Gandalf_Sr Posted March 24, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2021 I was playing it this morning, sounded nice. I also notice that GF has a 'B Stock' version of this here https://www.guitarfetish.com/B-STOCK--LIMITED-OPPORTUNITY-Semi-Hollow-SETNECK-BELOW-COST-Cherry-Red-Two-Humbuckers--TWISTED-NECK_p_41726.html complete with twisted neck I guess I was lucky that I got a 'good' one. Mine looks extremely like this one https://www.amazon.com/Best-Choice-Products-Semi-Hollow-Electronic/dp/B08CS2GFDW/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=epiphone%2Bes335&qid=1616587972&s=musical-instruments&sr=1-9&th=1 including the square fret markers and a fret-1 square. Seems for spending another $5 (actually less as I'd get free shipping from Amazon which I didn't from GF), I could have saved myself a load of trouble. Sigh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted March 24, 2021 Report Share Posted March 24, 2021 24 minutes ago, Gandalf_Sr said: the square fret markers and a fret-1 square. Gibson has made them as well so that's not a sign of that particular make. Keep believing that yours might be salvaged from a Gibby subcontractor, it'll make you happier! The world is full of lookalike Far East made guitars, telling the real manufacturer by just a single square dot is not possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalf_Sr Posted March 24, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2021 1 hour ago, Bizman62 said: Keep believing that yours might be salvaged from a Gibby subcontractor, it'll make you happier! I'm a believer! I also won't feel so bad when I put Gibson decals on the headstock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted March 24, 2021 Report Share Posted March 24, 2021 47 minutes ago, Gandalf_Sr said: when I put Gibson decals on the headstock Wouldn't that count as forgery? How about decals that look like Gibson but under closer inspection aren't? Like Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalf_Sr Posted March 24, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2021 1 hour ago, Bizman62 said: Wouldn't that count as forgery? How about decals that look like Gibson but under closer inspection aren't? Like Forgery? YOU'RE the one telling me to believe that it's a Gibby factory reject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalf_Sr Posted March 24, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2021 I now realize that I made a typo in the title of this thread, it should be "ES335 clone", is there no edit capability or am I missing something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted March 25, 2021 Report Share Posted March 25, 2021 10 hours ago, Gandalf_Sr said: Forgery? YOU'RE the one telling me to believe that it's a Gibby factory reject. Hehe... I'm saying it might be and that believing so you might have a more positive attitude to the instrument which in turns would make you play more which in turns will make you happier. That's basic kitchen psychology to raise your level of motivation. If we made you think that you've paid overprice for a rejected Malaysian copy worth a tenner you'd feel bad, wouldn't you? You'd also lose your interest to make it the best guitar you've ever had. Believing it might, just might be a real Gibby reject has already made you learn some valuable fret issue fixing skills - something that easily could cost a couple hundreds done by a professional. There's a reason why it doesn't say Gibson or any other name on the headstock. Let's accept that and make the guitar as good as can be! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalf_Sr Posted March 25, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2021 LOL, keep up the kitchen psychology, it's making me feel much better. Once I get those Gibson decals on the headstock and the fake orange label glued in, my belief will be complete and transform my playing such that I will be indistinguishable from George Benson! (OK, I clearly need more help; I will come to next week's session). Next time I'm in Finland, I'm buying the beers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted March 25, 2021 Report Share Posted March 25, 2021 3 hours ago, Gandalf_Sr said: Next time I'm in Finland, I'm buying the beers! Thanks! I'll heat up the sauna. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalf_Sr Posted March 31, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2021 I've been 250 miles away from home getting my second Covid 19 jab but will be back on Thursday. More online searching leads me to strongly suspect that my guitar is a reject Ibanez Artcore Series AS73; the way the 'f' holes are painted white on the inside edges and the square fret zero marker are exactly the same; the main difference is a slightly different shaped protector panel. A load of stuff has arrived while I have been away including: New Tusq nut Flatwound 11 Chrome strings Roller saddle bridge Diamond fret file and set of erasers There appears to be some fret buzz on the thicker strings but, through the amp, it's barely noticeable. The current (old) nut is pretty low but any thoughts to what the fret 1 clearance should be and what is the state for measurement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted March 31, 2021 Report Share Posted March 31, 2021 10 minutes ago, Gandalf_Sr said: More online searching leads me to strongly suspect that my guitar is a reject Ibanez Artcore Series AS73. The Artcore F-holes are pretty distinctive. The centre section of each scroll is less ornate and more open than a typical F-hole. While it's possible I'm not sure you can immediately assume it's a factory second of any known brand. It's more likely to just be another clone of a familiar model pumped out by one of many Chinese factories. 13 minutes ago, Gandalf_Sr said: any thoughts to what the fret 1 clearance should be and what is the state for measurement Rough and ready method is to depress the string at the thrid fret such that the string contacts the second fret as it deflects back towards the nut. If you can just see daylight between the top of the first fret and the string it's probably about right. With your free hand you can also tap the string above the first fret while the string is held at the second/third - if you can hear the 'chink' sound of the string hitting the fret top you've got a tiny gap required for first fret clearance. Anything more accurate than that will require a set of feeler gauges, but the method of checking is roughly the same as checking for daylight under the string passing over 1st fret. Somewhere in the region of 0.004" - 0.007" clearance should be good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalf_Sr Posted March 31, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2021 Thanks; Tusq gave me the same guidance as you, press at 3rd fret and then measure clearance of 0.01" at the low E and 0.006" at the high E for fret 1. I'm an engineer and have some good tools including feeler gages, digital calipers, and a diamond nut file set. I would normally check the fret 1 height with no strings pressed but I guess that leaves me open to all the variance from neck relief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted March 31, 2021 Report Share Posted March 31, 2021 7 minutes ago, Gandalf_Sr said: I would normally check the fret 1 height with no strings pressed but I guess that leaves me open to all the variance from neck relief. Correct. Without limiting the string height near the nut using the 'second fretted' method your string action measurement is at the mercy of other contributing factors, such as the action at the bridge or the amount of neck relief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalf_Sr Posted March 31, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2021 Thanks curtisa, so you think that the method you suggest is safe to work with for the purposes of filing the nut down; is that right? Just so people can have an idea of what the body of mine looks like while I rant on about who I guess made it, I've attached a (not very good) picture here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalf_Sr Posted March 31, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2021 Correcting myself, mine is clearly not the same as an AS73; if it's made by/for Ibanez, it's an AS53 which has a smaller body like mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted March 31, 2021 Report Share Posted March 31, 2021 14 minutes ago, Gandalf_Sr said: so you think that the method you suggest is safe to work with for the purposes of filing the nut down; is that right? Should be. It's an iterative process - check height, remove string, file slot, replace string, check height, repeat. Your only kicker is to go carefully and slowly with the filing, because as soon as you go too far...well, you've gone too far Stewmac make a nut slotting contraption where you can clamp feeler gauges up against the nut to stop you filing too deeply. I guess you could cobble together your own version out of whatever shim material you can lay your hands on? 9 minutes ago, Gandalf_Sr said: if it's made by/for Ibanez, it's an AS53 Still don't see it. The AS53 has kinda pointy cutaway tips whereas yours appears more rounded and curvy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalf_Sr Posted April 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2021 I know I'm confused (and dyslexic) as I used ES533 instead of ES335 in the title but now I'm realizing that mine is ES339 sized, not ES335. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted April 1, 2021 Report Share Posted April 1, 2021 It seems there's ES-339's with rectangular fret markers been recently made. The white edges of the f-holes weren't found in a quick google search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalf_Sr Posted April 2, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2021 13 hours ago, Bizman62 said: It seems there's ES-339's with rectangular fret markers been recently made. The white edges of the f-holes weren't found in a quick google search. Hmmm, I looked for white edges of the f-holes and found them in many cheap clones like the Indio but the Ibanez AS73 also has them. I also too measurements of my guitar's body and found it's closer to the 335 than the 339. Mine is 16.5 inches at the widest point, the 'waist' is 9 inches, and 19 inches from the tip of the 'ears' to the bottom. Full length is 42 inches. I looked at the Gibson and Epiphone web sites but neither gives those dimensions but I did find this http://es.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/Compare-The-ES-335-And-ES-339.aspx Now I'm back home (was away last week) and all the parts I ordered have arrived: new Tusq nut, roller bridge, and Chrome 11 flatwound strings. At the risk of gilding the turd, I'm trying to make this particular guitar work as it just feels (and sounds) right in my hands; I own a Gretsch G2622T Streamliner but it's slightly too big and the nut seems slightly too far away from me meaning that my beginner hands struggle to get the right angle on the low frets. On reflection, I might have been (might still be) better going for an Epiphone ES-335 Pro which can be had in the US for around $500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalf_Sr Posted April 4, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2021 I'm back home and have finished the changes to my mystery guitar. I think it's a nice guitar now but I wouldn't recommend that you buy one; it's just more work than it's worth and, if you got one that had a serious issue like a twisted neck, I think you'd be stuck with a dud. The exercise has added to my luthier skills and equipment and allowed me to work on a guitar that was not very expensive. Thanks to all here for your help and advice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted April 4, 2021 Report Share Posted April 4, 2021 19 minutes ago, Gandalf_Sr said: I think it's a nice guitar now That's nice to read! Goes to show that "a little" love and affection can make a poor guitar good. 19 minutes ago, Gandalf_Sr said: ...but I wouldn't recommend that you buy one; it's just more work than it's worth... The exercise has added to my luthier skills and equipment and allowed me to work on a guitar that was not very expensive. It's definitely not for everyone, that's true, and if you count the hours it's most likely not worth it. Then again, if you count the hours as a payment for learning new skills the cost is not that big. Think of this as having participated on a correspondence course! A diploma can be made if you so wish! -Similarly you can consider this as a hobby experiment. A day at a ski resort including rental of equipment and participating a tutorial may cost more than what you've invested in tools you now own. As it's pretty and plays well, you've managed to get yourself a good guitar including full setup for a reasonable price! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalf_Sr Posted April 4, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2021 Thanks, I don't really do diplomas although I do have a BSc (Bachelor of Science), I'm really an electronics guy - old and close to retirement - I have a couple of prototype pedals I've made (Germanium Fuzz Pedal and Compressor) if anyone's interested? Is there an electronics/pedal section here? The more research I do, the more it seems like this cheap guitar was originally made for Epiphone, clues that point in that direction so far are: The screw in the pickguard - Gibsons don't have a screw Three screws on the truss rod cover - Gibsons have 2 both on the center line of the neck Unpainted interior and white edges on the 'f' holes Anyway, it really doesn't matter, I like the guitar and would reveal the full history of where it came from if I ever sold it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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