Gibson ES-355 TD

I just hit 60 and am the 2nd owner; traded my red solid body Fender 3/4 size (not a strat) plus $200 cash to my guitar teacher for his ES355 TD that he bought brand new for about $700 - $800, he said. This was in the mid to late sixties so I guess this guitar could have been made from 1959 to about 1968. The "Number" inked on the orange oval "Guarantee" paper that you can see inside the "F" hole says 1966 but I thought that was the sequential serial number. Perhaps I'm wrong. The same label says it was made in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Also have the original Gibson Gurantee card/brochure shaped like a guitar body with Instructions, blurb for Gibson strings, and Gibson polish. Also have original instructions for the Tuno-o-matic bridge and Humbucking pickup adjustments.

This axe is bright cherry red, thin, half-hollow, with very thin black stiping (3 stripes) on white all round the body's front edge, single black striping on body's back edge. This is original with 22 frets, square mother of pearl inlay on thin and very fast rosewood neck. Five mother of pearl inlays on head with gold-plated tuning nuts and gears, bell-shaped cover for neck adjustment. Dual pick-ups (adjustable for each string on each pick-up), gold-plated tune-o-matic bridge with gold-plated Bigsby Tailspiece. Two volume and two tone controls with 3-way switch.

Original hard shell case from Gibson with pink plush inside.

Wore out my Gibson amp and have not replaced it yet. Wife says, sell more books, and then you can get another amp. I said, yes dear, then ran down to The Guitar Center on Fairview in Boise to check out all the new amps. Got the bizz card of Bolin Guitars & Repair who I'm told builds bad axes for the Stones and others. Will check him out soon.

I play old time rock n roll but studied music with pro guitarist (from whom I bought my ES355TD after which he ran out and bought an electric Guild for about a thousand back in '68 or so. So I learned to read but also play along with rockers on records using an adjustable turn table so I can easily shift to pure key and play along. Old timers know what I am talking about. Am getting into rapid arpeggios in some good Heavy Metal AC/DC, Aerosmith, etc. Way past blues and std rock progressions. This guitar is the fastest I've ever played with no-buzzing strings very close to the fingerboard. Very close strings for classical fingering but it can be done if you have thin fingers. Fatsos forget it.

Guitar teacher had it adjusted before I bought it and it was perfect. Faster action than my 3/4 Fender, if you can believe that. No flaws.

Have not played live in a group with this guitar so it is still cherry after 40 years. Finish is still all there except for very minor wear on back. Strap buttons solid as the Rock of Gibralter. As a dance performed for over 15 years I would never do any gig without a backup no matter what and I would never perform w/o a solid dress rehersal. Same for business presentations, too. How many times have you been burned when the electricity or amps or computers were not what or where they said it would be? No way.

Never dealt with Gibson so I don't know. Guitar is still in cherry shape.

Been playing for over 40 years. No other gear at this time.
No regrets.
If this guitar was stolen I would cry.
I love the easy action and great sounds at all levels and tones.
I didn't know that much about guitars in 1968 and trusted my teacher. I lucked out.
It has everything except a built-in chocolate malt maker. What else can I say?
I thought about getting a special Jimi Hendrix left-handed restrung for right-handed Fender just to see what it would sound like with strings shortened and lengthened.

I have a 71 Cherry ES355TD and have used it extensively for the last 17 years in studios and for live work. It is the best guitar I have played in my life, and I feel unbelieveably lucky to have come across it. I agree with most of the other reviews as to it's perfomance, but add that from the moment you lay eyes on one you have discovered your best friend. I have big hands and have no trouble fretting or moving fast. Mine has the mod of a Maton bridge which has lowered the action to cream pie. The original bridges are easily available and so I have resisted returning it to original so far, but will do so in the long term. I have had some probs finding pickguards for it as mine has a small crack and I would like to get an original. The back is a bit scratched as well but from the front all is well.

Does the business for anything. More tones than a a bus load of triangles.
And sustain that starts at the feet and comes out the top of your head.

Action. The best I have ever played (in over thirty years) I have never come accross nicer, sweeter and cleaner feel.

The sound and feel have never let me down. Once the pick up covers oxidised and I had them replaced, (by genuine Gibson parts) otherwise, perfect. Grovers are smooth and hold perfect tune (sometimes for months.)
Interestingly mise has the maestro tremolo instead of the Bigsby, I have used both and much prefer the Maestro. It holds tune and feels very direct. Apparently the newer Maestros are of a lhinner metal.

Playing for 30 years, R&B, Jazz, Blues and some heavy punk a few years ago. Fun days. I use a Marshall with no effects, controling my volume from the 355, making it ballzy as needed. So versatile it is ridiculous. I also used an Ibanez until recently (when it was stolen a couple of months ago. The first thing I did was give thanks they didn't find my 355 and took the Ibanez instead) Over the years I have had a Stratocaster elite and a Les Paul Custom. This 355 will be the last guitar I ever buy I hope, unless I can find another one!

Cheers

First off, this particular forum, along with the good words from a very cool cat I met on this site, cemented my confidence to complete the search & purchase of this model,.. so it?s time to give a little back?Mine is a 1972 Stereo/Varitone ES 355 ? previously choosen and played exclusively by Alex Lifeson, Freddy King & BB King. Semi-solid thinline, ?Wine Blood? red, ?brassy? gold aged hardware, ebony fretboard w/ deep mother-of-pearl inlays, triple stripe binding faded to butterscotch. Stunning double-diamond inlayed headstock. Grover tuners, tune-o-matic bridge w/ lyre tailpiece & vibrato bar..Maple neck w/ volute..Totally stock?Absolutely Beautiful!!. Minor wear on first 5 or so frets The brassy gold faded hardware is pretty chewy around the lyre plate, but adds to the worn-in deep vintage vibe..I think most players that try this model out in a serious way would conclude that this is Gibson?s masterpiece electric guitar..

This guitar is RICH & BOLD? Very flexible and Really Strong..Sound and feel range between a good 335 and a Les Paul..Deep, throaty tone that can be gradually thickened up or thinned down with the dial/toggle settings. Warning..Very difficult to put down once the fingers touch the board..Despite all the narrow minded, knucklehead criticisms I heard/read about the Stereo Varitone circuitry, I find the shear variety of tones I can pull from the combination of settings using the pick-up toggle, the volume dials and the varitone switch ( first 3 settings are VERY Cool) really diverse, robust and totally appropriate. I plug into a Vox AC30 through a Pro-Co Rat with a single-line stereo cable. I?m a rock?n roll child of the 70?s at heart, and the music I write and play has a pretty wide range of influence from; folk, country, blues, funk, pop, punk, prog, reggae to 50?s-90?s classic rock, hardcore, & alternative rock. Owning this guitar has finally given me the pleasure of consistently playing a very professional instrument that will now set the standard from which others are weighed against..Truly Incredible design and craftsmanship!.Possibly the most misunderstood and underrated electric Guitar ever..Period.

Raised the bridge up a good 1/8? on the low E side and a little less on the bottom..Adjusted the pick-up heights accordingly?Really plays great with a solid feel and broad dynamic range?.Nice, even, rich response & sustain across all the strings..The whole guitar has a weight and feel that really permeates through from the fingers to the ears, plugged in or not..This baby lights me up..Chunky, rich tones that push through like a Big Bad Mother..Very responsive!..The oxidized Gold hardware all faded & chewy makes it look DEEP and sweet..beats the new light shiney cheap-looking gold crap that?s currently on the shelves. Some serious buckle rash on the back (don?t care) and a few light scratches on top- the rest is Clean and Magnificent. I Love the butterscotch faded binding against the Deep Blood-Wine red finish. HEAVY..Pickup coating worn is down smooth around perimeter edges with a little bit of that green oxidized moss, but hey..moss green,+ brass-gold + butterscotch + deep red = killer combination. Pulled off the pickguard right away to give it the pure, complete look even though it?s a little darker underneath due to slightly faded top?.I'm a real sucker for the worn-in, faded, deepened aged look & feel of a vintage Gibson, especially from the late 60's-late 70's.Seriously, I know all the gushing positive stuff that?s adding up sounds a bit forced, but from my unbiased eyes, this is the best looking guitar I?ve ever played or seen! Period.

No worries. Built, finished and detailed with the highest level of Professional quality +++.

I have no clue..Really don?t care since there?s no warranty and used parts are available?I also know a great local repair/modifications expert for future set-ups.

O.K., I hate talking about this, but if something stupid or bad happened to this beast, I would get seriously Pissed off beyond belief..Don?t even like to imagine it..makes me shutter & wince. These babys are long out of production and are getting more rare and difficult to find in great shape without spending a mint. I feel very fortunate to have found such a great one locally after 5 months of sweating and cursing with 2 near-miss e-bay bids on guitars that I wouldn?t have even touched before purchasing!?...Without any doubt, this is the Best guitar I've ever layed my hands on, owned or played!!!..Probably the best spent money on any any instrument I?ll ever own..I feel so proud and happy with this guitar. This beast makes me relax, smile and play like a mother.

1978 Gibson ES-355TD....Solid Black, Just like the one BB King used to play before he filled the "F" Holes and wrote "Lucille" on the Headstock. Gold Hardware..Gibson Tuners..22Frets..5 Position Varitone Selector..3 Way Switch..Black Top Hat Volume and Tone Control Knobs..Stereo Guitar...Wide Thin Neck..Very comfortable. And of course the "Hefty Humbuckers"...Wrap around tailpiece(Gold)...Tune-o-matic Bridge. Split diamond Headstock with white trim all around. Defintely quality work.....Like one reviewer said, "It's built like a Tank". Block pearl inlays....NICE...There's something about Black and Gold together. Ebony fretboard...

I'm a Blues Man all the way. I've been looking for a 355 3 YrsI found a couple, but were in pis poor shape. This one is in great shape for a 23 year old axe....Very full sound...can get the "Tones I'm looking for with no problems". Gibson should bring this one back to production.
It has a vibrato arm that sticks out...got no use for it...so I removed it and put it in the case pouch. The case is beat to hell outside...but inside nice enough to be buried in....It will sing the Blues with no problems. Will last the rest of my lifetime.

Action needed some correction..the Big E string buzzed a bit..fixed that no problem...Pickup right on, no adjust needed...Gold hardware starting to oxdize, expected. Pretty solid, minor wear and tear.

This Guitar will not only withstand live playing but could possibly withstand a world tour starting in Afghanistan....Hardware was taken care of..it'll last..I'm not hard on instruments. I can depend on this one, or would not have bought it. Always bring a spare guitar for backup. Strap Button good condition...

HopeI don't need to call Gibson....from what I hear it could be a bad experience.

Been playing since the early sixties... If it were stolen I would hunt the dirty bastard down like Bush is hunting Bin Laden, and stomp a puddle in in his ass, and get it back, Honestly.
This Guitar crys play me..once you pick it up it's hard to put down. I played 3 other guitars all 335 and they were nice but not like this 355TD. I can truly say this is the last Guitar I will ever buy. It does all that a Blues Man can ask for. If you don't believe me, ask BB....

This particular guitar was made during 1979. I bought it used some months ago in unbeleivable mint condition. It has a gorgeous maple top painted in translucent cherry, which is a bit aged, of course. This hollowbody looks are, in my opinion, the best of the lot. It's got gold plated parts, the fine tuning bridge and white binding all over, including the f holes: a Bluesman's Rolls Royce!!!
The set neck is made from mahogany and the 22 wide frets fretboard is made from ebony, with beautiful block inlays.
The electronics are quite straight, the typical Gibson 2 humbuckers controls, and it's got the black plastic knobs, not the transparent ones.
The necks is dead straight. No problems. I would say that the build quality is almost custom shop, really. And if you see the guitar you wouldn't beleive it was built some 22 years ago!!!!
I'd love to have a spliting feature for the buckers as you get whith a Yamaha SA 2200, but I won't ruin this guitar making stupid mods.

Wow!!! It's incredible. I couldn't regret it when I played it. The feel and sound of it is completely magical. It's got the perfect balance if you like to play blues and/or funk. This is the guitar for THAT Robben Ford or Carlton sounds.
I really haven't found a use for the in between sound yet, but the sound of each bucker alone is to die for.

My hands don't like short scale instruments, maybe 'cause I'm a left handed playing as a right handed; I need the instrument to fight a bit to me, so I feel a bit more confortable with a strat scaled instrument, where the string tension is bigger and the separation between frets is longer. Besides that, the instrument is the best in its style.
The only guitar I'd trade it for would be the Robben Ford Fender, but don't take me too seriously because I'd also trade my right leg for being able to play half as soulful as that motherfucker!!!! He is my favourite guitar player so far.

It's built like a tank. 22 years and feels like new.

If you can get a hand on one of these you will fall in love forever.

This guitar was made in Kalamazoo MI in 1959. It's a 22 fret neck, rouded double cutaway, semi-hollow, thin-bodied guitar, with F-holes, top of the line for the 335 family. The neck is mahogany with an ebony fingerboard, inlaid with large perl blocks. Thebody is all maple (Cherry Finish). Its got two gold-plated PAF pickups, two volume, two tone, and three position Vari-Tone switch. Although most of these were originally stereo (and later modified to be mono), this particular instrument is a factory-built mono. The bridge/tailstock is a tune-o-matic with a Bigsby vibrato, also finished in gold. Three-to-a-side gold tuners on a bound headstock with a split diamond inlay top off this beautiful instrument.

This old lady plays very sweet sounds. Beautiful mids and highs for a clean jazzy sound. This guitar sings lovely toneful notes. It's has just a bit less low-end than my ES-335, but a significantly longer mid-range sustain. It's got a nice variety of sounds, but the most treble setting is a bit nasal for my tastes. Overdriving a small tube amp (Tophat Club Deluxe), she give nice edgy, but clean distortion.

I got this guitar recently (used, of course). The setup is perfect, the action is perfect, and the fit and finish is, of course, top quality. The finish shows a bit of age, and has been slightly repaired near where the lower sound hold comes closest to the control knobs. Also, the gold finish is started to show some signs of wear. Overall, most 42 year old people have many more signs of wear and tear than this 42 year old guitar! :-)

This guitar has seen and will continue to see lots of action. It's built well, has over 40 years of wear, and is still going strong. Every piece of it is rock-solid. In spite of it's qualities, I would never play any guitar in a gig without having a backup. This is no reflection on this particular instrument.

Haven't tried to contact Gibson regarding this instrument, but my experiences with them in the past have always been good. They make fine instruments, and tend to respond well to questions, problems, and even historical inquiries.

I've been playing guitar for over 30 years. I play everything from smooth jazz to metal. I have a fairly large collection (nearly 40) of guitars. if this guitar was lost or stolen, I'd definitely try to replace it, though that would be a tough proposition. When I purchased this guitar, I was specifically looking for another semi-hollow or hollow thin-bodied jazz guitar. I had seen this one hanging there, tried it, and fell in love. It's a great guitar!

1973 Stereo/Varitone "B.B/Freddy King style" (before BB got his own name Gibson) Semi-solid (thinline). Wine red, gold hardware, triple bound. Bound ebony fretboard with MOP blocks, double-diamond (think Les Paul Custom) headstock inlay. Schaller/Gibson tuners. Stud tailpiece with tune-o-matic bridge. Faceplate for trem tailpiece installed (without trem). Beautiful. Zero fret wear (they're medium/large, but not as tall as current Gibson railroad tracks).

Quintessential blues guitar. Also can do a fair country sound. Just a bit midrangey for jazz, but can dial up a suitable tone when needed. Varitone changes capacitors. It can get some interesting Fenderish tones, at the sacrifice of note-to note balance. Versatile like an ES-335 plus some added thinner sounds. Sounds better and more versatile than any ES-335 or even ES-347 I've had.

Oxidized hardware? Of course! The gold plating is 26 years old. Pickups look the worst, but not all that bad, considering. The Schallers still look great (Hmmm?). Considering this is a Norlin era guitar, it is GREAT, and has held up very well.

No worries. Professional quality plus.

Oh, kinda like talking to GM about your lemon Bonneville. Not about this guitar, sheesh, it's ancient (by Gibson standards).

Best guitar I've ever had! 40 years experience. I've had 'em all. I use this for blues/jazz/rock/R&B/"Worship" music, with a Boogie MKII. If I want stereo (the pickups can go to separate amps if you push a stereo splitter plug all the way in and run two cables, or a stereo cable) I add an Ampeg Superjet (quasi-reissue 50w 1 X 12" combo).
This guitar hung in Steve's Music World "Vintage" room for a LONG time (probably why it's in such good shape). He marked it as an ES-345 when he hung it out in the main store lately. We traded/negotiated (ground on each other) to reach an agreement (yes, he realized he'd made a mistake in pricing). We worked it out like gentlemen (his funeral's Monday ;-)
Having had ES-335/347 guitars in the past, I wasn't really looking for one of these, as I prefer single coil sounds usually. But I wanted more sustain than my Rickenbacker 330/6 was capable of (or an ES-335). I wound up playing this guitar to check out an amp one day, and went, "Hey, wait a minute. This neck and sound are superb!" A week or two later, I scored it for myself (trading off three guitars in the process). Though marked at $1699, I have more like $2000 in it due to trading depreciation. Oh well. It was well worth it in my book! Basically a mint (except for the aforementioned pu tarnish) '73 ES-355. I say again: best guitar I've ever owned. Even better'n three ES-175's and a Barney Kessel, various 335/347, Fenders, Rickenbackers, etc. You name it. My "Baby!"