A Near Fine Cherry Gibson ES-335 Dot-Neck

This 16-inch-wide semi-hollow body guitar, with a solid maple block running lengthwise down the center, weighs just 7.30 lbs. and has a nice fat nut width of just over 1 11/16 inches and a standard Gibson scale length of 24 3/4 inches. Laminated maple body with single binding on the top and back edges, one-piece mahogany neck with a typical 1960/61 thin profile. Bound Brazilian rosewood fretboard with 22 original jumbo frets and inlaid pearl dot position markers. Headstock with inlaid pearl "Gibson" logo and pearl crown inlay. Two-layer (black on white) plastic truss-rod cover. Serial number ("21391") impressed into the back of the headstock. Individual single-line Kluson Deluxe tuners with double-ring Keystone plastic buttons and "D-169400 / PATENT NO." stamped on the underside. Oval orange label inside the bass f-hole with the style "ES-335TD" written in black ink and the serial number "21391" stamped in black. Two original 'double-black' "PAF" humbucker pickups with outputs of 7.68k and 7.41k. The solder joints on the pickup covers are untouched and the black rectangular "PAF" label on both pickups are intact. The black plastic pickup rings are stamped on the underside "MR491 / M-69 7" and "MR490 / M-69 8" respectively. Five-layer (black/white/black/white/black) 'short' plastic pickguard with beveled edge. Four controls (two volume, two tone) plus three-way pickup selector switch, all on lower treble bout. Black plastic bell-shaped knobs with white markings and metal tops. ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic non-retainer bridge with metal saddles and original 'Bar-Stud' tailpiece.

A very nice example of an early ES-335TDC, the cherry red color is rich and vibrant and shows none of the usual fading that one would expect after fifty years. There is some fine finish checking on the body and the back of the neck. There are a few very small surface marks/dings, most noticeably by the jack input and on the lower edge of the body. There is a small 'plug' in the bottom edge strap-pin hole which is only visible when the strap-pin is removed. The original frets show some wear but the guitar plays really well and there is no fret-buzz. We can safely give this incredible sounding and great playing guitar a strong excellent plus (8.75) rating. Housed in its original Gibson five-latch brown hardshell case with pink plush lining (9.00).

"Introduced in 1958, the ES-335T (originally no final D) truly ranks among the all-time Gibson classics, not only because of its enduring popularity but also because of its semi-solid construction which pioneered a new style of electrics" (A.R. Duchossoir, Gibson Electrics -- The Classic Years, p. 231).

"There were indeed a number of firsts in the early days of the electric guitar, but in retrospect only few of them can be considered as true milestones. The double cutaway thinlines pioneered by Gibson in 1958 genuinely rank amongst the great original designs. Their graceful shape was truly innovative at the time and spawned several imitations such as Gretsch's revamped Chet Atkins series or the Guild Starfire. But perhaps the most important hallmark of the new thinline was their semi-solid construction. Indeed Gibson's prime objective was to design an instrument that would combine the advantages of both solid and hollow body electrics and therefore appeal to a variety of players, regardless of their musical style" (A.R. Duchossoir, Gibson Electrics -- The Classic Years, p. 77).

The cherry color was not used on the ES-335 until 1960. Just 21 cherry guitars were shipped in 1960 and then 420 were shipped in 1961. The cherry color replaced the natural finish that was used on the ES-335TDN from 1959 to 1960 (a total of 252 natural ES-335TDN's were shipped during those years). The total number of 'dot-neck' cherry ES-335's shipped between 1960 and 1961 was just 441 guitars.