1959 Gibson ES-355 Mono Red

HOLDWith the price of 59 ES-335's pushing toward $90,000, it might be time to look at some well priced alternatives. A mono 355 is nearly the same guitar as a 335. The bindings and headstock are fancier, the fingerboard is ebony with real MOP blocks and nearly all have a vibrato tailpiece. Tuners in 59 are Grovers. The construction is the same as are the electronics. The big difference is the price...about half that of a 335. It's not that the 355 has lagged behind, it is more that the 59 335 has surged ahead becoming perhaps the second most desirable Gibson electric ever made. This one is in 9/10 condition. The guard is showing the slightest off gassing. Pickups are long magnet PAFs. Everything appears to be original or correct. There is one screw holding down the bridge pickup ring that has been broken off. It could be drilled out by a competent luthier but the other three screws seem to do the job as well as four. That's the only issue. Weight is 8 lbs 7 ounces. Big neck 355's are hard to come by as Gibson changed the neck profile to the slimmer variety fairly early in 59. This one measures .86" at the first fret and .95" at the 12th. Case is original brown with pink lining.