The gibson es series of semiacoustic guitar hollow body electric guitar are manufactured by the gibson guitar corporation. Gibson electric guitars 1958 es350t mass street music store. Shipped in quantities in 1937, it was heralded as another miracle by gibson a true, undistorted tone amplified by electricity. Find the current blue book value and worth of your new and used guitars, both acoustic, electric and amplifier.
After ww ii, a cutaway version of the es300 was designed called the es350 premier. A quest for the gibson es350n 1952 the guitar company. Gibson introduced the es350 in 1947 at this time it was gibsons first electric cutaway. In 1955 the es 350 was fitted with a fully adjustable tuneomatic bridge shortly before being discontinued as a full body electric. Many of the original numbers referred to the price, in dollars, of the model. It was, effectively, a venetian cutaway version of the es300 archtop electric. Each instrument celebrates gibsons legacy through accuracy, authenticity and attention to detail. Gibson es350 electric acoustic vintage guitar and bass. Feb 05, 2015 the es 350 was gibson s first cutaway electric guitar. The es150 was an amplified l50 noncutaway hollowbody model equipped with a.
Gibsons first cutaway electric guitar, the es350 was introduced in 1947. Barney kessels modified 1946 gibson es350 up for sale. Gibson es 350 1955 blonde the guitar connection reverb. The original pickguard in the case pocket is singleply. Vintage guitars info gibson electric archtop vintage guitar. A second p90 was added in 1948, and a switch to a tuneomatic bridge was made in 1956. Leafing through the book is to trip through rock n roll history. People who know me are aware of my love for vintage hollowbody guitars. Les paul models sg models esstyle models basses designer models.
In 1952 only 67 of these guitars left the gibson factory. How to date gibson guitars using serial numbers our pastimes. These thinline, fully hollow, models are somewhat collectible. I always wanted to own a gibson es 350 natural from 1952.
This used gibson es 350t is a real beaut of a guitar and is one of only 43 that were made in 1958. This book takes a look at its history and most famous players, from its creation. Theres keith richards lovely blond and unadorned 1952 gibson es350, and. Gibson brands, the worlds most iconic guitar brand, has shaped the sounds of generations of musicians and music lovers across genres for more than 100 years. The gibson custom shop is the pinnacle of craftsmanship, quality and sound excellence. The number one source of guitar and amplifier pricing and information so you can find the price and value of your used guitars and amplifier. Founded in 1894 and headquartered in nashville, tn, gibson brands has a legacy of worldclass craftsmanship, legendary music partnerships and progressive product evolution that is. Gibson started producing the es335 in 1958 and is still in production today. The gibson es350t is an electric guitar model from gibson guitar corporation, released in 1955.
This 1951 es350 is a rare example featuring two p90 pickups, an individual volume knob for each pickup and a master tone. In its nearly 70year history, the es 175 has become. The early es350 and es175 guitars are the bebop guitars, ime. The revolutionary doublecutaway thinline electric guitar series begun by gibson with the es 335 in 1958 expanded to both higher and lowerend models by 1959. Chuck berry with gibson es350 guitar circa 1958 bw 8 x. This gibson es350t reissue dates to the last production period, and was built during 1992 as a. If this instrument does not appear on the instruments page it has been sold, and is no longer available. The popularity of the es 350 cutaway version introduced in 1947 led to the discontinuation of the es 300 by the end of 1952.
For updates on what gibson is doing about covid19, click here. All of these came from dans handson measurements of the actual guitars. One of only twelve of an experimental batch of es350 specials made by gibson during june and. It has been in many books, and is widely considered one of the very first if not the first black stratocaster guitars ever made. Ethe gibson 335 guitar booke tells the story of gibsons es335 and related models as played by b. I love the neck profile on this era gibson i have an early 65 es 330 that still has the earlier spec neck and its probably the most comfortable feeling guitar i have. Duchossoir, gibson electrics from the origins up to 1961, pp. Pricing and hold status for all instruments currently available is shown on our instruments page here. This used gibson es350t is a real beaut of a guitar and is one of only 43 that were made in 1958. Its a wonderful instrument, both in terms of tone, look and playability. Very sad that gibson will not build one offs anymore for somebody unless you unleash an absolutely obscene amount of money for it especially in todays economy.
Aug 21, 2010 barney kessels personal guitar that he was most often scene with in concert is a gibson 194647 modified es 350. Enjoy the lowest prices and best selection of gibson guitars at guitar center. The gibson es 175 has a recognizable sound that has been imitated by many guitar makers but seldom duplicated. The es 330 employed significant changes to construction and components that provided a very different performance. It is not that often that a 1940s gibson es350 comes up for sale, let alone such an iconic example. It has the pre1948 gibson script pearl inlaid logo, and a gibson crown there under, with the black bellshaped truss rod covered beloved by so many. It has full flamed maple construction with a rosewood fingerboard and is equipped with a pair of narrowspacing paf humbuckers. Things seemed to come together for gibson after wwii relative to making laminated body electric guitars.
These included the upscale goldhardwarebearing es 345 and es 355, as well as the student level es 330t, es 330td, es 125tc, and es 125tcd. Vintage guitars info gibson electric archtop vintage. My only negative on the book is the authors inclusion of a few guitarists that were not true longterm es335 players, but only played the instrument for a relative. In 1955 the es350 was fitted with a fully adjustable tuneomatic bridge shortly before being discontinued as a full body electric. I always wanted to own a gibson es350 natural from 1952. Here is a demo of newly arrived gibson es350 nd from 1955. Here are over three dozen precise setup specs collected by dan erlewine as he interviewed famous players and roadies.
Paying tribute to our iconic past, the original collection brings back the classic guitars that shaped sound across all generations and genres of music. Electric semisolid thinlines and the players who made them famous bacon, tony on. The es350t is a further development of the gibson es350 model from 1948 and as such has a completely hollow body. Gibson es series of vintage guitars history and collecting. The gibson es 350t is an electric guitar model from gibson guitar corporation, released in 1955. In this oral history of the gibson es335, ted mccarty, seth lover, mark knopfler and larry carlton all weigh in on the development of arguably the most versatile. Pictures, history for gibson es series vintage guitars. Items must be returned in original, asshipped condition with all original packaging and no signs of use.
King, alvin lee, and eric clapton, among other virtuosos. The es350 was gibsons first cutaway electric guitar. Like the es300, the es350 had double parallelogram position markers and the peg head was inlaid with the gibson crown. The gibson es 335 is the worlds first commercial semihollowbody electric guitar, sometimes known as thinline hollowbody or semiacoustic. Originally this guitar featured a single p90 pickup and a trapeze tailpiece. It also introduced a new gibson pickup which can best be described, if rather inelegantly, as a big honker. I had an es350 built for me as a one off by the custom shop with a single p90 in the neck position in faded cherry around 10 years ago or so. Its been put away all these years, and now my wife and i are thinking about moving and its time to downsize.
An excerpt from dan erlewines how to make you electric guitar play great, including celebrity setups from jeff beck to jim weider. Since then, it has been reissued a few times by the gibson custom shop division. Td stands for thinline, double pickups, but this part of the name was usually left out because all es335 models came as a thinline with double pickups. Bbc culture the surprising tale of kylies hotpants. Released by the gibson guitar corporation as part of its es electric spanish series in 1958, it is neither fully hollow nor fully solid. This then is one of the first gibson es350 guitars that gibson shipped. The gibson es350 was first produced in 1947 at gibsons legendary kalamazoo plant in michigan. Both tal farlow and barney kessel played es350 guitars with cc pickups in the neck position on their 1950s recordings. The es250 was shortlived, however, and was discontinued in 1940 with the introduction of the es300. Gibson electric guitars 1958 es350t mass street music.
The unique feature of the gibson es 350t at the time of its market introduction was the reduced width of the frames. Over the years, gibson has gone through several different serialnumber changes, sometimes resulting in multiple guitars with the same number. The es 350 is a rare guitar and wanted amongst guitarists and collectors alike. Excellent condition and all original, except changed tuners, flamed, bound maplebody.
The laminated body models, such as the es 5, es 350, es 175 and es 295 are not worth as much as the solid wood model, but are valuable. Vintage electric thinline archtop gibson collectibility. Introduced in 1922, the gibson l5 is the precursor of the modern archtop guitar. In 1959 the stereoequipped es 345 came along, as did the less costly es 330. Made for less than a decade, the gibson es350 electric guitar was designed and released in 47 as version of the es300 archtop with cutaways. The gibson es350 basically replaced the es300 noncutaway. View the joe bonamassa guitar collection joe bonamassa.
For pricing and hold status of this instrument, please check here. The golden era returns with the original collection. The images in this price guide are of a 1954 model. Early in its life this one was fitted with a bigsby tailpiece and it is missing its pickguard. The two models were basically identical beyond this feature, but it was enough of a difference that the 350 was outselling the es300 by 1951, and had totally replaced. Oct 07, 20 guitars are stars for photographer lisa johnson.
A wonderful example of a paf loaded thinline hollowbody. The es 339 is one of the newest additions to the es series, and features many of the es 335s popular features, but with an overall smaller body size. Gibsons records indicate that just 74 es350t instruments were shipped with a natural finish in 1957, and this gorgeous electric hollowbody is. Due to its lack of popularity compared to the other gibson thinline guitars such as the es 335, es 345, and es 355, the es 330 was discontinued by gibson in 1972. To be notified of examples of this model or similar instruments in the future, please. Photos and descriptions of previously sold instruments may be found here. This guitar has a tobacco brown body and a venetian cutaway. The es 350 was introduced in 1947 as a cutaway version of the es 300. The laminated body models, such as the es5, es350, es175 and es295 are not worth as much as the solid wood model, but are valuable. The same year, the thinbodied es 350t with shorter neck was unveiled and the regular 350 was definitively phased out in 1956 a. Here is a 1956 es350 that was brought to my shop by the original owner.
Vintage guitars info gibson collecting vintage gibson. Gibsons first cutaway electric guitar, the es350 premier was introduced in 1947 initially equipped with one neckposition p90 pickup designed by walter fuller, covered by a black plastic cover. Agreed, vintage 330s from this era are in the same ball park in terms of price but its quite a small run and not everyone likes the idea of going vintage. The es350t is a 17 archtop that was first introduced in 1955. Vintage guitars infos gibson electric archtop model descriptions.
Use the blue book of electric guitars, available for free at gibson s website, to date your instrument if it has a different type of serial number. Its full of great guitars, cool players, and fascinating historical detail. The gibson es335 is the worlds first commercial semihollowbody electric guitar, sometimes known as thinline hollowbody or semiacoustic. Compare prices and shop gibson es350 electric guitars on. Chuck berry used one of the early es350t models on his early hit recordings, and used a humbucker equipped model from 1957 till the model was discontinued in 1964, and he switched to the es355. The gibson 335 guitar book tells the story of gibsons es335 and related models, as played by b. It came in dual es 330td and singlepickup es 330t form with the same twincutaway outline and slim depth body as the other gibson semis. Arched maple top and back, sunburst finish, bound rosewood fretboard with double parallelogram inlays.
This model is produced by the gibson custom shop and can be purchased with a variety of specifications such as a 59 or 3060. The unique feature of the gibson es350t at the time of its market introduction was the reduced width of the frames. Details about 1956 gibson es350t byrdlands cousin guitar 1983 history article 8 x 11 print. Electric semisolid thinlines and the players who made them famous. Theres keith richards lovely blond and unadorned 1952 gibson es 350, and. The es350 is a rare guitar and wanted amongst guitarists and collectors alike. To be notified of examples of this or any other model in the future, please email your specific requests to email protected. If this instrument does not appear on the instruments page it has been sold. The es 350t is a further development of the gibson es 350 model from 1948 and as such has a completely hollow body. Chuck berry gibson es 350 guitar 8 x 11 color closeup. It is a fantastic piece of fender history and rock n roll history for howards time in. This 1951 es 350 is a rare example featuring two p90 pickups, an individual volume knob for each pickup and a master tone. Inspire a love of reading with prime book box for kids discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your first box. Gibsons records indicate that just 74 es350t instruments were shipped with a natural finish in 1957, and this gorgeous electric hollowbody is one example.
During the first year of production, the es350 had only one p90 and sported a trapeze taipiece, but the es350 underwent a few changes. The letters es stand for electric spanish, to distinguish them from hawaiianstyle guitars which were played flat on the lap. Vintage guitars info gibson collecting vintage gibson guitars. Gibson es330 1959 vos and 1964 reissue the gear page. A nicely flamed sunburst es350td with a pointed cutaway and two. In 1952 only 67 of these guitars left the gibsonfactory. Pro advice gear gear history guitars vintage vault p90equipped february 2018 gibson vintage vault. The gibson es350t is an electric guitar model from gibson guitar corporation, released in. In mid1936 gibson announced the production of the first electric spanish guitar, the es150. Vintage 1952 gibson es 350 electric guitar with original. Td stands for thinline, double pickups, but this part of the name was usually left out because all es. The same year, the thinbodied es350t with shorter neck was unveiled and the regular 350 was definitively phased out in 1956 a.
The tailpiece with two f holes featured on the first postwar es300 gave place to a more traditional trapeze tailpiece with pointed extremities a. This is a totally legit player thats about as elusive as the loch ness monster and more than worth checking out. In 1949 it became a doublepickup guitar, making this a fairly early example. Instead of a more common tobacco sunburst, this es 350t sports a cherry sunburst finish that still pops a halfcentury later. Known as the workhorse of jazz guitar, the gibson es 175 is an iconic hollow body electric guitar loved by many legendary guitarists in the worlds of jazz, blues, rock, and fusion. This then is one of the first gibson es 350 guitars that gibson shipped. Each instrument celebrates gibson s legacy through accuracy, authenticity and attention to detail. In 1955 gibson developed a line of thinbodied electric guitars to appeal to players who wanted a smaller, more comfortable instrument, yet objected to the weight and. May 18, 2011 1952 gibson es350 p90 in rare natural. Barney kessel and tal farlow are just two of the jazz greats to have made notable use of this model.