Only 167 natural finished ES5 Switchmasters were produced in the 1956-1961 period and only 33 of them were made in 1959. No need to say that this guitar is quite the catch!

The ES5 Switchmaster, undoubtedly one of Gibson's most striking guitars, combined many of the high-end features of the L5 acoustic model with a trio of gold PAF humbucking pickups and an innovative 4-way switch. Only 167 natural-finish ES5 Switchmasters were produced between 1956 and 1961, and only 33 were made in 1959. Needless to say, this guitar is a real gem!

It's easy to see where the Switchmaster gets its name. The pickup selector is prominently placed and allows the player to engage the pickups individually or all at once. With a tone and volume switch for each humbucker, it offers a wide variety of tones.

This Blonde ES5 features a beautiful flame finish on the top and back of the body. It also shows signs of age and use in the form of crackle and playwear, but is still in very good condition. The top has a few patches, some very small, like the one near the bridge, and two somewhat larger ones on the bass side near the upper and lower bouts. The binding is also notable for some cracks, and there are a few screw holes on the top and sides, some of which have been filled.

The guitar was once equipped with a Bigsby, but now has its original engraved tailpiece. And while the bridge and middle pickups are difficult to identify, the neck pickup has the black sticker and "L"-shaped tooling markings of a PAF humbucker!

Comes in its original hardshell case with a TFOA passport.

Played by Tom Punt | Demo

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photos of: Actual Instrument