This near mint Gibson ES-335 in rare Cherry Red/Long guard/Stop tail variety shipped from Gibson on January 5th, 1961. I purchased it recently from the daughter of its original owner and was astounded at the clean condition, originality, and lack of any fading of the original finish. Apart from 5 replaced plastic tuner buttons, it's 100% original and in excellent playing condition. It comes from a legendary batch of Cherry Red ES-335s made in 1960: R7433.

Both pickups are original to this guitar (in fact, all solder is original and untouched). The neck pickup has uncommon features including slot screws holding the bobbins to the plate and it never had a sticker. The potentiometers are also uncommon in that they are Mallory brand (59 date code) with nylon shafts. These features have been observed on a few other examples including on an early '61 ES-335 that I personally owned. Photos of the entire harness of this guitar and the features of the other ES-335 are included here so you can prove that to yourself. 

Measurements: 8.3 lbs / 3.75 kg total weight. The neck measures 1.69"/ 42.9mm wide at the nut, 0.81" deep at the 1st fret, and 0.90" deep at the 12th fret. The neck pickup reads 8.70k ohms and the bridge pickup reads 7.89k ohms. 

Originality: All parts, finish, and solder are original except for 5 replaced tuner buttons (5 of the original buttons had already crumbled). It has never had any break or repair.

Playability: Killer! The neck is straight, the original frets show little wear, and the electronics function as intended. 

Condition: Amazing. The original Cherry finish is vibrant and unfaded. There's typical nicks and checking and there are no breaks or repairs. 

Included: The original Lifton case is included. 

Fine Print: All guitars ship via FedEx Priority Overnight for domestic sales or FedEx Priority International. I offer a 48 hour approval period beginning on delivery for all sales during which you are welcome to opt for a return as long as the guitar is still in as-sent condition. I do not charge a restocking fee, but any non-refunded payment processing fees, outbound shipping, and return shipping costs are subtracted from the refund in the case of a return.