1959 Gibson ES-335 Sunburst, Very Good, Original Hard, $32,000.00

Somewhere in the middle of 1959, Gibson shipped a fair number of 335's that had been built in 1958 but never completed or, at least, never shipped. It could have been that were held aside since they had the thin tops that were prone to cracking that Gibson made thicker at the beginning of 58. So, maybe they were behind enough in their orders to finally ship them. This is one of those guitars. They are not super rare (I have two at the moment) but they are among the best 335's, IMO, that Gibson ever made. They have the more desirable 59 neck angle but they have the more resonant 58 top. Fortunately this one never cracked around the jack where so many 58's do. It is all original with a few notes...As you can see in the photos, the bridge was moved and the holes filled. It is invisible unless you remove the thumbwheels. The tuner tips have been replaced. Both PAFs have been opened but show no sign of rewind. I've taken a photo with the cover off one of them. I have left it unsoldered, so you can inspect it. Neck profile is a bit unusual-most of the 58 FON 335's have a huge neck-.88-.90" at the first fret and 1" at the 12th. This one is a few hundredths smaller-nowhere near as thin as the 59 transitional neck though. It measure a comfortable .86" at the first fret and .94" at the 12th. Still chunky but not that baseball bat you see in 58. Condition is 8.5/10. Lots of checking but not much wear. There have been only two owners since new. Original brown case with an unusual reddish lining.