1999 Gibson Custom Shop '59 ES-335 SOLD OUTSIDE FORUM

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Geoff Brown
Posts: 467
Joined: 8 Mar 2001 1:01 am
Location: Nashvegas

1999 Gibson Custom Shop '59 ES-335 SOLD OUTSIDE FORUM

Post by Geoff Brown »

Up for sale is this 1999 Historic ES-335 '59 dot reissue from the Gibson Custom Shop in Nashville. Fine example of the quality that the Custom Shop was capable of producing in 1999. Serial # A 99xxx.

When the guys from L&M Music (Guitar Galleria) visited the Custom Shop in Nashville 15 yrs. ago, this guitar was cherry-picked to take back to their store in Chattanooga, Tennessee. So...

The figured eastern maple is uniformly strong with no dropouts anywhere on the top, sides or back. At 15 years of age, the Antique Natural finish has a deep, rich, amber color. There are a handful of random areas of light lacquer checking on the top, sides and back.

The mahogany neck is what you would expect. Beefy, D-profile with a nice taper. And it resonates like crazy.

This guitar came originally with aged hardware.

No breaks, no repairs, no funny biz. This guitar is VERY clean.

Modifications/upgrades:

Bone nut (done by John LeVan in Nashville).
Lollar Imperial pickups/aged covers
Hoveland caps.
Audio taper CTS pots.
50's Gibson wiring.
Fugly amber knobs replaced with more period-correct gold color.

Original frets could use a level and dress at some point, but the guitar plays fine right now.

The rosewood fretboard is uniformly dark-chocolate in color...probably from Madagascar. Tightly-grained with no streaking, knots or other funny biz anywhere on it. Beautiful.

Light player wear. . .and I mean light. Pickguard swirling, and if you look really, really hard, you'll find a tiny ding or two. No worming, no buckle rash. I've taken extremely good care of this instrument. It's as close to new as you'll find in a 15-year old guitar.

Gibson did not include a COA with these guitars that year, so there is none.

The original case is gone. . .replaced with a Gator travel case, which is by far better for protecting this great guitar. The guitar fits perfectly in the case, which is in perfect shape.

She sounds every bit as great as she looks. Acoustically, she rings like a bell, with that signature dry, woody tone that ES semi-hollows are known for. Tight bottom, no flabbiness. Great clarity. The Lollars sound terrific in this guitar, and are the only pickups that have been in it since I replaced the Classic 57's.

Anything in the photos that may appear strange is just reflections or shadows. I have not photoshopped these pics to make this guitar look like something it's not. What you see is what you'll be getting.

I have NO interest in trades or partial trades of any kind.

I would prefer to sell this guitar locally in Nashville, but will ship in the CONUS. I've shipped many guitars with zero problems.

$3600. Buyer pays actual S&H costs. Paypal add 3%. You must have a verified address. Thanks!

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Last edited by Geoff Brown on 20 May 2014 12:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Geoff Queen
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Joined: 9 Jun 2007 7:44 am
Location: Austin Texas, USA

Post by Geoff Queen »

That is an absolutely beautiful guitar. Of course I'm not surprised by good taste from a man with such a correctly spelled name. Good luck with your sale!
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Geoff Brown
Posts: 467
Joined: 8 Mar 2001 1:01 am
Location: Nashvegas

Post by Geoff Brown »

Geoff Queen wrote:That is an absolutely beautiful guitar. Of course I'm not surprised by good taste from a man with such a correctly spelled name. Good luck with your sale!
LOL...correctly spelled, and frequently mis-pronounced, as I'm sure you're aware ;)
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Geoff Brown
Posts: 467
Joined: 8 Mar 2001 1:01 am
Location: Nashvegas

Serial number

Post by Geoff Brown »

Some have asked me why there is no serial number for this guitar on the headstock, so I thought I'd explain this for anyone else who might be wondering.

There is no serial # on the headstock because this is a "Historic" custom shop re-issue of the 1959 ES-335. Those original guitars didn't have a serial number on the headstock. So, in keeping with the original specs as much as possible, these guitars don't have it either.
They do have an orange sticker inside with the serial number, just as the originals did. I'm adding a pic of the sticker with the serial #. I have obscured the last three digits, because it would be easy for someone to lift these pics, create a fake eBay listing, or try to sell my guitar somewhere else online. I've seen it done.

If someone is serious about this guitar, they are free to contact me. With the serial number, you can call Gibson customer service and get all the details over the phone. Thanks :)




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Geoff Brown
Posts: 467
Joined: 8 Mar 2001 1:01 am
Location: Nashvegas

Post by Geoff Brown »

Anyone looking to drop $$$ on a Rusty Anderson model should be looking at this guitar. The RA is supposedly based on a '59, but the necks are very different on those guitars, compared to this one. I played one at Sam Ash here in Nashville the other day. Not saying it's bad...but it's definitely different. This neck is like those on a couple of real '59s I played at Gruhn's a year or so ago.
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