1963 Gibson ES-355 Blonde/Natural

Gibson, back in the day, would make you just about anything you wanted if you were willing to pay up and willing to wait. The top of the thinline series was the ES-355 and it came in any color as long as it was red. Want a sunburst? Gonna cost. I know of perhaps 8. Want a blonde? Gonna have to wait (and pay). I know of just 4 blonde ES-355's built before 1965. This is the only 63 I've ever seen and it's a beauty with some not to terrible issues. Beyond the extra holes it has acquired over the past 60 years, it is near mint. I'll call it excellent because of the many (filled) holes at the endpin caused by previous owners. You would think that folks would leave these guitars alone but they don't. This one left the factory with a sideways trem. OK, they don't stay in tune too well, so the owner installed a trapeze next (I think). Eventually, somebody wanted a trem again so they installed a Maestro Vibrola. Then, somebody decided there were too many holes at the endpin (and this is really stupid) so they drilled four more holes so they could put a black plastic plate over the whole thing. It apparently didn't occur to them to use the holes that were already there. Parts are all original-one patent number and one PAF-both sealed. Stereo circuit is intact. I'll convert to 335 if you want. I put a vintage sideways back on but I can reinstall the Maestro if you prefer. There are two filled holes in the top (under the sideways from the Maestro). Neck is wide (1 11/16") and medium to slim. It measures .83" at the first fret and .90" at the 12th. Pickups read 8K at the bridge and 7.72K at the neck. Finish is 100% original. Frets are too. That circular mark near the Varitone switch isn't a filled hole-it's a mark from the screw that holds the Maestro arm to the until. I know you don't have one of these in your collection and it's priced well below what a blonde 335 would cost and much, much rarer. Original case.