stickman Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 So I'm planning on getting a new guitar in the coming month or two. I'm looking to go up to about 1500 give or take. I was going to go with a Telecaster but I can't commit to a Fender...I don't know what it is, I just don't really see myself as a Fender guitar guy. Anyway, I next was thinking one of the Epiphone Elite Casinos or some other kind of hollowbody. So now I'm completely in a rut and have no idea what I want. I've got an SG right now going through a Fender (amps are ok with me) Deluxe Reverb. Any recs are more than appreciated. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reflectedinthemoon Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 i recently bought a gibson satin finish ES 335 reissue. Fantastic guitar... the best tone i have ever heard out of any guitar, period. A bit pricey though. Around $1800. But so worth it... If you want to go Fender (I'm a gibson guy myself, but own a few fenders and think theyre pretty damn good), go with a tele. very versatile, very playable. if you slap a bigsby on it, it wont let you down. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stickman Posted June 13, 2007 Author Share Posted June 13, 2007 Yeah I have always wanted a 335. I absolutely love them. I never thought about throwing a Bigsby onto a telecaster...hmmm that sound's pretty appealing. Or on the 335...hmmm.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimmyjimmy Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 First, I think your going to have to consider the particulars of these hollow bodies your considering. Your talking Casinos and ES-335s. Realize that a Casino is a totally hollow bodied instrument and an 335 is semi-hollow with a solid core down the middle. So it's really apples and oranges here: 335 will give you greater sustain and a heavier bottom end. Casinos are a little mellower on attack and IMO have a bit sweeter overall sound. More sonically resonant with lots more harmonic overtones going on;(also of note is that they are a bit more prone to feedback a bit easier). And then there's the pickups. Casinos=P-90 single coils...brighter, cleaner when the volume is down and a little nasty and raggedy when overdriven. 335s= humbuckers...whatever model Gibson is loading into them these days. Smoother, heavier, more defined and again will lead to a more stable sustained note. I like/love Casinos. I have ISSUES with current build models. Things I'm seeing that I don't dig on the new ones:* Cheap tuning machines (Clunky, not solid precise gearing that is conducive to stay tuned. I believe they'll cause problems down the road)*Fret Dressing: I've played more than one with uneven frets. I've often found the end work where they meet the edge of the fretboard lacking. These are problems I just can't get past. The finish;(paint, binding etc..) are ok but I'm thinking if I get one I'm gonna have to drop $ on getting the frets re-dressed and new machine heads. I've even read in the past that the pickups are lacking in out-put and it's possible I'd end up shelling out more dough for a set of after markets to bring it up to snuff. All this means is that I can't recommend them, which saddens me. The alternative is to save my pennies for a vintage Gibson ES-330....exact same as an Epi. Casino, built on the same line with the same tooling but with a Gibson peg head configuration and overall priced more reasonably. Now, if you like the characteristics of a 335 and it has the sound you want, I can whole heartedly endorse the Faded series. Good quality all around and a good deal. Bigsbys are a good fit for these and will probably run you about a hundred and fifty bucks more. Other recommendations would be "used" Guild Starfires. Many can be found in the $1500-$2000 range with and without Bigsby vibratos.Gretsch 6120s of various configs; (Single, double Anniversary...Tennesseans etc). They're gonna be closer to $2k but you keep an eye out you can find good deals occasionally.Willes' recently had a mid 60's model in "good" shape for $1700. A little beat and with non-original Kluson tuners but a good deal. Recent models are well screwed together and fine guitars. Nothing wrong with Fenders and $1500 will get you a nice one. Good luck trying to figure out Model, hardware, neck shape etc. that suits you best. They offer a huge diversity of configurations. American Deluxe Strats and Teles are very nice guitars. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 I like/love Casinos. I have ISSUES with current build models. Things I'm seeing that I don't dig on the new ones:* Cheap tuning machines (Clunky, not solid precise gearing that is conducive to stay tuned. I believe they'll cause problems down the road)*Fret Dressing: I've played more than one with uneven frets. I've often found the end work where they meet the edge of the fretboard lacking. These are problems I just can't get past. The finish;(paint, binding etc..) are ok but I'm thinking if I get one I'm gonna have to drop $ on getting the frets re-dressed and new machine heads. I've even read in the past that the pickups are lacking in out-put and it's possible I'd end up shelling out more dough for a set of after markets to bring it up to snuff. All this means is that I can't recommend them, which saddens me. The alternative is to save my pennies for a vintage Gibson ES-330....exact same as an Epi. Casino, built on the same line with the same tooling but with a Gibson peg head configuration and overall priced more reasonably. If I'm not mistaken, the orignal poster said he was considering an Elitist Casino. There's a big difference between a basic Epiphone Casino and an Epiphone Elitist Casino. The Elitist is going to be VERY high quality and will not have the issues Jimmy is referring to. The Elitist is a Gibson quality guitar, probably better than an assembly line Gibson. For the record, I have a basic Casino, and I agree about the tuners. The pickup selelctor is fussy, too. Luckily, I don't have any fret problems on mine. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Twisted Acres Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Gretsch 6120s of various configs; (Single, double Anniversary...Tennesseans etc). They're gonna be closer to $2k but you keep an eye out you can find good deals occasionally.Willes' recently had a mid 60's model in "good" shape for $1700. A little beat and with non-original Kluson tuners but a good deal. Recent models are well screwed together and fine guitars. I'll second this recommendation, I've a 6120 of recent vintage, and it's very, very well put-together. Took a spell to get used to the full hollowbody, but it's tone is so sweet and distinctive... good luck and happy hunting! Guitar shopping, problematic as it may be sometimes, is ALWAYS a pleasant problem. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
a.miller Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 i recently bought a gibson satin finish ES 335 reissue. Fantastic guitar... the best tone i have ever heard out of any guitar, period. A bit pricey though. Around $1800. But so worth it...Yep. I think, from another one of your posts, we have the same red satin-finish 335. Super sweet guitar. If you get lucky, you can find one on ebay for around 1500-1600 (EDIT: I got mine new, $1930 shipped). Also look at the Es-333. It was the precursor to the Satin ES-335, but I think it retailed for only around $1000 -- and gibson promptly discontinued it, because it was too awesome for the price . That said, you can pick up a cool used one and drop in new pickups or a bigsby and be into a fantastic guitar for a bargain. EDIT: There's a faded red ES-333 with a BIN price of $1,100.88 on ebay right now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimmyjimmy Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 If I'm not mistaken, the orignal poster said he was considering an Elitist Casino. Oops. Yeah my bad.Can't comment on these other models. Never seen one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Oops. Yeah my bad.Can't comment on these other models. Never seen one. Having re-read, he (she?) called it en "Elite" Casino. That's the same as the Elitist. Epiphone was forced to stop calling them Elite, so they changed it to Elitist. Dumb name, but very nice guitars. You can hardly go wrong at this point considering you have a Deluxe Reverb amp. One of the best amps ever. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stickman Posted June 13, 2007 Author Share Posted June 13, 2007 Thanks guys. This is all a big help. Unfortunately I've had two finals today so I'm not quite in the right mindset, but in a couple of days this will all be put to good use. I think I'm leaning more towards a 335...I'll look more into some other 330s once I fly back home from school. I loves my amp, so I guess I'll just try some out and see where I end up. What are the major differences between the 333 and 335? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
a.miller Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 What are the major differences between the 333 and 335? The 333 came out in the early 2000s as a "budget" ES-335:--Satin finish, no binding on the neck--No pickguard--Gold Gibson logo on the headstock instead of the pearl inlay one--Access panel on the back--Softshell case--Uncovered pickups. Rumour has it that basically it was such a good buy, Gibson had to stop production cause it was killing other (335) sales. I think everything but the pickups was a cosmetic difference. But, for ~$200-300 you could put pickups in that were better than or equal to the 335 pickups and you had a 335 killer for under $1500. The stock pickups are a 490R and 498T and '57 Classics are what are in the 335. I always had my heart set on one of the walnut brown ones, but they stopped making them. Recently I bought a Satin Finish 335, which is what replaced the 333 and has the same pickups as the 335 -- great guitar. More Info Here Hope that helps your decision making and good luck on your finals. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
thermocaster Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 I'd personally say just go with the American Deluxe Tele. The chances of that guitar letting you down are very low. What kind of SG do you have? I just recently joined the SG family. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anodyne Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 i (heart) my dot. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stickman Posted June 24, 2007 Author Share Posted June 24, 2007 Good thing I won't have the money for a while because I was all set on getting either the 335 or 333 but now I really want a telecaster. Ugh... At least I won't have to decide for a good couple of weeks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
oceanman Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 Thats my boy!A Tele never lets you down. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sanhozay Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 Thats my boy!A Tele never lets you down. Hi There / New to the site but been a Wilco fan since the start. Anyway, the ES335 is a mother of a guitar and quite possibly the polar opposite of Tele. A real good ES335 can do quite a bit but the real good ones are near impossible to locate. Personally, if you want to play lead ala Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stickman Posted June 25, 2007 Author Share Posted June 25, 2007 And you Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fortuneinmyhead Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 look into a schecter corsair if you want to save some money but get a quality semi-hollowbody Quote Link to post Share on other sites
darkstar Posted June 29, 2007 Share Posted June 29, 2007 They are very (very, very) pricey but are beautiful custom made hand crafted guitars. I'm talking about Alembic right here I do not own one but have played one, and thought it was the nicest guitar I have ever handled. These guys (or some of their luthiers of the past) made a lot of guitars for guys in the Bay Area back in the 60's and 70's ( J. Garcia, Phil Lesh, etc) Like I said these puppies don't come cheap, check out the site and the price quotes....I'd buy every model if I hit the Powerball Jackpot!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
heffer Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 get a jazzmaster!!!!! theyre really great for bassy tone if thats what yu want Quote Link to post Share on other sites
davidtobin100 Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 Got a 335 but be aware of it's limitations. Hollow-bodies are a bitch live. Personally I only take mine out for recording. Don't really see why the choice is between this and a tele. The sound of both guitars is miles apart. Maybe you're not too sure what you're looking for in terms of tone? I had a friend in a similiar situation about two years ago, he counldn't decide what to go with and his choices were pretty varied. I eventually talked him into an SG and a custom EMG pickup setup. It gave him a pretty varied tone in just one guitar. Might be an option for you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 335 is not a true hollowbody, it just looks like one. It has a large block of wood running under the strings, designed to cut down the vibrations & feedback. Now, a Casino, or a, ES-330 (which is pretty much the same as a Casino, but made by Gibson) is going to have feedback issues. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
davidtobin100 Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 Definitely agree that those guitars are worse when it comes to live feedback, but having played a 335 for about 6-7 years I can definitely tell you its a bit of a tricky beast when you're playing live. But it is such a nice guitar it almost makes it bearable..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimjiminy Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 I would agree about hollow bodies and feedback problems live. I have a Casino with a Bigsby - great in the studio, okay live. In fact, I like that I can push it in the studio because I can control the feedback. If Teles are even in the equation, I would highly recommend checking out G&L Guitars. They have some semi-hollow Tele bodies that are amazing. This is where Death Cab For Cutie gets some of their great sound (oh, and the custom Matchless amps.) http://www.glguitars.com/frameset.htm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reflectedinthemoon Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 i dunno about the rest of y'all, but the feedback is part of the reason i love using mine live. Several of my band's songs involve feedback intros, outros, noise, etc. and my 335 is wonderful for that. also, you can sing/scream into the holes and get some crazy stuff. BUT... if you dont like feedback, i don't think is all that hard to control. if you have some skills using pedals, you shouldn't have too many problems. just dont leave your overdrive on whil palm muting, or foolish things like that. all in all, i think the incredible tone and playability of the 335 outweighs whatever tiny problems that might come up live. As for teles, they are completely different animals. It really matters what you're in to. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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