please call or contact me directly for pricing.
Up for sale is this fabulous 1959 Gibson ES-335. Equipped with a pair of robust PAF patent applied for pickups, this guitar delivers everything you expect from the golden age of Gibson construction.
These are known as “burst killers“ for a reason. Built during the same year as the famous 1959 Les Paul Standard, The 335 has the same “guts“ as it’s much more valuable counterpart. In addition, the 335’s semi-hollow construction adds a layer of the depth to the tone which often gives the bursts a run for their money.
That is definitely the case in this guitar. These holy grail pick ups have an open and clear tone unlike anything else, and the distinctives of the 335 construction only add to the layers of tone. They are capable of beautiful, glassy cleans at low volumes, but can also ride like a beast when cranked.
This 335 was made in the latter part of the year as the factory order number of a – 31581 attests. The original orange Gibson label is fully intact and all the lettering is still bold and clear.
Thankfully, it has no neck or headstock breaks and has come down to posterity structurally fully intact. The wiring harness has never been removed, but you can still see the original bumblebee caps through the F-hole.
The neck profile is definitely a 59, but it’s not as much of a baseball bat as you will find on some Les Paul re-issues. The ES series next did not always correspond to the Les Paul counterparts. Nevertheless, it offers a robust profile which fits comfortably in the hand.
The neck measurements are .85 inches at the first fret, .89“ at the fifth fret, and .94“ at 12 fret.
The guitar has recently been set up by Joe Riggio of Tacoma Washington.
The tuners currently on the guitar are a set of vintage single line Klusons tuners That are correct for the guitar. Two of the tUbers have a little rust on the casing. The tuner buttons have mostly deteriorated and would need to be re-buttoned, but they are right for the guitar and would work great with just a little restoration.
The frets and binding are still original, as is the ABR-1 Bridge with brass saddles and posts. The stop tailpiece looks to be the adjustable variety which you most often find on a junior or a special. This is definitely a vintage Gibson part and has been on the guitar for a long, long time.
The finish is original and black lights exactly as it should. There is some modest wear to the edges of the finish on back of the neck and around the sides of the body. Overall, the guitar is in very good vintage condition.
One should note that the screws pickup rings screws on the bridge pickup are Phillips, and the screws on the neck pick up are flathead. This is typical of the area where you will sometimes find both varieties. Both sets are original to the guitar.
Like many 335s of the era, At one time the guitar had a Bigsby tailpiece on it. This looks to have been originally a stop tail from the factory. Thankfully, the Bigsby was the variety that that did not screw onto the top, so there are no “snakebite“ marks on the top. You can see a faint outline of how the finish aged differently where the Bigsby was installed. A set of era correct tuners are included, but the buttons have deteriorated on some of them. Finally, one coil on one pickup had to be rewound due to a short. The work was done by Lollar and the work is almost unnoticeable (the lead was disconnected at the pick up leaving the original solder joint on the pots intact).
see photos For all other specifics regarding condition, etc.
The guitar comes house in its original lift in case. The case shows normal wear and tear. One latch has been repaired.