1959 Gibson ES-335 Sunburst

Before I get into the nuts and bolts of this 59 ES-335, I should point something out that's important. I've owned close to 600 ES guitars built between 1958 and 1965. I keep track (as best I can from memory) of the top twenty from a players point of view. That means tone and playability. This is a top twenty ES. Probably slots in around 12 or 13. It is something special.

This early 59 has a thin top, small original frets, shallow neck angle, double black PAFs (too early for whites) and had a Bigsby but is now a stop tail. It is a monster player. Up there with the best of them. Neck measures .92" at the first and .985" at the 12th. That's big. Frets are original. PAFs read 8.02K bridge and 8.18K neck. They are pretty close and the balance is quite good. Condition is 9/10-I'll call it "very good" because of the snakebite holes but it's in beautiful condition with almost no wear and no checking. The tuners are repro but the originals are in the case and need new tips. The stop tail is the correct short seam. The ABR-1 is lightly shaved on the treble side only for better action. There is a name engraved on the guard but it doesn't show up in the photo. The only wear is slight worming to the back. This has been stored for the past 25 years and is ready to be played again. Original Gibson badged case. This guitar comes from what I call "the magic rack". A rack is a group of 35 guitars made at the same time by the same workers and often from the same batch of wood. The factory order number designates the rack. Of the top 20 ES guitars I've owned, six are from this rack T5972. Read this: https://www.es-335.com/2024/11/15/magic-rack. It's expensive for a Bigsby 59 but I guarantee this will blow away every guitar you own. If not, I'll take it back. I will set it up as a Bigsby (correct 59 type) with pearl dots (as it would have come from the factory) covering the stop tail bushings if you prefer. You can always change it back. It doesn't come with the Bigsby unless you ask for that setup.