#5988 – Gibson Nashville Custom Shop 62 reissue – VOS vintage cherry – used/2019

Mojo – Is it just a mythical load of bull ? – I certainly can’t define what it is – I doubt that those who have mastered the art of the English language, Shakespeare, Bob Dylan, Wordsworth, Dickens etc could adequately describe what it is – It certainly is not a tangible – You can’t pick it up, package it and sell it , or indeed build it into every guitar – So what is it and does it exist ? – I don’t think it exists in all guitars, regardless of the age of the guitar, the brand name, or indeed the price ticket – But every so often you pick up a guitar that appears to possess more than others – Somehow it talks back to you and responds to you and your touch – It instantly feels right and familiar – You can try 5-10 quality guitars, that are all good, with subtle variations within each guitar – But then you play one that somehow just has more about it and that is mojo – Call it a load of rubbish if you want to but in my opinion this used Gibson Nashville Custom Shop 62 Reissue, from 2019, with a lightly aged VOS vintage cherry finish, possesses that magical mojo – Maybe I play to many different guitars – After all it is part of my job – I could not actually say what is the perfect guitar, as different guitars possess different attributes and that is not about better or worse – ie a Strat is different to a Tele – It is not better – But either way you pick something up, play it and think wow I could enjoy owning and playing this guitar – It just grabs you – And this 335 is such a guitar

When I acquired this 335 I did the usual trip around Google to acquire some additional info and initially came up with a blank – Most Custom Shop block inlay 335’s appear to be based on a 63 or 64 model and even when I looked at a few of the appropriate USA dealers I could not find to much info on a 62 replica – So a quick e-mail to Gibson’s Customer Service saved the day – As such I can confirm it is a 2019 model – It appears to be part of a small run and even appears to be sold mainly into a few UK/EU dealers – Is there much difference between a 62, 63 or 64 model – No and subtle at best/worse – But Gibson did send me a copy of their original press release info for this 62 replica – I have printed off a copy of this so can now include it within the sale and the appropriate COA/Wallet – Whilst the 335 was initially launched in 1958 – 1962 saw the first obvious change, with the dot inlays now changing shape to small block inlays, yet the rounded Mickey Mouse ears remained – Whilst a 64 is synonymous with Clapton and his days with Cream, today a 62 335 is more well know with Jo Bonamassa – Other changes followed later, more notably a stop tail change to trapeze – It was 20 years later, in 1982 before the dot inlay version was re-introduced

In no particular order, let me supply you with a host of info and details with regard to this Gibson Custom Shop block inlay 335 :-  

• Vintage early 60’s style 6 digit stamped serial number – Copied on to the oval orange label, that you can view in the sound hole – Also confirms that it was crafted in the Nashville facility
• Includes the appropriate wallet certificate that also confirms this as a 62 replica – Includes a couple of tags as well as the black Custom case  VOS vintage cherry nitro finish – Hence lightly faded, but more of a ‘less shiny’ character, rather than a host of dings/dints – With signs of tarnish to the nickel hardware – Such a light ‘aged’ process makes it hard to determine what is ‘factory wear n tear’ or has acquired additional ‘wear n tear’ over a 5 year period of use – Probably the most obvious sign of use, is a touch of a swirl pattern around the strap button, mainly the upper button near the neck join – But certainly no dings, or grazes – Yet any additional subtle graze, in the future, will only enhance the ‘aged character’  – Clean frets
• Whole guitar weighs 7lbs and 10oz – So far less than you see on many other 335 based models
• 1/4 sawn mahogany neck with a ‘slimmer’ 60’s C profile – Measures .835″ around the top nut end, then fattens out to .929″ around the 12th fret – So very much middle ground – Not chunky, yet not skinny – But 60’s 335’s do possess a slimmer profile
• Note tubeless truss rod cover
• Aged celluloid small block inlays
• Rosewood fingerboard
• 22 medium jumbo nickel silver frets
• 3 ply maple/poplar/maple body with spruce internal bracing
• Vintage spec’d hardware including double ring Kluson machine heads with tulip buttons and push in ferrules – ABR-1 bridge with nickel plated brass saddles – Light weight aluminium tailpiece – Black control knobs with silver disc inserts
• 550K pots + Black Beauty tone caps
• Custom wound Gibson MHS Historic Series humbuckers with alnico magnets – neck measures 7.83K, whilst the bridge pick-up comes in at 7.89K
• Re-strung with a set of 10-46 gauge strings and set-up with an easy action that will respond to a soft touch

Feel/playability –  The neck on this 1962 335 reissue features the slimmer early 60’s vintage profile – Essentially the main difference between many dot and block reissues is the neck profile – The early 60’s slim neck has been the bench mark that many 335’s are judged on – It is easy to handle and extremely comfortable, yet still possesses enough meat to enrich the tone, sustain and stability – The neck profile is probably the hardest aspect of a guitar to capture and deliver using words alone, so the hands on test drive is the ultimate test – I’ve played big necks that are both comfortable or  hard to handle and the same can be said for slim necks, so it is not so much the neck dimensions alone that make them feel comfortable to handle, more the shape itself – This is a comfortable and rounded C profile without the fatter girth you’ll find on a D profile – Measures .835″ around the top nut end and gently fills out to .929″ around the 12th fret – Set-up with a sensible slick action, with a set of 10-46 gauge strings, that responds to a light touch

Tonal character :-  In many ways I probably don’t need to tell you how a 335 sounds – Yet whilst there is an inherent voice to any humbucker based 335, the finer nuances of the tone will differ from era to era, especially with so many different changes to the pick-ups, that have taken place over the years – With the perpetual search for the holy grail vintage voice, it is no surprise that a pair of Gibson MHS humbuckers sit in the heart of the engine room – Rich, warm, smooth and luxurious with good articulation and musical highs that glisten – The neck pick-up purrrrs as it shows of its laid back qualities – It delivers a big voice without ever sounding mushy or boomin’ – Chords are clear with good note separation, whilst single notes are well defined, allowing you to delve into those Larry Carlton-esq jazz/fusion licks – The bridge pick-up still retains a musical warmth, with just enough depth and body, with some additional bite, edge and attack – There is a clear and distinctive ‘chalk and cheese’ contrast between both pick-ups, that allows you to switch between either to handle different needs – Or leave the 3 way switch in the middle position, to allow you to dial in/out different volume levels on each pick-up, to explore a host of possibilities as required – Some combinations and variations are more subtle than others, yet all effective

This 335 is happy to sit on a clean amp setting without ever sounding like it lacks any character – Equally it requires little gain on the amp for it to open up and start to sing – The vintage flavoured MHS pick-ups might not be the first choice for any die hard death metal fans, but this 335 will happily work with low or hi-gain amp settings – In fact playing around with the volume pots on the 335 and different overdrive levels on the amp, there is a clear difference between a low gain amp setting and the guitar on full, when compared to a hi-gain amp setting and the guitars volume pots trimmed down – So no shortage of variations to explore – The volume pots work effectively and smoothly across the 1-10 spectrum, so subtle variations will produce effective results – Try setting it up with the volume pots on, or around, the 6 or 7 mark and choose this option as your base camp, to deliver less gain – Then wind the volume pot back towards 10 as and when you require more of a full on approach – As such no shortage of soul, expression and emotion in this 335

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Guitars4You is not another corporate high street guitar store - My selection of premium grade guitars is about quality not quantity. Every guitar has been selected, inspected and approved by me, with particular attention to the set-up and playing performance. Every sale, phone call, email and mail order transaction is handled by me. A journey that is now over 40 years old, has fuelled my knowledge, experience, love, devotion and passion for exceptionally fine guitars.