MartyGrass

I have another grandson who plays and takes lessons. I'm showing him how to correct an overcut nut with crazy glue and baking soda today. It's on a H-150 Ultra. Years ago I pulled the HRWs and replaced the bridge and tailpiece. Here are some before and after pics. Once we get it restrung and setup, he keeps it. I want to see him do the work first. He will. He doesn't know yet he can keep it.

My 14 year old grandson has been a studious guitar learner for two years and takes lessons. Some time ago I gave him a G&L to play. Yesterday he spent the day playing a ghost built Gretsch made by Heritage. It has the dimensions of a Super Eagle. He took right to it and played it for hours. He asked a lot of questions about it. He's 5'7" and it fit him well. I'll get the G&L back, which is a cool take on the Fender Jazzmaster, and he'll keep the Gretsch. I also gave him 10 sets of strings. He's at my house frequently. I'll teach him how to scope the interior and do sets up. Normally he's not that enthusiasted about things. This time it was different. He played for a few hours before he said it fits him well, is easy to play, and sounds great.

Gorgeous guitar.

We visit this topic from time to time, but it is always a joy. One of my favorite finishes is the chestnut sunburst. One nice feature is that the color difference between maple and mahogany isn't stark. Here are two older instruments. Note how the artists spraying them went for a slightly different result.

Thanks. They sound good to me.

The reflectors do look good. The stock pickups are these: https://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/guitar-amps-gizmos/97937-new-gibson-t-type-calibrated-pickup.html Some love them and some hate them. Go figure. I don't know what "calibrated" means really. Phat Cats sound close enough to P-90s for my purposes. They may not be as warm. I'm not sure.

So I weighed the 2022 ES-345. It is 7# 14 oz. My H-535 from 2016 is 3 oz heavier despite being slightly thinner. The neck on the Gibson is slightly thinner. I wonder if there is a difference in the density of the center blocks.

I remember Johnny Rivers. I didn't understand what he meant by secret Asian man! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBHcWvqXUQI Here's the classic ES-345 video. The trouble is that this was supposed to occur in 1955, which is four years before Gibson introduced the guitar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_WSXXPQYeY Michael J. Fox is, or was, a guitarist. You can tell by how he does this video. The center block is a combination of spruce and maple. Heritage may do the same but with a slightly thinner depth.

I did get a replacement for my 1960s Gibson ES-345 with a 2022 version. I've now played it enough to have an opinion. First, the Varitone and the stereo features I didn't ever need. Gibson stopped putting them into the ES-345. The new version has a fuller neck than the '60s and is built to be at least as good as the earlier builds. The finish and woods look the same. Thumbs up. The guitar has Phat Cats in it, which really sound fine. I have the original pickups as well, which I haven't tried. The reports on them are generally very positive. I have a fairly recent H-535. The build quality between the two are comparable. Most "the guitar that got away" stories don't have a happy ending. This one does.

I recall that well. The Bigsby factory once was next door to Gibson. The Bigsby among us was considered an upgrade. I don't think tone had a thing to do with that attitude. Also, doing three sets with a 12 lb. instrument was not a concern at all decades ago. This is a side issue. My guess is that having a Bigsby on a solid body didn't affect tone much, if at all. It may be a different story on a Golden Eagle.

There's a few I'd want. 1. My 1968 ES-345 for sentimental reasons 2. Gibson SG custom in walnut (sentimental) (maybe) 3. 1968 Epiphone Howard Roberts 4. 2002 Chestnut or OSB Millenium Eagle 2000