1959 Gibson ES-345 Sunburst "First Rack"

A lot of ES aficionados (including me) feel that a first rack 345 rivals any guitar ever built by Gibson. You want a "burst killer"? This is it. These early 345's have become so sought after that they are nearly impossible to find any more. Every collector wants one in his arsenal. They are stunningly great players with tone to die for. "First Rack" 59 345's are different from all 345's that followed. It has the thin top like a 58 335, huge neck (.92" at the first fret and 1.02" at the 12th), "short leg" PAF, small varitone choke rout. This example has some pretty figure in the top, a "short leg" zebra PAF in the bridge. It is equipped with its original Kluson tuners with replaced tips (typical of 59's). The circuit has been modded to 335 spec but the original harness is in the case. The mimeographed Varitone instruction sheet is in the case too (you never see these). It has been re-fretted and the nut was replaced (original included). Everything else is original. The bridge pickup was opened to reverse the phase (stereo Gibsons have out of phase pickups and that must be reversed for proper mono operation. Condition is 9/10. Case is original Stone of Brooklyn with its original key.