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1962 Gibson ES-335 TDC Vintage Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar Cherry w/ Case

$38,999.99

+ shipping

Up for sale, a 1962 Gibson ES-335 TDC in excellent condition and perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case. This golden age Gibson ES-335 has many of the model's most coveted features, with rounded "Mickey Mouse Ear" body horns, small block inlay on the bound Brazilian rosewood fretboard, a one-piece Honduran mahogany neck with long tenon joint, and nickel-plated hardware.

Weighing 8lbs on the dot, this guitar has a natural rich bark, with the articulation and glassy snap of the maple body and the warmth of the semi-hollow construction. At the heart of this guitar are the original pair of Patent # humbuckers, featuring identical construction to the PAFs that preceded them by just a matter of months. Both pickups feature original windings, metering at 7.44k ohms in the bridge position and 7.65k at the neck. The bridge pickup offers exquisite bounce and growl, with an upper midrange sweetness and excellent clarity. The neck pickup balances well and provides a strong contrast, velvety smooth and delivering a woody cut and round, bold quality to both chords and individual notes. Professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, we've dialed in this ES-335 TDC with fresh 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.

Neck Specs:

-Wood: Honduran mahogany, long tenon
-Shape: Slender C , measuring .805” 1st fret, .875” 12th fret
-Fretboard: Brazilian rosewood, red side dots, clean binding nibs
-Frets: Medium jumbo, leveled/crowned, no wear
-Scale Length: 24 3/4”
-Nut: 1 11/16", bone (modern)
-Tuners: Kluson Deluxe single line, double ring
-Serial: Stamped on back of peghead, matching oval label in F hole

Body Specs:

-Wood: Maple
-Pickups: Pat # humbucker x2, Bridge: 7.44k ohms, Neck: 7.65k
-Controls: Volume x2, Tone x2, Three-way pickup selector switch
-Hardware: ABR-1 bridge, stopbar
-Plastics: Black reflector cap knobs, four-ply black pickguard, pickup rings, white switch tip
-Serialization: Orange oval label, serial dates to 1962

All of the electronics function as intended, and both humbuckers retain their original windings and Pat # waterslide decals on their baseplates. The solder on the neck pickup cover is untouched, while the bridge has been touched-up (no evidence of a rewind). The wiring harness features the original long shaft CentraLab pots and Sprague Black Beauty tone caps, with pot codes from the 32nd week of '62. The original nickel no-wire ABR-1 bridge is intact with the correct foundry stamp on the baseplate, paired with new nickel-plated brass saddles. The original lightweight tailpiece is also present. All of the original plastic parts are intact including the pickguard (with original nickel bracket), black reflector cap knobs, white switch tip and pickup rings.

The Cherry nitro lacquer gloss is 100% original with no touch-up or overspray, retaining ideal saturation yet fractionally diffused from the "as-new" shade. There are a couple scuffs and localized areas of wear by the input jack and neck pickup Tone knob on top, with buckle rash across the back (particularly concentrated on the lower bout) and various dings and finish scratches from consistent use. There is wear through much of the gloss on the profile carve as well, largely worn smooth through play, and there are subtle "halos" on the headstock face from a different tuner set installed in the guitar's lifetime. The tuner post holes retain their factory diameter, and there are no extra mounting screw holes.

The original "large pebble" black hardshell case is included. The case is structurally sound with moderate wear, retaining the majority of the original latches and the handle mounts (no handle is currently installed).