Found A 335 Kit Guitar At A Pawn Shop
Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2021 6:26 pm
The title really says it all. I found this guitar at a pawn shop being sold as a package deal with a USA Peavey KX-15 keyboard amp. I took home the pair for $80. The way I figure it, I'm $40 into this guitar.
The guitar looks to be made from the kind of kit sold by Stew Mac, amongst others. It has a very hand made feel to it, in a good way. I recently came across and played some mid 60s Gibson 335s, and they strike a similar chord, feeling fragile, idiosyncratic, and delicately voiced.
Someone clearly took their time assembling this guitar and setting it up. There's copper shielding in the pickup cavity. It's super resonate acoustically. Everything feels very "tight" and fitted. The action and intonation are spot on. There's nail polish applied to the wire retainer on the bridge . . . a sure sign that it was a player's guitar.
I don't know what the pups are, but the bridge measures around 10 K and the neck around 9 K and they sound fantastic. They're strong, clear, woody, and percussive. I have no plans to change them.
The paint is a thinly applied satin finish allowing the wood grain to show through. The back of the neck has been given the Scotchbrite or similar treatment. Another sign of a player's guitar.
The "open book" headstock was blank when I bought it and I applied the "Goblin" decal.
Why the heck did somebody give up this beautiful and soulful instrument for what must have been next to nothing? I just don't know. What I do know is that I already gigged it last night, so it's already paid for itself (and then some). Life if good.
The guitar looks to be made from the kind of kit sold by Stew Mac, amongst others. It has a very hand made feel to it, in a good way. I recently came across and played some mid 60s Gibson 335s, and they strike a similar chord, feeling fragile, idiosyncratic, and delicately voiced.
Someone clearly took their time assembling this guitar and setting it up. There's copper shielding in the pickup cavity. It's super resonate acoustically. Everything feels very "tight" and fitted. The action and intonation are spot on. There's nail polish applied to the wire retainer on the bridge . . . a sure sign that it was a player's guitar.
I don't know what the pups are, but the bridge measures around 10 K and the neck around 9 K and they sound fantastic. They're strong, clear, woody, and percussive. I have no plans to change them.
The paint is a thinly applied satin finish allowing the wood grain to show through. The back of the neck has been given the Scotchbrite or similar treatment. Another sign of a player's guitar.
The "open book" headstock was blank when I bought it and I applied the "Goblin" decal.
Why the heck did somebody give up this beautiful and soulful instrument for what must have been next to nothing? I just don't know. What I do know is that I already gigged it last night, so it's already paid for itself (and then some). Life if good.
