more ES355 questionsw

[powerwagonjohn]

I was in a guitar store on Sat. and played a new wine red ES355. I liked it very much! I have played many 335's and some 345's both new and old and they played nice but this one really spoke to me, if you know what I mean. This was the same dealer I bought my L-4CES from and he shot me what I think is a realy good price, under 3K. It was hard to pass, but anything could happen. I walked away from the L-4CES for 30 days to be shure it wasn't just lust.

This ES355 had a stop tail piece and no Bigsby, also no Varitone and no F-hole binding. It has regular gold Grover Rotomatic tuners on a BB King style neck with single neck binding with ebony finger board. My question is if this is some kind of stripped down ES-355 or is this the way they build them now. It has the Gibson Custom Shop decal on the back of the heaqdstock so my guess it is made in Memphis not Nashville? My dealer says these are still in producion but there is no information I can find on the Gibson website. Please enlighten me before I do something impulsive!

Thanks John

[Danny W.]

Gibson has been building ES-355s in several configurations. Lately it seems like most of them have unbound f-holes, with or without V-tone and/or Bigsby. I don't think they've been catalog items for a number of years.

 

Danny W.

[L5Larry]

The difference between the REAL "custom shop" models and the "production model" guitars is very easy to determine.

 

Does it have a control panel cover cut out of the back of the guitar.... or is the back solid and the electronics had to be fed in through the pickup hole?

 

If it has a solid back buy it. If it has a control access panel cut out of the back....run away.

 

FYI: The original 1959 ES-355 had a stoptail, no Varitone OR Maestro, AND were mono. The Varitone/Maestro/stereo versions came along sometime in the 60's.

[powerwagonjohn]

It is my understanding that the Bigsby was a standard feature on the ES355 and the ones with the stop tail are the excption. And the standard Varitone followed in the very early 1960's. I am not so concerned about the Bigsby but I am curious about the Varitone as I have never had a guitar with one. The ES 355 I played was a real custom shop guitar. It had BB King style neck so it was pretty comfortable for me. I like the 1970's ES355's with the bound F holes and the g

maiestro vibrato but I wonder if they have really narrow necks? Any other comments on the 1970's 355 as compaired to the new ones?

Thanks John

[Danny W.]

It is my understanding that the Bigsby was a standard feature on the ES355 and the ones with the stop tail are the excption. And the standard Varitone followed in the very early 1960's. I am not so concerned about the Bigsby but I am curious about the Varitone as I have never had a guitar with one. The ES 355 I played was a real custom shop guitar. It had BB King style neck so it was pretty comfortable for me. I like the 1970's ES355's with the bound F holes and the g

maiestro vibrato but I wonder if they have really narrow necks? Any other comments on the 1970's 355 as compaired to the new ones?

Thanks John

 

The neck on my 1971 ES-355 was the narrowest one I have ever had on a Gibson--was closer to 1.5" than to 1 & 9/16" and was very deep. Back then I enjoyed it, but today I couldn't play a neck like that.

 

Danny W.

[L5Larry]

but I am curious about the Varitone as I have never had a guitar with one.

 

I have a mono 345 stoptail w/Varitone. I use positions 1 & 3 only, I find the others virtually useless. Your results may vary.

[sok66]

355s got Varitone & Stereo in 1960 and came standard with a Bigsby. The Bigsby was dropped in favor of the sideways "vibrola" (ala early SG Les Pauls) in '61. Stop tail & mono 355s & 345s were special orders.