1969 Gibson ES-335TD Sunburst Player

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This 1969 ish Gibson ES-335 has a story. I don't know what it is, but a deep dive gives some clues.

The guitar came in as part of an estate. The previous owner left no information about it.

A quick look revealed that there was something going on with the headstock. I saw evidence of some work being done behind the nut, and the face of the headstock looked odd right off the bat.

Taking off the tuners revealed that a new overlay had been added to the front of the headstock. It can be seen when looking through the tuner holes. I think one was added to the back as well, because the serial number is gone and the old tuner holes aren't there, nor is there any sign of them. The work is very well done from a woodworking perspective. It appears that the guitar was converted from a 12 string to a 6 string.

Where the wood work is very professional, thoughts about how to make the work look factory was not. A new logo and flower inlay was added, and they're off center. The headstock face is not holly, and the finish over it is semi-transparent.

A professional finish job was done over the headstock work, and carries through to the rest of the guitar. The front of the body looks fantastic, and has a factory look to it.

Everything on the guitar appears to be replaced with the exception of the pots and tone caps. The stopbar was added, and it is a little lopsided but this doesn't affect playability. The original trapeze tailpiece mounting holes were filled before the refinish, and slight evidence of the original ground wire remains.

The bridge pickup is a Duncan Seth Lover, signed by Seymour. The neck pickup is something I've never heard of, a Cablegram Way AL5 Shoreward pickup, dated to 2018.

A pro refret was done long ago. The frets have been worn since and leveled pretty low, but the guitar plays really nicely. It sounds great too!

The one sign that reveals that the guitar is from the 60s is the original label. The first digit of the serial number is illegible, so dating the guitar with confidence is tough. Also, the potentiometer codes are covered, so that doesn't help. The label does have a hand written 12 after the model number, designating it as a factory 12 string.

The orange label and serial number scheme narrow down the possible date range between 1964 and 1969. The nut width is a clue - measuring 1 5/8". The only year you'll see this width is 1965, when some necks were a little narrower than the previous 1 11/16" and the latter 1 9/16". But, this guitar was a 12 string, so that is likely the factory nut width for an ES-335TD-12 from as late as 1969.

So, I'm calling this a 1969.

This is obviously a refurbished, player's guitar, and it is a cool one!
Recent Gibson hardshell case included.

Color: Sunburst
Weight: 8lbs 6.3ozs
Top: Maple
Body: Maple
Neck: Mahogany
Neck Profile: See picture
Fretboard: Indian rosewood
Inlays: Mother of pearl blocks
Frets: Replaced and leveled
Fret count: 22
Nut: Reproduction
Nut width: 1 5/8"
Scale: 24 3/4"
Radius: 10"
Neck thickness at 1st fret: 0.845"
Neck thickness at 12th fret: 0.995"
Action 1st String at 12th Fret: 2/32"
Action 6th String at 12th Fret: 2/32"
Total length: 41 1/2"
Lower bout: 16"
Waist: 8 15/16"
Upper bout: 11 1/8"
Body depth/thickness outside edge: 1 3/4"
String gauge: .010-.046"
Hardware Color: Chrome
Bridge Pickup/Brand: Seymour Duncan Seth Lover
Bridge Pickup Reading: 8.04"
Pickup Original?: No
Bridge Pickup Ring Original?: No
Neck Pickup/Brand: Cablegram Way Shoreward #1
Neck Pickup Reading: 7.8k
Pickup Original?: No
Neck Pickup Ring Original?: No
Pickguard: None
Bridge: Both ABR bridge and the stop bar have been replaced. 
Tuners: Replaced
Switch: Original
Knobs: Reproductions
Pots/Codes: look original but not sure, because the leads from the pots to the replaced pickups were spliced in the pickup cavities but the caps and wiring look original.
Case: HSC
Notes:
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