Thanks for reminding me of the break tunes played by the band Winchester at The Loading Zone on a weekend break in south Idaho years ago. Makes me glad that both flux capacitors have been replaced at the house... (With the hollow part, you don't need 11... sorry, Derek Smalls.)
Imho, the 345 is by far the better of the like models. With the new 345, I see they eliminated the Varitone Switch. I really like my 345 Stereo with Varitone. The different tones that switch gives you is really enjoyable. Also the neck on mine seems to have a thinner faster profile. It's a 1972 walnut ES 345 with Gold hardware. Though they're all enjoyable.
Cool video guys. Love the ES series Gibson. Funny you said 345's are easier to find than 335's. I find that to be the exact opposite here in Canada. I am looking for a 345, and all I can find for sale are 335's or 339's. I hope the day comes that I can find one because I have the cash in hand and waiting.
As a Canadian, I'll second this. There are 335's & 339's out the wazoo in any colour you want (plain or figured). I am hunting for a 345 as well and am finding they are a scarce breed. Here, the figured 335 is $330 more than the 345. 😵💫
I don’t understand why the 345 doesn’t have a varitone switch. That would be the only reason for me to prefer them over the 335. I love some of the sounds of the varitone. I never understood why so few people used them. 🤷🏻♂️ I have a 347 and that thing has an extra switch and I use it a lot! I’d love another one of those 335/345/347/355 guitars, but they do need something that sets it apart from what I already have. A 335 would feel like a step back from the 347. The 345 nowadays is just a 335 with a tiny handful of esthetic differences, the 347 is out of production and besides, it would be the same guitar (unless I add the Les Trem - I’ve been thinking about that option), so that leaves me with the only option left and that’s the 355. A 335 with a good functioning Bigsby would be nice too, as long as it’s different and just as versatile as my 347. Last year I almost bought an old ‘78 cherry colored 345 for a ridiculous low price (relatively speaking). I didn’t do it, because I knew it was only going to be the backup guitar for my 347. That’s a lot of money for a backup guitar. I don’t know. I guess I’m just dreaming. I love my black 347 and I would love to have a second one in a natural finish and then add the Les Trem. I saw two of them recently, but man, they’re not cheap. 😳
GREAT DEMO!! I have my eye on an ES-335 '64 reissue, VOS. So I've been watching every video about ES-335s. There are so many variables, it's almost impossible to make a decision. I didn't know anything about the ES-345, but I like what I heard, and it's a LOT less than the '64. I thought the 335 actually sounded a little warmer than the 345, which I liked, but I'm sure I could roll off the tone to taste. I wish I could actually play them. They're nearly impossible to find in stock. I got to play a Dot, but as soon as I started turning it up, the associate came over and told me to turn it down, very disappointing. I think I prefer the 60's (e.g. '63, 64) when they went to the block inlays. If you had a choice between the '64 VOS and the 345, which one would you choose?
FYI, the BTTF guitar was a 345, with a Bigsby B7 added to it (no Custom Made badge but you can see the tailpiece studs and the parallelograms) The Marcus King guitar is also a 345, with a Maestro iirc. And the custom shop makes Murphy Lab 355s among others. Great demo, y'all, I think the what makes the 335 more sought after vs the 345 and 355 is price and availability. At launch those 345s and 355s were meant to be mid tier, and top shelf models. Then later they kinda kept the 345 behind the custom shop with the 355. It's interesting they rereleased the 345 with nickel hardware instead of gold, but I'm sure that was to bring the price down and make it more mass appealing. To borrow automaker parlance, it really does make the 345 like a 335 with an appearance package. And then once you get into vibratos, pickup configurations, and varitones (where available) its more of a performance package upgrade situation.
I am looking at the ''64'' and the Gibson Custom Shop 1959 ES-335 Reissue. One person had mentioned that the ''59'' provides a more robust mid range than the 1964 ES-335 model. Do you feel this may be true? Thank You!
I bought a Gibson 339 for Covid lockdown. Love it! But still just desperately wanted a 335 too. Got a Made by Gibson Epi 335 with the fat neck. Added 57 Classic pickups. Oooh yeah!👍🏽. The 339 is soo comfortable, the size!! I just like the “idea” of the 335!! BB King didn’t rock no 339!?🤷🏽♂️
Something about their construction makes the 335 sound more bass heavy and boomy. The 345 is noticeably brighter imo. Both are awesome, but the tone difference is more than I expected.
We have to talk about this. The current es345 is nothing like the earlier guitars. The Varitone and stereo are "no more" because it never sold well and the current es345 is - an es335 with a little bit of bling and nothing else. A sliver of Adirondack (the main lump of timber is maple, the spruce isn't significant acoustic bracing, it's a thin shim) is Wow!-Whoopee!-Great!...... but it's unlikely to bring more to the party than normal variations in different examples anyway. The current es345 is - an es335 with lovely inlays and double binding. Which is OK! Very handsome, very distinguished and............an excellent guitar! I'm far from knocking it - it's a sensible adjustment of the range. The top-model twin-output es345 didn't sell because of the expense of a second amplifier, carting the whole rig around and the rotary Varitone wasn't very logical in selecting the settings - drops in output etc. - and it's a bitch with the gain that we use so much today but didn't exist all when the es345 was being designed. Today, twin-channels amps make the es345 redundant but even earlier days, a two-amp arrangement was best served by a footswitch and any guitar you like. Why does this matter? If you're buying new, it doesn't - you can see, touch, hear and choose - it's all good. But if you are seeking a real top-model es345, you're into the used area - and it's a minefield. So many es345s were modified to transform them into simple mono use and the Varitone either by-passed or re-wired so you don't really know what you're getting. Pristine-and-virgin models are actually very, very rare, the stereo concept didn't work out at all and the 5-setting rotary Varitone doesn't work as well as a Switchmaster p/up selector because It "blips" on pass-through from one sound to another (you can hear this on some recordings - ("Rock me Baby", Jefferson Airplane - Bless it's Pointed Little Head) So you have to go to it case-by-case and try it "hands on" and in the real world, you're almost certainly trying out a previous owner's attempt to convert his es345 into an es335. Very, very hard to get a real one or even to know that it is one. Gibson changed the stereo jack output arrangement more than once in trying to cut the cost and intimidation factor but...so have owners. The originals were supplied with a "Y" lead but...how many still come with that? Of Bigsbys, I can and will add nothing except to say that changing strings involves using three hands, an automotive valve spring compressor, it can have your eye out and you'll only use it twice. OK, kidding! I don't use them at all - that's what I'm saying. If you're looking for an original es345......best of luck. Even such as 70s Japanese knock-offs like the excellent Antoria 2345 didn't sell and are very thin on the ground. Fact is - at the time, nobody wanted them except Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane) and that was only because he knew absolutely nothing about electric guitars, wanted to make sure he spent as much advance money as possible so he just picked up the priciest thing they had. Which worked for him. Most would say the es345 is a "dog". In the fullness of time (which is now a long time ago), we found that the "extras" of the ultra-versatile es345 meant the loss of the core sounds of the es335. Any dealer will tell you different but it's impossible now to know - so many have been butchered to convert them to mono es335s and then butchered back again. The cast-iron certainty though is that there was no way to by-pass the Varitone so a trade-off signal loss to access the coil taps was inevitable. So - the good news. An early-ish es345 isn't an especially valuable vintage guitar and if it's been modded, it's cheap. Nothing easier than checking it for es335 spec or doing that yourself. It has nothing near the value of an early es335 in good nick but it's just as good if you install an es335 harness and older ones are about a kilo lighter - for some reason.
I think what hurt the 345 and 355 popularity is people didn't want some of the "extras". Varitone and stereo being the two biggest. They used to modify them to remove those features. Bigsby is a bit more popular than the other two features, but still not popular, especially with the rockers. And multi ply binding has never been something that has been a game changer with Gibson buyers. So the 335 was more the model that they liked and cheaper.
Actually sold my Gibson a few years ago in hard times... now back on my feet and bought an Epiphone 339 ( nz$1000...us$600.... Gibson is 6x that ) and put in some P90S from Guitar Fetish...it is AWESOME.
The ES-333 had a trap door on the back that made the electronics easily accessible (so you didn’t have to pull wiring and stuff out of the f-holes). They outsold the otherwise identical 335 and were cheaper, so Gibson dropped them after two years. Great guitar though
The chapter 11 Company has a 335 ,345 ,355 also the 330 and it´s ok congrats buy one and play have fun or if ya have not the Money buy a epiphone also KKR or who ownes gibson now?
Today is 6/21/24. I just called Alamo. They have only 3, 335’s and no other models. No 345’s, 355’s, no models with Bigsby’s, etc. Not the first time I’ve tried to give them business but their inventory sucks as usual. 😅
Not a fan of the 335, owned one for ten years.. too big... I'm only 5' 9" we were doing a gig one time, and the walls were mirrors.. and the band was able to see our selves perform . and from that gig on, it always made us aware of our appearance on stage.. The 16" bout on that guitar was way out of proportion with my 5'9" stature ..
Which one would beat a squirrel when crosshatch 🐔 pickin’ on the backseat of a juiced up mustang? Or would a Strat accomplish this more easily? Many thanks, England 🏴😘
I swapped my 335 for a 339 to get better overall weight, better weight balance, better pickups (and tapping option), better feeling neck, and better neck access.
I think the 345 is the coolest ES. Love the extra visual appointments.
So nice! Always learn so much from the videos.
Thanks for reminding me of the break tunes played by the band Winchester at The Loading Zone on a weekend break in south Idaho years ago. Makes me glad that both flux capacitors have been replaced at the house... (With the hollow part, you don't need 11... sorry, Derek Smalls.)
Great video as always guys
Imho, the 345 is by far the better of the like models. With the new 345, I see they eliminated the Varitone Switch. I really like my 345 Stereo with Varitone. The different tones that switch gives you is really enjoyable. Also the neck on mine seems to have a thinner faster profile. It's a 1972 walnut ES 345 with Gold hardware. Though they're all enjoyable.
Dang, Cooper you killed it today!
Cool video guys. Love the ES series Gibson. Funny you said 345's are easier to find than 335's. I find that to be the exact opposite here in Canada. I am looking for a 345, and all I can find for sale are 335's or 339's. I hope the day comes that I can find one because I have the cash in hand and waiting.
As a Canadian, I'll second this. There are 335's & 339's out the wazoo in any colour you want (plain or figured). I am hunting for a 345 as well and am finding they are a scarce breed. Here, the figured 335 is $330 more than the 345. 😵💫
Have an ES-335 figured = 2019, great guitar, plays great
I love my ES335 Gibson custom shop guitar such a nice woody tone to it : )
I don’t understand why the 345 doesn’t have a varitone switch. That would be the only reason for me to prefer them over the 335. I love some of the sounds of the varitone. I never understood why so few people used them. 🤷🏻♂️
I have a 347 and that thing has an extra switch and I use it a lot! I’d love another one of those 335/345/347/355 guitars, but they do need something that sets it apart from what I already have. A 335 would feel like a step back from the 347. The 345 nowadays is just a 335 with a tiny handful of esthetic differences, the 347 is out of production and besides, it would be the same guitar (unless I add the Les Trem - I’ve been thinking about that option), so that leaves me with the only option left and that’s the 355. A 335 with a good functioning Bigsby would be nice too, as long as it’s different and just as versatile as my 347.
Last year I almost bought an old ‘78 cherry colored 345 for a ridiculous low price (relatively speaking). I didn’t do it, because I knew it was only going to be the backup guitar for my 347. That’s a lot of money for a backup guitar.
I don’t know. I guess I’m just dreaming. I love my black 347 and I would love to have a second one in a natural finish and then add the Les Trem. I saw two of them recently, but man, they’re not cheap. 😳
GREAT DEMO!! I have my eye on an ES-335 '64 reissue, VOS. So I've been watching every video about ES-335s. There are so many variables, it's almost impossible to make a decision. I didn't know anything about the ES-345, but I like what I heard, and it's a LOT less than the '64. I thought the 335 actually sounded a little warmer than the 345, which I liked, but I'm sure I could roll off the tone to taste. I wish I could actually play them. They're nearly impossible to find in stock. I got to play a Dot, but as soon as I started turning it up, the associate came over and told me to turn it down, very disappointing. I think I prefer the 60's (e.g. '63, 64) when they went to the block inlays. If you had a choice between the '64 VOS and the 345, which one would you choose?
FYI, the BTTF guitar was a 345, with a Bigsby B7 added to it (no Custom Made badge but you can see the tailpiece studs and the parallelograms)
The Marcus King guitar is also a 345, with a Maestro iirc.
And the custom shop makes Murphy Lab 355s among others.
Great demo, y'all, I think the what makes the 335 more sought after vs the 345 and 355 is price and availability. At launch those 345s and 355s were meant to be mid tier, and top shelf models. Then later they kinda kept the 345 behind the custom shop with the 355.
It's interesting they rereleased the 345 with nickel hardware instead of gold, but I'm sure that was to bring the price down and make it more mass appealing. To borrow automaker parlance, it really does make the 345 like a 335 with an appearance package. And then once you get into vibratos, pickup configurations, and varitones (where available) its more of a performance package upgrade situation.
I am looking at the ''64'' and the Gibson Custom Shop 1959 ES-335 Reissue. One person had mentioned that the ''59'' provides a more robust mid range than the 1964 ES-335 model. Do you feel this may be true? Thank You!
Why the hate on the 345?
I bought a Gibson 339 for Covid lockdown. Love it! But still just desperately wanted a 335 too. Got a Made by Gibson Epi 335 with the fat neck. Added 57 Classic pickups. Oooh yeah!👍🏽. The 339 is soo comfortable, the size!! I just like the “idea” of the 335!! BB King didn’t rock no 339!?🤷🏽♂️
What about a comparison with an Epiphone similarity? Thanks, Cooper and Chris. Also, I seem to like P-90 tone.
Something about their construction makes the 335 sound more bass heavy and boomy. The 345 is noticeably brighter imo. Both are awesome, but the tone difference is more than I expected.
I love my 335 ‘59 reissue. I like the bigger neck.
We have to talk about this. The current es345 is nothing like the earlier guitars. The Varitone and stereo are "no more" because it never sold well and the current es345 is - an es335 with a little bit of bling and nothing else. A sliver of Adirondack (the main lump of timber is maple, the spruce isn't significant acoustic bracing, it's a thin shim) is Wow!-Whoopee!-Great!...... but it's unlikely to bring more to the party than normal variations in different examples anyway. The current es345 is - an es335 with lovely inlays and double binding. Which is OK! Very handsome, very distinguished and............an excellent guitar! I'm far from knocking it - it's a sensible adjustment of the range.
The top-model twin-output es345 didn't sell because of the expense of a second amplifier, carting the whole rig around and the rotary Varitone wasn't very logical in selecting the settings - drops in output etc. - and it's a bitch with the gain that we use so much today but didn't exist all when the es345 was being designed. Today, twin-channels amps make the es345 redundant but even earlier days, a two-amp arrangement was best served by a footswitch and any guitar you like.
Why does this matter? If you're buying new, it doesn't - you can see, touch, hear and choose - it's all good.
But if you are seeking a real top-model es345, you're into the used area - and it's a minefield. So many es345s were modified to transform them into simple mono use and the Varitone either by-passed or re-wired so you don't really know what you're getting. Pristine-and-virgin models are actually very, very rare, the stereo concept didn't work out at all and the 5-setting rotary Varitone doesn't work as well as a Switchmaster p/up selector because It "blips" on pass-through from one sound to another (you can hear this on some recordings - ("Rock me Baby", Jefferson Airplane - Bless it's Pointed Little Head)
So you have to go to it case-by-case and try it "hands on" and in the real world, you're almost certainly trying out a previous owner's attempt to convert his es345 into an es335. Very, very hard to get a real one or even to know that it is one. Gibson changed the stereo jack output arrangement more than once in trying to cut the cost and intimidation factor but...so have owners. The originals were supplied with a "Y" lead but...how many still come with that?
Of Bigsbys, I can and will add nothing except to say that changing strings involves using three hands, an automotive valve spring compressor, it can have your eye out and you'll only use it twice.
OK, kidding! I don't use them at all - that's what I'm saying.
If you're looking for an original es345......best of luck. Even such as 70s Japanese knock-offs like the excellent Antoria 2345 didn't sell and are very thin on the ground. Fact is - at the time, nobody wanted them except Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane) and that was only because he knew absolutely nothing about electric guitars, wanted to make sure he spent as much advance money as possible so he just picked up the priciest thing they had.
Which worked for him. Most would say the es345 is a "dog". In the fullness of time (which is now a long time ago), we found that the "extras" of the ultra-versatile es345 meant the loss of the core sounds of the es335. Any dealer will tell you different but it's impossible now to know - so many have been butchered to convert them to mono es335s and then butchered back again. The cast-iron certainty though is that there was no way to by-pass the Varitone so a trade-off signal loss to access the coil taps was inevitable.
So - the good news. An early-ish es345 isn't an especially valuable vintage guitar and if it's been modded, it's cheap. Nothing easier than checking it for es335 spec or doing that yourself. It has nothing near the value of an early es335 in good nick but it's just as good if you install an es335 harness and older ones are about a kilo lighter - for some reason.
Memphis also made the USA Lines White Les Paul Customs!! Fun fact.
Cooper, I agree that the blond 335 sounded better for country stuff.
I think what hurt the 345 and 355 popularity is people didn't want some of the "extras". Varitone and stereo being the two biggest. They used to modify them to remove those features. Bigsby is a bit more popular than the other two features, but still not popular, especially with the rockers. And multi ply binding has never been something that has been a game changer with Gibson buyers. So the 335 was more the model that they liked and cheaper.
Gibson custom es 345 stereo sunburst for me
I actually prefer my 339 ... 👍👍👍👍
339’s Rock!
Actually sold my Gibson a few years ago in hard times... now back on my feet and bought an Epiphone 339 ( nz$1000...us$600.... Gibson is 6x that ) and put in some P90S from Guitar Fetish...it is AWESOME.
You inadvertently explained why I couldn't order an acoustic archtop from Gibson: the closure of the Memphis factory ended that possibility.
The ES-333 had a trap door on the back that made the electronics easily accessible (so you didn’t have to pull wiring and stuff out of the f-holes). They outsold the otherwise identical 335 and were cheaper, so Gibson dropped them after two years. Great guitar though
Is that real that the Red axe sounded 'better' than the figured one? You didn't speak about size, mass and year model.
Freddie King had the best tone of any ES player, no matter if it was 335 or 345.
He was the true King of the Blues.
Do y'all have a showroom?
I want an ES 339
I prefer PAF like pickups; T types are bright and harsh
I'll stick with my Chet Atkins Gretch!
The chapter 11 Company has a 335 ,345 ,355 also the 330 and it´s ok congrats buy one and play have fun or if ya have not the Money buy a epiphone also KKR or who ownes gibson now?
So, you guys snap up all the nice guitars before the rest of us have a chance. I see how it goes now.
Actually not in my experience, but their videos have sold me on several guitars. When they show up locally, I hop on them.
I wouldn't buy a 345without a variatone switch.
Today is 6/21/24. I just called Alamo. They have only 3, 335’s and no other models. No 345’s, 355’s, no models with Bigsby’s, etc.
Not the first time I’ve tried to give them business but their inventory sucks as usual. 😅
More on order! Sorry we didn’t have what you wanted… but things sell 🤷🏼
The varitone makes it
Not a fan of the 335, owned one for ten years.. too big... I'm only 5' 9" we were doing a gig one time, and the walls were mirrors.. and the band was able to see our selves perform . and from that gig on, it always made us aware of our appearance on stage.. The 16" bout on that guitar was way out of proportion with my 5'9" stature ..
Which one would beat a squirrel when crosshatch 🐔 pickin’ on the backseat of a juiced up mustang? Or would a Strat accomplish this more easily? Many thanks, England 🏴😘
It's 10 more.
16:42
I swapped my 335 for a 339 to get better overall weight, better weight balance, better pickups (and tapping option), better feeling neck, and better neck access.
Harmonic Feedback = The Good Feedback .. Microphonic Feedback = The Ear Piercing Horrible Feedback
They're not rare...they're just TOO DAMN EXPENSIVE..NO ONE CAN AFFORD THEM...THERES BETTER OPTIONS FOR THE $$$$
They cost more or less the same then when they were introduced...345 USD in 1958, times 10 over times.
Lots of people can afford them. If the guitars weren’t being bought they would have stopped making them 50 years ago.
No offense but, no varitone no stereo circuit ? that IS the difference- see ya.
🤢
Alamo is not a friend of left handed players. Later fools.