1960 Gibson ES-345 Wired Mono PAF loaded, Varitone removed Original Case - Sunburst
Description
No sales tax for US customers outside California.
Gorgeous guitars that a superior players with out-of-this-world tone are what we seek. This guitar allows us to say - "Mission Accomplished!"
This 7 pound, 11 ounce beauty has some mods that make it not only lighter, but also more useful. It puts the tone of a $70,000+ ES-335 in your hands for half the price.
The guitar has been re-wired to provide mono output. The varitone circuitry has been removed, leaving the selector knob on a potentiometer that has no effect on tone. The pots are the original 1959-dated parts with their shields removed. What you get is the straight-up tone and simple controls of a Les Paul or ES-335.
The double-black bobbin PAF pickups are in place with their stickers intact. We measured their output at 7.32 and 7.55k. The covers have been removed and then returned to the pickups. The output is nicely balanced when you move from the neck to the bridge position. As you may know, there are great sounding PAFs and not-so-great ones. These are fantastic.
The guitar is marked with a serial number that dates to 1960 and a factory order number from 1959. It likely started in the factory in '59 and was finished in 1960. The neck is thicker than later 1960 necks, measuring .84" thick just behind the first fret. It feels amazing and doesn't have the flat/thin feel of later 1960 necks. The original frets are full and in excellent condition. The neck is straight and it feels absolutely amazing.
The knobs, bridges, tuners, pickguard, pickup rings, and strap buttons are all original. There are no new screw holes or other hateful changes to the guitar. The finish is crisp and rich with light checking and no overspray or changes. One saddle and screw on the original, no-wire ABR1 bridge are not original.
The guitar is set up perfectly and can stand as the standard for others.
The original Lifton case is included and it is in the same amazing condition as the guitar.
Built in Kalamazoo during one of Gibson’s most celebrated production periods, the ES-345 shares the same laminated maple construction and center block design as the legendary ES-335 while originally adding stereo wiring and the Varitone circuit. Many players prefer the straightforward mono configuration found on ES-335 models, making this modification particularly desirable for practical stage and studio use.
As with all instruments at Mahar’s Vintage Guitars, it has been fully inspected, photographed accurately, and professionally set up to play its absolute best.
We buy, sell, and take trades.
Be sure to check out the other cool guitar related stuff on our site
Fender electric guitars - vintage & used
Gibson electric guitars - vintage & used
The largest vintage & used guitar amplifier selection in Northern California
Vintage & Used Effects Pedals
Excerpts from real online end-user reviews:
“Nothing beats the tone of real PAFs.” – The Gear Page
“Early ES semi-hollows are incredibly resonant.” – MyLesPaul Forum
“Rich, woody tone with amazing sustain.” – Harmony Central
“The ultimate blues and rock semi-hollow.” – Reddit r/Guitar
“Classic Gibson tone at its finest.” – Ultimate Guitar
SPECS:
Color: Sunburst
Weight: 7lbs 11oz
Top: Maple
Body: Maple
Neck: Mahogany
Neck Profile: Slim Taper C
Fretboard: Rosewood
Inlays: Mother of Pearl split parallelogram
Frets: Original
Fret Count: 22
Nut: Original
Nut width: 1-11/16"
Radius: 12"
Scale: 24.75"
Neck thickness at 1st Fret: .84"
Neck thickness at 12th Fret: .955"
Action 1st String at 12th Fret: 2/32"
Action 6th String at 12th Fret: 2/32"
Overall length: 41 3/8"
Lower bout: 16"
Waist: 9 1/4"
Upper bout: 11 1/4"
Body depth/thickness outside edge: 1 3/4"
String gauge: .010-.046"
Hardware Color: Gold
Pickguard: Original
Bridge Pickup/Brand: PAF Humbucker
Pickup Reading: 7.55k
Original?: Yes
Neck Pickup/Brand: PAF Humbucker
Pickup Reading: 7.32k
Original?: Yes
Bridge: ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge with a stopbar tailpiece
Tuners: Original Kluson
Knobs: Original
Switch: 3 Way
Pots/Codes: Original
Case: OHSC
Notes:
Shipping policy:
There are multiple shipping cost options for purchases made on our site. Select Ground, 3 Day, 2 Day, or Next Day Air Saver. For Reverb purchases, there is one cost option for Eastern states - customers from any state that is more than a 3 day UPS ground shipment from our shop will get their shipment via UPS 3 day air. Otherwise, ground shipping will be used. Shipments will require signature on delivery, no exceptions. If there is damage, the buyer must retain all packing materials intact and picture them immediately and send them to . Less than 1% of our shipments are damaged in transit, and we are committed to making sure your item arrives safely, but we are taking these additional measures to make sure you are happy with your purchase.
Reverb Buyer Protection
Gorgeous guitars that a superior players with out-of-this-world tone are what we seek. This guitar allows us to say - "Mission Accomplished!"
This 7 pound, 11 ounce beauty has some mods that make it not only lighter, but also more useful. It puts the tone of a $70,000+ ES-335 in your hands for half the price.
The guitar has been re-wired to provide mono output. The varitone circuitry has been removed, leaving the selector knob on a potentiometer that has no effect on tone. The pots are the original 1959-dated parts with their shields removed. What you get is the straight-up tone and simple controls of a Les Paul or ES-335.
The double-black bobbin PAF pickups are in place with their stickers intact. We measured their output at 7.32 and 7.55k. The covers have been removed and then returned to the pickups. The output is nicely balanced when you move from the neck to the bridge position. As you may know, there are great sounding PAFs and not-so-great ones. These are fantastic.
The guitar is marked with a serial number that dates to 1960 and a factory order number from 1959. It likely started in the factory in '59 and was finished in 1960. The neck is thicker than later 1960 necks, measuring .84" thick just behind the first fret. It feels amazing and doesn't have the flat/thin feel of later 1960 necks. The original frets are full and in excellent condition. The neck is straight and it feels absolutely amazing.
The knobs, bridges, tuners, pickguard, pickup rings, and strap buttons are all original. There are no new screw holes or other hateful changes to the guitar. The finish is crisp and rich with light checking and no overspray or changes. One saddle and screw on the original, no-wire ABR1 bridge are not original.
The guitar is set up perfectly and can stand as the standard for others.
The original Lifton case is included and it is in the same amazing condition as the guitar.
Built in Kalamazoo during one of Gibson’s most celebrated production periods, the ES-345 shares the same laminated maple construction and center block design as the legendary ES-335 while originally adding stereo wiring and the Varitone circuit. Many players prefer the straightforward mono configuration found on ES-335 models, making this modification particularly desirable for practical stage and studio use.
As with all instruments at Mahar’s Vintage Guitars, it has been fully inspected, photographed accurately, and professionally set up to play its absolute best.
We buy, sell, and take trades.
Be sure to check out the other cool guitar related stuff on our site
Fender electric guitars - vintage & used
Gibson electric guitars - vintage & used
The largest vintage & used guitar amplifier selection in Northern California
Vintage & Used Effects Pedals
Excerpts from real online end-user reviews:
“Nothing beats the tone of real PAFs.” – The Gear Page
“Early ES semi-hollows are incredibly resonant.” – MyLesPaul Forum
“Rich, woody tone with amazing sustain.” – Harmony Central
“The ultimate blues and rock semi-hollow.” – Reddit r/Guitar
“Classic Gibson tone at its finest.” – Ultimate Guitar
SPECS:
Color: Sunburst
Weight: 7lbs 11oz
Top: Maple
Body: Maple
Neck: Mahogany
Neck Profile: Slim Taper C
Fretboard: Rosewood
Inlays: Mother of Pearl split parallelogram
Frets: Original
Fret Count: 22
Nut: Original
Nut width: 1-11/16"
Radius: 12"
Scale: 24.75"
Neck thickness at 1st Fret: .84"
Neck thickness at 12th Fret: .955"
Action 1st String at 12th Fret: 2/32"
Action 6th String at 12th Fret: 2/32"
Overall length: 41 3/8"
Lower bout: 16"
Waist: 9 1/4"
Upper bout: 11 1/4"
Body depth/thickness outside edge: 1 3/4"
String gauge: .010-.046"
Hardware Color: Gold
Pickguard: Original
Bridge Pickup/Brand: PAF Humbucker
Pickup Reading: 7.55k
Original?: Yes
Neck Pickup/Brand: PAF Humbucker
Pickup Reading: 7.32k
Original?: Yes
Bridge: ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge with a stopbar tailpiece
Tuners: Original Kluson
Knobs: Original
Switch: 3 Way
Pots/Codes: Original
Case: OHSC
Notes:
Shipping policy:
There are multiple shipping cost options for purchases made on our site. Select Ground, 3 Day, 2 Day, or Next Day Air Saver. For Reverb purchases, there is one cost option for Eastern states - customers from any state that is more than a 3 day UPS ground shipment from our shop will get their shipment via UPS 3 day air. Otherwise, ground shipping will be used. Shipments will require signature on delivery, no exceptions. If there is damage, the buyer must retain all packing materials intact and picture them immediately and send them to . Less than 1% of our shipments are damaged in transit, and we are committed to making sure your item arrives safely, but we are taking these additional measures to make sure you are happy with your purchase.
Reverb Buyer Protection