The Original Gibson Stereo Guitar!

One of 446 Sunburst "Stereo Guitars" issued in 1959 (32 guitars in Natural were issued in 1959). Weighs just 8.10 lbs. and has a nut width of just over 1 5/8 inches and a scale length of 24 3/4 inches. Laminated maple top, back, and sides, with maple central block, one-piece mahogany neck, and rosewood fretboard with 22 wide jumbo frets and inlaid pearl split-parallelogram position markers (no inlay at the 1st fret). Inlaid pearl "Gibson" headstock logo with pearl crown inlay. Individual Kluson Deluxe tuners with single-ring Keystone plastic buttons. Two PAF pickups with black plastic surrounds. "Long" five-layer (black/white/black/white/black) plastic pickguard extending below the bridge. Four controls (two volume, two tone) plus three-way selector switch for pickup selection and six-position Vari-tone rotary switch for tonal settings. Gold plastic bell-shaped "Bell" knobs. With a black circular plate around the Vari-tone switch. Tune-O-Matic bridge and separate stud tailpiece. All hardware gold-plated. Some tarnishing to the gold-plated pickup covers, otherwise this guitar is in near mint condition. Housed in the original Gibson brown hardshell case with purple plush lining (8.75).

Introduced in Spring 1959 as the Stereo Guitar, the ES-345T was the first Gibson electric to incorporate the Stereo-Varitone circuitry. Pitched as an intermediate model between the 335 and the 355, and originally retailing at $345.00, the 345 remained in production until 1985.