A Fat '59 Neck with Three PAF Zebras

This 17-inch-wide archtop guitar weighs just 8.00 lbs. and has a nut width of 1 11/16 inches and a full-size scale length of 25 1/2 inches. Laminated maple body, three-piece maple/mahogany/maple neck with a typical thick '59 profile, and rosewood fretboard with a pointed end, 20 jumbo frets and inlaid pearl block position markers. The body of the guitar has five-ply binding on the top and back, the headstock is single-bound, the fretboard is single-bound and has two lines (like an L5) down the side, and the f-holes are single-bound. Headstock with inlaid pearl "Gibson" logo and pearl crown inlay. Two-layer (black on white) plastic truss-rod cover. Black-painted headstock rear face with widow's peak. Individual Grover Roto-Matic tuners with half-moon metal buttons. Three PAF Zebras with black plastic surrounds and outputs of 8.98k, 8.28k, and 8.67k. Five-layer (black/white/black/white/black) plastic pickguard with bevelled edge. Six controls (three volume, three tone) on lower treble bout and one four-way selector switch on treble horn. Gold plastic bell-shaped "Bell" knobs. ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic non-retainer bridge with metal saddles on rosewood base and specific multi-loop tailpiece with "ES-5" engraved on the cross-bar. With the style ("Switchmaster") in black ink and the serial number ("A 33029") stamped in black on an oval orange label inside the bass f-hole. All hardware gold-plated. This guitar is in near mint (9.25) condition. The top of the guitar is bird's eye maple and the back of the guitar is nicely flamed. We did not give it a 9.50 becaue there is one tiny little surface mark on the top of the guitar (smaller than a matchhead) on the bass side just above the neck pickup, the first five frets only show a minimal amount of wear, and the gold hardware is slightly tarnished, especially on the tuner buttons. Housed in the original Gibson brown hardshell case with purple plush lining (9.00).

In 1949, Gibson upstaged the growing number of competitors who were joining the electric guitar industry by launching the very first instrument to be fitted with three pickups. Where other makers were content with the traditional complement of one or two pickups, Gibson felt that its new ES-5 would lead the market in electronic munificence. Before long, it became apparent that the original ES-5 was not as controllable as many players might like, as it had no pickup switching. So in 1956 Gibson issued the ES-5 with redesigned electronics, as the ES-5 Switchmaster. The supreme electronic version of the famed Gibson L-5, the ES-5 Electric Spanish Guitar combined the acclaimed features of the L-5 with the finest method of electronic guitar amplification. Three separately controlled, adjustable, magnetic pickups reproduce the full, rich tones and harmonics to make the ES-5 truly "the instrument of a thousand voices."

"Originally dubbed the 'supreme electronic version' of the L-5, the ES-5 came out in mid-1949 and was arguably the first electric Spanish guitar ever produced with three pickups. In 1955 the model was equipped with a more elaborate circuitry which brought about the Switchmaster designation...At the end of 1957 the ES-5 Switchmaster was upgraded with humbucking [PAF] pickups" (A.R. Duchossoir, Gibson Electrics -- The Classic Years, pp. 166-167). Despite its phenomenal characteristics, the ES-5 Switchmaster was considerably less expensive at $475.00 than its cousin, the Super 400 CES which sold then at a huge $675.00.

Many of the great old rock 'n rollers played a Switchmaster, including one of the greatest rockers of all time -- Carl Perkins.