ES-335 Tone Tips 

You are most welcome. That is a great guitar, and I'm glad your interest in it has returned. Happy jamming.

Wow, thanks for the great feedback. I'm so glad to hear you found it useful. It was definitely a lightbulb moment for me when I discovered all the tones I could get by blending the pickups and using the tone controls to thin the mids. I agree it can make the guitar more effects friendly.

Thank you! Yes, it's funny that many of us guitar players have gotten away from using the knobs on our guitars. They are there for a reason, after all...

You bet! This stuff was definitely a game changer for me. The range of tones available just experimenting with the blend of both pickups is really amazing. The real moral of the story is: Use the knobs on the guitar; they are there for a reason!

You're welcome. Glad you found it useful. Cheers!

Thanks. I have replaced all the Pots, because Gibson never used proper lefty taper pots. They are all 500k for sure. I agree, the sweet spot tends to be both pickups on with neck vol at 8 and bridge vol at 9, at least for me.

I use the neck at 8 with tone wide open, and the bridge at 10 with tone at 8. This gives the "both pickups" setting a really great tone, at least to me.

You are welcome and Thank YOU for watching. Cheers!

That is awesome. I am generally more of a Strat/Tele guy myself, but I do love a 335. They are extremely versatile guitars, and are pure class to boot. Enjoy the journey.

Thanks for the feedback Tons of sounds to be had just using what's on the guitar.

Thanks very much. Vantage made some great guitars. I have an old VP795, that is quite beat up, but is a super solid guitar. Blues Jr's are also great amps. Nothing wrong with that rig at all. Who are some of your playing influences?

@@groundwirepodcast2142 mostly john lee hooker, john Fogerty and Albert king for electric

That's so interesting, because I would not consider any of those players to be huge influences on me, although I like all of them. Amazing how we can have different influences and still end up with similar styles. I am more influenced by Hendrix, early Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Peter Green. Of course, those guys were all influenced by Albert King, so....

Hey, thanks for this comment and insights. Yes, it totally works to keep the bridge pickup on 8 and adjust the neck pickup. In fact, I have been doing more of this lately. Agreed that this, and electric guitar in general, takes on a whole new dimension though a large rig. There is something about the way the guitar interacts with a loud amp that makes the notes just jump out of the guitar. On the rare occasions that I get to play though my '73 Superbass and 4x12 cab, it is an experience unlike any other.

Thanks, and Epi Dots are great guitars, probably not that different than my 335, honestly.

Yeah, they're not really that far apart!!!

A small point, but a very good one. I was aware of this, but forgot to mention it. I don't think he used it all the time, and when he did, I feel the quack stands out a bit, but for sure this was an important element of his sound. Thanks for adding this.

​@groundwirepodcast2142 He used them all the time in the studio. His LP had all 4 pots as switchable. 2 for phase and 2 for coil split. It also helps that he used the ultra rare (expensive) Vox UL730's gain stage for early Zep albums. The Aclam Dr. Robert pedal duplicates this pretty well for Zep and Beatles stuff. Then there's the JHS Colorbox, a must for that DI Neve sound.

Thanks for the feedback. The position of the knobs on my guitar isn't really the point, though. Different brands of pot have different tapers. Your Volume on 7 may be like mine on 6, etc. The main point is to use both pickups, adjust the blend between them using the volume and tone knobs, and unlock a range of different sounds. Hope that is useful.

Thanks! It works with any dual pickup guitar with dual volume and tone controls but extra useful with 335 style guitars.

Thank you! That's very kind.

Thank you! I think it works with any dual humbucker guitar with individual volume/tones. Thanks for the feedback. Yes, self editing is challenging, and the audio quality is also noted. I have been using a plug in condenser mic and recording on the iPhone, to minimize editing, but I may have to suck it up and individually mic voice and amp and properly edit. The extra workload is dissuading me from this. Know any video editing interns who want to hone their chops? 😂

@@groundwirepodcast2142 sounds too much like work!

Thank you! I think the early 80's stuff is killer, and the Shaw pickups are the best Gibson has made since the original PAFs, in my opinion. I did swap out the pots in mine. I use the RS Superpots, and they are great. Cheers!

Thank you, and you're most welcome. 1) At times I am using an overdrive pedal; so not sure if that is what you are referring to. I announce when I turn it on. I also always set my amps at the edge of breakup, so even "clean" there is a bit of hair on the notes. Much more character to the tone this way, 2) I'd recommend looking up top wrapping, as there's quite a few articles about it. You are inserting the string the opposite way through the tailpiece and then wrapping it over the top. It allows you to lower the tailpiece to the body without having too sharp of a break angle over the bridge. Cheers!

Thanks, and agreed, but reverb is so addictive it's easy to overdo it.

@@groundwirepodcast2142 well your amp has rich reverb.You play very good.How long have you had the 335?I have a 335 Memphis.I've always been attracted to them.And I do the same thing you do with the bridge pickup.Glad to see you're using a tube amp.I don't like solid state.But I do like the treble that tubes give.I have a vox AC 15.But I would love to have a Deluxe Reverb tube amp.But I can't afford one.Keep it up.Keep doing the videos.It will open doors for you.

Thanks for the kind words. I have only owned the 335 about 18 months, after lusting for one for years. It's totally killer. Mine needed a lot of work when I got it, but I got a good deal on it and it was worth it. Agreed on tube amps. For me, it's the only way. AC15's are awesome. I have never owned a Vox, but I love that sound. Thanks, and I will surely keep doing videos. Cheers!

I've been playing for 25 years, but music is a never ending pursuit and we are all beginners forever...

@@groundwirepodcast2142 Apologies, I was wrong, I saw an early passage when you were playing very stiffly but now see much greater fluency towards the end of the video. I still think you will reach greater expressiveness if you ditch the plectrum for six weeks and let your right hand talk actively to the strings while your left hand remains pegged behind the frets, insulated from the vibrations and thus playing a vital but subsidiary part in sound production compared to the mighty right hand.

Thanks. For me, that left and right hand stuff is reversed, seeing as I'm a lefty. I appreciate your comments, though I will say that the playing isn't really the point of the video. When recording a video, live, in a single take, it's easy to play stiffly and fall back on simple cliché riffs and such. The tones and concepts are the point of the video, not anything I'm playing, but I can see how subpar playing could detract from the greater point. Cheers, and thanks for watching.

@@groundwirepodcast2142 No I get you completely, I think your tips and video are excellent and have helped me overcome the constraints of the tone selector switch on my Gibson Lucille. I should have intuited that the gradation of a rotary tone pot is greater than the toneband pre-sets of a 6 position switch. I wanted that Alvin Lee woman tone on it without having to cook my vintage Marshall to neighbour-bothering levels. A wooden passage in your playing spooked me into thinking there was a disparity between your technical knowledge and your playing experience which made me switch off tetchily. Your reasoned and polite response then meant I saw later that you CAN play well and thus I was able to consume your tone-dialling advice with appreciation... and will watch you again. Your picking/plucking hand is the future though, trust me, not for acrobatics but for expression. It renewed my love of all stringed instruments and led me to session work, theatre performances, (even playing the Tower of London) during the second half of my 47 years playing.

That's being quite generous, but Thank You!

It's not crazy. It's all up to the player and what feels comfortable. That said, if you haven't tried lighter strings in a while, I highly recommend it.

Pickups do make a huge difference for sure, but I would wager that sometimes, finding the tone you are after is just a twist of the volume or tone knob away. For example, I always found Les Pauls to be a bit nasal and biting, until I starting running the volume of the bridge pickup at 9 instead of 10...

ME TOO! Always though Les Pauls have too distinct of an in phase middle position quack and "strong" tone which perhaps aligns with your "nasal and biting". Thanks for tips! @@groundwirepodcast2142