Chuck Berry, B.B. King, and other formative players in the evolving early days of rock and electric blues had already immortalized the Gibson ES-335 when the company’s engineers fine-tuned the guitar in 1963. Today’s Custom Shop ES-335 Block Inlay Reissue model reflects those original refinements, which enhance the guitar’s playability and beauty.

Countless music legends have immortalized Gibson’s ES-335.

Two ‘57 Classic humbucking pickups and stopbar tailpiece.

Headstock with rich holly veneer and vintage tulip style tuners.

History
The popularity of the ES-335 was already secure and continued to grow, but in1963 when the first generation of the revamped ES-335s left Gibson’s Kalamazoo factory sales peaked. That year the dots on the fingerboard of the standard ES-335 inaugurated in 1958 were replaced with the block inlays that give this Custom Shop model its name. They provided easier visibility in live playing situations, where lighting is often less than ideal, and an extra touch of eye-catching class. The other refinement to the ‘63 was the use of the tapered, thinner-profile neck common to Gibson’s built in the ’60s.

Near-perfect Recreation
The ES-335 Block Inlay guitars made by Gibson’s Custom Shop in Memphis today benefit from the exacting standards of contemporary guitar building technology, resulting in a much more consistent instrument than those that originally rolled off the assembly line. And before each finished guitar leaves the Custom Shop floor it is examined and adjusted by one of the company’s state-of-the-art Pleck machines, so it leaves set up for maximum playability.

To recreate a vintage look, the plain maple top, back, and rims of the ES-335 Block Inlay come finished in antique red or antique teaburst. Like the Fat Neck model, it has a lightweight maple centerblock to provide its classic semi-hollowbody resonant and tonal characteristics. Unlike the all-maple 1963 ES-335 Block reissue model, the ES-335 Block Inlay has a three-ply maple/poplar/maple body construction. There’s single-ply cream binding on the top and back and a five-ply ‘63 style long pickguard. The hardware is nickel, with an ABR bridge and stop tailpiece.

The ES-355 Block Inlay models’ neck is one-piece mahogany shaped to a 1963 slim taper profile that’s 24-inch scale length and 1 11/16th-inches wide at the nut. The guitar has a 22-fret rosewood fingerboard with pearloid small block inlays and single-ply cream binding. The tuners are vintage tulip shaped, handsomely complimenting the headstock.

Unlike the Custom Shop 1963 ES-335 Block reissue, which has a pair of Gibson ‘57 Classic humbuckers, the ES-335 Block Inlay comes with Burstbucker Pro 1 and 2 pickups. They are controlled by two volume pots, two tone pots, and a three-way selector switch. And these guitars leave the factory strung with Gibson Brite Wire .010 strings inside a black levant case, to enhance their historic feel and presence.

Nitrocellulose Finish
Applying a nitrocellulose finish to any Gibson guitar is one of the most labor-intensive elements of the guitar-making process. A properly applied nitro finish requires extensive man hours, several evenly applied coats, and an exorbitant amount of drying time. But this fact has never swayed Gibson into changing this time-tested method, employed ever since the first Gibson guitar was swathed with lacquer back in 1894. Why? For starters, a nitro finish dries to a much thinner coat than a polyurethane finish, which means there is less interference with the natural vibration of the instrument, allowing for a purer tone. A nitro finish is also a softer finish, which makes it easily repairable. You can touch up a scratch or ding on a nitro finish, but you can’t do the same on a poly finish. In addition, a nitro finish is very porous in nature, and actually gets thinner over time. It does not “seal” wood in an airtight shell–as a poly finish does–and allows the wood to breathe and age properly.

All VOS (Vintage Original Spec) series guitars will use a proprietary process that includes unique steps for staining, wet-sanding, and hand-rubbing; subsequently the guitars reflect what a well-cared for 40-year-old guitar looks like. The result is a remarkable patina that will delight even the most discriminating enthusiast.

The Gibson Les Paul Studio Electric Guitar has become one of the most desired Les Paul guitars for its tremendous harmonic and sonic capacities. The studio guitar is coveted by musicians from all genres of music and offers Les Paul performance with a modern, no-frills attitude. This Silverburst edition is lighter weight and offers a distinct look and modern features. The Les Paul Studio guitar marries a lightweight chambered mahogany back to a maple top. The mahogany set neck has a 22-fret fingerboard that is constructed from high-grade ebony. The resilience of this dense and durable wood makes the fingerboard extremely balanced and stable, and gives each chord and note unparalleled clarity and bite. The flatter 12″ fingerboard radius promotes smooth note bending and eliminates dead or choked out notes—a common occurrence on rounder, smaller radius fingerboards. The Les Paul Studio guitar’s ’60s neck profile is slim tapered emulating the neck shapes of the 1960 Les Paul Standard.The Les Paul Studio Guitar shares the same quality electronics as some of its more expensive siblings. The Gibson 490R pickup has the tonal characteristics of an original PAF, but with a slight increase in upper mid-range response. The Gibson 498T bridge pickup is the 490 pickup’s ideal complement. Taking the 490 one step further, the 498 swaps the Alnico II magnet with an Alnico V, thus making it a slightly hotter pickup with emphasis on mid-ranges and highs. The pole pieces on the 498T are also aligned a little further apart to accommodate the spacing of the strings at the bridge. Both pickups can be split via push/pull volme controls.

Gibson Les Paul Studio Silverburst Electric Guitar, Silverburst Chrome Hardware

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