Gibson ES Guitars - What Are Their Differences? Varitone? Why?

[@seppi65]

Glad to see Pete and Ariel do a proper ES review. Rob stated in other vids he doesn't find an ES comfortable, but I find my ES 345 is easily the most versatile guitar I own and feels quite comfortable in my hands - and I'm not a big guy. '64 Memphis reissue in seafoam green, build and finish are flawless, and can cover anything. edit --> oh, and I keep my varitone in position 1, bypass. The Varitone knob: Position 1: Bypass, Position 2: 5db-1950Hz, Position 3: 12db at 1100Hz, Position 4: 16db at 620Hz, Position 5: 18.5db at 360Hz, Position 6: 21db at 120HZ.

[@paulneeds]

What’s the neck thickness on that model like Krampus?

[@tovasstalin2927]

The 1st position sounds like the guitar The 2nd position sounds like BB King And the others sound like shit -Mark Agnesi

[@aquabot]

I thought the same thing.

[@andrewpappas9311]

I love this reference

[@michaelruiz4708]

Classic hahaha

[@gusdupree2508]

We're not running a museum here, we sell these things ,that Dan Armstrong from yesterday, yeah that's gone

[@MattyK-USA]

Gotta love Mark A. Guitar of the Day is a fun time.

[@stevieboy444]

Ariel's so good it's frightening.

[@jgenoese]

First time hearing him play and Hole E. Schitt

[@DeadHandBlues]

I hear the first note and click like. Thats some top notch tones. It isnt the builders/employee's fault their CEO is off his rocker.

[@donsimons9810]

he is off his rocker by charging for their hours worked? Go buy a slave labor patent stealing rip off, sit down and log off

[@lance134679]

Ariel is really good at that copying game.

[@gusdupree2508]

Lawrence Gillespie or maybe the crying game ,hahaha hahaha hahaha, loved that movie, sort of ,hahaha hahaha

[@adamsteelproducer]

If anyone's interested, I made a really in-depth review of Bias Amp 2 a lot like Fluff, with even more depth and focus on the Bass and Blues amps, and more focus on specific new features - kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipPKl4WeqbiVjJY

[@lorenzocattoi2452]

Gibson ES guitars -> GOOD Danish Pete -> GOOD Ariel -> GOOD There's nothing not to like in this video right here!

[@vuriby]

You know that a video is about Gibson when people are already crying about the price without even watching.

[@SalmonFume]

Damn I laughed so hard at this

[@benink5690]

Lol they'll never know how a premium price DOES infact give you a premium sound. Takes a few weeks of owning one to know. Then it goes pop "Omg I've never heard these sound before. Oh wow I've never felt that before." Then they know. I borrowed one with no intent on buying one/it. Two weeks later I was shelling at $2k+ for that es 339! Luckily, since I was broke, my friend let me finance it for 6 months! Guess what!?that $2k I spent is worth over $2,500 now lol

[@MattyK-USA]

Okay, enough already about the brands. The artists here are just sublime. Ariel and Pete are next-level stuff, period.

[@prouz]

These reviews with Pete and Ariel are just great to watch. Honest, super musically and playful.

[@alistairmcintosh9129]

- Position 1 on the Varitone switch is the bypass. - Positions 2-6 traditionally cycle through 1000pF, 3000pF, 0.01μF, 0.03μF, and 0.22μF capacitors. I believe positions 5 & 6 are essentially coil tap-esq From Epiphone: The VariTone™ uses a six-way rotary switch which engages 5 pre-set notch filters and a bypass. In position one, the VariTone™ is completely bypassed. As you rotate the rotary switch into positions 2-6, the center frequency of the notch filter shifts from around 1.9kHz down to 130Hz, providing a player with a wide tonal palette unavailable on most other instruments. Positions 2 through 4 offer tonal shaping while still maintaining great clarity. Position 2, (5db at 1960 Hz) is B.B.’s favorite! But keep turning and you’ll find Positions 5 and 6 shape-shift the Alnico Classic™ Humbuckers into a single-coil style pickup but without the thin quack usually associated with traditional single coil pickups. Add it all up and between the 6-position VariTone™ circuit and the 3-position toggle switch, you have 18 unique tones available.

[@e.tienne6600]

Alistair McIntosh thx for sharing this, I wondered !

[@jessehudson7113]

I guess the late 50's used the PAFs in the 345s

[@tomm7354]

Please more Ariel and Pete! These guys are so great together. True guitar gods.

[@claytonduguay9617]

I've watched a few vids in the past week featuring the ES330 and they always sound RIDICULOUS through a clean amp. IMHO, one of the few Gibsons worth the money.

[@lorenzodemeio445]

I think we all need a chord progressions lesson from you two, that would be a great video!

[@Genjokoan]

Lots of love for a 335 for 50+ years now. But I got a CS-336 in 2006 and never looked back. The 336 size, weight and tone are just right.

[@donsimons9810]

better unplugged?

[@glencruciani]

You two gentlemen play together excellently! You guys have great chemistry, and I could listen you jam all day. Thank you!

[@LAUptegrove]

Bought my first ES-355 new in '79. I've got about a dozen on hand now and have been playing them constantly (often over the years 6-nights a week on the road) I'm still finding new sound combinations and think they are absolutely fantastic instruments. The KEY TO SUCCESS is that you cannot plug this into input 1 & 2 of the same channel on a 2 channel amp, you MUST separate them due to the out of phase issue of these, or play through 2 separate amps. Then and ONLY THEN will you truly understand the potential of an ES-355. If not, it's like driving railroad spikes with a tack hammer....you can do it...but it isn't very efficient.

[@petermurr3283]

I love these guitars and wish I could trade in my Ibanez AS-80 for an ES-330 or ES-335. Having said that, I love even more hearing Danish Pete and Ariel jamb together. When I grow up I want to be able to play that well. I am only 60 now so maybe I still have time!

[@wildersparks9161]

Gibson claims B.B. liked positions 2 and 3 on the varitone for whatever that’s worth.

[@VictorBrand97]

I've got my Epiphone Dot (ES-335) customized into the black ES-335 with Bigsby. It looks exactly similar to the Gibson you use here and it's definitely my favorite guitar!

[@lathspell87]

ES-330... most underrated guitar. I have two and I will never get rid of them.

[@npinero1]

Ariel makes that slide sound so vocal and soulful. Ugh i wish had them chops!

[@alexandrefay-keller5445]

Thanks to Ariel & Pete for this video, particularly for its inspired intro and outro ! Regarding the Varitone, positions 2&3 are the only ways to get close to the BB King lead tone (except for his hand vibrato which was kinda unique). It, in fact, doesn't function like a wha since it emphasizes certain frequencies but keeps highs and lows where a wha cuts them while boosting a certain frequency.

[@thorwulfx1]

All of the guitars sounded great, but I think the ES330 was the cat's pajamas.

[@AS__77]

For all the people complaining about the price, just remember inflation rates. An ES-335 at $335 in 1960 is the equivalent to around $2800 in 2018. Side Note: Jimmy Page paid Joe Walsh $500 for his Les Paul in 1969. That's $3400 in today's money. Would you give that much for a 10 year old LP? I sure as shit wouldn't hahaha.

[@joemasse4568]

Alex Shelton I agree musical instruments in the 60s were pretty expensive, compared to the money people were making, most music stuff is cheaper these days strings, amps, Gibson. and fender sell some ridiculous priced,custom shop guitars, mostly aimed at the millionaire who needs a guitar that someone made to look like it's been played for 30 year's, I love a nice Gibson but I usually buy them used off someone who gave it up . That way you get a almost new guitar for like half price, there's a lot of people who buy them to polish, and look at but hardly ever leave the house.

[@alecmullaney7957]

If it was Joe Walsh's I would

[@Antilevitation]

5000 dollar PRS -> nobody cares OMG A 3000 DOLLAR GIBSON HOW DARE THEY

[@Batmont95]

Not the same quality at the end, it legitimates a bit PRS' prices even though I find them way too high

[@Antilevitation]

The whole quality thing has been blown way out of proportion imo, I've never seen a flawed one in my life. The only bad thing i think there is about Gibson these days is the way it's managed.

[@bobboitt3126]

Lol So True. The same people crying about price will drop tons of cash for an iPhone, big screen TV but a great guitar oh no.

[@SaintierSet]

Yeah remember the modern double cut EVERYONE was giving Gibson shit, flash forward to the Silver Sky now everyone saying "it's a completely different guitar" and "it's okay everyone is copying strays" .

[@mervolicious]

I bought a flawed one. Really badly setup, never stayed in tune, stain residue on the binding, not very smooth fret ends (2014 PLEKed model). That is not acceptable for a $2k+ guitar. Since that was my only Gibson, my rate of failure is a 100%. :D

[@markwhitehead6965]

My Bigsby equipped guitar (Bonamassa ES-355 Epiphone) also has a Vibramate String Spoiler. Makes re-stringing easy. You can also very easily replace just one string if needed

[@lance134679]

If you have an ES and want a vibrato, I'd check out the Deusenberg Les Trem. No drilling holes required.

[@richardharrold9736]

Or just use a Vibramate Bigsby.

[@gusdupree2508]

I like a little trim ,I'll check it out 😎

[@williamkiss8517]

Pete has one on his es335

[@Raklarpt]

Be sure to change the bridge to a roller bridge as well, if you want some decent tuning stability.

[@paulneeds]

Enjoyed that! I think it’s a 345 for me - I’m a sucker for those ol’ jazz parallelogram neck inlays! And it sounds great.. What I’d love a shoot out between - contemporary 60s 330 and an Epi Casino. Headstock, pickguard and such aesthetics aside, what IS the difference? Even a modern Casino set up well is a nice guitar..

[@usernamewaster]

That ending jam has to be one of the best jams this year.

[@Hatari2]

Out of all them, the blue 345 was my favorite, the sound I think was the most appealing, but not the color as much.

[@disfibulator]

That guitar-talking game at the beginning and the jam at the end make this video 10/10

[@FlyingEddies]

Serious GAS for that 330. It might be Ariel’s playing though Ok changed my mind. Black one with bigsby is the one. So basically any guitar that Ariel plays.

[@thorwulfx1]

I've missed Ariel. He's such an amazing player. He and Pete together? Sign me up. All day.

[@anatolykalambet9732]

An outstanding video. For me, that's the format, just right amount of jams.

[@NuraliKushkov]

that 330 sounds heavenly!!! >in Ariel's hands

[@henryfranke8450]

Honestly some of the best playing I have ever seen. Derek Trucks? Who is that?

[@KrausKeysGuitar]

15:20 so close to Derek Trucks! Please do more ES videos together.

[@sarith6691]

Whoa! Anyone else catch that slick move Ariel does to get his slide on around 31:15? Like sleight of hand magic! haha

[@MrNicotra]

Pete and Ariel jams are legendary.

[@SAGGING_GUT]

I've played the Frost Blue ES345 they have in the store. It's great.

[@jaysonramos4179]

I love these guitars. :) had a blast watching the "mini rock off" duel during the intro. :)

[@MrMalq]

Will you two guys please do an album together. I could listen to you both all day and night. Your a pleasure to listen to.

[@Moonshot568]

I love them all , I have the 355 and the 330 … the 330 simply amazing😊

[@ejm922]

fantastic!! love you guys together, loads of invaluable info, great playing, laughter- hey....what more can one ask for? xx

[@gregtoolson1606]

Jam at 23:20 is beautiful. If you guys put out an album of just the two of you, no bass or drums even, I would buy it.

[@donsimons9810]

you make good decisions

[@gavin4848]

ES345 is my favorite. Freddie King often played 3rd position on the varitone. You can see it in his live videos.

[@richardjames6623]

Outstanding gentlemen, the outro was unreal!

[@flotrummer]

I love your playing, I love the guitars. One of the best videos so far. Thank you!

[@paulppetersson]

where´s the video about the affordable ones?

[@Zilegil]

Paul Haastert maybe on Pete Honore's channel?

[@phoenix81293]

noup, is not there

[@13StJimmy]

They probably recorded it but didn’t upload it yet

[@artwizardsam3238]

So, where is it?

[@chernytomer]

This two paly amazing together!!! 😁🤘🏻

[@gusdupree2508]

chernytomer dyslexic untie!!!

[@franzhutterer7250]

YEES.. Been waiting for you to do exactly this video! Thank you so much :)

[@yinyangthang]

Brilliant playing from start to finish.

[@napalmhardcore]

"Why would anyone use a Varitone?" Continues to find a bunch of niche but kickass sounds. It sounds like the first half of the dial (excluding the first setting which appears to be off) are various levels of low pass and the second half of the dial are varying levels of high pass. On a separate note, I really badly need to add a P90 guitar to my collection.

[@Just_lift_anyone]

Did you ever get your p90 guitar? I'm looking at a Casino or maybe (hopefully) an Ibanez equipped p90 if they do one.

[@paulneeds]

P90 is an essential. I’ve a LP Junior tribute that is amazing, especially at the price, but it’s obviously not got the same ‘woody’ undertone you’d get of any ES or even a Casino (which has even more of it - why I love the 330 in this)... Only answer for me is the 345 and a 330. Anyone wanna fund me? 😆😆

[@jynskywalker501]

Fitting they talk about chuck berry a year and one day after the legend passed from this world

[@joemasse4568]

Jyn Skywalker yea Chuck actually played both of these models.

[@cliverichards6282]

The Varitone is a much under-rated feature. It takes time to get used to and you need to work with the volume & tone controls to get the best out of it.

[@bobilly]

The varitone probably only needs to have three positions, but the good positions are very useful for getting some cool out-of-phase type sounds. It's the BB King sound. It's the Freddie King sound. It just gives you more flavors. That's why I'll always take a 345 over a 335. I've never comprehended the derision.

[@lordporcupine8767]

If I had to pick a guitar to play for the rest of my life it would be an es335. They are just beautiful.

[@DavidKennaway1]

Great playing as always guys. I would go for the 355 it look great.

[@toddflowers8052]

Pete + ES = INSTANT view ! (BB King position 2.)

[@goldaxepie]

Yes !! Ariel and Pete are killer combo !

[@darrinheike1495]

Pete and Ariel together, rewatched the intro 4 times...I just giggle at the awesome factor. "When I was a little bitty boy, my grandma made me a cute little toy. Silver bells hangin on a string. She tole me it was my Ding-a-ling-a-ling!"

[@nigel_tufnell]

jeez these two play so crazy good

[@nigel_tufnell]

that outro jam oh my god

[@bradbarbour23]

I have a Gibson 335 and a Gibson Lucille. They sound totally different. 345/355's sound different due to all the hardware even without a bibsby etc. Very interesting indeed.

[@shirtsguitar]

One of my favourite models of guitar, next to a Stratocaster 😁

[@joesasser4421]

330 is great, but Casino is better. 345 great if you add Bigsby, but what about the 175 and 295? Those big body beauties deliver a world of tone!

[@melvynobrien6193]

Had to play that song at several concerts with Chuck. He used to bring only one guitar with him. And nobody I know ever used that Varitone switch.

[@GibsonSGJKL]

My 2001 61 SG Reissue with 57 classics will do that creamy sustained feedback all day.

[@jpbott]

Would be interesting to throw in a 339 too. Would it have been much different?

[@jakevoss7885]

Size wise yes

[@paulneeds]

I’ve a 2013 339, lovely lovely instrument. Less ‘woodiness’ than any of these, but it is still noticeably there using the right amp sounds. I think it’s better suited to hi gain than these, as in some ways it’s closer to the ES Les Paul than say a 335. And it’s great for the smaller person too, perhaps easier to handle and sit with. Love mine, but would still like ‘the range’. Now, a 339 with Varitone WOULD be interesting!

[@marclb999]

Ariel is such an amazing guitarist. Love :)

[@Yamazaki1923]

30:20 this jam made my day. Could listen to this all day long. Thx

[@SteveTemplePilot]

I have a Freddie King 345 and I took the varitone out and converted it to mono. I added an out of phase switch in place of the varitone (totally reversible). Don't regret it. It's the best guitar I've every played. Before that one I bought a 64 reissue 345 and I disliked the slim neck and returned it, but the Freddie King one has big fat wonderful neck.

[@Madnote77]

What an intro!

[@js312raf]

I have my '62 set on 5 99% of the time. If you use the higher settings, you have to dime the amp a little bit more to compensate for the volume loss. It's not a fair comparison when you leave the volume the same on all the positions.

[@ZappaBlues]

I own an affordable 339 sized Epiphone Casino Coupe with rebuilt pickups. a full hollowbody like the Casino and ES330. I really like it. Mind you, if I had a whole shitload of money dropped in my lap, I would get two ES-390s, one with mini-hums and one with P90s. But in this review,... ES330 for sure.

[@becomdavid]

It would have been cool too see you guys go into the store and pick them out!

[@muckymatt6849]

Can these two please do an album?

[@markwhitehead6965]

With those Ernie Ball cables, the Velcro loop can be used to tidy the coiled up cable for packing away. I use it to lash my cable to my guitar strap.

[@psygodnp]

Everytime I think I should buy an American fender or a Gibson this kind of video brings me back to reality. My god. The facility of these two guitarists. Back to my squier and epiphone then!

[@drabbster]

oh god the intro already kills me! these guys and two guitars totally make for a good comedy show :D

[@jgenoese]

Are they all the same body size? That blue 345 is GORGEOUS

[@mandolingrass]

Love these, I like the 345 and the bigsby 335. But restringing a bigsby is easy, I unwind them all at the same, never have a problem!

[@HenningRuttenberg]

That frost blue is SOOO good sounding!

[@antibodyjeans]

Such sweet playing. At 14:00, people pay money to hear stuff that good.

[@hadin101]

from what I remember the switch on 1 is bypassed and then you have 5 different settings with a different capacitors to scoop out different frequencies. I heard bb king liked the 2 and 3 position on the switch. I do find it amusing how most of the plastics on the guitar have an aged look but that plastic nut is snow white...

[@AndyvanderRaadt1]

I love the simplicity of that hardtail 345, and, though I suspect people probably hate the frost blue, I think it would grow on me. (Unpopular opinion, Miami blue looks great on a Porsche, too.)

[@IndigoJo]

Don't forget there's more to the ES range than the 300 series; there's also the 175 and 275 which more reflect the arch top jazz roots of the instrument.

[@mathewdavies6472]

That 330, is that the sunset burst? Looks amazing

[@melwynz]

Ariel's slide guitar stuff is awesome...

[@videomaniac108]

I think you'll have a hard time getting B.B. King's "The Thrill is Gone" tone if you're playing an ES-335 without a Varitone switch in a position other than the bypass setting(position 1). It's just a notch filter that scoops at various frequencies, a nice option to have.

[@PaulHofreiter]

You’re missing a lot of ES guitars! Even if you don’t get into older ones like the 125, the 175 should be here since it is so iconic. It is the longest running Gibson guitar model too! Although they stopped making them now with all of their financial troubles, which is a real shame (edit: just saw your 175/275 video. Didn’t realize you already did those)

[@OneMoreGrave]

Ariel 15:00 min in layin' it down. I love that tune. And the rest of the video. You're a hell of a player.

[@kentigern68]

Great show guys. I need your Peter Green blues all the time. Pete's BB King (10.05) is too good.

[@neile.everett6454]

Great tone from that ES330 with the P90's ...

[@jeremyharris7811]

That sound with the delay was gorgeous, is wish they would have jammed out on that.

[@antonlundstedt5517]

The captain meets pete!???!!!!??!

[@MadsBoldingMusic]

Almost every day as a matter of fact :)

[@gusdupree2508]

The captain meats pete😁

[@MadsBoldingMusic]

Now, that would be something entirely different... and I think KZbin just introduced some prohibitive regulation on that kind of thing!

[@Pulle1337]

the jams really make me want an ES guitar and play along with you ....damn ;-) awesome as always!

[@stephrgmn102]

I want to rent a whole day with Pete, Ariel and Mick at the Room of Spirit and Time. Btw, the ES Maestro is just gorgeous !

[@rommelrivera1186]

Would love to get an ES-335 but they're just too big for me; I'm 5'9". Had to settle for an ES-Les Paul. My semi-hollow search is over.

[@mismo358]

Pete and Ariel for me is the peak Andertons