ES-335 vs. Lucille price wise

[fusion101]

Can someone please explain to me why the es-335 is 600 dollars more than the lucille. I mean the lucille has better inlays. has pretty much the same pickups. infact the lucille actually can make more sounds than a es-335 because of the varitone switch. Can anybody explain this to me?

Edit: they have diffrent pickups but i doubt its worth 600 dollars in that little of diffrence

 

[Fresh_Start]

Re: ES-335 vs. Lucille price wise

Unless you're comparing a Custom Shop "re-issue" ES-335 with a Lucille, it doesn't make any sense to me either. The Lucille has a 3-piece maple neck with an ebony fingerboard instead of 1-piece mahogany with rosewood, and it has a different (better?) bridge. Lucille also has 22 frets, vs. only 20 on the ES-335. The pickups can't be the cost difference...

The Custom Shop re-issue ES-335 looks like it has a solid wood top & back instead of laminated wood in the two I was just writing about. Frankly, I don't know how the original ES-335's were made, but a semi-hollow body is a special case where the additional strength of laminated wood may be a real benefit.

Hopefully a Gibson expert will come along to enlighten us. Until then, I'm happy with my Heritage 535

Chip

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: ES-335 vs. Lucille price wise

I dunno. But I was checking into Lucilles a while back and found them to be to heavy for me...guess that might be one reason why BB plays sitting down these days! And I don't really like the tone of a maple neck on a Gibson as much as a nice Honduras Mahogany neck. And I like the tone of rosewood more than ebony.

BB's one of my very favorite guitarists and always has been, but I didn't really like his guitar all that much when it got right down to checking it out and considering buying one.

 

[Scott_F]

Re: ES-335 vs. Lucille price wise

Save your money and get a Heritage! No explanation on the Lucille 335 question.

 

[TattooedCarrot]

Re: ES-335 vs. Lucille price wise

Save your money and get a Heritage!

I can't get over the fugly headstock, otherwise I'd love one.

 

[Curly]

Re: ES-335 vs. Lucille price wise

I always thought the Lucille looked like a good deal, too.

I thought the price on the 335s jumped a few hundred dollars when Clapton did his blues tour several years ago, and was playing his red one. At least it seemed like the prices went up about the same time.

since you don't see any wood on the Lucilles, I'm guessing that good wood (cosmetically) on the 335s accounts for some of the difference. I've never played a guitar with a Varitone, so I can't comment on that. If you listen to BB, although he can rip when he wants, he often has a jazzy clean tone.

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: ES-335 vs. Lucille price wise

who knows

i have no idea why a gretsch white falcon costs 3 grand

yet if i had the cash i'd get one

 

[Marinblues]

Re: ES-335 vs. Lucille price wise

The 335 costs more since they can sell it for more. It's nothing to do with production costs - just simple marketing.

 

[TattooedCarrot]

Re: ES-335 vs. Lucille price wise

Isn't the 355 a discontinued model?

No, it's still a custom shop historic model, very pricey. I've been GASsing for a 355 big time for a while now. They just cost too damn much. I'll jump on another Lucille if I find a good price. I bought one from music123 about a year ago (ebony) for only $1399 shipped with hard case, and it wasn't even a blem. But I returned it for something else (still kicking my own ass over that one).

 

[Fresh_Start]

Re: ES-335 vs. Lucille price wise

I can't get over the fugly headstock, otherwise I'd love one.

I agree with you about the Heritage headstock shape when it's plain, but it looks pretty good with binding IMHO. Also, the string path from the nut is straighter than most 3x3 headstocks which is probably (certainly?) why it looks the way it does.

Chip

 

[Curly]

Re: ES-335 vs. Lucille price wise

that's a very nice headstock, sir!