Gibson ES-350T Natural (1959)

1959 Gibson ES-350T in original Natural finish just in on consignment!

One of Gibson's most cherished thinline archtops, the ES-350T model fused large body looks with thinline comfort and a shorter scale that appealed to jazz guitarists. The tighter fret spacing allows for complex chord voicings and extensions without some of the physical challenges presented in a longer scale instrument.

This is a wonderful mid-1959 example that features the rarer Natural finish along with an excellent sounding original pair of PAF humbuckers. Weighing in at just 6.5lbs on our scale, it's quite comfortable and balanced despite its 17" lower bout width. This is just 1 of 57 Natural finished ES-350Ts shipped in the year.

The neck feel is the start of the show, with just a perfect '59 carve that offers the right amount of fullness with leaner shoulders and a moderate taper. Combined with the original large frets, the playing experience is smooth and fast. As you might have guessed, the original PAF pickups have that unmistakable combination of clarity and depth of tone, with great harmonic content and natural bloom. The all-Maple construction and Ebony fingerboard help retain clarity and snap as well, making it an easy choice in an ensemble or bigger band setting.

The guitar has been very well maintained throughout its life, with just a few small changes to account for. The primary change? A set of Schaller vintage style tuners have been installed, once replacing what appeared to have been another Schaller variant (with offset mounting holes). The bridge had been oriented backwards seemingly some time ago, with no evidence of additional string slots in the original milled saddles. The bridge volume potentiometer is missing the bottom section of its dust shield, but shows undisturbed solder and allowed us to see proper codes to verify that it was original to the instrument.

One unique element of this ES-350 is the fingerboard, which is more in line with a Byrdland of the same era. Both models do share some construction elements, so in theory, this feature isn't bizarre. The work is clean and tight with evidence that suggests it's factory, but whether or not it left the factory like this or went back for an "upgrade" is in question.

Paired with its original brown Lifton hardshell case.

**Please note: Expedited shipping is required.**