This guitar is a commission sale. If you have a high-end or vintage guitar you are interested in selling please contact us.
Here for sale we have a Gibson ES-335 Pro in Cherry Red finish. Made in the USA in 1980, this guitar comes from a short-lived run of guitars that were available between '79-'81 which took the Jazzy reputation of the ES-335TD and lightly moulded it into a more rock & roll image. This included the use of Gibson's high output 'Dirty Fingers' open-coil humbucking pickups- much more powerful than the 'Super Humbucking' pickups found in the standard model. Other updates included the use of a StopBar tailpiece instead of the customary trapeze and black Speed Knobs alongside dot inlays. Whilst the model itself was only available for a short time, many of it's features have found their way into the standard ES-335 specification.
Naturally, a set-neck construction is employed and comprises a Laminated Maple body with a Maple centre block, 3pc Laminated Maple neck and 22 fret Rosewood fingerboard. Gold/Chrome hardware is fitted including a StopBar tailpiece, 'Nashville' style TOM bridge and Gibson sealed tuning machines. Please read the 'Further Notes' section of the Luthier Report below for more information on the hardware. A pair of Gibson 'Dirty Fingers' open-coil humbucking pickups are installed, and are wired to a 3-way toggle switch and independent volume/tone controls.
The Maple neck plays very well, with a profile which might be described as a rather slim 'D' shape. There is a slightly flattened area to the centre rear which promotes ergonomic thumb positioning in all registers. Being on the slimmer side, the neck is well set up for fast, articulate playing - perfect for lead payers. The Rosewood of the fingerboard is pleasant under the fingers, with a nice dark appearance and tight grain pattern that adds a sense of luxury to the playing experience. Whilst very well-preserved, the years of playing that the neck and fingerboard have seen add a real 'mojo' to the instrument which is very inspiring in the hands.
Dirty Fingers pickups were introduced in the late 1970s and manufactured with three powerful ceramic magnets to produce maximum output. These pickups have overwound yet balanced coils with double adjustable pole pieces, shielded four conductor wiring for series, parallel, or split coil operation, and are fully wax potted to eliminate microphonic feedback. In this instrument they deliver a powerful and throaty tone, which easily drives your amp into a saturated distortion. The Bridge position is nice and bright, working beautifully for rock riffing & rhythm playing. The neck position is rounder, sounding fantastic on lead lines and solos. Whilst this instrument doesn't make use of the coil-split potential of the pickups, the traditional Gibson control layout delivers plenty of tonal versatility right on the instrument.
This guitar is a commission sale. If you have a high-end or vintage guitar you are interested in selling please contact us.
Please be aware that for international buyers import fees are not included in our postage and packaging cost, this only covers the cost of the guitar being sent to you. Import fees will be charged by Customs upon the guitar's arrival in the recipient country. Due to Brexit, this also applies to EU buyers. We advise checking the total import cost with Customs as this is not information we are able to accurately provide.
Gibson ES-335 Pro Cherry Red 1980 Vintage Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar
Brand- Gibson
Model- ES-335 Pro
Finish- Cherry Red
Year- 1980
Made In- USA
Body- Laminated Maple
Neck- 3pc Laminated Maple
Fingerboard- Rosewood
Fingerboard Radius- 12"
Frets- 22
Scale Length- 24.75"
Nut Width- 1.6875"
Pickups- 2x Gibson 'Dirty Fingers' Open-Coil Humbuckers
Controls- 3-Way Toggle Switch, Neck Volume, Neck Tone, Bridge Volume, Bridge Tone
Our ID: 1041025140670
Weight: 8.7lbs
Serial: 81750025
Aesthetic Condition:
Headstock: Overall very good condition. Both top corners of the headstock demonstrate chipping of the finish, slightly revealing the wood beneath. This is also apparent to a lesser degree to the centre of the top rear edge. All aspects of the headstock demonstrate consistent light scratching visible only under direct lighting at certain angles. Due to the age of the nitrocellulose finish some clouding is apparent, along with moderate yellowing of the logo & crown motif.
Neck: Overall very good condition. The fingerboard demonstrates light playwear throughout the register which cannot be felt beneath the strings. Age related discoloration is apparent to the binding. Due to the age of the nitrocellulose finish, some clouding is apparent to the rear of the neck.
Body: Overall very good condition. A chip and some hairline finish cracking is apparent surrounding the jack socket. Further finish cracking is apparent around the neck heel, typical for an instrument of this age. This does not affect the structural stability. Surrounding the strap studs, some circular scratching and scuffing is apparent, consistent with the use of a strap. All aspects of the body demonstrate very light scratching and indentation visible only under direct lighting at certain angles. Due to the age of the nitrocellulose finish, some moderate clouding is apparent, most notable at the bass side waist of the front face.
Condition of Frets:
The frets demonstrate notable signs of use, not affecting playability. Notable flattening of the crowns is apparent throughout the register. There is a small amount of material remaining for future fret work.
Current Set Up:
Truss Rod: Fully functional. Truss rod tool (5/16" socket) not included.
Hardware: Fully functional with moderate signs of use, most notably moderate tarnishing and wear of the Gold finish to the tuners.
Structural: No concerns or issues to note.
Height of the string from the 12th Fret-1.5mm - Bass 2mm
Please be aware that the action on a guitar may move slightly in transit and this measurement is the current height.
Strings on Guitar - 10-46
Further Notes:
It is difficult to be confident about the originality of the hardware. The Gibson catalogue from 1980 states that the instrument shipped with Chrome finish hardware, and all other examples of the ES-335 Pro seen online corroborate this. It is clear however that the tuners on this example are finished in Gold, although this has worn. The tuners are of the correct era for the guitar, having been found on many Gibson guitars in the late ‘70s & early ‘80s. The bridge and tailpiece are Chrome, however they do not appear to be old enough to be the original hardware from the guitar. Our suspicion is that the hardware was changed to Gold early in the guitar’s life. Subsequently, the bridge & tailpiece have been replaced with Chrome parts - quite common as Gibson bridges are known to ‘collapse’ after a number of years. This theory would explain the mismatched hardware.
Electrics:
Fully functional. All the pots crackle when turned, and contact cleaner has not resolved the issue. We have opted to leave the original pots in the guitar to preserve the originality of the instrument.
Case & Accessories:
Gibson hard case
The case demonstrates moderate signs of use. Truss rod tool not included.