibson woke up and lost the 30" scale for this new model. The Gibson Memphis ES-335 bass wears a gorgeous nitrocellulose lacquer finish. Nitro finishes (standard back in the day) are significantly thinner than today's polyurethane finishes, allowing the instrument to breathe. Nitro finishes not only look authentically vintage; they also enhance the instrument's tonal qualities.

Gibson's Custom Shop took extra care with every detail of the ES-335 bass. Every Gibson Custom guitar receives an ultra-precise Plek Pro setup, which optimizes the fretboard and nut for incredibly accurate intonation and a just-right feel. And fine touches such as solid-cover humbucking pickups and a 1961-style maple centerblock not only add to the amazing tone and feel, they remain true to Gibson's legacy of superb quality."
This was from Gibson.

I think they were made from late 2012 (officially 2013 through 2014)

 

[vates]

Welcome!

#411 Michael Jewels

 

[RedVee]

The Gibson Memphis ES-335 bass is a modern interpretation of the legendary semi-hollowbody EB-2 that was in production from 1958 to 1972. You get several playability- and tone-enhancing improvements over the original, starting with a 34" scale (the original was a short-scale instrument). There are still two humbuckers, but in the ES-335, Gibson moved the neck pickup to the middle position for crisper note delineation. And your fingers will fly on the '335's fast maple neck and bound rosewood fingerboard.

The EB-2 had two humbucking pickups, a full-sized one at the neck, affectionately dubbed "the mudbucker," and a mini 'bucker at the bridge. The mudbucker nickname stuck, as it clearly described what you get when you place a humbucking pickup as far north as you can on a short-scale bass (which is treble-challenged to begin with). With its 34" standard scale, today's ES-335 bass is balanced-sounding from the get-go. Gibson's Custom Shop then wisely placed the "neck" pickup in the "middle" position (think J-Bass) and added another at the bridge. Giving you big, punchy, balanced tone, along with the means to control it, courtesy of a 3-way toggle and separate volume and tone pots for each pickup.

There's a reason 34 inches became the standard scale for electric basses. It works. You won't find many studio pros using short-scale basses for recording. That's because the looser string tension delivers a "flubby" sound (for lack of a better word), it's the antithesis of the "tight" bass that's desirable in much of today's music. So, Gibson woke up and lost the 30" scale for this new model. The Gibson Memphis ES-335 bass wears a gorgeous nitrocellulose lacquer finish. Nitro finishes (standard back in the day) are significantly thinner than today's polyurethane finishes, allowing the instrument to breathe. Nitro finishes not only look authentically vintage; they also enhance the instrument's tonal qualities.

Gibson's Custom Shop took extra care with every detail of the ES-335 bass. Every Gibson Custom guitar receives an ultra-precise Plek Pro setup, which optimizes the fretboard and nut for incredibly accurate intonation and a just-right feel. And fine touches such as solid-cover humbucking pickups and a 1961-style maple centerblock not only add to the amazing tone and feel, they remain true to Gibson's legacy of superb quality."
This was from Gibson.

I think they were made from late 2012 (officially 2013 through 2014)

Can’t believe they call out the J bass

 

[bobyoung53]

The Gibson Memphis ES-335 bass is a modern interpretation of the legendary semi-hollowbody EB-2 that was in production from 1958 to 1972. You get several playability- and tone-enhancing improvements over the original, starting with a 34" scale (the original was a short-scale instrument). There are still two humbuckers, but in the ES-335, Gibson moved the neck pickup to the middle position for crisper note delineation. And your fingers will fly on the '335's fast maple neck and bound rosewood fingerboard.

The EB-2 had two humbucking pickups, a full-sized one at the neck, affectionately dubbed "the mudbucker," and a mini 'bucker at the bridge. The mudbucker nickname stuck, as it clearly described what you get when you place a humbucking pickup as far north as you can on a short-scale bass (which is treble-challenged to begin with). With its 34" standard scale, today's ES-335 bass is balanced-sounding from the get-go. Gibson's Custom Shop then wisely placed the "neck" pickup in the "middle" position (think J-Bass) and added another at the bridge. Giving you big, punchy, balanced tone, along with the means to control it, courtesy of a 3-way toggle and separate volume and tone pots for each pickup.

There's a reason 34 inches became the standard scale for electric basses. It works. You won't find many studio pros using short-scale basses for recording. That's because the looser string tension delivers a "flubby" sound (for lack of a better word), it's the antithesis of the "tight" bass that's desirable in much of today's music. So, Gibson woke up and lost the 30" scale for this new model. The Gibson Memphis ES-335 bass wears a gorgeous nitrocellulose lacquer finish. Nitro finishes (standard back in the day) are significantly thinner than today's polyurethane finishes, allowing the instrument to breathe. Nitro finishes not only look authentically vintage; they also enhance the instrument's tonal qualities.

Gibson's Custom Shop took extra care with every detail of the ES-335 bass. Every Gibson Custom guitar receives an ultra-precise Plek Pro setup, which optimizes the fretboard and nut for incredibly accurate intonation and a just-right feel. And fine touches such as solid-cover humbucking pickups and a 1961-style maple centerblock not only add to the amazing tone and feel, they remain true to Gibson's legacy of superb quality."
This was from Gibson.

I think they were made from late 2012 (officially 2013 through 2014)

That looks like a nice bass, ever played one?

 

[xsnrg27]

That looks like a nice bass, ever played one?

Yes and I now own one. Great tone and you can get some great tone variation. Fun to play the only drawback for me is its a little awkward to play when sittting in certain positions.