From: denio@scubed.com (Dennis C. O'Neill)
Subject: Re: Soliciting Onions:  ES 335, 355
Organization: S-CUBED, A Division of Maxwell Labs; San Diego CA
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 14:13:25 GMT

In article <pquince.716487808@blacks> pquince@blacks.jpl.nasa.gov (Peter Quince) writes:
> Greetings; I have a couple questions about the Gibson guitars
> of the subject line; the ES 335 and 355.
> 
> My understanding is that the 355 has a stereo output and a 
> control of some sort for this.  What does the control control,
> and what if anything are other differences between the 335 and
> the 355?  Are their sounds indistinguishable?  Are they both
> semi-hollow bodies with big bricks of wood through the center?
> 
> Or, more directly, is the 355 just the same as a 335 with a 
> couple hundred dollars of extra electonics that never gets used?

Electronic differences between the ES335 and ES355:  the 355 has
"stereo" (i.e., each pickup goes to its own channel of a stereo
output jack; one needs a stereo-to-mono Y cord to use the guitar
in "stereo"), where the 335 is mono output.  The 355 has a gizmo
called a Varitone, which is not much more than a switch-selectable
tone control.  BB King usually keeps his turned off, if that 
matters to you.  If you were clever you could use the Varitone
switch as a control for series/parallel wiring and coil tapping,
but it probably wouldn't be worth the effort.

In materials, the 335 has a rosewood fingerboard while the 355
has ebony.  335 necks are often mahogany, while 355 necks are often
maple, but there are lots of 335's with maple necks (mostly made in the
60's and 70's) and I believe there are 355's with mahogany necks.

Cosmetically, the 335 is plainer, usually having single-layer body
binding and neck binding but no headstock binding.  355's have
multi-layer body, neck, and headstock binding.  335's have nickel-
or chrome-plated metal parts, and 355's have gold-plated parts.
Fingerboard inlays also differ.

All in all, the 355 is a little brighter than the 335, especially
if one compares a mahogany-necked 335 to a maple-necked 355.



> Second issue; these guitars are frequently associated with 
> 'previous generation' music.  (cf. recent posting describing
> one or the other as good for '60's and '70's type music.)
> While I don't believe that the guitar is incapable of playing
> any music composed after 1979, I am wondering if there is some
> subtle limitation to what these things can do.  This is sort of
> a stupid question, but you can smarten it up by restating it 
> 'How would you characterize the tone, playability, and versatility 
> of the 335/355 w/r/t say a Les Paul or a Strat?'

The 335 sounds about the same as a Les Paul Standard with similar
electronics, and the 355 sounds about the same as a Les Paul Custom.
The 335/355s have less sustain than Les Pauls, but not much less.
All this IMO.

Strats and Gibsons sound completely different.

As to their suitability for a particular type of music, I think the 335
is one of the most versatile guitar designs around.  There are better 
single-genre guitars, but the 335 is a good all-around instrument IMO.

335/355s to avoid are those that were made in the 60's: they tend to
have narrower necks (1 9/16" vs the newer [and older] 1 11/16").
Also avoid ones with trapeze tailpieces and vibrato tailpieces, as they
have less sustain than those with stop tailpieces.

Recent-issue 335s and the Lucille (a 355 without f-holes) are first-rate
guitars.
-- 
Dennis O'Neill (denio@seismo.css.gov)
Newsgroups: alt.guitar