by Ryan Gabrinetti, Burbank Shop Manager (Photos by Tyler LaCagnina)

It’s near every day that someone new wanders into our Burbank shop and asks “Got any 335s?” And maybe, if they are lucky, I have the resources and inventory to say yes. In the world of secondhand guitars, there are plenty of Gibson Les Pauls and SGs to pass around, but one thing is for certain: there are not enough ES-335s to match. The allure of these large semi-hollow beasts can be mystifying to anyone fixed firmly in the solidbody realm — they can seem clunky and old world, and a young guitar slinger might feel as attracted to one of these as they do to Boomer Bends. But underneath the grandfatherly exterior is an incendiary combination of tech and craft that might have you leaving your Les Paul in the case.

Do you have a guitar you’re looking to trade for an ES-335? Contact us here!

Gibson’s Electric Spanish Series was an attempt to bring the old world acoustic archtop into the modern player’s hands, particularly those in the big ballroom era demanding the power of magnetic pickups on the bandstand. The line consisted of a variety of configurations with deep bodies, cutaways and artfully crafted trapeze bridges, typically adorned with one or more dog-ear P90 single coil pickups. Even with some friendly competition out west in Fullerton, Gibson’s Kalamazoo factory dominated the electric guitar market in the 1950s. Arriving just in time for the explosion of electric blues in Chicago and and the first wave of rock n’ roll throughout the rest of America, notable adopters of the Gibson Electric Spanish line included T-Bone Walker, Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, and B.B. King (especially with a stylish pair of shorts). 

While the Gibson ES guitars were well crafted, they were not without their flaws — persistent feedback at high volume being chief among them. Introduced in 1958 for the princely sum of $267.50, the Gibson ES-335 model took a big leap forward and boasted a host of new Gibson features like Seth Lover’s “Patent Applied For” humbucking pickups and an adjustable ABR-1 bridge. The low-noise high-output electronics coupled with fine intonation capabilities were huge upgrades for players of all styles, and the model quickly became a bestseller. The real innovation under the hood for the 335, however, was the solid maple center block running the length of the body, which alleviated feedback while increasing sustain. Much like Les Paul’s famous testbed “Log” guitar, they essentially function as a solid body guitar with wings. As Gibson head Ted McCarty remembered: “Les Paul was probably right with his plank, but the thing is, that looked funny. So what we did was to make one that looked like a guitar.” 

The heft and resonance created from this combination is where the Gibson ES-335 gains its “Burst-Killer” status with crystalline highs and a warm but punchy low end — holding one in your hands in front of a cranked amplifier will confirm this. It’s no wonder that players like Eric Clapton, Larry Carlton, June Millington, Noel Gallagher and Dave Grohl have all gravitated towards these finely crafted instruments. If you are growing weary of your lowly Gibson Les Paul or SG and looking for a third way, head over to one of our four shops in SoCal and you just might luck out with a 335.

Do you have a Gibson ES-335 you are looking to sell? Contact us here!