DESCRIPTION:
Seen here is a wonderful Gibson ES-335 TDC Thinline archtop electric guitar built during 1967 at Kalamazoo, Michigan. TDC expands to mean Thinline, Double Pickup, Cherry finish, but the designation wasn't always used, particularly once production of single-pickup thinline versions diminished to the point of being discontinued.
This example dates to 1967 and is in all original condition with the exception of the Maestro Vibrola, which seems to have replaced a stock Bigsby B7. There are two dowelled, cherry-stained and touched up spots underneath the Vibrola string bar, from the B7 mounting screws. The guitar is in good physical condition with expected normal play wear. ;Fret wear is moderate to heavy in the low positions, with corresponding fingerboard wear, but as is plays well. During this period, the necks tended towards being narrow, and here the nut width is under 1.6 inches - 39.86mm, 3mm narrower than current production.
Sold with a recent,brown TKL-built Gibson hard shell case with comfortable rolled leather handle.
Making its debut in late 1958, the Gibson ES-335 appeared with its upmarket siblings, the ES-345 and ES-355. These were a radical departure from the fully hollow archtop models available, and directly addressed a real problem caused by constantly increasing amplifier volumes. Key to the solution was the addition of a solid center-block, making the guitar semi-hollow. The design is very effective at reducing feedback. The F-holes can provide a tactile cue when the guitar is about to seriously feed back - the player will feel a small burst of air against their arm from the bass side F-hole.
Construction of the Gibson ES-335 TDC and variants is consistent - Maple Laminate for the dual F-hole top, back and sides, a Maple or other dense center block, Mahogany for the linings, body blocks and neck, black-dyed Pearwood for the head plate, and Rosewood for the fingerboard. The ES-355 used Ebony for the fingerboard. Gibson ceased use of Brazilian Rosewood during 1966 and 1967, and this example uses Indian Rosewood for its fingerboard.
For hardware, a pair of Gibson's new humbucking pickups were installed - P90's were not available until Memphis-built Custom Shop models around 2019. These ran through Gibson's standard wiring with individual volume and tone controls, three-way selector switch, and an output jack, all mounted to the guitar top. Tuners were originally Kluson Deluxe models with plastic 'Keystone' buttons. An ABR-1 'Tune-A-Matic' bridge was supported by two posts threaded into the top. For the tailpiece, initial models used a standard stop tailpiece, but a dual-roller Bigsby B7 was available. For 1961, Gibson offered a 'new' vibrato tailpiece with a side-pull lever, but these were not well received and by 1962 the Maestro Vibrola was used if a vibrato tailpiece was required. For 1965, the stop tailpiece was replaced by a standard Trapeze style tailpiece, and that part remained until 1981 and the 'Dot' reissue.
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There are no refunds or returns on used items unless authorized in advance by a Twelfth Fret Sales Associate at time of sale. View Our Full Terms Here |
DETAILS:
- Instrument Model: ES-335 TDC
- Instrument Manufacturer: Gibson
- Instrument year: 1967
- Instrument Finish: Gloss Cherry Nitrocellulose Lacquer
- Instrument Class: Vintage
- Instrument serial number: 042431, built during 1967 at Kalamazoo, Michigan
- Country of Origin: USA
- Instrument Condition: Good
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Playing Condition: Good
- Right-handed
- CITIES Documentation Required: No
- Case included: Yes
- Case original: No
- Case Type: Hard
- Instrument Weight Imperial: 8.536 lbs
- Instrument Weight Metric: 3.88 kgs
- Scale Length Imperial: 24.65 in
- Scale Length Metric: 626 mm
- Nut Width Imperial: 1.569 in
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Nut Width Metric: 39.86 mm
- Items in Case: N/A
- Consignment: Yes
- Product ID: 190228
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There are no refunds or returns on used items unless authorized in advance by a Twelfth Fret Sales Associate at time of sale. View Our Full Terms Here |