LongneckGibs Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Hello, I am getting ready to purchase a mid 90's ES 335 made in the Nashville shop. I am buying the guitar without actually physically seeing it or playing it. It looks great and the person I am buying it from seems to be a real straight shooter and answers any concerns or questions I have. I am ready to pull the trigger on this one but I was looking at the pictures of the guitar and noticed no "Made in USA" stamp on back of the headstock, just a serial number is present. Also, there is a Custom Shop stamp on the back of the neck because the color of the guitar was custom but otherwise the guitar is just like any other ES-335. The Orange Gibson sticker is present and the original case that came with guitar is also part of the sale. No COA because it must have been lost some time ago. I guess my main question is did the Nashville 90's ES 335 guitars all come with the "Made in USA" stamp on back of the neck? I've been looking on the internet and can't really find a solid answer. Thanks for reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JellyWheat Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Hello, I am getting ready to purchase a mid 90's ES 335 made in the Nashville shop. I am buying the guitar without actually physically seeing it or playing it. It looks great and the person I am buying it from seems to be a real straight shooter and answers any concerns or questions I have. I am ready to pull the trigger on this one but I was looking at the pictures of the guitar and noticed no "Made in USA" stamp on back of the headstock, just a serial number is present. Also, there is a Custom Shop stamp on the back of the neck because the color of the guitar was custom but otherwise the guitar is just like any other ES-335. The Orange Gibson sticker is present and the original case that came with guitar is also part of the sale. No COA because it must have been lost some time ago. I guess my main question is did the Nashville 90's ES 335 guitars all come with the "Made in USA" stamp on back of the neck? I've been looking on the internet and can't really find a solid answer. Thanks for reading. I would strongly suggest that you e-mail Gibson Customer Service and get their feedback on the serial number before you finally "pull the trigger". BTW: my experience with CS guitars is it's not necessary the looks that are different. But if you get a good CS specimen, there is a qualitative difference in the feel, responsiveness, and playability. I have en ES 137 Classic that is made in Memphis, but it is probably the nicest Gibson I have ever owned. Unfortunately, I never would have known that from the serial number, photos, or specs. It's something you can only find out by playing he thing... Still, Nashville CS guitars are reputed to be a cut above the others, so it may be worth buying an instrument you can't play on first. My $0.02/FWIW/YMMV B) J/W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongneckGibs Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 Thanks J/W for your response. I don't know enough about the ES-335 if that is something that is stamped with every guitar or not. I will have to send a note to Gibson and see what they can tell me about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JellyWheat Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Thanks J/W for your response. I don't know enough about the ES-335 if that is something that is stamped with every guitar or not. I will have to send a note to Gibson and see what they can tell me about it. I'm no expert, but a lot of CS serial numbers are stenciled on underneath the lacquer. My 137 is a Memphis-made guitar. They call it a "Custom Shop", but I think Nashville is the real McCoy. (And I'm not dissing Memphis when I say that - my guitar couldn't be nicer, even if it came out of Nashville! Somebody please correct me if I am wrong on this!) In any case, my guitar, a 2009 model, has the pressed-in serial number and not a stencil. Gibson will tell you for sure... Good luck B) J/W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markini Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I bet that the 'made in USA' is there , but you just can't see it. On my 2010 ES 335 I have to take the guitar outside into the sunlight to make out the made in USA, or keep angling it under a bright light until I can see it. It is for all intents and purposes it is invisible until you angle it under a very bright light, even then I barely seeit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CajunBlues Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Also have him take a photo of the pickup back-sides.... Post those photos here, there are plenty of us that can identify 57 classics... They have that little sticker saying patent applied for... and the leads will be metal braided... Very unlikely someone puts gibson pickups as stock into a fake gibson... This isn't a for sure way to verify if its real, but it will help to make you feel more comfortable.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongneckGibs Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 I just called customer support and actually got to speak to someone who was able to verify the SN# along with make, model and color. He also told me what year it was and it was built in the Nashville(CS)shop. That's good enough for me, I am going to get the guitar. It's my first ES-335, I have had many Gibsons but no big bodied ones. I'm really looking forward to playing it, I've been in a rut for the past 6 months and could use a nice shot in the arm to get motivated again. Thanks to everybody who responded!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swampash Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 You can check the validity of the serial number here: http://www.guitardaterproject.org/gibson.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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