The Lightest ES-355TD

One of just 189 ES-355TD/SVs made in 1960. This lovely example weighs just 8.50 lbs. and has a nut width of just under 1 11/16 inches and a standard Gibson scale length of 24 3/4 inches. Laminated maple body with maple central block, one-piece mahogany neck, and bound ebony fretboard with 22 frets and inlaid pearl block position markers. Multi-bound headstock with inlaid pearl "Gibson" logo and pearl five-piece split-diamond inlay. The body is multi-bound on the top (seven-ply) and the back (three-ply). Individual Grover Roto-Matic tuners with half-moon metal buttons. Two hot PAF pickups with outputs of 7.80k and 7.36k. "Long" tortoiseshell pickguard with five-layer (white/black/white/black/white) plastic binding. Four controls (two volume, two tone) plus three-way toggle switch for pickup selection, all on lower treble bout. Black plastic bell-shaped "Bell" knobs with metal tops. ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge and factory Bigsby vibrato tailpiece. All hardware gold-plated. This guitar has been professionally converted to "mono." The six-position Varitone switch is present, but it has been disconnected, and the original Varitone transformer, complete with all of its original wiring has been removed and is in the case. Apart from some finish checking, two tiny marks on the top, and a few small marks on the back of the neck. There are also two very small finish cracks over the lower seams on the back of the peghead between the two "E" tuners and the edge of the headstock. We have removed the two "E" tuners and carefully examined this area and can confim that what appear to be seam cracks are in fact merely superficial finish cracks. Overall, this is an exceptionally fine (9.00) example of the "top-of-the-line" thinlines. Housed in its original Gibson brown hardshell case with purple plush lining (8.50).

The Varitone transformer and wiring can easily be reinstated and the guitar would then be back to its original "stereo" state. We are quite happy to carry out this work for the purchaser (at our expense), but we think that the guitar sounds so much better as a "mono." And it's also 7 ounces lighter -- yes, the Varitone transformer really does weigh a whole 7 ounces! And that is why you will never find another early ES-355TD/SV weighing just 8.50 pounds!

"The ES-355T (at first no final D) was perfected in the second half of 1958 as a deluxe variant of the ES-335T. By 1959 the model was commercialized in two versions: the ES-355TD fitted with a regular mono wiring and the ES-355TD/SV equipped with the Stereo Varitone circuitry pioneered on the ES-345T. During the 1960s the stereo model outsold the mono one which was ultimately phased out in 1970, while the ES-355TD/SV remained cataloged until 1981...The ES-355TD/SV is identical to the mono version in every respect save for its Stereo Varitone circuitry...On the SV model the two pickups are wired separately for stereo effect and require a special Y-cord to the amp. the Varitone is a 6-position rotary switch which, combined with the regular toggle switch, permits to pre-select 18 different tone settings. On the early ES-355TD/SV the circular plate of the Varitone switch is painted black but gold plated 'rings' became standard by 1960. Until the advent of walnut in 1969, the great majority of 355s (whether mono or stereo) were released in cherry red" (A.R. Duchossoir, Gibson Electrics -- The Classic Years, pp. 237-238).