1959 Gibson ES-355 Red

59 is THE year for vintage ES guitars. '59 335's have surpassed $60K for collector grade examples. This stereo 1959 ES-355 still has its stereo circuit and Varitone intact and functioning perfectly. This guitar is in near mint condition. This is probably one of the very first guitars to get the sideways Vibrola. Neck PAF has been opened, bridge is sealed. Neck profile is medium to slim as late 59 355's tended to be. Finish shows no fade at all and there are no dings, scratches or wear. Frets are original. Gold shows only light wear. The sideways Vibrola is, frankly, a pretty poor design from a functionality standpoint. It looks pretty cool but they are difficult to adjust to keep the guitar from going out of tune. This one is pretty good if you have a light touch. These are also great candidates for stop tail conversion. There are almost no stop tail 355's as they had to be special ordered. The good news is that a sideways Vibrola leaves no holes in the top unlike a Bigsby (2 holes) or a Maestro (6 holes).
Very clean brown with pink Gibson badged case.