1959 Gibson ES-355 Mono Red

With the price of 59 ES-335's pushing past $60K and approaching $70K, it's time to look at alternatives for most of us. A mono ES-355 is pretty close. The ebony board might make a little tonal difference to some ears (not mine). The fancy bindings, headstock and inlays won't make any difference at all. The circuit in a 355 mono is identical to a 335. Why are they so much cheaper? Well, the Bigsby (stop tail 355's are almost nonexistent) for one thing. And, I guess, the fact that they aren't a 335. A 355 was priced at nearly double that of a 335 back in 1959. Now it's around half. Go figure. This is a 8.5/10 condition 355 with that oh so cool watermelon red fade, PAFs with perfect stickers and no issues at all other than a re-fret with jumbo frets. There is very little wear but it is checked all over. The neck profile is medium-355 necks slimmed down much earlier than 335 and 345's. Big neck 355's are rare but this one has plenty of heft for most players.