• Guys, we've spent considerable money converting the Les Paul Forum to this new XenForo platform, and we have ongoing monthly operating expenses. THE "DONATIONS" TAB IS NOW WORKING, AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY DONATIONS YOU CAN MAKE TO KEEP THE LES PAUL FORUM GOING! Thank you!

Do certain ES-335's have a poplar center block?

C-4

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 5, 2005
Messages
1,776
I have been reading on here that certain people feel that some of the ES-335's are now being built with a poplar center block, while others are built with the maple center block.

Where did this theory come from and is it indeed true?

Thank you.
 

plaintop60

New member
Joined
Nov 20, 2006
Messages
2,210
I've never heard of poplar center blocks on any es models. There's poplar in the core of the laminate material though. Es 137's have a mahogany center block. Es 135's have balsa wood. Thhe very lastest issue es135's before they discontinued that model had mahogany blocks and no F-holes. All es335's have maple center blocks as far as I know. Of course with Gibson there are often anomalies, but not nearly as often these days as back in the old days. FWIW, it would be very easy to determine if a guitar has a poplar block, just by looking through the f-hole or pulling a pick-up. Also, while poplar makes an, IMO, inferior laminate layer to maple, it would make a great center block. I've seen lots of mexican strats with poplar bodies that sound great, different from alder or swamp ash, but the soldid poplar body produces a nice resonant tone.
 

Godot

New member
Joined
Feb 6, 2007
Messages
67
My '72 335 has a maple block under the bridge - a gap under the bridge pickup - and a mahogany block up to the neck...

Norlin thing, I guess.
 
T

Troels

Guest
No! But many 335s have poplar as the blind layer in the maple plywood lamination in top, back and sides.
Some 135s had balsa wood center block.
 

Stevedenver

Active member
Joined
Jul 17, 2001
Messages
2,565
actually i know that the early versions of the 137-the single cut entry level-had poplar blocks-

hadnt heard about poplar elsewhere, but who knows
 

skylabfilmpop

New member
Joined
Dec 12, 2006
Messages
588
I think the es 333's have a chromite (balsa) block too. I have never heard of the poplar though
 

vibro

New member
Joined
Mar 23, 2003
Messages
157
Interestingly I just demoed an ES 339 this weekend and the tag mentioned poplar. I had the same question as the author of this thread.
 

plaintop60

New member
Joined
Nov 20, 2006
Messages
2,210
That Gibson link says that the center block is soft maple. It's the laminate core that has poplar these days.
 
Top