Hi,First thank you for taking the time to read my post. I'm 52 and have loved classic rock for years. I've been interested in Guitars and have read a number of books on the history of the guitar and have gotten a deeper appreciation for it. I currently taking music theory and hope to purchase an electric guitar once I have a better understanding of music basics.
The question I have is that I really like the Gibson 335.The ones I'm looking at are priced between 2000 to 6000 dollars with a number of option on the different models. I can afford to spend the extra money on a more expensive model but would I be better getting the basic model and adding the options I need later as I gained experience? Also what advice could anyone give me on purchasing their first guitar. I'd also be interested in what thoughts anyone might have on a good practice amp.
I hope I'm not too vague on asking these questions and thanks again for any advice.
All the best
Tinker

That's a great guitar...I had one and in a moment of insanity, traded it in.

I'm not sure what "options" you're talking about off hand.

Most guitar prices increase due to quality of wood, electronics, hardware and finishes (and brand name).

Are you looking at learning to play classic rock? While the 335 is well suited for that, a Gibson Les Paul may be another option you'll want to consider. Along with the Fender Stratocaster or Telecaster. And there are lots of other manufacturers, but Gibson and Fender seem to be the "Nike" of guitar making.

If you can find somebody that plays, go with them to a store. First, maybe learn some simple chords. Then play the guitars you're interested in because they all sound, feel and play different even between the same brand and model.

A friend faced a similar decision not too long ago. He was also a fan of the 335. I made the suggestion that, since he was new at electric, he might want to consider a knock-off. Typically in the $400 neighborhood, they offer a good value while you decide if you really want to drop thousands on an axe.

We looked at products from Samick, Epiphone, Wahburn, etc. I think that in the end he bought a Washburn, but they were all very similar, and could have been made in the same factory.

You might also consider a used one.

In an amp, a Fender Blues Jr is a very respectable starting point.

[quote=Rootstonian]That's a great guitar...I had one and in a moment of insanity, traded it in.

I'm not sure what "options" you're talking about off hand.

Most guitar prices increase due to quality of wood, electronics, hardware and finishes (and brand name).


Well I noticed that for example the Gibson es-335 Dot limited run had "Grover Tuners,Tune-o-matic bridge with stop bar tailpiece and separate volume and tone control"But the Gibson Custom es-335 satin finish didn't mention any thing about these features.I've being trying to look up and understand the different features. Is " grover tuners just a better tuner then what comes with the Custom?I guess I thought that maybe they were selling the guitar like they do cars, selling you up on the options.

I had read a couple of articles that said you should buy the best quality guitar you can afford as the higher quality guitars hold their value well.That you can usually sell it for close to what you paid for it.Whats your thought on that?.

I would agree with Bill if and only if you can find a HIGH quality and are HAPPY with that "knockoff" and I'll tell you why.

As a beginner, I did the same thing. I bought "lesser" guitars and, in my opinion, it hurt me. Never stayed in tune, fret buzz all over the place, cheap electronics that crackeled, bad fret work, crappy neck, hard to play etc, etc.

By the time I went through the $200 Strat knock-off and the $400 XYZ model and the $300 ABC model, I could have bought (at that time) a high-end American made Strat. Of course, at the time, that's all I could afford.

I think this guy can afford a little more and therefore, why not get something that's going to last, going to stay in tune and be fun and easy to play. And hold a decent resale value if he were to get rid of it in a year or two.

That's why I suggested too, to take along a player; if he want to go "off brand" they'll be able to pick out the sweet used axe
or decent off brand model vs. a lemon

And don't short yourself on an amp. I suggest tube model. My first amp was a 5 watt solid state. Jimmy Page could play his 56 LP through it and would sound like crap. I thought my playing was bad and never was progressing when in fact it was really my cheap equipment. I actually quit a few times due to this.

And get a good tuner, case, and professional setup done. Keep fresh strings on your guitar too. Then it becomes a pleasure to pick up your guitar and practice/play, not a chore!

Good advice from everyone so far. Since you're not a kid, you won't likely get stuck in a situation where you'll need to take a loss on it, or make an unwise trade. 335's are top notch guitars, played by many stars: Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour, Alvin Lee, SRV, and many others. Guitars in the same family, 345's, 355's, and Lucilles have long been the preferred choice for BB, Freddie King, Chuck Berry, Alex Lifeson.....

If I were buying a 335, I'd stick with the entry level model, as pickups, tuners, and bridges can be upgraded if needed, but likely won't be. If you've done enough research to know you like the 335, I'd say go for it. Strats, Teles, and Les Pauls are great also, and many of us own examples of each, but they are not the dark, woody, jazzy, feedbacky marvel the 335 can be.

That being said, I've seen some very fine knockoffs from Washburn, Hagstrom, Ibanez, Yamaha, and Epiphone for far less money. A friend has a Washburn with upgraded pickups that sounds fantastic! But, if you want a 335, you won't get hurt on resale value, especially if you find a good used one. When you want filet mignon, an outside round just won't do, as it were.

New Fender Hot Rod Deluxe $850, new 335 Dot figured top and 57 humbuckers $2699 and you'll be a rock'en daddy-o for about $3,500 +/-....or you can pick up an Epi knock off for about $400 and a little Line 6 spyder III stereo for $400 and be just as cool at $800 +/- until you learn to play and see if you're going to stick with it...these are Musician's Friend and Guitar Center prices as of March 2009..but they're having a 4th of July sale at GC this coming weekend...good luck and happy pick'en, I love classic rock..

Yes, and don't get me wrong; there are plenty of very, very high quality guitars out there in the $500 to $1000 range by many manufacturers. You just have to be a little experienced to be able to pick out the good from the bad.

If you're not sure, then yeah, going with a high-end Gibson or Fender is usually going to get you a quality instrument.

Spring for the model with the Grover tuners(which I thought were on all high-end Gibsons anyway) if a lower-end model doesn't have them. I got my son an Epiphone Les Paul with Grovers on it and it stays in tune forever. It's not easy for a beginner to tune(spring for a tuner too) and it's frustrating as hell trying to learn to play when the guitar keeps coming out of tune every 10 minutes or so. My son has had 3 lessons on the decent guitar and has made more progress in those 3 weeks then in the past 2 months on the old junker.

Whoever told you that higher priced instruments would hold their value better, and that you can get more out of them if you have to sell them told you true. A semi-hollow Gibson will bring a lot if you need to sell it. There are a lot of 335 style guitars out there for less than a Gibson(MUCH less) and they are mostly pretty serviceable instruments. But they tend to be made of cheaper components, lower quality wood, etc. The jury is still out on whether or not they'll still be serviceable in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, etc. So, if you plan to be playing this same guit-box for a long time, you should get the highest quality instrument you can. You'd be better off getting the Gibson if you can afford one.

I wouldn't worry too much about "basic" versus more features on a 335. Other than the tuners, hardware and pretty-work, there aren't a lot of options for them that I'm aware of. You can get big block inlays or dots on the neck, a bound fretboard, and some headstocks are more ornately inlaid than others. I have seem some 335s with factory installed coil cut switches, and that can be a very cool option to have.

If you can afford the stuff you want on the guitar, get it and don't worry about it. Aftermarket mods will not increase the value of your guitar; on the contrary, they are more likely to devalue it. When the guitar ceases to be the way it was when it left the factory, it is worth less in the minds of some guitar fanatics. So get everything you can afford in front, and if you want a different sound later, get a different guitar.

As far as an amp goes, a 15 to 20 watt amp will get you over with style for a long time to come. Tubes sound great, but solid state stuff sounds better than it used to. What you need to know to buy the amp is what sounds it needs to at least approximate. When you know what sort of tunes you will be playing, what bands you want to be able to sound like, etc, it will help you to decide what sort of amp to get.
A couple of bits of info; Fender reissue amps are great for what they are, but they tend to be one-trick ponies. If you can get by with just one basic sound, they are as good as any you'll find. But if you need an amp that will sound like a Fender, a Marshall, a Boogie, and others to play the songs you want to, you need a more versatile amp, one will channel switching at least.
As far as effects pedals go, they can be a lot of fun. But until you can actually play the guitar, you don't really need any. Some amps come with effects built in, and you can get quite a bit of mileage out of them while you're still learning.

Have fun learning to play. It's all about how much time you have your hands on the guitar. Do more and you will learn, do less and you won't. Keep playing and you'll get better at it. Good luck and God bless you.

Tomorrow I'm getting a 1964 Gretsch Tennesean. I've got a 1965 Firebird 12 string, 1960 Melody maker, and a host of classic vintage guitars... Strats, Les Pauls...Danelectros, only three guitars later than 1979. I love them, I know what I want, I'm happy to pay a fair value for a great instrument. BUT! I know what I want, I know what I need and can use. I would not buy a mid-line or lower quality guitar.

The reality is different for others. You are starting out. Right now I don't think that it would be easy to sell a new 335 for anything near what one might pay for a new one. Neither here nor there.... if you are buying the right guitar for you, you'll not want to sell it anytime soon. But you are not very experienced with electrics. If you have no problem dropping the cash for a 335, then I agree, buying a great guitar is a better plan financially. If you do need to sell it, you can get more of your money back. But consider this...if you buy a guitar for $400 and sell it for $175, you are down $225. If you buy a 335 for $3k and you sell it for $2250,how much are you down?

But really, your consideration should not be resale value. That assumes that you will not be happy with it.

This is the best advice offered on this thread so far.

I had a dear friend, in a moment of impulse, buy a brand new Gibson Les Paul Standard for damned near retail at $1500. He didn't need the guitar (he already had a PRS and a '65 Strat he bought new) but he was just that type of impulsive person that did stupid shit like that.

Two years later, he ran into financial trouble. He had to move some of his musical equipment - including that guitar - and, despite having played it all of six times in that two year span, he got all of $980 for it used.

I'd much rather buy a $500 axe that I can only resell for $200 than buy a $1500 axe that I can only resell for $1000.

Yeah, but if you need money bad enough to sell your only guitar, would you rather walk away with $200 or $1000?

Other side of the same coin: if you can only get $200 for it, maybe it isn't worth selling.... then you keep the guitar!

I had the same thing happen.... fellow bought a brand new beautiful American made Strat that was all whored up... transparent red finish, gold hardware, maple neck... and it was really sharp. But once he got it, he lost interest in learning to play and pretty much never touched it. Wasted money. Should have bought a Squire.

Personally, I am a player and I'd rather buy the better instrument because I know that I will get value from it. If I do sell it later, the plus or minus is not too much of an issue. But I'm not too much of a screw-up, my financial house (though hardly impressive) is in order, and I'm not going to 'have' to sell any of my guitars anytime ever.

Great advice from everyone.Thanks a million. Let me explain my logic for the Gibson 335 and tell me based on your experience if my logic is out of line. I love listening to classic rock and blues.I've noticed that the 335 is used a lot in the songs I liked. I have been doing some research on the different models guitars and listening to them being played on you tube. I was attracted to the versatility of the 335.I've given myself about 9 months to learn about guitars and and this is when I started becoming interested in their history.I read "Guitar" by Tim Brookes and found the book "The Gibson 335 Its History and Its Players by Ingram, Adrian". I guess what started as just liking the guitar sound has turned into a kind of deeper appreciation for them in general.
I have no experience with guitars and don't really know many people who I could say were real knowledgeable about them so I'm somewhat apprehensive about buying used as I can't play them or really know what I'm buying so this is why I was looking at buying a Gibson Guitar as it has a solid reputation.
I trying to do this the right way and give myself time to think and learn as much as I can about the instrument before running out and buying one. I'm studying music and music theory to prepare myself with the basics before taking lessons.
If I can do all that then I feel I'd be ready to start learning to play this wonderful instrument.

Boy, now we're flirtn' with disaster LOL

Dumping over $3,000 into a new guitar plus amp AND just going into lessons *may* not be the route to go. I might have assumed you had played "a little" guitar beforehand.

If I were you at this stage, I would probably suggest a Made in Mexico Telecaster or Stratocaster. They are both great sounding instruments and with the right amp and a pedal or two will get you playing about all the classic rock tones you'll need.

I would set your budget at about $1,000. A MIM Tele is about $500, the Blues Jr amp is somewhere around that I think. Add in a tuner (stay away from any pedals for now).

See if the dealer will throw in a free set of strings and a setup. Then start your lessons with this gear.

Should you decide it's not for you, a dealer will probably give you 40% of what you paid, selling it yourself might net you closer to 60% (but you'll love it too much to give it up and you'll be getting that ES 335 this time next year!!!!)

a couple of things to consider:

first, just because you own a kitchen, that don't make you a cook. Yes, there is a rationale to buying the same gear that your heroes use if you want to emulate that sound. There is more to getting a sound than just the gear.

Second, if you talk to old-timers like me, they will probably tell you that Gibson has changed the way that they make pieces/parts over the years. In general, most would agree that the whole Gibson line is better for it, as quality is up pretty much across the board. BUT! not all of the newer instruments sound like the older ones. For my tastes, the major change happened in the mid-1970s, with the pickups or pickup/wiring harness. Newer guitars do not sound quite the same to me as earlier instruments.

That means that if your goal is to emulate earlier players from the 70s, 60s, and before, you might consider a used 335 over a new one....unless your interests in emulation are purely cosmetic.

But in the end you have to be happy with your axe, and if you think that spending big bucks once on the right stuff is going to encourage you and help you to want to play, then go for it. I do believe for myself in buying once, buying good quality, and not having to worry about it.

What most of us are trying to say here is that few people have that kind of disposable income, to be able to drop that kind of cash on what may just be a whim.... it is one thing to be a student of guitars, finding the history and growth an interesting subject for reading; and quite another to learn to play the instrument. We're cautioning you, I hope that we are not discouraging you.

What most of us are trying to say here is that few people have that kind of disposable income, to be able to drop that kind of cash on what may just be a whim.... it is one thing to be a student of guitars, finding the history and growth an interesting subject for reading; and quite another to learn to play the instrument. We're cautioning you, I hope that we are not discouraging you.




No, your not discouraging me. I asked the question because I felt that people who have played,bought and sold guitars could give good objective advise.This helps me a great deal.and I'm grateful for the help.

Good way to stay positive.

Stick with "middle of the road" gear to start with and I don't think you'll be disappointed; I think it gives you 3 good points:

1. It should be quality gear that won't break the bank. It will sound good and be fun to play
2. It's decent enough to be long-term playable/keepable
3. It's decent enough to recoup some re-sale or trade-in value

To me, that's a win-win situation.

You live in TN - no shortage of great players nearby. Go to some local jams, listen to what the guys say, perhaps start a friendship with a player whose chops and character you respect. That's the guy/gal who will help you select a good used 335, should you wanna go that route. Most advanced musicians wanna help novices make good purchases. Anyone telling you not to get a 335, but some other high-end guitar instead is trying to impose their preference on you. Rest assured, if you blossom into an avid player, the 335 will always be one of your top guitars for any genre. The Strat is the only guitar I consider more versatile, and not by much, and if you eventually own both, you'll have over 90% of the tonal bases covered. A Les Paul has a bit more honk, and a Tele has more twang(and screechy tones), but you'll never enter a venue where your 335 can't do you proud.

The ONLY thing that scares me about a 335 and that's because I'm a big, klutzy guy, is the F-holes and, what I see as a "flimsy" top.

I'm just dumb enough to get excited while playing and put my big paw right through the top of it!!! Yeah, bull in china shop kind of person. Give me a solid body and let IT hurt me ROFL

The 335 is a fine guitar (as is its most direct "knockoff" the Epiphone model that John Lennon used).

However, these days inexpensive instruments are as well-made as they've ever been.
Rather than recommend a particular instrument, I suggest that you try as many models as you can & pay attention to how well they seem to fit your fretting hand, how comfortable they are when held in playing position & which sound good to you, with a well-rounded tone, equally full in the bass and the treble.
A guitar that's uncomfortable will put you right off, whereas one you enjoy playing will make your lessons & practices more fun.
Nothing will tell you more about a guitar than playing it & listening carefully....& I don't mean the type in general, I mean the very guitar you're considering

When you find some of those, check how well each one's frets are set, that is, in terms of playing each note throughout the range & listening for buzzes, even loudness & changes any in tone that demonstrate a flaw in that particular instrument.

Don't be afraid to pick a used model, either. They can be a real bargain.

Consider the VOX AC4 for a first amp. A simple, good sounding yet inexpensive low wattage (switchable between .25, 1 & 4 watts) amp that will look great in the corner of the living room... and even if you end up playing with other people and getting something more powerful it will still be a great practice amp to have around... and it would sound great with a 335 (plus, you can crank it with the lower wattage settings and get amp overdrive without being that loud. It's not a beginner's amp that you won't want later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZrdfjSkWu4

I've become a real Vox head...

That would be the 330. The 335 is a significantly different guitar,not the smallest differences being the solid block of wood running through the body to the neck, and the humbucking pickups. A 330, on the other hand, of the same vintage as a Lennon guitar (Epiphone Casino circa 1963) would be pretty much the same instrument save the headstock. Made in the same factory, by the same guys, using the same materials.

I haven't played this one, but I has a Brian May model Vox for a while, and I kinda wish that I still had it. Cool amp, low wattage, great sound. Thumbs up to Vox.

Bill

No worries on the 335, it is a very well built guitar with a solid block of maple running the length of the body. I have problems playing some Gretsches (like the RocJet), most Rickenbackers, and Gibson SGs because I pull them out of tune by bending the necks. Never had that problem with a 335.

One of these Yamaha TVL models will probably be filling my 335-style jones sooner or later...

Wow, that is sweet. I'd get that over one with hb's. It's so hard to find a good one with P-90's AND a Bigsby.