Gibson Custom Shop 335's

[lljsullins]

Good morning! Has anyone ever ordered a custom 335 from Gibson? Trying to figure out the average cost of one as I am looking to order one for my grandfather which he lost to a pawn shop in the 70s. His was a 1960 in Argentine Grey with a sideways vibrola.

 

Thanks!

[kidblast]

there's a Made To Measure program that Gibson offers.

This sounds a perfect fit for what you're interested in.

No idea on cost, but my hunch is, it'll be expensive.

 

 

 

[clayville]

I can't vouch for this in any way, and have no idea what you're looking to spend... but there *appears* to be a red 1960s with vibrola available on Reverb at the moment. For some reason it has a 75% price drop down to $5500... and that might not be much (or any) more than what the Custom Shop would charge you for a Made to Measure. The price drop gives me pause, but I'm not expert enough to spot anything obviously sketchy about it:

https://reverb.com/item/28263785-gibson-es-335-1960s-cherry

If that sounds like a lot of caveats from me, it is. I'm not sure what these 'should' go for or what a M2M might set you back. I do know that Gibson has been shifting 335 production from Memphis to Nashville over the last few months, which means moving the original large machines that have formed the 335 bodies ever since the beginning in Kalamazoo. The available stock of new 335s at many dealers seems to be almost non-existent while production has been halted. And I do believe that even under the best circumstances it can take many, many months for a M2M to arrive. I *think* the Made to Measure program is only available from a few select Gibson dealers like Wildwood Guitars, The Music Zoo, maybe Dave's Guitars in Wisconsin and just a few others.

I wish you luck in your noble quest.

Edited December 21, 2019 by clayville