Jump to content
Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

Gibson ES-335 Bass


Wally Malone

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 30
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Yikes. I could retire the Cassidy with that.

 

A beautiful bass, but I wonder if there's really $1500 worth of difference in the sound between this and the JC bass, which retails for $700.

"Everyone wants to change the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves." Leo Tolstoy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yikes. I could retire the Cassidy with that.

 

A beautiful bass, but I wonder if there's really $1500 worth of difference in the sound between this and the JC bass, which retails for $700.

 

Simply put - you're not likely to get $1500 worth of difference playing bar gigs. I would be afraid to take that kind of hardware out to a bar gig. Guess Jackie and I are going to be haning out together for a while longer.

 

Now, if I were a studio player, it would likely be another story.

 

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it would probably sound drastically different than the Jack Casady bass. But until one of us actually plays one of these beasts, it's all conjecture.

 

It would be nice to have one of those and the matching guitar.

It would be nice to have a lot of stuff.

 

However, that bass is one I certainly would never need.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's definitely an interesting premise for an instrument. And hollowbody basses do seem to be experiencing something of a rennaissance. That being said, a $2K plus instrument is out of the reach of many a player these days.

 

I've had a jonesing for a Gibson hollowbody ever since I played a 60's vintage Gibson EB-2 over a decade ago. The tone of the neck pickup alone was HUGE! But this new ES-335 bass actually appears to have the pickups that are in the current incarnation of the Gibson Les Paul oversized bass. I tried out one of those, and the neck pickup sounded amazing. But I was very disappointed with the tone of the bridge pickup, the weight, and the bridge itself.

 

I definitely appreciate the fact that Gibson appears to be trying to appeal to bass players. And they're trying to do it their own way. But they need to focus more on the details like pickup placement and hardware.

 

As for this ES-335 bass? The proof will be in the playing. I'll actually be stopping by the Music Zoo in a few weeks, because there's a guitar show out that way. So it bears stopping by to check out some cool gear. But will I considering dropping $2K on that bass? Probably not.

Obligatory Social Media Link

"My concern is, and I have to, uh, check with my accountant, that this might bump me into a higher, uh, tax..."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jeremy's right. With the pickup placement it would sound very different from the Jack Casaday. I'm thinking it would sound pretty much like a boomier Les Paul bass.
Push the button Frank.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

At any rate, there are some JC's being blown out right now for $200 or more below the price just posted. I debated it, but still don't think I care overall for the sound of that bass. Unique it is, though. One of these days I might need its sound. :-) And certainly it is well-constructed for that price range and closer to a $2000 bass.

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1,

Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You might also take a look at the Gibson Midtown. Don't be decieved by the mudbucker the ones they are using now are actually T-bird pups under the cover.

Nothing is as it seems but everything is exactly what it is - B. Banzai

 

Life is what happens while you are busy playing in bands.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At any rate, there are some JC's being blown out right now for $200 or more below the price just posted. I debated it, but still don't think I care overall for the sound of that bass. Unique it is, though. One of these days I might need its sound. :-) And certainly it is well-constructed for that price range and closer to a $2000 bass.

 

If you can tell me were to get a Silverburst for $500 "like new", I might be interested.

 

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't have time right now to check forum rules to see if it's OK to directly reference a sale at one vendor as it implies endorsement by the sponsor of the website host, correct? This is a problem on MANY forums.

 

For now, I'll just say the website's initials are "H.M.". The sale might have ended by now.

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1,

Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I certainly can't afford it, but would like to add it to my wish list so it can look nice sitting next to my ES-335 guitar. Heck, I might even play it out. So many instruments, so little time & money... especially money.

"Am I enough of a freak to be worth paying to see?"- Separated Out (Marillion)

NEW band Old band

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't have time right now to check forum rules to see if it's OK to directly reference a sale at one vendor as it implies endorsement by the sponsor of the website host, correct? This is a problem on MANY forums.

 

For now, I'll just say the website's initials are "H.M.". The sale might have ended by now.

 

:cop:

 

i'm kidding. i think it's fair game, and i can edit it if it turns out not to be.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Music -- but I suspect many (certainly not all) of their sales items are due to impending updates.

 

For instance I got a super-deal on the Arturia 61-note MIDI controller. Just today, Arturia announced a new edition, with sixteen drum pads on it. Haven't had a chance to compare specs to see if I'll upgrade. best controller ever, but maybe the new one would simplify my setup and put the Korg padkontrol on the block.

 

Anyway, this is a bass forum, and stringed instruments don't become obsolete the way electronic instruments do. So I wouldn't waste time worrying about why a bass is on special discount because of an impending update. Often that's nothing more than a change to available colours anyway.

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1,

Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It just as well. I'm savin' up the gig cash for one of those 5 string, hand-carved Bulgarian beauties.

 

I really get were you're coming from after selling my F Bass and getting the German carved bass. I'm loving every minute it is in my hands!

 

Wally

I have basses to play, places to be and good music to make!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

A little late to the party but hi everyone!

 

I'm lucky enough to own both a Jack Casady AND a 335 bass so I thought I could shed some light on this (in case anyone's still interested??)

 

The basses are a similar size and shape but the similarity really does end there (apart from the 3 point bridge of course!) The 335 doesn't have the floating top construction of the JC and instead has two hollow chambers. The 335 is MUCH heavier than the JC, adding to its feeling of superior quality (I'm not sure why the weight difference is so great..) The 335's headstock is smaller than the JC's and so it doesn't suffer the same kind of massive neck dive as the Jack. My only issue with the 335s construction is the pointy corners on the nut, but these will be easy to file down so they're nice and smooth.

 

The angle of the body to neck is more extreme on the 335 from the player's point of view but having played the JC for years the overall feel was similar and so easy to get used to. Plugged in these boys have very different characters. I've loved my JC as a recording and live bass for its woody bit-like-a-precision-but-not-quite tone. It's a very expressive guitar that responds well to different playing styles and hand positions. In short I love my Jack and don't love it any less for having its cousin in the same room!

 

The 335's output is a lot hotter than the JC's. In fact in volume it matches the JC when its pots are set to 7. The neck pickup gives a lovely resonant vintage P kind of sound that works really well when you play up close to the neck. Whether using fingers or pick there's a real sweet spot in front of the neck pickup. The bridge pickup alone is like a Jazz's, kinda thin and honky if you like that kind of thing! Both pickups together give this bass its best sound, really rounded with huge amounts of bass and enough treble to give you some definition and a classic (long scale) Gibson tone. I find that dialling down the tone control on the neck pickup whilst allowing the bridge to deliver all the zing works really well. It's still breaking in but I absolutely LOVE this bass.

 

To conclude - of course the 335 isn't four times better than the JC, even if their respective prices would suggest this. The JC is an amazing bass and incredible value (mine was only £300). I've had the JC for 7 years now and it's better than ever. If you're lucky enough to have both then you will use the 335 most of the time, but there will definitely be times when you reach for the Jack. Sometimes softly spoken is more desirable than big and brash.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm lucky enough to own both a Jack Casady AND a 335 bass so I thought I could shed some light on this (in case anyone's still interested??)

 

Sometimes softly spoken is more desirable than big and brash.

 

 

Just what the doctor ordered. Thank you for the passionate comparison.

-- Michele Costabile (http://proxybar.net)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...
I have a Gibson 335 bass ordered and on the way, and am wondering if the 335 will fit in the Casady case? I'd like to preserve my Custom Shop / factory case since I'm a little rough with my gear, and I'm sure it will get really scuffed and beat up. Trying to find another down the road will probably be impossible.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...