Help to identify my ES335-000T Serial #15

[Mhooner]

A friend of mine passed away about a month ago. He had a Gibson ES-335-000T with a serial number of 15. The serial number is stamped on the headstock as 0015 and handwritten on the inside labe as just 15. The model is just handwritten on the label as ES335-000T. I believe it is a custom shop reissue, but don't know of what year or the exact age.  

[Mhooner]

Thinking about it, I believe the model is ES-335-00T

[merciful-evans]

I suggest you contact Gibson by phone. They should be able to help.

[Mhooner]

[Mhooner]

The model is ES-335-DOT. Sorry about the screwups

[merciful-evans]

That makes more sense. I take it you didn't phone Gibson then?

I just put your details in to this checker https://www.guitardataproject.org/serial/decode

it generated this (Don't take it as gospel though!)

Serial Info

Your guitar was made at the
Kalamazoo Or Nashville Plant Factory, USA
in 1970, 1971 or 1972
Production Number: 0015
 

Serial Number Breakdown

0

0

1

5

 

Production Number

 

Kalamazoo Or Nashville Plant

 

Serial Info

Your guitar was made at the
Kalamazoo Plant, MI Factory, USA
in 1967
Production Number: 0015
 

Serial Number Breakdown

0

0

1

5

 

Production Number

 

Kalamazoo Plant, MI

[merciful-evans]

There are plenty more serial number checkers online. I only tried one. 

[JO'C]

Hello Mhooner,

Does the label inside the F-hole say anything else, like where it was made. Kalamazoo, Nashville? An early 70's label should be purple and white and rectangular. 1960's labels are orange ovals and would say Kalamazoo. Gibson went back to the orange ovals in later years but those would say Nashville or Memphis. My go to source for serial# dating, the

Gibson Electric Serialization from the 11th Edition Blue Book of Electric Guitars 2007

does not list 0015 as a known Gibson serial#. It lists numbers and dates going back to 1935 up to the early 2000's. A Custom Shop reissue would say Custom Shop on the label and/or the back of the headstock. 0015 is not a typical Custom Shop serial number either. I just looked over my photos. I've had a number of 335's from the late  '60's ( I still have a '69) and 2000's Custom Shop as well as other Gibsons from the 90's to 2010's and none have the Gibson font on the headstock with the dotted "i" and closed "o". Late '60's have no dotted "i" and the "o" has an open top. '90's-2000's have a dotted "i" with the "o" slightly open at the top. 

So not sure what you have.

[Mhooner]

It was a while back, but best I remember...my friend said he bought it in the late 80's and it was a limited production (only 20 or 25) custom shop reissue. That is why the low serial number. I don't remember which reissue it was. The handwritten part on the label definitely says "serial number 0015 and model number ES-335-DOT") The D could either be a 0 or a D, but makes more sense to be a D. I still haven't heard back from Gibson since calling them and then sending them pictures.