Gibson is having a vintage year for signature models and its not done yet - Jim James from My Morning Jacket is the latest artist to receive the honour. And what a beauty his walnut ES-335 is. We're loving the animated video to introduce it too.
“I am beyond honored and excited to be able to collaborate with Dustin Wainscott and the team at Gibson to create the guitar of my dreams!" says the My Morning Jacket mainman of his first signature guitar. "I wanted to create a guitar that felt like a part of nature, a guitar that gave you a sense of Déjà vu, as if it had always been around like a favourite tree that you love and know very well and has been there your entire life.”
“It has a slim neck, is easy to play and it’s capable of creating infinite sound," the musician adds. "From the lightest whisper, to the greatest roar and everything in between, all of the technical details have been carefully chosen and I included a few symbols, such as our beloved owl, who reminds us to look into the darkness, and another symbol that reminds us to look into the light – one that to me means to transcend, pass through, break free, cross over and beyond any boundaries that may seem to be holding you back and unite with the circle of limitless potential.”
The Gibson Jim James ES-335 features a '70s Walnut nitrocellulose lacquer finish, mahogany SlimTaper neck with an Indian rosewood fretboard, two Calibrated T-Type pickups - just like the '70s originals – paired with dual volume and tone controls with CTS potentiometers, a Graph Tech nut, 22 medium jumbo frets, and Kluson Waffleback tuners.
The guitar features an aluminum ABR-1 bridge and Stop Bar tailpiece, with steel thumb-wheels and tailpiece studs. Personal touches include the Jim James logo on the truss rod cover, an owl emblem on the back of the headstock, as well as a Jim James owl emblem on the hardshell guitar case.
The Gibson Jim James ES-335 is priced at $3,499. More info at Gibson. My Morning Jacket's new, self-titled album is out now.
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Rob is the Reviews Editor for GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars, so spends most of his waking hours (and beyond) thinking about and trying the latest gear while making sure our reviews team is giving you thorough and honest tests of it. He's worked for guitar mags and sites as a writer and editor for nearly 20 years but still winces at the thought of restringing anything with a Floyd Rose.