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I never read the Gibson ES-5 Switchmaster here on this forum. What wrong with it?
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09-10-2016 03:55 PM
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1 too many pickups.
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That's kind of what I figured.
Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
As you folks have educated me, it tends to deaden the top. I also noticed it is a laminate, unlike a true carved L5.
You have me wondering what Gibson was aiming at when they made it.
The wood on it looks pretty...
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Close to Tal specs but with an extra pup and a Byrdland like TP quite a bastard, but Steve Howe sounded great on Fragile Album
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Howe used a switchmaster on Fragile in the studio?
IIRC when I saw the first Fragile tour he used a 175.
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PS... I now have 2 gits with 3 pups and I quite like them unlike the SG Custom I had which I disliked a LOT
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For most jazzers, the second pickup is superfluous, and the third pickup is right out. For an inveterate switch-flicking knob-twirler like me, the ES-5 looks like lots of fun.
Last edited by citizenk74; 08-09-2018 at 11:31 PM. Reason: tYp0
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Yep, apparently even one of the reason he inverted the bridge pickup on his faithful 175 so the screws would face the neck...not sure it was really mimicking the middle pup but a nice attempt Originally Posted by GNAPPI
Yes Guitarist Steve Howe Discusses the Making of 'Fragile' and 'Close to the Edge' | Guitar World
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I don't know if he bought it new or not, but the extra pu never bothered T Bone
what a player!
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Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
... - and the added weight ' therefrom '......or is that ' associated therewith ' ??
......in any case, they are - pretty needlessly - heavier.......
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Originally Posted by wintermoon
I!....just!.....love!...that!....video!!
He had it all: showmanship, guitar skills, presence, you name it. And they did such a nice job directing that little performance!
This was one of the first videos I looked at when I decided I wanted to learn guitar. I even bought the TBone Walker DVD licks video by Duke Robillard. It was fun.Last edited by AlsoRan; 09-10-2016 at 08:14 PM. Reason: Senior Moment, could not remember Duke
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Can't tell you how many times I've watched it also ran
He is the definition of a blues guitarist.
And check out that little chromatic section in the middle for the jazz players here.
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Mitch Holder custom ordered a bunch of 3-pickup Gibson thinlines dubbed the ES-357 (AKA the "ES-Mitch) when the strat craze caught on in the 80's but most of the older studio guys were still using 335s. 'Tis a true rare bird, I think 7 were made. Originally Posted by GNAPPI
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what's wrong with op guitar is- it's not 3 p90's!!
classic jump blues and blues guitar..bb used one and of course it drove t-bone to this
cheersLast edited by neatomic; 09-10-2016 at 08:44 PM.
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On my bucket list: an ES5 with a single P-90, early 50s specs, natural finish please (which I know doesn't exist except perhaps as a custom order). I had a 1950 ES350 that I let get away. There's some magic in the 17" body, maple veneer single coil mix that I didn't appreciate at the time, regrettably.
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When I was in college one of the older hot-shots had a natural ES-5 w/p90's. I remember he had a *hard* time selling it when the time came. Those were the days.... Originally Posted by Ren
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Is that a "Hurst" shifter?
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I only use the neck pickup. The only reason for me to get something like this is if the neck pickup goes out, I have 2 spares ready to go.
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2 too many pickups Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
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The Switchmaster started as the electric version of the L-5 and was launched as the ES-5. I don't know the reasoning for the 3 pups, probably because Gibson couldn't fit four. It may have been something like, "You want electric, we got electric."
The laminated and heavily hardwared top decreased feedback. Nonetheless, it's never been a big seller.
It's a stunning guitar. I've always wanted to like it, just like I wanted to like several other 3 pup guitars.
Here's one I did. It has two humbuckers and a Phat Cat in it. The humbuckers could coil split. The Phat Cat could be blended into either or both humbuckers or run by itself. But after all of the design effort and work, I mostly used the neck humbucker anyway. Plus three pups restrict the picking area.
I'm not against the ES-5 at all and love the looks. But as a player, only a few would need its middle pup.
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It would be tempting to say it was made to compete with the Strat but the ES5 was introduced in 1949 - before the Strat was invented. Originally Posted by AlsoRan
During the 1940s Gibson had been going forth and back with PU placement on their by then 1 PU guitars. There was the traditional neck position but they also mounted the PU at the bridge position at one point. They also had the large slanted PU which ran across both positions.
Who knows, maybe they thought that if they put on 3 PUs people could choose themselves what they wanted. Or maybe they just thought that customers would percieve "more" as "better" so sales could be boosted.
The ES5 was used by Carl Perkins among others.
Later in the 1950s came the 3 PU Les Paul Custom.
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No love fer DIS?!!!
I have one from 2002, an ES5N Switchmaster, ex-Tom Gould by way of Dave's. Not in birdseye maple, I'm afraid.
I lower the middle and bridge humbuckers flush with the mounting rings so that they don't get in the way of the pick.
Hmm, what happens if I am to lower the neck and bridge instead and play the middle humbucker alone?Last edited by Jabberwocky; 09-11-2016 at 11:19 AM.
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That is just cruel to post! Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
No love fer DIS?!!!
I have one from 2002, an ES5N Switchmaster, ex-Tom Gould.
I don't think it matters if the guitar even works. I like looking at it. Wow!
With a gentle, disciplined touch, you can avoid tapping the pup cover with a pick.
A friend of mine has a thinline Super 400 with three 57's and the ES-5 wiring and toggle made by Hutchins. He has no difficulty making great music with it. But there are no bird's eyes. I believe he also got it from Tom Gould.
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Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
No love fer DIS?!!!
I have one from 2002, an ES5N Switchmaster, ex-Tom Gould by way of Dave's. Not in birdseye maple, I'm afraid.
I lower the middle and bridge humbuckers flush with the mounting rings so that they don't get in the way of the pick.
Hmm, what happens if I am to lower the neck and bridge instead and play the middle humbucker alone?
why, twang of course!
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I've heard it called the Hillbilly Cadillac.
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