Gibson ES-335 Thinline Archtop Electric Black, 1988

The Gibson ES-335, introduced in 1958 to address the issue appearing with ever-rising stage volumes – countering feedback without losing resonance and tone. An immediate hit, it’s been in production ever since in a number of variations.

The basis of the ES-335 and all its variants is a laminated Maple body with a solid Maple center block. This gives the string an attack and decay profile similar to a full body archtop, while the center block stops it from feeding back uncontrollably. The neck is usually Mahogany, with a Rosewood fingerboard. The tailpiece has varied over time from the original stop tailpiece, to a trapeze, and back to the stop bar. Some models have had a dual-roller Bigsby installed.

This black Gibson ES-335, built at the Gibson Nashville plant and dating to August 18th, 1988 is in original condition, and plays well. The top’s finish shows some consistent lacquer checking, visible in the highlit top photograph. The back, sides and neck don’t show this nearly as much. Otherwise, the finish is in good shape with the minor scuffs expected on a 20 year old instrument. The components, including the stop tailpiece and Grover Rotomatic tuners, are original and the nickel plating is showing some natural oxidation, but little actual wear. Fretwear is light.

A 335 style hard shell case, not original, is included.