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Red electric guitar with a black pickguard on a dark background
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Red electric guitar with a black pickguard on a dark background
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Red electric guitar with a black pickguard on a dark background
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Red electric guitar on a black background
Close-up of a red electric guitar on a black background
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Red electric guitar on a stand against a dark background
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Red electric guitar with a black pickguard on a dark background
Red electric guitar with a black pickguard on a dark background
Close-up of a red electric guitar's neck and body on a black background
Close-up of a red electric guitar with a focus on the bridge and strings.
Red electric guitar with a black pickguard on a dark background
Close-up of a red guitar with yellowed binding
Close-up of a red electric guitar with a black pickguard on a dark background
Close-up of a red electric guitar with control knobs
Red electric guitar with a black pickguard on a dark background
Red electric guitar on a black background
Close-up of a guitar neck against a black background
Red electric guitar on a black background
Close-up of a red electric guitar on a black background
Close-up of a red guitar neck with a dark background
Red electric guitar body on a dark background
Close-up of a red guitar with a black background
Gibson guitar headstock with tuning pegs on a dark background
Close-up of a guitar headstock with tuning pegs and strings.
Close-up of a red guitar headstock with tuning pegs on a dark background
Close-up of a guitar's headstock with tuning pegs and serial number
Red electric guitar on a stand against a dark background
Red electric guitar on a stand against a dark background
Close-up of a red electric guitar in case with yellow interior
Gibson guitar headstock with brand logo in a case
Vintage guitar case on a stand against a dark background

Gibson

Gibson ES-335TD Cherry (1961)

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Product information

Dot neck + ES + PAF = (Insert your favorite guitar adjective here)


1961 Gibson ES-335TD in original Cherry finish just into the shop!

Good golly Miss Molly, what a guitar! This 7.5lb slice of cherry pie recently came in from its longtime owner who'd purchased the guitar in the early 1980s. Sitting with it for a few minutes made us realize why said owner kept it in his collection for so long.

Hovering right around the 7.5lb mark, it's a nice lightweight example that's very balanced both seated and strapped. The neck is classic early 60s Slim Taper that plays fast and easy. It's a very resonant guitar with a noticeably clear top end acoustic tone that further adds to the airiness of the guitar when plugged in.

Speaking of plugging in...

The PAFs in this 335 are SO good! The neck pickup is full without any mud and a nice chirp to the notes. It handles gain incredibly well. The bridge pickup is punchy with excellent note definition and a very open midrange voice. Fat enough to satisfy LP lovers, but not so forward sounding that it feels too aggressive in certain situations.

The guitar had gone through a couple of changes long before we got our hands on it, but nothing overly concerning or glaring. First, the original single line double ring Klusons were swapped out for later 60s double line double ring Klusons. Second, the original ABR-1 bridge had been replaced years back with a reissue. We felt the clean shiny bridge clashed too much with the original nickel plating of the PAFs and original stopbar, so we outfitted it with a nicely aged historic Gibson ABR-1 which suits the guitar very well. The bridge posts had also been moved back about 1/16" to compensate for factory misplacement, which is fairly common. It's well concealed by a set of old thumbwheels and is nice and stable.

Lastly, there looks to have been an aftermarket Bigsby installation done ages ago. There's evidence of the mounting holes on the lower bout rim by the strap button, and two old touchup spots on the top where the Bigsby made contact. However, we can't quite identify actual repaired holes in the top. We wouldn't even call it "snake bites" as it's commonly referred to.

All plastics remain original, as does the wiring harness. Fret are original to the guitar, and though they've been played down throughout the years, they cleaned up nicely in our shop to the point where we felt it did not warrant a refret.

The guitar includes its original black pebble grain Gibson hardshell case which is in nice condition.

Body
Style
Semi-Hollowbody
Body
Laminated Maple with centerblock
Finish
Nitrocellulose
Color
Cherry

Hardware
Pickups
Original PAF | 7.9k Neck / 7.7k Bridge
Electronics
Original harness
Controls
Volume (x2) / Tone (x2) / 3-Way Toggle
Bridge
Historic RI ABR-1 / original Stop Tailpiece
Tuners
Double Line Double Ring Kluson
Pickguard
Original
Knobs
Original Reflector

Neck
Neck
Mahogany
Binding
White
Carve
Slim Taper C | .80-.87"
Fingerboard
Brazilian Rosewood
Inlays
Dots
Frets
Original
Nut
Original
Scale Length
24 3/4"

Other
Serial #
26663
Weight
7lbs 9oz
Case
Original Hardshell

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