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1954 Gibson ES-350
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Serial # A-17814
Body size at lower bout: 17". Scale length: 25 1/2" Nut Width: 1 11/16"
Finish: Original sunburst finish, nitrocellulose lacquer type.
Materials: Full-depth L-5C type body size; arched spruce top; arched flame maple back and sides; maple neck with walnut centerstripe; Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with split-parallelogram mother of pearl inlays; solid bone nut.
Hardware: Original hardware includes twin P-90 pickups; original gold Kluson Deluxe tuners with single-ring, single line, tulip keys, original compensated adjustable rosewood bridge; original beveled 5-ply pickguard; original amber barrel knobs and 3 way switch; original gold trapeze tailpiece.
Notes: Gibson's first cutaway electric guitar, the ES-350 was introduced in 1947 and produced in very limited numbers until 1956. (A scant 58 examples were produced in this guitar's model year.) A favorite of jazz greats including Barney Kessel and Tal Farlow, the ES-350 incorporated a full size body with classic P-90 pickups, a feedback resistant flame maple body, and the coveted long scale neck.
Normally constructed with top back and sides of arched maple, this instrument is an extremely rare example built with an arched top of fine grained, bookmatched laminated spruce, and is the only such ES-350 model we have ever had the pleasure to offer. With the desirable four knob electronics, the pickups are independently controllable with the three-way toggle selector switch in the cutaway horn. Showing handsome tiger flame in the body, the instrument is crack free, with a gleaming original sunburst finish showing only light normal thumb and play wear, and some typical checking.
The original twin P-90 pickups perform flawlessly, each with their own volume and tone controls, and includes a push-pull phase switch on the bridge pickup tone knob, for that T-Bone Walker sound. The neck has the classic '50's profile, round but not clubby, and the Brazilian rosewood fingerboard is fitted with the fresh pro frets in fine condition. Action is fast and low, and the tone is sweet and buttery. The strap button has been moved from the top of the heel to the heelcap, with the pin hole professionally filled. Formerly owned by a guitarist for the Southern rock band The Black Crowes, this guitar combines superb playability with uncommon rarity.
Setup: The frets have been precision leveled, recrowned and polished; trussrod tension and neck relief adjusted; bridge height adjusted; bridge compensation strobe tuned; string slots at nut and bridge inspected and recut as necessary; bridge foot contour inspected and fit to top as necessary; bridge radius inspected and recurved as necessary; bridge wheels and tuners lubricated; fingerboard and bridge oiled; body and neck cleaned and hand polished.
This instrument is strung with medium gauge nickel roundwound strings (.012-.054). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 5/64" to 6/64" at the 12th fret, with moderate relief for acoustic playing with medium strings. The action may be lowered or raised to your requirements with the adjustable bridge.
Case: Original brown Gibson hardshell case
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