The old wood is back!

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LeonC
Orange Master
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The old wood is back!

Post by LeonC » Sat Jul 11, 2009 3:55 am

Played a 345 when I was in the bay area a not long ago and just loved it--much to my surprise. Wound up buying an old '68 in really outstanding shape. Killer neck...feels darn near identical to my old LP...same medium chunk shape. Plays like a dream; with .011s it plays just about as well as my other guitars with .010s. Killer old T-tops--my favorite Gibson humbuckers.

The stereo variatone is a loser though; I'll remove the old harness, save it off in one piece and replace the pots, caps and variatone with a newer ones and a mono, bypassable variatone without the huge inductors. I also just happen to have two gorgeous Black Beauties (tone caps) waiting to go in :)

I am so stokked!

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Wendigo
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Post by Wendigo » Sat Jul 11, 2009 9:19 am

Damn! Now I am really envious. That varitone...how does it work? I have something similar on one of my guitars, I just thought of it as a "mid shift" type deal. Mine also has 6 positions. Anyways nice score there man...I've been wanting a 335 or a 345 since I heard one live a while back. Perfect tone.
Last edited by Wendigo on Sat Jul 11, 2009 12:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Taronja
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Post by Taronja » Sat Jul 11, 2009 9:24 am

wow, real nice guitar, how much did that cost ya??? i gotta know!

Jon
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Member since 2005
Currently a non orange owner. Im actively in search of a vintage OR head... Feel free to send me any leads... :)

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Andy H.
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Post by Andy H. » Sat Jul 11, 2009 11:10 am

Most nice Leon! 8)


Andy.
Only dimly aware of existence, a dimly existing awareness...

You get a wonderful view from the point of no return.

Bink
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Post by Bink » Sat Jul 11, 2009 1:50 pm

She's a beauty Leon! Nice buy! :D
Chris
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irish_admiral
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Post by irish_admiral » Sat Jul 11, 2009 2:18 pm

Looks tasty - would like to get my hands on that!
Joe

G(sus) saves

Orange AD15, Matamp 1224, Fender 'JD' Tele, G&L ASAT, Duesenberg Starplayer TV, Eggle Kanuga, Avalon D25, Warwick FNA Jazzman, Eden Nemesis / Bergantino EX112S, Eastman MD305 & other stuff...

philhed
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Post by philhed » Sat Jul 11, 2009 2:18 pm

:shock: this thing MUST sound awesome!!!!
would love to hear that

congratulations!!!

iwantanorangeamp
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Post by iwantanorangeamp » Sat Jul 11, 2009 3:46 pm

Wow. Nice find!
HI, my real name is Reo. I live in Dallas Texas and play an 82 American Strat through an AD30HTC through a Marshall 4X12

Neiloler
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Post by Neiloler » Sat Jul 11, 2009 3:55 pm

Congrats Leon, that looks like a real beauty, and a real workhorse!

If possible, could you please take some pictures of the stereo variotone you're replacing? I'd love to see the inductors, etc.

LeonC
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Post by LeonC » Sat Jul 11, 2009 5:16 pm

Thanks guys!

Hey Wendigo - the Variatone is an interesting idea...all varitones are pretty much networks of capacitors and a resistor or two that are used to notch certain frequency bands up or down a bit. But the older ones, they're implemented in a way that is a little unfortunate. First, it weighs close to a pound--not just the switch, but the switch and the HUGE inductors that are part of its design. So it adds a fair amount of weight to the guitar.

Second, it is wired in stereo (the guitar is "stereo" in that one pickup goes to one side of the stereo field and the other pickup goes to the other). This makes it harder to use from a mono amp (the guitar were originally intended for use with a 'stereo' amp that Gibson sold). The two channels were out of phase, like many reverb model Fenders, and the pickups are out of phase to compensate for this.

Third, it is not completely bypassable. In the earlier design, there is a 100k resistor that's always in the circuit.

So...I have removed the entire wiring harness will keep it in tact. I'm installing a new harness with a simpler, mono variatone that is completely bypassable.

The new ES-345s are more like this. They have a mono jack and the variatone sounds much better.

All that being said, it is a great sounding guitar. I love T-Top humbuckers; probably my favorite Gibson humbuckers.

LeonC
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Post by LeonC » Sat Jul 11, 2009 5:49 pm

Yo Neil,

Check this out (scroll down the page a little):

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showth ... 935&page=3

LeonC
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Post by LeonC » Sat Jul 11, 2009 5:52 pm

Trjona - as for the price. You want me to kiss and tell? hahha. Well, it cost plenty...but it was a mere pittance when compared to a 335 of similar vintage. And it's kinda silly because these were easily just a nice, once you get rid of the stereo/variatone.

BTW...I've been waiting on the guy who built me the new variatone switch, otherwise I'd have been done 2 weeks ago. He's turning out to be the kinda guy who doesn't do things when he says he's going to. :x

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