1964 Gibson ES-335 Red

If you know ES-335's, you are aware that 1964 is arguably the most popular and desirable year. Only the 59 dot neck rivals the 64. It's not just the Eric Clapton connection, although that doesn't hurt. It's the neck. Folks like the big fat 59's but if you ask which one is the most comfortable to play, you would get a lot of votes for the 64. Slim, with fairly large shoulders at the first fret and tapering up to nearly a full inch at the 12th fret, this neck stands apart from every other year. The late 63 and early 65's share the same profile but only for a few months in each year. Nearly all 64's have that great neck though. The pickups in most 64's including this one, are early patents (same as a PAF with a different sticker). Condition is a very strong 9/10. It shows only light wear to the back of the neck. No checking, no rash and only a few dings and scratches-mostly on the back. The red is strong and vibrant with no "browning" that occurs when exposed to too much sunlight. Like so many 64's, this one was equipped from the factory with a Bigsby with the "Custom Made" plate covering the stop tail bushings. Conversion to a stop tail takes about five minutes. This is a fairly bright and aggressive guitar-more of a rocker or blues guitar than a jazzer. That said, 335's are very versatile and a tweak of the tone controls gets you mellow, musical tones when needed. Frets are original. Every part on the guitar is original. This is a collector grade guitar that you won't be afraid to play. Weight is 8 lbs 7 ounces. Bridge pickup read 8.01K. Neck reads 7.67K. Original Gibson badged case.