Why You Need A Gibson 335 

Loving this format with a countdown to demo. Little description, some history, so technical details, then BAM!- rad playing. More please

I've played mostly Strats and Teles over the past 20 years but I finally bought a Gibson ES-335 about a year ago and I love its versatility. So many tonal options and very comfortable to play. Mine is a 2014 with a slim early 60' s neck and its a joy to play. Your playing is fantastic by the way.

That sweet feedback of a semi hollow is something special Awesome demo Jonathan 🤘

Always a pleasure to see and hear you play, Jonathan. Your music on Spotify is on high rotation in my music listening world right now. I find myself humming Avalon to myself constantly. 👍👍😀😀👏👏

Jonathan killing it! Sounded so good.

Thanks for summing up that series of guitars. I knew little to nothing about them. Very cool!

First time seeing video. Love the format and time counter for demo! Brilliant bro!

In 1972 I use to have a 1968 ES 335, but I traded it for other gear because it was too big for me to play comfortably. A few months ago I bought an ES 339 it took the place of my ES 335. Now I have one that's similar to my ES 335 it's smaller and fits me better.

Wow, awesome playing Jon that guitar sounds phenomenal

I have a great Epiphone 335 PRO. It was $499 new a couple years ago, found it used for like $300 with a couple nicks. The Pro has upgraded pickups with push/pull coil tapping, block inlays, build quality and feel is excellent. Really could find no faults with it’s sound, playability, and build. I’d eventually like a Gibson but this will tide me over for many years! If you see a good deal for a used one, snatch it up.

Very nice, Johnny - more of your playing on the channel please!

Fantastic video----5 years ago got a 1964 ES-345 reissue and its become my number 1 guitar, for all the reasons you state---it can cover anything and they play and look amazing. Also, so far feedback issues have been fairly minimal. Great job Jonathan, LOVED the video, cheers!!!

I have an epiphone 335 inspired by Gibson and I dream of owning a Gibson. The epi gets you half way there

I have played a 335 and a 339 for over 10 years and I love them.....To me, they were in a category of their own......and though I totally respect these Gibsons and their heritage (how could one not ?) ....I recently bought a PRS SE Hollowbody Standard ($1029) ...... and for me , the TONE, ERGONOMICS, EVENESS OF NOTES and PLAYABILITY , of the PRS is like a 335/339 that has mutated into a significantly SUPERIOR modern form......everything that is great about the Gibsons is more 'evolved' on the PRS SE Hollowbody at a small portion of the Gibson price ........I know this will be considered to be 'sacrilegious' .....but now for me, I think the only reason I will be playing the Gibsons will be to demonstrate and compare them with my PRS........The one thing to keep in mind is that the PRS SE Hollow STD is HOLLOW not semi hollow......and I am not qualified to comment regarding HIGH GAIN operation, BUT I have found that with higher gain settings, that the PRS has an uncanny ability to sustain into feedback in a very EVEN almost sustainer-like way .

Slightly late, but Gibsons to me are aspirational once in a lifetime guitars (price & history more than any other reason) so for my 30th my wife very kindly got me a 2014 59 345 reissue. Truly loved and PLAYED.

I got mine in 2020 for a steal! They’re some of the best style guitars there is. So much snap and punch all wrapped into an elegant package

I love the 335! It's so true that it can do the Fenderish sounds. I like that I don't really need to mess with my amp tones when switching back and forth live.

That guitar sounds and looks awesome! Nice playing too!

Awesome blues jam at the end!! Wish I could rip like that!!

I always dreamed of owning a 335 and about a year ago I took the plunge and bought one. They are everything everyone says about them and more. But one thing I was not prepared for is how heavy they are. Because they look like a hollow body you sort of expect them to be light and it is a bit of an adjustment the first time you pick it up. But don't let that stop you, they are truly the Emperor of guitars.

Wow! Good stuff!

Beauty guitar. The older I get the more interest i have in these guitars. Sounds like you played the perfect music for that guitar. Great playing makes it.

I saw the Tedeschi Trucks band last week. Derek Trucks mostly stuck with his SG until they went for this amazing 15 minute jam where he shredded on a 335-looking guitar (I'm no expert). Absolutely phenomenal.

I got my 335 during the now famous 2017 memphis clear out. I put some throbaks and a 50s wiring harness in and its one of my main guitars since, so versatile

Just bought a new ES 345 this year. Love it.

Got my Heritage 535, hope that’s close enough.

Nice looking guitar and great playing. I enjoy your videos and playing yours and Baxter

My 339 has the most amazing feedback at stage volume, at the end of the song just move towards the amp and wow. Really glorious! Nice post, the way the guitar messes with your head is huge, and underestimated in my opinion.

I have a CS336 and recently modded it with new pickups and precision tuners and love the tone. It has that sustain and there is some magic in that semi hollow body and you can get anything you want out of it. So good I sold my ‘59 VOS Les Paul

I have an Epiphone Sheraton 2. A ES 335 clone with split coil pickups. Love It. An amazing and versatile guitar with lots of tone options.

Great demonstration of pretty much all the reasons you hit on. Including getting that single note feedback.

335, nuff said! Cheers, Jonathan!

⚓️ Thanks Casino 😎

I love my Gibson es335. I got my on a budget. Bought a es 335 studio for 700 on Craigslist, had a pickup routed in the neck for $150, and a Gibson 57 classic pickup for $75 .

At 18yo I traded in my Fender American Deluxe with the Clapton mod, a couple of Peavey power amplifiers, and a hybrid-tube amp sim / effects rack unit for a 335 and a Marshall. That rig lasted me twenty years during which time I built my life and not once looked at upgrading my gear. 5yrs ago I started acquiring more guitars and amps. The 335 gets picked up the most with all of my tube amps now even with a few other guitars in the mix. Fender blackfaces do it justice particularly well, but it can whale like a Les Paul through a Marshall on command.

I have an Ibanez A73 I love. So smooth sounding

Great video! 🤘🎸🤘

Nicely played man. I own a ‘59 reissue from the Nashville custom shop and I love the neck. It’s a 1” deep at the 12th fret. I’m always bouncing between the neck pickup and neck/bridge .

I've owned three. Played them for years.... until I played an Eastman T-185. Has solid woods, nitro finish, ebony board and 25" scale -you wouldn't think .25" makes a difference, but it really does. binding everywhere and output jack on the rim. Way less expensive too.

The middle position on a 335 is magical - how the volume knobs interact to mix the pickups - it makes a difference which volume knob you use. Really magical for me. Edit: In many ways, I think a tele is similar to the 335 - not how the middle position works - but somehow how it feels. I can switch pretty easily from a tele to a 335. If you have a tele and a 335, you can cover pretty much anything. I also really like my new Casino (although it is a slightly different beast). Nice playing!

If I was sitting in Casino and Jonathan told me this I'd walk out with a 335....lol...I just picked up a Jr cuz I've never owned anyting with P-90. Next up 335 for me for sure, Sounds sweet too when he demos it.

It was actually seeing that 355 hanging on the wall that got me watching this channel. I've been GAS-ing for a 335 forever. I just haven't found the one. With Gibson I'm always trying to find a guitar with the right neck girth. I'm not a fan of the 60's slim taper profile, I grew up on Fender baseball bats. Great playing man, you don't let that guitar look like it's going to crush you.

Ive had 2 Epi 335's 1 Ibanez 335, 1 univox 335! Now l got a Gibson 🍒 335, and its a keeper, the others are gone! I agree with your experience with them! It's my fave vintage grind!😋

My only experience playing a 335 was when I was working at a national music store chain. I was the lucky bastard that got to unbox and tune the guitars, before they went onto the floor. We got two in. Unbox the first one, tune her up, and start strumming. Something is off. It feels weird. Bring it over to our tech, and the nut was cut wrong. Box her up to send her back. Unbox the second 335(which was for a customer), and the same problem. Send them both back, and Gibson fills and re-cuts both nuts, wrong a second time. That was during the current and new ownership. Two of many problems we had with them. It’s embarrassing.

My favorite Gibson!

They make the best couch guitars . I have a dot neck that lives on my lounge plugged to a little tweed Blue junior but some times I don’t even turn her on and just play acoustically. They really are burst beaters IMO

I think I've got my eye on an Epiphone BB king,, back in the 80s as a teenager I fell in love with the es 335 studio , without f-holes but couldn't afford one back then

we need this es335 things;i use a sheraton 2 in blonde from 2004 and its fantastic too!!

This is my dream guitar. The 335.

After reading some comments on this its either love or hate, I have one and in buying it I had to try several before I found the right fit for me, they play drastically different from one guitar to the next and not everyone has them for sale [especially used] so it led to several guitar safari's for me, but as soon as I found that right one I knew it right away and the feel, look, and sound made me want to play even more.It also led me to finding an ES137c blue burst which I like even more. Jonathan's guitar has a great story behind it, I can't remember if its on Casino or his chanel but its worth a look and he can ROCK his !!!

Or a 347, which is even more versatile. When I was young I worked full time for a couple of months to save up enough money to buy the best 335(ish) guitar I could find. I spend a whole day trying out as many as I could find and I went home with a beautiful black 347. I use the extra switch a lot! That guitar covers every genre of music. I don't understand why they stopped making them. Maybe Gibson should do a reissue run on these. I know I'll never sell mine. 😎

great sound. what are you playing through? (amp? effect?)

I have a red Gibson ES335 and it’s my fav guitar in my collection. U can literally play anything w them.

Always wanted a 335, didn't know I needed one until I got a 59 reissue. It's my desert island guitar now.

I’ve owned an Epiphone Sheraton II for decades. My ears and playing got good enough that the original pickups, while mostly acceptable, didn’t please my ears and I felt let down the inherent acoustic and sonically three-dimensional qualities of the instrument. I replaced the pickups and did a wiring upgrade and that guitar for a pittance and pennies as compared to a Gibson, has made this a guitar I would be willing to bet stacks up very favorably to the Gibson here, which is likely FIVE times the cost of my Epiphone, even with the mods. There are times, despite being a Tele guy, Strat guy, a Les Paul guy, that a GOOD ES335 Style could very well be that every gig/desert island lone guitar. It’s just that versatile.

My 335 is a Bonamassa sig. Great guitar. My 355 is CS mono stop tail also great.

I had a Gibson CS 61 335 I loved it it was awesome. Unfortunately I had to sell it two springs ago and it still hurts. I agree that if you can afford one you should get one.

After playing an original 1958 es335 at Carter vintage guitars I'm a believer. Vintage guitars have the mojo

Having a Les Paul and a Casino, I didn't feel quite the need for a 335, though conversations (and videos like this) on the subject swayed me. Looking for a something a little more distinguishing (and some quality, but not the price of a Gibson) I went for the Epiphone Riviera. I LOVE the Freqensator tailpiece! I think it really adds something... though I'm not entirely sure what. Stock pickups are fine, but I trust "Mr. Fabulous" (D'Urbano Magnetics) to deliver the real mini-hum goodness. Have a set when I have the time and patience to swap them (not simple). Having the Casino, and being used to it; I was a bit shocked by the weight of the Riviera. The neck profile is also chunky - not a problem but an adjustment. Great Video (albeit without Baxter and without some of the usual American Banter) and bang-on sentiment: you need a semi-hollow variant eventually.

Great info, Jonathan --- What do you think about the 339? I wonder if I might like the slightly smaller body.

Jonathan kills the 12 bar blues at the end

Nice guitar Jonathon.👌🏻

I love ES-335ie and 330ies like crazy.

I've always said that Gibson ES style guitars have a transparent sound that is similar to a Strat but the ES guitar gives a crackly sound and the Strat is more scractchy sounding.

What a sound

awesome. now I want one! can we get one of these vids on a Rickenbacker 6 string?

Awesome playing. I’m already sold, though. Replaced my Epiphone Riviera P93 with a Gibson 335 last year. I started playing an acoustic, so, the bigger guitar has always felt comfortable, and I don’t understand when people tell me they don’t want to try playing it because it’s too big. It’s the right size.

The way they feedback and resonate is something special. I’m still not able to afford a good 335. I would actually jump towards the CS-356 for a bit more money if I had anything close. I’ve been playing an Ibanez AS183 for many years. Beautifully crafted at %25 the price. Doesn’t sound as good as Gibson.

Any idea what the difference in specs are between a Sheraton Pro and the 335?

How do you feel about a 335 with P90s? I love mine, I think it sits perfectly between gibson and fender.

This was the last video I needed to watch. I was deciding between a 335 and a Duesenberg Starplayer TV and went with the Doozy. Now I'm questioning my decision.

On my list🎸✌️

Omg I really need this guitar man. I want the 345 with split inlay blocks up the neck .

I have the good fortune to own a Heritage Millie semi solid guitar. It is like no other.

I have a White Falcon, Tennessee Rose, Mule Mavis, 000-28e & D41 Martins… I chose a Heritage 535 instead of the Gibson. What (if anything) are your thoughts on that instrument?

Really nice guitar. Your demo jam was on point. It has some really cool moves that I’d never considered. I’m ripping it off…because that’s how we do..

Unusual to see this show without Baxter, hope all's well. Really enjoyed your playing on the ride out, Jonathan! Great job overall on this episode. This type of guitar is what's missing from my modest but nice collection of electrics, which is currently all solid-bodies. So I'm always on the lookout. Narrowed it down to Epi or Gib 335 or 339 (love the slightly smaller sized body) or maybe a Guild Starfire. Not turned on at all with Gretsch though. On a side note, I do all my own maintenance/repair and mods, and one thing I do not like about hollow and semihollow guitars is difficulty of access to the innards. Since these basically have plywood tops and backs I doubt a well-crafted cavity access plate would detract much from the tone. Thoughts, anyone?

My first guitar was an ES 335! That's right. a slightly used 2009 red one.

How much of a drop off is the Epiphone 335? And what are you using for the amazing tone (besides the hands)?

Having a slew of solid bodies, I always thought I'd add a 335 until I came across Heritage. After playing an H-555 with Seth Lovers, I was sold. I now have two, one of which is the 30th Anny edition. It's gorgeous. I have a couple Les Pauls and also a Heritage H-157 Custom and an H-170 double cut, again they are easily on par with my Gibsons. For considerably less, I picked up a DeAngelico Deluxe DC with SD 59s. It will also scratch your semi-hollow itch!

The only one I would own , would be a Alvin Lee replica. But I honestly don’t want to sell a kidney to get one .🤷🏼‍♂️🖖🏼. I always learn a lot from Jonathan 👍

I coupling not agree more I played solid bodies for 25 years before really giving the 335 a chance and now I'm a full convert! They are so versatile and can play any type of music but give a warmer tone overall than solid bodies.

it is a desert island guitar... i was finally able to obtain one this year... along with my les paul with p90's... my 335 will be in my casket with me....

I really wanted a 335, but after having an Epiphone Sheraton for a few months, and then playing a 335, I came to realize I'm just not a semi-hollow body guy. Can't bond with them.

I know it isn't a real Gibby 335, but recently completed my upgrades to my Blonde Epiphone Dot with Mojotone 335 harness, TUSQ nut, Duncan JB in bridge with Dimarzio PAF in neck. Got inspired to mod it from Johnathon live Instagram posts. Would love to Pepsi challenge my blonde Epi Dot to J Dogs 335 !

Does a hrfusion counr?

Never owned a 335, got a 1986 Guild Starfire 4 instead, does that still count?

they look so good in natural finish! weren't you guys gonna show guild some love with a video?

Does a Gibson HR Fusion count?

In fact, it’s a solid guitar with a jazz box looking

I have gretsch 6120 and love to play everything with it. I play my les paul and strat when u want certain feel .if I had 335 I get the bigsby with it ..

1or 2 questions; why is there a hagstroem Viking on the right and a Gretsch EIectromatic on the back whiiIe demonstrating a Gibson ? 3. Why does my 200 $ Epiphone ES 335 dot studio (used, from 2016) sound Iike this Gibson pIayed over an 1975 PoIytone so cute jazzy ?

If I had to own only one guitar, it would be a 335 (or 339). Incredibly versatile and comfortable to play on for hours. Even non-guitar players/non-musicians recognize it as the “Back to the Future” guitar or “The guitar on the Garageband logo.”

I have a gorgeous 335 from 1990 - which I love dearly - fitted with its original Classic 57s. It plays great and sounds great, but I do not understand why people say they are the most versatile guitar. Perhaps it could be because I no longer play at gig volumes??? At the lower volume levels I now play at, my SG Standard, with its 490/498 pickups, sounds better to my ears. It could be that my ageing ears are faulty! 🙃

yo bro , damn u killin me with that thang,😍😍😍

So you can sell more of them?

I play a ton of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers stuff during gigs and my 335 covers it all…best guitar on earth

I thought this would be Baxters demo with Noels 335 release

One of 9 Gibson you need. Now, how many of the 15 Fender models have you made?(includes iconic/historic basses)

I definitely know my phone is listening to my conversations. I want a 345 and this video pops up. Lol. I love Marcus kings tone. His 335 reissued is sick.