Used Vintage 1964 Gibson ES-335

Sonic Evaluation

After maybe two and a half minutes of playing this '64 ES-335, I said myself "welp, that's about as good as an electric guitar can get." I don't always talk to myself while playing guitars, but this serial practically had me speaking in tongues! It didn't take long to impress me. When I was tuning it up, I was immediately gobsmacked by how powerful the low E string sounded acoustically, and a few strums after tuning confirmed that it speaks with a huge voice even sans electricity.

That resonance translates in a big way once you do amplify. "Open" doesn't quite do it justice. It sounds so expansive and full that it's almost like it creates a musical atmosphere in the room. It's also one of the most touch-sensitive electric guitars I've ever played--you can really change the way it sounds depending on how hard you hit with your right hand and how much you squeeze with your left, so much so that it almost feels like you're playing an acoustic guitar! On a scale of sponge-y to piano-like, the attack leans sponge-y with just the right amount of vintage sag and a lovely percussive articulation, and it still has lots of dynamic range.

When you ease off with your right hand, the low-end is round and pillowy, the highs sweet as spun sugar, and the mids warm and vocal. When you dig in, the midrange becomes more focused and snarly, and the highs sizzle and sparkle. The bridge pickup packs a vicious punch and bite beneath a glorious bouquet of chiming, golden-hued overtones. The neck pickup is shockingly deep, with Marianas Trench-level low end to go with broad, singing midrange and open, spacious highs. Basically, depending on your mood, this serial can go from righteously smooth and glassy to sounding like a fanged church bell from hades in an instant, and that makes for a wonderfully expressive playing experience.

Try as I might, I can't think of any genre or style where this ES-335's rich voice would be out of place. Guitars this amazing can follow you wherever your musical adventure takes you, and I have no doubt it will inspire you as much as it inspired me!

Condition Report

This '64 ES-335 is in super clean! It shows the typical wear and tear we expect to see on a vintage guitar that was played, loved, and taken care of, but it hasn't suffered any serious injuries, and it looks cooler than a polar bear's toenail. All parts are original except for the tuners (which have been replaced with closed-back Schallers), and the neck tone pot. The pickups are patent number models and their outputs measure 7.58k for the neck pickup and 7.42k in the bridge. The frets are original and have been leveled over the years, and while they vary in height to make up for inconsistencies in the fretboard (measuring .100" by .028"-.038"), it plays beautifully.

It comes with a copy of a sales receipt from Dan Armstrong, a description from our friends Woodsongs Lutherie, and its original hardshell black pebble case, which has been duct taped heavily and has the words "COUNTRY FUNK" stenciled in white paint along with (presumably) a previous owner's address in Boston. All in all, this is a marvelous example of a vintage ES-335!