Guitar Gear

Back near the turn of the century, I purchased “Rusty,” a Gibson ES-333. It was the size and shape of an ES-335, but it was more of a budget model. The Gibson label was a sticker, it had dot inlays instead of trapezoids. It had a rear access panel on the back to get to the electronics and came equipped with uncovered Gibson 490R and 498T pickups. It was a rock guitar.

I got it for a song at the now-defunct Haight Ashbury Music store in Sunnyvale, CA, a place I frequented a lot in those days. The guitar was basically the “shop” guitar when I got it. There weren’t any dings, but there was a bit of fret wear and discoloration on the fret board due to the guys at the shop playing it. They wanted $1400 for the guitar at the time, but said they’d give it to me for $900. I talked them down to $700 after I nitpicked on the wear.

I played that guitar for a few years, then in 2008 the market came crashing down. And though the company I worked at the time didn’t lay anyone off, we all had to take temporary salary cuts and and that put my family in a financial jam. So at the urging of my wife, I sold the guitar to a local Music-Go-Round.

When I left the store, I knew that I had done the wrong thing. I was absolutely sick to my stomach as I drove away and totally pissed off that I had given into my wife’s – and my – financial worries.

When I got home, I handed the check over to my wife. But as I gave it to her, I told her that I was never going to do that again. I felt as if part of my heart was ripped out. I made sure to tell her that I wasn’t blaming her, but going forward, I wanted to consider other possibilities before I had to sell gear.

I think at that moment, when my wife saw how deeply hurt I was, she understood that my guitars were more than just “stuff” to me. And though she had a hard time accepting it, she nodded her assent, and that was the last time she ever suggested me selling stuff off when the subject of finances came up.

That didn’t stop her from telling me a few years later that I had too many guitars which, at that point in time, I actually did. 🙂 So I thinned my stock and have the guitars I’ll play for the rest of my life. Though there is one unicorn that I want and that is a Gretsch Brian Setzer. I’ve played that guitar several times, and it’s magic!

But I do regret selling that ES-333. It gets me thinking what direction my music would’ve taken had I held onto that guitar. To date, I haven’t played an ES-33x that even felt or sounded like my 333. I thought I’d bond with a gorgeous 1987 ES-335 that I picked up on vacation. It just didn’t have the mojo of my ES-333.

All that said, do I want to get another ES-333? No, not really. My Les Paul pretty much covers everything for me, and I have a few other guitars in my arsenal when I need a different sound. At this point, an ES-33x would be a bit redundant. And let’s face it, though I’d love to get a Gretsch Brian Setzer, that would be a guitar I’d get just because. I can’t justify nor could I afford spending $3600 just because.

So from another perspective, if I hadn’t sold my ES-333, I may not have eventually gotten my Les Paul. I found my sound with my Les Paul despite the ES-333 being so near and dear to me. And I do realize that it’s the optimist in me that wants a silver lining. But truth be told, my Les Paul really is the silver lining to this.

That’s doesn’t diminish the anguish I felt at the time. It’s a sickening feeling that I never want to experience ever again. I will never get rid of my Les Paul – ever. I may get another one down the road, who knows? But I’ve found my sound. I’m not going to be willing to give that up.