1959 Gibson ES-345 Black

In 1959, Gibson introduced the ES-345-the middle of it's semi hollow ES line. All were stereo with the Varitone circuit and all were either blonde or sunburst. There were a few special order 345's made in Argentine Grey (two tone sunburst) and black. There are five, maybe six black 59's known (one is a 59 build with a 60 serial so I call it a 60). Three are stop tails, three are Bigsbys. This factory Bigsby is a "first rack" (Google that if you aren't familiar with the term). It has certainly been played and shows 62 years worth of dings and scratches. The gold shows considerable wear. But it's a killer player. It has factory drilled stop tail bushings so you can remove the Bigsby and add a stop tail without altering the guitar. Is this guitar expensive? You bet it is but it's going to be tough to find another. I've sold four of the five and they aren't going anywhere-the owners love them. Everything is original except the frets and the tuner tips. Photos show it set up as a Bigsby and as a stop tail. It is currently set up as a Bigsby. The stop tail and studs are not original (they are repro).