I have seen a number of blues guitarist play 335 style guitars, incl. Justin in his lessons.
Why is a 335 style guitar called 335? Why those numbers?
If I was to buy one does anyone have any recommendations. I can’t afford a Gibson!!
I have seen a number of blues guitarist play 335 style guitars, incl. Justin in his lessons.
Why is a 335 style guitar called 335? Why those numbers?
If I was to buy one does anyone have any recommendations. I can’t afford a Gibson!!
I can’t answer your question Stuart.
It seems there’s many 335 type guitars out there. Some still expensive, like the Gibsons. Some more affordable.
Ya might look at Epiphones? They may be reasonably priced.
Myself, I don’t have a 335 type guitar. But I do have a Epiphone Casino (China). Similar to a 335, but true hollow body w/p90 pickups. I couldn’t be happier. It looks good, it plays good, it sounds good. What more could I want.
Good luck in your search for your new 335 style guitar. It sure seems like a good endeavor to me. ![]()
As ever, the internet has contradictory info on the name. Some places will say it was the price when it launched in 1958 however plenty of other sources say it was around 270 dollars at launch. In short I don’t think the name means much.
I have an Epiphone 335 - it’s a very nice thing. Sire is another brand that makes this style of guitar with a good reputation for sensible money. The 335 is obviously a big guitar but it’s slimmer than an acoustic and it has generous curves, top and bottom, that mean it’s not nearly as cumbersome to play as it might first seem
The google AI thinks it is was named simply after the model number it got.
Gibson does charge a lot. Take a look at used, and at Epiphone for lower cost. There are other manufacturers that make a 335-like guitar. There is also a 339 which has a smaller body.
I bought an archtop. I really enjoy picking that one up. It is light, sounds nice acoustically or electrically, I have access to easy low-volume feedback. I have played Metallica to blues to classical Spanish on it. You might like to look at other hollow body guitars than the 335 and find something you like the sound of.
Regarding my archtop, it resonates differently, more like an acoustic. When I was looking at hollow body guitars, I tried the 335, 339, Artcore (Ibanez), and a couple others. The archtop had a thinner wood and thinner coating of finish which gave it a different resonant sound.
Hope you have a successful search and I hope to see the purchase show up for NGD posting. ![]()
AI is not a tool for searching on the web !
I tried a few Epiphone 335s, including a Sheraton pro II in a shop recently as well as an Ibañez AS113. The Ibañez was way nicer to play and the pickups (super 58’s) were way better.
Never played the Epiphone casino but I have heard so many really good sound demos of that guitar online. Would love to try one. Hollow body with P90’s should be a good combination.
It is!
It took me all of 15 minutes to decide to buy it when I played it in the store.
It was a good decision.
imho, seek one out if ya can. Perhaps it’s what you need too. ![]()
It’s just a Gibson internal model number. No rhyme or reason other than to differenciate it from other guitars in their line.
Sire do one of these Sire Larry Carlton H7V Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar in Vintage Sunburst - Andertons Music Co.
Yes except the casino is hollow body and the sire is semi hollow.
Both are beautiful guitars ![]()
There are other similar-ish models with the model name ES-33 x
There is a whole series of guitars named ES something or other.
Wiki article: Gibson ES Series - Wikipedia
They are no more blues guitars than any other.
Any electric guitar can play the blues.
There is a historical connection in that many early electric blues players used them … but that is more likely due to a more limited number of guitars being available in the 1950s and 1960s.
These type of hollow and semihollow electric guitars developed from the big bodied guitars that were used in big bands / swing bands / jazz bands where the guitar player needed something full-bodied and resonant to be heard alongside the other instruments. The size reduced a little and the thickness was reduced to make them slimmer in the body.
Do you need a new guitar? Wanting one is fine, but rather than worry about what other people play, determine what you want in a guitar and then look for guitars that work for you in your price range.
You can play any style of music with pretty much any guitar, and can probably model any sound with modern home amplifiers.
I am only playing acoustic and want new guitars daily. I talk myself out of it because I have some perfectly fine instruments and need to concentrate on actually getting better at playing. No guitar (that doesn’t firmly just suck) will do that for me.
Why not?
Epi’s are just as good as Gibson’s at half the price
FWIW, I have an Epiphone Dot, which was their ES-335 copy a few years ago. I really love that guitar.
because first of all , searching is an important process to learn , and that applies for any information
thats why Justin asks us to write down on pads or read about the subject we re learning ( in BLiM for example )
and a search engine is precise in its answers where AI just make up answers !
AI must be double checked every time !
I thought I wanted a 335 until I actually played one at the shop (I tried an Epiphone ES-335.) Didn’t like it. I found it uncomfortable and awkward. So I tried a whole bunch of different hollowbody and semi-hollowbody models, and ended up falling in love with a PRS SE Hollowbody Standard. I liked everything about it: the looks, the feel, the sound. So that’s what I ended up taking home.
My point is that, if you can, you should actually try some before buying. Everybody has different likes and dislikes.
Check out Hagstrom Viking.
I’m very happy with mine.
Hi Stuart
Guitars and what each person likes is a personal choice. I have a Gibson 335 figured which was a big treat about 18 months ago. It is a lovely guitar and for me I like the neck, some people do not like glossy necks, especially if they have sweaty palms.
Before I got the Gibson I tried an Epiphone and Grestch both good but not quite toneally as good as the Gibson, I know some will only not agree but that’s my opinion. I would also look at https://heritageguitars.com/pages/standard-ii-collection-h-535
I also owned an Ibanez JSM-100 a fantastic guitar
Well the naming conventions has already been covered in depth.
So I’ll just add that I have 2 Washburn hollow bodies a HB30 Tobacco Sunburst and a HB32 Antique Mahogany. They are 335 clones and a joy to play. Their humbucker pups are nothing special and I have always planned to stick some P90s in one of them and some hotter Iron Gear pups in the other but life keeps getting in the way.
Some may find the 335 body a bit cumbersome compared to a Strat or an LP, a bit like comparing a dreadnought to a parlour but I can happily switch with no problems. Or could until my enforced lay off but that’s for another day.
But hey if you have an itch that needs scratching a 335 is a nice playable design but will vary between brands and manufacturers.
My 2 cents but YMMV natch.