Vintage 1960 Gibson ES-335 TD guitar

Make and Model: Gibson ES-335TD

Year: 1960. “R” prefix factory order number, serial A35xxx. Potentiometer codes indicate the 48th week of 1959.

Specifications: Thinline arched top with solid Maple center block, factory stop bar tailpiece, never had another tailpiece, dot inlay fretboard markers, 1 11/16″ nut width, .80" neck depth at the first fret, .88" depth at the 12th fret, 7lbs 10oz. Potentiometer date codes: 235-5948 (235 = Mallory, 59 = 1959, and 48 = 48th week).

Originality: All parts original except the strings. I installed reproduction tuners in order to preserve the original shrunken buttons. The original tuners can be reinstalled with no evidence of the replacement. I inspected all electronics and solder joints and found the guitar to be unmodified. The neck pickup exhibits some non-standard features including never having a Patent Applied For sticker, slot screws holding the bobbins to the base plate, and being magnetically out of phase from the bridge pickup. These are not standard features but I believe the pickup to be original to the guitar. The original owner claims he never modified or replaced anything but the strings. I believe that to be true as well.

Condition: Excellent! The finish shows very light checking throughout. It’s been played very sparingly throughout its lifetime.

Playability: Excellent! It’s a dream to play. The neck is straight and the frets exhibit virtually no wear. I was surprised to find that the pickups are out of phase from each other in the middle position but it makes for a unique and killer sounding example of the model.

Notes: Just in from the original owner! This clean 1960 Gibson ES-335TD was sold originally to Joe in Pekin, IL for his 13th birthday. He said he chose this one because he didn’t have an amplifier at home but he could still play and hear it. Joe played it sparingly throughout the years and both he and the guitar remained together in Pekin, Illinois until about a month ago. The music store sticker where the guitar was original sold is still on the side of the case.

I’m very proud to bring this one owner guitar to market for the first time ever. It’s one of the finest examples of the model I’ve seen. You can watch an interview with the original owner here: https://youtu.be/ZQyo3CPXAIg (skip to 5:36). I’m confident you will love this one as much as I do.