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Revision as of 19:17, 28 June 2010

50th Anniversary 1960 ES-335TD

Description

In the late 1950s, Gibson was boldly pushing the envelope on electric guitar design. The effort resulted in several models that were just too far ahead of their time to sink in with players of the day—the Flying V and Explorer being cases in point — and were gone from the catalogue by 1960. The ES-335 however was an instant classic, embraced by blues, rock, country and jazz players the world over. By 1960, this model was really hitting its stride though it was certainly a year of transition for the iconic model.

In the beginning of 1960, the ES-335TDs were built to the same specs as the 1959 versions and were offered in only Natural and Sunburst finishes. By about midyear, neck specs began to change to a thinner and more elliptical feel and ultimately, production of the Natural ES-335TD would cease and the Cherry finish would take its place in the latter part of the year. It is this later version that many argue the 1960 ES-335TD’s features had settled into their optimum form. With a fast new neck profile, striking new “insert” or “reflector” tone and volume knobs, the ES-335TD still retained early-spec details such as the dot fingerboard inlays, a kind of “Mickey Mouse” double cutaway profile, full-length maple centerblock, and nickel-plated hardware that players have long seen as indicative of the model’s zenith.

All these and more are brought back to life in the Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1960 ES-335TD, a reincarnation of one of the most legendary semi-hollow electric guitar of all time, handcrafted by Gibson Custom’s Memphis division to celebrate the model’s “golden anniversary”. For this celebration, Gibson Custom is offering the later 1960 “fast neck profile” version, the most unique of the year, and is available in Antique Vintage Sunburst, Antique Faded Cherry or Antique Natural finish, all aged in Gibson’s acclaimed VOS (Vintage Original Specs) process, and loaded with period-correct hardware including “insert” volume and tone knobs, double band tuners and a pair of accurate PAF-style 57 Classic humbucking pickups.

Additionally the neck features a holly head veneer, tortoise shell side dot material and has been completely re-tooled with accurate truss rod channel depth and profile based on scans by the Gibson Custom Shop Engineering Team. The Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1960 ES-335TD is the closest today’s player can come to obtaining the look, feel and tone of an original dot-neck 1960 ES-335TD, short of remortgaging the house and sinking the kids’ college fund on the venture.

Semi-Hollow, Total Success

The original ES-335TD (“TD” for “thinline, double-pickup”) was a raging hit simply because it addressed so many different guitarists’ needs in one new design. The arched top and f-holes appealed to jazz and dance-band players who were still attached to the look of traditional Gibson “jazz boxes”, but who appreciated advancements such as a thinline, double-cutaway body. The maple centerblock that ran from neck tenon to end pin reduced feedback and provided the sharper, snappier tone that rock and roll and country players demanded, and also enabled the use of Gibson’s solid new Tune-o-matic bridge and stop-bar tailpiece pairing, which further aided tone and sustain. In one form or another, the ES-335TD (and its siblings, the ES-345 and ES-355) would land in the hands of Eric Clapton, Alvin Lee, Chuck Berry, B.B. King, Larry Carlton, and countless other groundbreaking guitarists.

With its historically accurate tonewoods, electronics, and hardware, the Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1960 ES-335TD packs all the tonal versatility of the original, and proves once again why the design has remained a favorite of guitarists from every genre of music since its introduction half a century ago. All Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1960 ES-335TDs come with a silkscreened Gibson Custom Shop hardshell case, a Certificate of Authenticity and a full complement of “how to” literature.

Body

Species

The body’s top, back and sides are made from three-ply maple/poplar/maple stock, with a solid maple centerblock that forms the “core” of the body.

Tonal Characteristics

The Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1960 ES-335TD’s marriage of a solid maple core with hollow “wings” and laminated maple top and back yield the optimum blend of warmth and definition, a tone that countless major artists have turned to for five decades. The guitar really does present the optimum marriage of solidbody and thinline hollowbody characteristics, with the benefits of both, and none of the drawbacks.

Design

The Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1960 ES-335TD follows the body lines of the original ’60 ES-335TD, with its arched top and back, and deep double cutaways for outstanding upper-fret access. The body is hot pressed into its arched proportions front and back, and glued with Franklin Titebond 50, the strongest wood glue in use today.

Weight

Weights vary slightly, according to wood supplies, but Gibson’s Custom Shop aims to attain the lightest quality wood stocks available for the construction of the Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1960 ES-335TD.

Finish

VOS

The Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1960 ES-335TD is available in three period-correct finishes, all aged with Gibson’s acclaimed VOS process or gloss: Antique Vintage Sunburst, Antique Faded Cherry, and Antique Natural.

Process

The Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1960 ES-335TD is hand-finished in nitrocellulose in a process that closely replicates the finishing process applied to original ES-335s of the late ’50s and early ’60s. Like the great Gibson electrics made 50 years ago, this instrument is finished with minimum build-up, in an effort to produce a finish that breathes with the guitar and enhances natural resonance, and will age elegantly and naturally to continually enhance the appearance and tone of this reborn classic.

Surface Texture

The guitar is finished to a buffed gloss, but the VOS process applied afterward gives it a rich, naturally aged patina that results in somewhat less shine and more of a semi-satin texture in the final guitar. The model is available in VOS or gloss.

Links

50th Anniversary 1960 ES-335TD

Personal History

Purchased on 06-28-10 from American Musical Supply.