Gibson ES 335 set up

Here we have Chris's ES Dot 335 for a new custom adjustable Tusq nut and a precision fret levelled set up. I was pleased to be able to relieve him of the ugly String Butler... my experience is that the Tusq adjustable nut + thorough string stretching = rock solid tuning stability and this guitar again proved the point.
I look forward to hearing the screams of horror when Gibson afficianados have to watch me removing the old nut with a Dremel cutting disk. I've done this a ton of times and it's perfectly safe but somehow it seems to set teeth on edge :-)

[@jfcreamerful]

Best set up demonstration I have come across....thanks Sam!!!

[@denmar355]

I like the string butler. Works great. It’s not some evil addition. It solves a design problem. I’ve never regretted adding it. PRS took a better path. Shame Gibson never did.

[@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars]

You're right - I didn't post this to knock the Butler... I like to show how, with a Tusq nut and proper stretching the Gibson headstock arrangement isn't the impossible nightmare that guitar folklore would have you believe.

[@tonevicar-fr5gh]

​

[@vayabroder729]

Carvin/Kiesel has been doing the same thing in some of their headstock designs for a few years now. The nut is the really important factor but having a straight string path helps.

[@Jason.King.at.your.service]

2004.. Apart from the headstock repair, it's in great condition for 20 years old.

[@18robsmith]

One nice ES335. It's a long time since I've seen a blond one, a really nice change from all the dark wood copies that populate most guitar shops.

[@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars]

Customer emailed me yesterday - absolutely chuffed with the guitar and the fact that it "stays in TUNE!!" :)

[@KozmykJ]

I have a couple of those cheap needle files, the flat ones. I've made a 'Safe Edge' on them and they come in SO handy for fiddly little jobs. Like that excess CA glue in the slot for example. They get used the most, on my bench, when dealing with 'catchy' fret ends.

[@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars]

Long live home-made tools!

[@paintbox48]

Hi Sam....I've never come across/played a guitar with nylon saddles. Do you have any info/opinion on why Gibson would adopt this? For example is it to warm up a too trebly sounding guitar?

[@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars]

Having just given it a play to assess it… It’s difficult to guess whether it was done to ‘warm’ up the tone or to inflict less west on the strings as they go over the saddle apexes. Slightly softer on the palm too. Overall nice warm sounding guitar (pickups) with a good deal of final difference between the bridge and the neck which I like.

[@chrisnewnham921]

Its an aftermarket tone pro’s bridge i fitted. Not the factory bridge. I believe gibson had nylons saddles briefly in the 60’s? Seemed like a good idea when i bought it

[@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars]

@@chrisnewnham921 I recall a few cheapie MIJ laminate Les Paul copies in the late 70s / early 80s had them too. They seem to work just fine. I’ve got a couple of Tone pros Bridges and I love them :)

[@paintbox48]

@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Thanks for your replies....I just worry about soft material wearing more than anything...a nice sounding guitar is a nice sounding guitar afterall.

[@RavenMadd9]

Thank you for the pattern idea

[@brianogrady7900]

Great Video Sam learned a lot about intonation iPhone dosnt seem seem to give a reading on the 12 fret Best Rrgardd

[@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars]

Worth having a little unit like the Korg I use (not a clip-on one but a plug-in). Don't need anything more complex or expensive.

[@msaintpc]

That customer's gonna have a sobering repair bill.🙂 Good video and a great learning experience.

[@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars]

Same cost as any other set up I do; same care and attention for all / any guitars.

[@msaintpc]

@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Good man.

[@vayabroder729]

The great Dave Edmunds used to play the hell out of one of those blonde dot necks.

[@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars]

Ah yes. Back in the day. I remember learning "Singing the blues" somewhere in the very early 1980s. He also played a couple of times with Ringo's All Star Band :)

[@victorluiz2099]

Well...I think what really matters is the end result, regardless of the method used to achieve it.

[@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars]

Depends what you’re referring to Victor - if it’s the Butler, it would certainly have improved tuning stability but it was still less than ideal. The combination of Tusq nut + full stretching seems as good as I could wish for.

[@victorluiz2099]

​@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitarsI really loved the result of leveling the frets through the truss rod. It's a bit reminiscent of a method called "katana", I think or something like that. The idea is very sensible and has proven to solve this problem. Living and learning. I will definitely try this technique. Very grateful for the video Sam.

[@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars]

​@@victorluiz2099 I learned it from the Katana, Victor. There are annoying reasons to do with the rudeness of the seller / inventor that meant I couldn't (wouldn't) keep on using it in my work so I improvised my own at zero cost and have been using it successfully and developing the technique in the 8 years since. My eBook '5 Steps to Guitar Set Up Heaven' shows how to make and use the DIY version (cheekily named the 'Banana'!) and do my set ups with low or zero-cost tools. It's here if you're interested: facebook.com/relovedguitars/posts/pfbid02hJ3VbTcycyw6xXBurdCsJ6WELxTWg1twZNMcsYRTpJ3opSFYhR9DW2N3QQ79pB8El I'm planning on a follow-up eBook which will effectively be an 'Advanced Banana Techniques' manual but will also include making and using adjustable Tusq nuts.

[@taz4965]

629 mm scale length Sam

[@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars]

Weird isn't it?! The actual scale length of this guitar is 625 (total) and 312.5mm to the 12th fret. That's a total of 4mm off the spec. We can only hope that the fret positions are based on the actual 625mm and not the notional 629 as that 4mm would make a hell of a difference! More than anything it's not massively confidence-inspiring. I mean, surely it's either 629mm or it isn't??

[@taz4965]

@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars I’m glad you’re working on it cos I would have looked at the Gibson spec and be scratching my head til my hair fell out!

[@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars]

@@taz4965 you gotta trust what you see in front of you. If the distance to 12th is 312.5mm and the distance to the correctly-intonated high E saddle is 625mm then no matter what Gibson says, that scale length is 625 and NOT 629! :)

[@taz4965]

@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars thanks Sam 👍🏼

[@PaulCooksStuff]

When Paul Reid Smith and Ted McCarty (ex Gibson) started designing the PRS McCarty tribute model (that would eventually be named the 594), they measured a whole bunch of vintage Gibson's and found they were all over the place. So they based their PRS McCarty model on the Gibson that sounded nicest to them - it just happened to have 24.594" scale. 594 model name. TL;DR? Never trust Gibson 24.75". Seems like they had weird rulers back in the day. 😜

[@ronnielopez1968]

Hey sam, there two sexes. Male and female. Love your channel ❤

[@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars]

That’s one thing we agree on Ronnie ;-) I’m often tongue-in-cheek when it comes to certain ‘dangerous’ subjects!

[@tonevicar-fr5gh]

Nylon saddles ? Plastic nut ? Gibson is dead to me !

[@vayabroder729]

I believe those were retrofits.

[@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars]

Yes... Nut was (IIRC) 'NuBone' and the bridge was definitely a replacement.