Gibson Es-335 Guitar ( 1958 to present )
Thinline Semi-hollow Electric Archtop Guitar Also Known As The Es-335 TD
In 1958 gibson introduced a guitar with a wood block that was glued to the top and back of the body which ran through the guitars' center leaving the sides empty , the guitar was called the gibson es-335 , the first semi-hollow body guitar .
The wood block not only made the es-335 guitar more solid but it also enhanced its woodiness warm sound and sustain .
Its ingenious body design structure plays a major role in gibson' history and paved the way for many gibson legendary guitars to come .
Cherished by many artists such as bb-king , eric clapton, chuck berry , joe perry, keith richards , george harrison, ritchie blackmore ... just to name a few .
The es-335 is coined by many as the best all around guitar in the world because of its versatility
In 1958 when gibson first launched the es-335 at a list price of approximately $270 the guitar became an instant success and continued its historical journey until this very day .
The first year in production the es-335 had a brazilian rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays , 2 humbuckers , bigsby vibrato or stop tailpiece , bound top and back , neck joins the body at the 19th fret , 4 knobs ( 2-vol 2-tone ) , tune o matic bridge , pickguard extends below the bridge , large fat neck , and were made in sunburst or natural finishes . ( this model is highly desirable and sought after by collectors)
1959 : Cherry finishes were added
1960 : The es-335 had shorter pickguards and thinner necks
1961 : Natural finishes were discontinued
1962 : Dot inlays on the fingerboard were replaced with block inlays
1965 : Trapeze tailpiece replaced the stop tailpiece 12 string version also introduced
1966 : indian rosewood fingerboard instead of brazilian
1969 : walnut finishes were available
Note : In 1965 a 12 string version of the es-335 was also introduced and was called the gibson es-335-12 , were made in cherry or natural finishes , various colors in 1968 and were discontinued in 1971 .
In 1981 the gibson es-335 was discontinued and replaced with the gibson es-335 dot which was a reissue of the original 1960 es-335 with dot inlays .
The gibson es-335 dot was discontinued in 1990 and replaced with the gibson es-335 reissue in 1991 which are still in production today.
From 1981 to present gibson also introduced more variations of the gibson es-335 such as the :
Gibson es-335 artist : ( 1981 )
had a large headstock logo , metal truss rod plate , gold hardware with 3 knobs .
Gibson es-335 Dot CMT : ( 1983 - 1985 )
like the es-335 dot but with curly maple top and back , gold hardware , and were made in various colors .
Gibson es-335 Studio : ( 1986 - 1991 )
No f-holes , 2 dirty finger humbuckers , cherry or ebony finishes .
Gibson es-335 Showcase Edition : ( 1988 )
black hardware , emg pickups ,white or beige finishes and were made in limited quantities - 200 made .
Gibson es-335 Centennial : ( 1994 )
Gold medallion on the headstock , were made in cherry colors , diamond inlays in tailpiece . ( not more than a 100 were made )
Gibson es-335 '59 Historic Collection : ( 1998 )
basically a replica of the original 1959 model with dot inlays .
Gibson es-335 '63 Historic Collection : ( 2000 )
based on the original 1962 model with block inlays .
Gibson also made es-335 custom shop guitars during the 80s and 90s with a custom shop logo on the back of the headstock .
Vintage Price Value For 2008 :
1958 > $60 000 to $75 000 ( Natural )
1958 > $50 000 to $60 000 ( Natural-Bigsby )
1958 > $34 000 to $41 000 ( Sunburst )
1958 > $32 000 to $39 000 ( Sunburst-Bigsby )
1959 > $75 000 to $100 000 ( Natural )
1959 > $50 000 to $65 000 ( Natural- bigsby )
1959 > $40 000 to $55 000 ( Sunburst )
1959 > $35 000 to $40 000 ( Sunburst-bigsby )
1960 > $25 000 to $35 000 ( Cherry )
1960 > $35 000 to $50 000 ( Natural )
1960 > $25000 to $35 000 ( Sunburst )
1961 - 1962 > $26 000 to $32 000 ( PAFs )
1961 - 1962 > $25 000 to $32 000 ( Pat # )
1963 - 1964 > $19 000 to $27 000 ( prices vary according to specs & color )
1965 - 1969 > $4 500 to $9 000 ( prices vary according to specs & color )
1970 - 1976 > $3 500 to $4 600
1977 - 1981 > $2 000 to $3 200
1965 - 1971 > $2 600 to $3 000 ( es-335-12 string )
1981 - 1990 > $2 300 to $ 2 950 ( es-335 Dot )
1981 - 1982 > $2 300 to $2 600 ( es-335 artist )
1981 - 1999 > $2 700 to $3 000 ( es-335 custom shop )
1983 - 1985 > $2 700 to $3000 ( es-335 Dot Cmt )
1986 - 1991 > $1 100 to $1 400 ( es-335 Studio )
1988 - 1989 > $2 300 to $3 500 ( es-335 showcase edition )
1994 - 1995 > $4000 to $4200 ( es-335 centennial )
1998 - 1999 > $2 200 to $2 700 ( '59 historic collection )
2000 - 2001 > $2 700 to $3 000 ( '63 historic collection )
1991 - 2000 > $1 700 to $2 300 ( es-335 reissue )