1959 Gibson ES-355 Mono Sunburst

One of a kind. They made just 177 mono ES-355's in 1959. That's rare. A Bigsby was standard as was a red finish. Any deviation from this configuration meant waiting months for your special order to be built. Out of those 177 mono 355's, three, perhaps four were stop tails. One of those three or four is sunburst. That makes it, without a doubt, the rarest configuration there is. Twice as rare as Keith's black 355 (there are at least two). Sunburst 355's show up in nearly all years-maybe one or two a year but never with a stop tail and rarely mono. If your collection needs a centerpiece...a guitar none of your friends will ever have, this might be the one. It is in excellent 9+ condition, showing some wear to the gold parts only. It was played but well cared for. Just in case one of a kind isn't rare enough, it also has a pair of double white PAFs. Rarity is important to a collector but tone and playability can't be ignored. Big neck 355's are rare (355's went to the slimmer neck earlier than 335's and 345's). This one measures .90" at the first fret and .98" at the 12th. That's seriously big. PAFs measure 8.69K in the bridge and 7.98K in the neck. Hot. The center block on 98% of 355's is cut to accommodate the stereo harness (including nearly all monos). This one is solid like a 335. Factory Grover tuners mean it will stay in tune (Klusons were never particularly good functioning tuners) and an ebony fingerboard is more durable than rosewood and gives a slicker feel. Some argue that an ebony board enhances the highs and gives more "snap" but I think that's kind of a myth. In case all of that doesn't make a compelling case, it's got a thin top. This guitar has every element that makes an ES guitar great and it breaks into my top ten with ease. I'd put it at number two or three.