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2000 Gibson Custom Shop ES-446S
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Serial #: CS0236
Body size at lower bout: 13 3/4". Scale length: 24 3/4" Nut Width: 1 11/16"
Finish: Amber blonde, nitrocellulose type
Materials: Solid carved Sitka spruce top and braces, solid Honduras mahogany body and neck; solid rosewood compound radius fingerboard with pearl inlays.
Hardware: All original nickel hardware includes twin '57 Classic pickups, Kluson Gibson Deluxe tuners; ABR-1 Tune-o-matic bridge; black bell volume and tone knobs; 5 ply beveled black pickguard; adjustable truss rod.
Notes: In 1997, Gibson's Custom Shop introduced an innovative new model, a fusion of design features from some of the company's most iconic instruments. Christened the ES-346, the guitar combined the compact footprint of a Les Paul with the semi-hollow body design of the popular ES series. The result was an instrument that offered a comfortable, contoured body, but with significantly less weight and more acoustic resonance than a traditional solid body. With its figured maple top, and solid center block, the 346 was renamed the Paul Jackson, Jr. Model in 1999, and remained in the catalog until 2006.
By the year 2000, the Jackson's popularity led Gibson's designers to up the ante, with an even lighter, more responsive instrument, the ES-446S. Newly developed computer-controlled milling technology allowed the soundboard and braces to be carved from a solid piece of bookmatched Sitka spruce. With its fully hollow body and trapeze tailpiece, the 446 was both lighter and more acoustically sensitive than its predecessor, yet more compact and feedback resistant than a traditional full-depth archtop. Produced in limited numbers for only four years, the ES-446S has been sought by discerning players ever since.
This guitar is a rare blonde example of this fabled model, and at a mere 6lb 5oz, the guitar is lighter than many hollow body jazzers. Exquisitely balanced on the lap or the strap, the contoured 16 fret body is a delight to hold, and the deep cutaway allows easy access to the full range of the 22 fret fingerboard. The gentle D profile mahogany neck features a solid rosewood compound radius fingerboard with smooth, low action over classic medium fretwork. The '57 Classic PAF pickups are famously full and rich, and the guitar's wide tonal pallette ranges from classic bop to hardcore R&B.
Carefully maintained, this handsome guitar is from the first year of production, and has been maintained in 100% original condition, with only some light playwear and a bit of fogging on the vintage nickel hardware. With a fresh high-precision setup, the instrument is gig-ready to plug and play, complete with its original deluxe Custom Shop hardshell case. A highly versatile, and exceptionally comfortable, instrument for the working performer, and a rare find indeed. One only: call now.
Setup: Trussrod tension and neck relief adjusted; bridge height adjusted; bridge compensation set; bridge wheels and tuners lubricated; fingerboard and bridge oiled; body and neck cleaned and hand polished.
Case: Original Gibson Custom Shop logo deluxe black arched plush lined hardshell case.
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