NGD...Zhivago's adventures in ES-land... (more photos added page 3)

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
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Re: NGD...Zhivago's adventures in ES-land... (more photos added page 3)

Post by zhivago » Tue Sep 18, 2018 10:06 pm

sookwinder wrote:
Tue Sep 18, 2018 3:16 pm
You can get some good different sounds with the varitone, but you also must adjust one's amp to accommodate the new/different sounds. do not assume that you just plug in the 345 and on the single amp set up every sound in the varitone will sound awesome
This is what I was thinking...for recording it probably works great...you can almost get a Tele-like sound. I just don't fiddle with my amp settings much though, to be honest.

I am in two minds about getting it taken out...it's not a deal breaker or a massive rush at the moment...maybe I will leave it on in the end. :)

The main bummer for me is the lowering of the signal...I always thought/hoped that it was just a tone shift.
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Re: NGD...Zhivago's adventures in ES-land... (more photos added page 3)

Post by zhivago » Tue Sep 18, 2018 10:08 pm

Larry Mal wrote:
Tue Sep 18, 2018 4:32 pm
Nice guitar, it's too bad Gibson's quality control is so terrible and you can't get a good guitar from them anymore. You probably just don't know any better just like all the other Gibson owners who say they are happy with their guitars... it's very sad to see.
:D :D :D :D :D

Crazy, isn't it? You hear all these stories online, and then this thing arrives and it's just perfect. I can't actually believe the original owner sold this guitar. He bought it new, so I guess he paid something like £3.5k for it.
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Re: NGD...Zhivago's adventures in ES-land... (more photos added page 3)

Post by Despot » Wed Sep 19, 2018 2:46 am

+1 to what David had to say on the varitone Yannis.

You're pulling out frequencies and you do get a perceived fall off in volume with that. Think of the varitone as a pre-set EQ pedal - it takes a bit of time to figure out how to use it ... but when you do it's actually a pretty useful feature. The absolute best thing about these reissues is that they've wired them for mono with a varitone!! Stereo wiring on the old guitars isn't a show stopper (there's a specific cable made by a UK company that will convert stereo into mono output without losing anything), but it does mean that you always have to have a cable specifically for the guitar in the case - and if that cable craps out you're out of luck.

As for the use of the varitone - I was never a huge fan of Suede, but Bernard Butler used his '61 (or '60?) ES355 for a lot of the early stuff and would routinely switch between settings between the chorus/verse of songs - you can get some pretty huge differences in sound when just going up or down a setting on the varitone - couple that with effects and it can be pretty useful.

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Re: NGD...Zhivago's adventures in ES-land... (more photos added page 3)

Post by zhivago » Wed Sep 19, 2018 12:34 pm

Despot wrote:
Wed Sep 19, 2018 2:46 am
+1 to what David had to say on the varitone Yannis.

You're pulling out frequencies and you do get a perceived fall off in volume with that. Think of the varitone as a pre-set EQ pedal - it takes a bit of time to figure out how to use it ... but when you do it's actually a pretty useful feature. The absolute best thing about these reissues is that they've wired them for mono with a varitone!! Stereo wiring on the old guitars isn't a show stopper (there's a specific cable made by a UK company that will convert stereo into mono output without losing anything), but it does mean that you always have to have a cable specifically for the guitar in the case - and if that cable craps out you're out of luck.

As for the use of the varitone - I was never a huge fan of Suede, but Bernard Butler used his '61 (or '60?) ES355 for a lot of the early stuff and would routinely switch between settings between the chorus/verse of songs - you can get some pretty huge differences in sound when just going up or down a setting on the varitone - couple that with effects and it can be pretty useful.
It's weird with mine it seems...not only is there a tone shift, but the drive on the amp goes lower too...it's not just frequencies.

When I plug in straight into my Nano amp I usually have it on full and just roll the volume. If I go through the Varitone switches the distorted tone is cleaner and cleaner. Strange. ???

Well, not to worry, I still love position 1 :D 8)

On the Butler front, I am a huge fan of the first two albums where he played on...the story goes he had a '60 or '61 355 and it got stolen on tour, so Gibson got him another vintage one (I think that one is a '61) so long as he would endorse Gibsons. There was a great interview of his just after he left Suede on one of the UK guitar mags (not Guitarist, the other one....can't remember the name right now)
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Re: NGD...Zhivago's adventures in ES-land... (more photos added page 3)

Post by wproffitt » Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:35 pm

Stick with the varitone! It’s not for everyone, and I have to admit that I was disappointed initially when I got my Prairiewood and all it seemed to do was make the guitar sound anemic, but when I played it in a band setting, its merits quickly became apparent: 1) sometimes I want a volume drop that is preset, 2) sometimes the other guitar player and I are stepping on each other’s toes, sonically, and the notch filter can really switch things up with our EQ and 3) on mine, setting 5 (I think) can feel a bit like a cocked wah and, through fuzz, this can be fun.

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Re: NGD...Zhivago's adventures in ES-land... (more photos added page 3)

Post by zhivago » Wed Sep 19, 2018 9:40 pm

wproffitt wrote:
Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:35 pm
Stick with the varitone! It’s not for everyone, and I have to admit that I was disappointed initially when I got my Prairiewood and all it seemed to do was make the guitar sound anemic, but when I played it in a band setting, its merits quickly became apparent: 1) sometimes I want a volume drop that is preset, 2) sometimes the other guitar player and I are stepping on each other’s toes, sonically, and the notch filter can really switch things up with our EQ and 3) on mine, setting 5 (I think) can feel a bit like a cocked wah and, through fuzz, this can be fun.

I will live with it for now...time will tell :)
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Re: NGD...Zhivago's adventures in ES-land... (more photos added page 3)

Post by andy » Sat May 25, 2019 1:36 pm

So do you still like the guitar??
Send me western swing vids

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Re: NGD...Zhivago's adventures in ES-land... (more photos added page 3)

Post by zhivago » Sun May 26, 2019 12:52 am

andy wrote:
Sat May 25, 2019 1:36 pm
So do you still like the guitar??
totally...it is really great...I have no use for the Varitone, but the guitar itself is great. 8)
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Re: NGD...Zhivago's adventures in ES-land... (more photos added page 3)

Post by CS » Sun May 26, 2019 11:41 pm

Ive played that es twice now. The second time was in a jam playing a very eclectic set swapping between bass and guitar. We used the 345 for the whole jam. It just works.

Some guitars are great regardless of name or vintage this is one of them.

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Re: NGD...Zhivago's adventures in ES-land... (more photos added page 3)

Post by zhivago » Sun May 26, 2019 11:53 pm

CS wrote:
Sun May 26, 2019 11:41 pm
Ive played that es twice now. The second time was in a jam playing a very eclectic set swapping between bass and guitar. We used the 345 for the whole jam. It just works.

Some guitars are great regardless of name or vintage this is one of them.
Absolutely!! 8)
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Re: NGD...Zhivago's adventures in ES-land... (more photos added page 3)

Post by andy » Tue May 28, 2019 12:13 pm

zhivago wrote:
Sun May 26, 2019 12:52 am
andy wrote:
Sat May 25, 2019 1:36 pm
So do you still like the guitar??
totally...it is really great...I have no use for the Varitone, but the guitar itself is great. 8)
Good to hear! I have a used 1963 ES-335 VOS reissue coming to me. It is a burst, as well. I’ve been selling off tons of pedals and parts and stuff lying around to lighten the $$ blow. It should be here in a few days!!!

BTW I went to page 3 to check out your photos again and they are broken links :(
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Re: NGD...Zhivago's adventures in ES-land... (more photos added page 3)

Post by zhivago » Tue May 28, 2019 12:57 pm

andy wrote:
Tue May 28, 2019 12:13 pm
Good to hear! I have a used 1963 ES-335 VOS reissue coming to me. It is a burst, as well. I’ve been selling off tons of pedals and parts and stuff lying around to lighten the $$ blow. It should be here in a few days!!!

BTW I went to page 3 to check out your photos again and they are broken links :(

Hey great score, you are gonna love the 335! They really are special guitars...I've picked up a few different instruments in the past 12 months, and it is the one that has blown me away the most from both new and vintage. :)

Apologies for the broken links...my site got hacked a while back so I had to take it down, which meant my image hosting died too...I've left probably hundreds of broken links all across the internet. :(

I am back on Photobucket though...here's a few:

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
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Re: NGD...Zhivago's adventures in ES-land... (more photos added page 3)

Post by andy » Tue May 28, 2019 3:48 pm

Thanks for posting those again. I’m getting very stoked!!! What are your thoughts on the VOS treatment? The body of your 345 looks like it’s pretty shiny, which is nice. I’ve seen some VOS bodies that look pretty matte.
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Re: NGD...Zhivago's adventures in ES-land... (more photos added page 3)

Post by Maggieo » Tue May 28, 2019 4:21 pm

:-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*
“Now I am quietly waiting for/ the catastrophe of my personality/ to seem beautiful again.”- Frank O'Hara
I am not an attorney and this post is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult a licensed attorney in your state for legal advice.

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Re: NGD...Zhivago's adventures in ES-land... (more photos added page 3)

Post by takeittothemall » Tue May 28, 2019 8:22 pm

Image

I recently came down the ES fever myself and snagged this 2018 Memphis VOS anchor stud 335. I’m definitely digging it.
great OSG deals with: ncarey13, skip.
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