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Just finished a left handed semi-solid body ES-335 clone for someone in Vienna Austria.





He plays in a band called Raining Sunshine, the inlay on the pickguard is their band logo

Very nice Freeman! When you said "semi-solid" I thought you meant that you started with a slab and routed out the inside, but in the last photo I see kerf lining. What did you mean by "semi-solid"?

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

Nice!

SWEETNESS!

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Actually I think the correct term is "semi-hollow body" however I've seen both. Its got a big huge chuck of bass wood in the center that the neck, pups and bridge mounts to.



True 335's have a piece of (usually) mahogany with some kirfed spruce on top and bottom to form the shape of the plates, I found it just as easy to shape the block itself.

Laminated maple top, back and sides from Acme Archtops.

Very cool guitar and very nicely done!

Makes me wish I could play lefty

Great work, Freeman!
I followed your build on "another" forum.
Thanks for sharing!
Dan

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

I actually got to hear it today - two of my leftie friends stopped by the house and gave it a go. Mostly I wanted to make sure the setup wasn't all wonky - I did it strictly by the numbers and these guys confirmed that it was at least playable. In fact one asked if I would set up his Stat.

Beautiful!
How do you like working with the Acme plates?

Very nice guitar, but I wonder what Gibson would think of you using their model number on something you built.

I bought the plates from Dan Yeager as he was in the process of selling his business - he was a pleasure to work with. I have not had a chance to deal with Jonathan yet but Dan assures me that Acme is in good hands. I did buy two other sets at that time, another double cut 335 style and a double cut with spruce top. One of them will stay with me.

As far as working with the plates - no problems at all. The sides fit my 335 plans perfectly (and a standard case). Top and back were well made. Veneers are thin so I was cautious while sanding. Acme has a good tutorial on their site that was helpful but a lot of it I just sort of winged as I went along. Having build a couple of Les Paul style guitars was helpful with the neck pocket and pickup cavities. I did do a build thread on another forum if anyone is interested.



Didn't know Gibson had a ES-335 FK model

I think you're being a bit pedantic there. You know good and well that ES-335 is a Gibson designation. I guess I can build my own Les Paul RC or Telecaster RC and I should be fine. I'm sure Fender and Gibson wouldn't take umbrage with that at all

Please post the link for the build. I would like to see the process and build style. thanks

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Here it is, David. In retrospect there are a few things I would do differently (like NOT putting the electronics in before closing the box). The guitar has been shipped to Austria and arrived safely - the new owner is presenting it to his band tonight! He seems happy with it.

http://www.harmonycentral.com/forum/for ... -an-es-335

Nice!
Do the Gibson models have the block of wood between the back and top?
Also, does the block run to the heel when it's a hard tail bridge?

Took another look.
I see the block goes far enough for the tailpiece to screw into!

Alan, the way Gibson builds the 335 is a block of wood - maple, mahogany, basswood, that extends from the neck to the tail. It is flat and level on the top and bottom at the same thickness as the rims. They then make two filler pieces that are kerfed lengthwise and glued to the arched top and back plates. These too are planed flat to the mating surfaces and the whole sandwich is glued together.

My plans for a "ES-335 Clone" only showed the center block going far enough for the tailpiece and did not show the kerfed filler pieces. I simply carved the top and back arches into the center block which did work fine but I would probably do it the Gibson way next time.

Since building this one I have found several videos showing the Gibson way, including a very cool one about recreating Clapton's iconic 335 from his Cream days - worth seeking out if you want to build one of these things.

Thanks for the info, Freeman.
I used to have an ES335, and never played it,
because the fretboard width was so narrow.
They do sound great though!