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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

This guitar is capable of it all! Hard rock, blues, jazz, clean, dirty, and everything in between. How I've gone years without an ES 335 is beyond me! And I have been playing for 30+years! Rich warm mids and lows. The highs cut through the mix perfectly without being too piercing. And...finally, a guitar with a usable middle position! The pots and orange drop caps are top-notch with responsiveness and allow a full variety of tonal shaping options. Pair this with the right amp (I use a Fender Bassbreaker 30R), and you'll have your audience captivated by the crying, singing tones. I've shared the stage with Strat players and Les Paul players, and the difference is noticeable! This guitar stands out both sonically and in appearance. I got the Ice Tea finish and the figured maple is BEAUTIFUL! Save up, but worth every penny! The quality is heirloom level. My eyes have been opened! I have seen the light!!

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After seeing Lee Ritenour and Larry Carlton within a month or two back in the late '70s, I swore that I'd eventually have one of those do-it-all guitars. It took me a decade and a good-enough tax refund, but I finally followed through and haven't regretted it for a second since then. As I've told people over time, my 335 does everything from "dentist's-office music" to full-on screaming and that's no exaggeration. Ownership of that instrument has always been a point of pride with me and I'll never part with it.

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Ever since I saw Clapton playing one (Cherry) with Cream, through a Marshall stack at The Fillmore East, broadcast as part of eulogy to the band, I was hooked! I have owned one in the past, amongst a series of various Gibson’s also, through the years, being the senior I am! Having said all this, I saved money by selling a variety of amps and guitars recently, to buy this new Gibson ES335 in Natural. I know in my heart, that I will play it, honor it, and keep it ‘till the day I die. Love this color, the specs, and history of the ES335. I’ll be back with a final review later on!

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Purchased new about 5 years ago. Absolutely stunning appearance. I had an early '70s model. This one is superior in all aspects. The dealer tech set it up perfectly (the way I would have done). Stable tuning and intonation. All-day comfort for playing. Smooth, clear sounds on clean settings where it really shines. Not a shredder...that's why you have a solid body or two handy, but what it does, it does very well. My "go to" guitar when I want to just sit down and play for my own enjoyment.

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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

I live in a large city and it is still impossible to find a Gibson 335 that plays and sounds great, has no issues or questionable history and comes with a price tag lower than a new one to justify the gamble. As a result, I decided to pull the trigger on a new one and went for the figured, not so much for the flame but for the lower weight and select wood, knowing both my back would thank me and that the guitar would probably be a bit more open and resonant. Block inlays are certainly nice and that may have helped sway my decision too. The 335 arrived with an impeccable setup, right out of the box from the factory. In my 35 years of playing, I’ve never had this happen. I’ve heard of it happening but never to me. I always have to tweak the truss rod to straighten the neck a bit, adjust the bridge action, widen the nut slots and intimate the guitar. Every time. The only adjustment I’ve had to make is lower the pickups a bit for balance, that’s it! Plays like an absolute dream. Here is why you want this guitar rather than a used one—. the neck. None of that weird pencil thin 335 necks from the past or those horrible and slow baseball bat necks… this is perfect. I don’t know what Gibson is doing in Nashville now, but they are making these guitars better than they ever have. Having always been a fan of Classic ‘57 pickups, I read about these T Type pickups being bright. It is true that they are bright, however it works so well in this guitar. Roll back the tone knobs for the mellower and darker sounds, especially when in the neck position for a classic straight-ahead jazz sound, or rolled back in the bridge to fatten up rhythms…but the thing is, roll the tone up for that beautiful bite and thunk in single line solos. I have had bright guitars in the past and there is nothing you can do for them. No matter the pickups or amp, it remains bright and pingy. This is not a bright guitar and has such a beautifully balanced and mellow acoustic voice, the pickups suit it well and I will not replace them. Is it an insane amount of money? Yes. It is. In 10 years when I have blown through $4K many times over and have nothing to show for it, will I still have this 335? Yes. I will. It’s an investment and zZounds makes it possible for someone like me to have something nice. This is an absolutely breathtaking guitar. In playability, sound, and appearance—Gibson is on top of their game these days and I think the future will look back at this era as their new golden age.

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Purchased mine 3yrs ago. Beautiful instrument..the look..the sound...the feel. Long story short, I love this Gibson.

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Mine came with a damaged tone pot, don't know how that happened to a brand new $4300 (with tax and zZounds fees included) top of the line guitar. Anyhoo, zZounds has asked Gibson to send me a replacement tone pot, of which after several weeks I'm still waiting for. Other than that and a tuning instability issue this axe is the magic wand of blues guitars. No other guitar can give you that sound, tone and playability for blues. There's a reason Eric Clapton preferred it for his Beano recordings. However, for tuning stability you'll have to invest in quality locking tuners and lubricate or exchange the nut. Obviously the older versions of this guitar didn't have these problems, but if Gibson were to churn out old school quality versions of these guitars no one but the wealthy would be able to afford them even if they were used. All in all this is my preferred axe when I play the blues, and I must say I'm in love with it, even with its faults. All other blues guitars must humbly bow down before it, because, it is the king.