Gibson ES-355TD Question

[mydeadblues]

I'm considering buying a Gibson 355TD. The seller says it is a '79 and is in 8.5/10 condition, straight neck, good frets etc. What do you think it's worth? I've been researching for hours on the net and am seeing anything from a low of $2000 and some people trying to get as high as $15,999. I just want a conservative value for a '79 ES-355TD. How much would it go for if listed on ebay?

Any info would be appreciated!

Thanks guys!

[L5Larry]

A '79 would be on the low end of the scale. An auction SELLING price on this guitar would be somewhere between $2K-$3K.

 

This guitar has many strikes against it:

It's a 70's "Norlin" era Gibson.

It's a 355.

It's Stereo.

It has a Maestro.

It's Walnut finish.

 

Certain features that were thought to be a premium when manufactured, are actually a detriment in resale. Same for model variations. The 335 was the lowest priced ES in the "professional" line, but hold the highest resale value due to demand caused by popularity. The funny thing is that the value of older ES-3XX models is the exact opposite of what they cost new.

 

It does not, nor never will, have any "collectors" value, it is a PLAYER. 70's Gibson are NOT sought after, and there are thousands and thousands of them out there. Any 355 will never have the value of a similar era 335, because of "market demand". The "Stereo" feature was one of Gibson's biggest faux pas, and changing the ES series over from stop-tails to trapeze or Maestros was their second biggest mistake. Both these stumbles were eventually alleviated for the reissues.

 

All that said.... This guitar may play and sound f'ing fantastic, in which case it would certainly be worth buying at the right price. Just don't buy this guitar as an "investment", collectors item, or ever expect it to be classified as "vintage".

 

PS: I've had four 70's era Gibsons (two ES-320's, an ES-335, and a Les Paul Standard), they were all GREAT guitars, just not worth a lot of money either buying in or cashing out.

[mydeadblues]

A '79 would be on the low end of the scale. An auction SELLING price on this guitar would be somewhere between $2K-$3K.

 

This guitar has many strikes against it:

It's a 70's "Norlin" era Gibson.

It's a 355.

It's Stereo.

It has a Maestro.

It's Walnut finish.

 

Certain features that were thought to be a premium when manufactured, are actually a detriment in resale. Same for model variations. The 335 was the lowest priced ES in the "professional" line, but hold the highest resale value due to demand caused by popularity. The funny thing is that the value of older ES-3XX models is the exact opposite of what they cost new.

 

It does not, nor never will, have any "collectors" value, it is a PLAYER. 70's Gibson are NOT sought after, and there are thousands and thousands of them out there. Any 355 will never have the value of a similar era 335, because of "market demand". The "Stereo" feature was one of Gibson's biggest faux pas, and changing the ES series over from stop-tails to trapeze or Maestros was their second biggest mistake. Both these stumbles were eventually alleviated for the reissues.

 

All that said.... This guitar may play and sound f'ing fantastic, in which case it would certainly be worth buying at the right price. Just don't buy this guitar as an "investment", collectors item, or ever expect it to be classified as "vintage".

 

PS: I've had four 70's era Gibsons (two ES-320's, an ES-335, and a Les Paul Standard), they were all GREAT guitars, just not worth a lot of money either buying in or cashing out.

 

Wow thank you for all the info! That's funny to think that their higher end professional models hold lower resale value than cheaper models of that era. What are the big complaints with the Maestro tailpiece? Also, what kind of complications are attributed with stereo? I thought I read something about pedals but I'm not positive. I've never owned or played a stereo guitar. Personally, I like the walnut finish but i can see how that would hurt the value. Unfortunately, I can't test this guitar out but I would be doing the transaction through PayPal (any risks? Scams?). The guitar is being offered under value ($1500) so if I do not end up liking it I can still make a profit if it sells between $2k-$3k. I can negotiate the price. Is it worth the gamble? Do they sell for $2k-$3k, or is that what sellers try to get for them?

Much appreciated!

[L5Larry]

Assuming the guitar is in good original condition without any major repairs or replacement parts, I would say $1500 is a very reasonable price. If you don't like it, you should have no problem on a quick flip around $2000.

 

There are no inherent problems with the Maestro, it just isn't the most popular configuration of the ES-3XX series, and the great majority of 355's came with either a Maestro or Bigsby, as it was thought of as a "premium" feature of the time.

 

The stereo feature can be an inconvenience, as it seems to have been designed to sell Gibson's "Stereo" amplifiers, or to be used with two different amps. I've heard there can be problems with mono "Y" cord operation, as well as even with SOME two channel amps. I'm sure there are tech heads out there that can give you better info on this. As owner of a factory mono ES-345, I can tell you that to rewire this 355 into the factory mono configuration is a major ordeal, and basically entails rewiring the entire guitar, and centers around the "Varitone" control. The schematics for both configurations are available at the Gibson Schematic page on this website.

 

I would say the finish popularity on these guitars comes down to two things: Chuck Berry (cherry) versus B.B. King (walnut). Chuck wins.

 

As for PayPal and/or e-bay transactions, there is some "buyer protection" built in. Make sure you feel confident in the seller, the product, and the transaction. Know your rights associated with the PayPal payment, and the sellers return and refund policy. There are many horror stories out there associated with transactions gone bad, but I have made many e-bay purchases and PayPal payments and never had a problem that wasn't resolved to my satisfaction, although I've never had to try to resolve a problem with a transaction that was out and out fraud.

 

Good luck, keep us posted.

[mydeadblues]

Assuming the guitar is in good original condition without any major repairs or replacement parts, I would say $1500 is a very reasonable price. If you don't like it, you should have no problem on a quick flip around $2000.

 

There are no inherent problems with the Maestro, it just isn't the most popular configuration of the ES-3XX series, and the great majority of 355's came with either a Maestro or Bigsby, as it was thought of as a "premium" feature of the time.

 

The stereo feature can be an inconvenience, as it seems to have been designed to sell Gibson's "Stereo" amplifiers, or to be used with two different amps. I've heard there can be problems with mono "Y" cord operation, as well as even with SOME two channel amps. I'm sure there are tech heads out there that can give you better info on this. As owner of a factory mono ES-345, I can tell you that to rewire this 355 into the factory mono configuration is a major ordeal, and basically entails rewiring the entire guitar, and centers around the "Varitone" control. The schematics for both configurations are available at the Gibson Schematic page on this website.

 

I would say the finish popularity on these guitars comes down to two things: Chuck Berry (cherry) versus B.B. King (walnut). Chuck wins.

 

As for PayPal and/or e-bay transactions, there is some "buyer protection" built in. Make sure you feel confident in the seller, the product, and the transaction. Know your rights associated with the PayPal payment, and the sellers return and refund policy. There are many horror stories out there associated with transactions gone bad, but I have made many e-bay purchases and PayPal payments and never had a problem that wasn't resolved to my satisfaction, although I've never had to try to resolve a problem with a transaction that was out and out fraud.

 

Good luck, keep us posted.

 

Thank you! I've done plenty of transactions on Ebay and PayPal and haven't had any problems; I just wanted to feel more at ease because I've heard horror stories as well. So would I need to play out of two amps all the time to use this guitar? I wonder if it would be possible to use a stereo cable inserted into both inputs on my fender blues deville. I can see why stereo was never adapted as the norm. It would be annoying to HAVE to play out of two amps...especially for the typical poor musician.

 

Has anyone used a Varitone? If so, how do you like it?

 

Much appreciated!

[Jayyj]

If I can offer a more positive opinion...

 

I've owned a '79 355 for 15 years and it's a great guitar. My particular one is an odd sounding beast, very muscular and in many ways closer to a Les Paul than an average 335, but for ragged Neil Young impersonations I love it. Yes, the 70s versions are not as good as premium vintage examples, but I've played enough of the various 3*5 models from this era to have formed the opinion that 355s of this era seem more consistant in quality than 335s and, although there are subtle design changes that make it a little less elegant than my '65 ES-330, the actual build quality on mine is no poorer. The neck profile in 1979 is also a pretty comfortable size, not as skinny as the late 60s / early '70s models, and the Walnut is a nice deep chocolate colour: still a hard sell from a modern perspective but it's not the dung brown of the early '70s.

 

It's hard to see on the photo you posted as the vibrato arm is right over where the jack socket should be but some 355s from '79 have twin outputs on the rim rather than a single stereo jack in the usual place - if this is the case you don't need to think about the stereo function, just plug into the mono socket. If you have the single stereo jack, you can either have a stereo to mono lead made up or, if you don't think you'll ever use it, just get a tech to resolder the socket for mono. No need to resort to two amps!

 

Sure, its not a connoissuer's guitar or a valuble collector's piece. But guitars from this age have appreciated hugely in value and regard over the last decade or so, even taking into account the current economic climate. The likelyhood is it will be a great player and for $1500 an absolute steal.

[mydeadblues]

If I can offer a more positive opinion...

 

I've owned a '79 355 for 15 years and it's a great guitar. My particular one is an odd sounding beast, very muscular and in many ways closer to a Les Paul than an average 335, but for ragged Neil Young impersonations I love it. Yes, the 70s versions are not as good as premium vintage examples, but I've played enough of the various 3*5 models from this era to have formed the opinion that 355s of this era seem more consistant in quality than 335s and, although there are subtle design changes that make it a little less elegant than my '65 ES-330, the actual build quality on mine is no poorer. The neck profile in 1979 is also a pretty comfortable size, not as skinny as the late 60s / early '70s models, and the Walnut is a nice deep chocolate colour: still a hard sell from a modern perspective but it's not the dung brown of the early '70s.

 

It's hard to see on the photo you posted as the vibrato arm is right over where the jack socket should be but some 355s from '79 have twin outputs on the rim rather than a single stereo jack in the usual place - if this is the case you don't need to think about the stereo function, just plug into the mono socket. If you have the single stereo jack, you can either have a stereo to mono lead made up or, if you don't think you'll ever use it, just get a tech to resolder the socket for mono. No need to resort to two amps!

 

Sure, its not a connoissuer's guitar or a valuble collector's piece. But guitars from this age have appreciated hugely in value and regard over the last decade or so, even taking into account the current economic climate. The likelyhood is it will be a great player and for $1500 an absolute steal.

 

I looked at more pictures and it only has one jack. I'll double check with the seller to see if he has modded it to mono or if it's stock stereo. Is yours stereo? Do you have a Maestro, and if so how do you like it? What do you mean a stereo to mono lead...like a stereo to mono instrument cable?

Much appreciated!

[Jayyj]

Mine's stereo but with the two jacks on the rim rather than the front, and there's a non original Bigsby on it for wobbling duties. I don't have a great photo of it as I'm not at home at the moment but here's a family shot with the 330 and my Casino.

 

A stereo to mono lead would simply be a TRS (tip / ring / sleeve) 1/4" jack on one end and a standard mono jack (with tip and ring cable strands both connected to the same terminal) on the other. You might be able to find somewhere selling an appropriate lead as stock, but if not it's easy enough to find somewhere to solder one for you.

 

[mydeadblues]

Beautiful collection! Which is your favorite?

[Jayyj]

Difficult question! The 330 tends to get most playing time - I find it the most comfortable neck profile of the three, and the tone for clean and just breaking up sounds is wonderfully expressive and dynamic. The 355 is much bolder and brasher and has far better sustain, so generally gets used on occasions when I want to play rockier stuff. The Casino (a '90s Japanese version by Fujigen) is best suited to twang and rockabilly. Funny how three such similar looking guitars can sound so different.