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1964 Gibson ES-345 TD

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Serial #: 181758, orange label

Body size at lower bout: 16" Scale length: 24 3/4" Nut Width: 1 11/16" Neck depth, 1st/12th frets: .79/.93

Materials: Solid Honduras mahogany neck; slab-cut arched maple top back, and sides; solid rosewood fingerboard, bone nut.

Hardware: All original gold hardware, including twin PAF pickups with original covers; aluminum stud tailpiece; ABR-1 Tuneomatic bridge with retaining wire and nylon saddles; gold reflector cap volume and tone knobs; wide-beveled 5 ply pickguard with support bracket; gold Kluson Deluxe tuners with single ring tulip pegs; Varitone tone selector; Gibson Stereo truss rod cover.

Notes: What do Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Freddie King, George Harrison, Keith Richards, Steve Howe and John McLaughlin all have in common? Besides being Certified Guitar Gods, they all played, at some point in their careers, Gibson's legendary ES-345.

Introduced in 1959, the ES-345 TD was an upmarket upgrade to the popular ES-335, combining Gibson's reputation for cutting-edge innovation with classic traditional design. The thin body was easier for players to hold than conventional archtops, the inner block enhanced sustain and reduced feedback, and the revolutionary Varitone electronics added cutting edge technology: variable tone control and stereo electronics. Small wonder that the 345 became an instant classic, and has remained one of the worlds' most innovative electric guitars until production ceased over 20 years ago.

The most desirable version of this model, this gleaming guitar has the original stop tailpiece, and full-width 1 11/16" nut. One of only 218 examples from 1964, the instrument has been maintained in superb original condition, with all its factory hardware and finish, and is notably free of pick, thumb or fingerboard wear. Apart from a few incidental finish nicks, the guitar shows few signs of play altogether in its subtly shaded golden sunburst finish. The neck has a gentle "D" profile, with an easy, elegant feel, and the original frets are classic mid-60's medium-jumbos, with smooth, low action from a fresh high-precision setup.

While Gibson had used up most nickel PAF pickups by mid-1962, the low production for premium Gibson electrics like the ES-355 and Byrdland meant that gold PAFs may be found as late as 1966. These original PAF humbucking pickups (one with decal, one without) sing with a smooth, high output signal with lots of snap and sustain, measuring 7.71K at the neck and 7.95 at the bridge, with original gold covers and wiring harness, including original shielding cans for all four pots. The Varitone control produces a rainbow of tonal colors unmatched in any comparable instrument, and the guitar is supplied with a stereo-to-mono adapter plug as well, enabling mono play with any standard guitar cable and amp.

A true 60's classic, in exceptional condition, complete with its original deluxe Gibson arched gold plush lined hardshell case. 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. Action is set from 4/64" to 5/64th at the 12th fret, with light relief.

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