Gibson Memphis ES-335 Bass (Ebony)

Gibson Memphis ES-335 Bass (Ebony) Overview

The Gibson Memphis ES-335 bass is a modern interpretation of the legendary semi-hollowbody EB-2 that was in production from 1958 to 1972. You get several playability- and tone-enhancing improvements over the original, starting with a 34" scale (the original was a short-scale instrument). There are still two humbuckers, but in the ES-335, Gibson moved the neck pickup to the middle position for crisper note delineation. And your fingers will fly on the '335's fast maple neck and bound rosewood fingerboard.

The EB-2 had two humbucking pickups, a full-sized one at the neck, affectionately dubbed "the mudbucker," and a mini 'bucker at the bridge. The mudbucker nickname stuck, as it clearly described what you get when you place a humbucking pickup as far north as you can on a short-scale bass (which is treble-challenged to begin with). With its 34" standard scale, today's ES-335 bass is balanced-sounding from the get-go. Gibson's Custom Shop then wisely placed the "neck" pickup in the "middle" position (think J-Bass) and added another at the bridge. Giving you big, punchy, balanced tone, along with the means to control it, courtesy of a 3-way toggle and separate volume and tone pots for each pickup.

There's a reason 34 inches became the standard scale for electric basses. It works. You won't find many studio pros using short-scale basses for recording. That's because the looser string tension delivers a "flubby" sound (for lack of a better word), it's the antithesis of the "tight" bass that's desirable in much of today's music. So, Gibson woke up and lost the 30" scale for this new model. The Gibson Memphis ES-335 bass wears a gorgeous nitrocellulose lacquer finish. Nitro finishes (standard back in the day) are significantly thinner than today's polyurethane finishes, allowing the instrument to breathe. Nitro finishes not only look authentically vintage; they also enhance the instrument's tonal qualities.

Gibson's Custom Shop took extra care with every detail of the ES-335 bass. Every Gibson Custom guitar receives an ultra-precise Plek Pro setup, which optimizes the fretboard and nut for incredibly accurate intonation and a just-right feel. And fine touches such as solid-cover humbucking pickups and a 1961-style maple centerblock not only add to the amazing tone and feel, they remain true to Gibson's legacy of superb quality.

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