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1960 Gibson ES-335 TDC
Gibson’s Soul
This vintage 1960 Gibson ES-335 is spectacular.
The Gibson ES-335, originally released in 1958, featured a double cutaway body that provided full access to the upper frets and a “semi-solid” construction. A solid maple block in an otherwise hollow laminated-maple body resulted in a combination of the sonic qualities of a hollowbody guitar and a solidbody guitar with very little feedback.
When I was about 12 and just starting to get into music and the guitar, I was very enamored by the music of the band Cream. Clapton was God, as they said. The song “Crossroads” recorded at “The Winterland” in San Francisco on March 10, 1968 was by most accounts one of the most epic guiltar solos ever recorded. Eric used his SG for this recording, but he bought a ’64 cherry Gibson 335 guitar in November 1968, a week or two before Cream played their final pair of farewell concerts at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
The photos that I saw of Eric Clapton with his ’64 Gibson ES-335 left a long-lasting impression. I had a very good friend that had a copy of the green 1966 Gibson Catalog. I stared at the ES-335 page for months and months. In 1991, as I knew Gibson quality was suspect, I went back to Chicago on a business trip, and hopped over to the original Gibson Kalamazoo plant to see the folks at Heritage who took over the old Gibson plant. I selected woods and ordered a custom blonde 555. However, It didn’t satisfy the crush that I had on those vintage 335s. Later on, in 1997 I paid $7k for a cherry red 1961 with PAFs from Mike’s Music in Cincinnati. The guitar was amazing but at that time money was super tight and I couldn’t rationalize spending the money for a used guitar that was not in very good condition - so I sent it back. It did leave an impression on me though as the sound and playability were amazing. In 1999, I would get a 1997 cherry Nashville made 335 and in 2001, a Memphis blonde re-issue Gibson USA ES-335 when Gibson was getting some crazy cool maple tops. But I have always longed for the real deal - a cherry 335 with PAFs.
I have always kept an eye on 335s over the years, and started looking seriously again about 5 years ago. In May of 2019 I started to really try to understand the subtle differences in the evolution of the 335 from 1958 to 1965. I want to give credit to OK Guitars and Charles Gelber, from whom I learned a lot. Charlie may be the most knowlegeable person about this model line on the planet.
This 1960 Gibson ES-335 TDC was an uncirculated 335 from a private collection, and purchased from London Vintage and Rare, also known as Denmark Street Guitars. It is a fabulous instrument in all original condition, rated at 9.5 / 10 condition. All original means original PAF’s, wiring harness, single line Kluson tuners and tuner buttons, original long guard pickguard, amber knob tip, even down to the almost unplayed original frets. No cracks, no holes or touch-ups, no repairs - just about PERFECT! The color of this 335 is the very alluring 1960 bright “watermellon” cherry, which is deep and rich, more of a watermelon red, and the most desirable of all of the cherry reds. The figuring of the maple top and back is unbelievable in it’s texture and shadings.
The metrics are very good as well. The neck profile is the typical 1960 - 790 mils thick at the first fret and 850 mils at the 12th fret. The A35451 serial number with Factory Order Number (FON R7433 23) clearly places this guitar as a 1960. Given that so few were made, it’s not clear if this was made in a batch and later shipped when an order was placed, or built to order.
Seth Lover’s PAF pickup is the Heart of these vintage guitars - a pickup that is wide in range with distinctive clarity while being mellow. While the bobbin color has not been checked at this time, the measured impedance of this guitar’s pickups is very strong - neck 8.24k ohms, and the bridge 8.20k ohms. This is typical of double white PAFs but this note will be updated once the strings are replaced and the pickups taken out and backside screws removed to check the bobbin color.
The neck is straight with only 1 mil of relief. The Brazilian Rosewood plays fast and buttery smooth. My favorite Guitar…