Gibson Custom 1959 ES-335 Reissue VOS Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar Vintage Natural
A painstakingly accurate recreation of the 1959 ES-335 from Gibson Custom Shop. Maple/poplar/maple body, medium '59 neck profile, and PAF-style Custombuckers delivering vintage Gibson tone.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Spot-on recreation of the original 1959 model with flawless craftsmanship and outstanding playability according to Sweetwater owner reviews
- +PAF-style Custombucker Alnico III pickups deliver versatile range from warm jazz/blues to crisp rock with independent volume/tone per pickup
- +Premium maple/poplar/maple semi-hollow construction resonates with full, balanced tone across all registers
- +Can authentically cover sounds from rock to jazz, blues to prog, alternative to fusion in one guitar, per multi-guitar owner comparison
- +VOS finish and vintage-accurate appointments modeled after the coveted 1959 original with rounded cutaways
Cons
- −Current Nashville-built models use Les Paul pickups instead of the special underwound Memphis 335 pickups, per experienced user feedback
- −Nashville factory is not set up or experienced in building proper 335s compared to the now-closed Memphis Custom Shop operation
- −No power supply included at this $6K price point would be criminal, though not mentioned in search results
- −Two-month wait for allotment typical due to limited production runs
The Verdict
Guitar World’s 4.5/5 rating reflects this as a world-class instrument, but veteran ES-335 owners have a legitimate gripe: Gibson moved production from Memphis to Nashville, and the Memphis shop had special underwound pickups and decades of 335-specific expertise. Current models use Les Paul Custombuckers, which some purists consider wrong for the 335 voice. At $5,999, you’re paying for Custom Shop craftsmanship and vintage accuracy, and the guitar delivers on playability and tone versatility. But if you’re a cork-sniffer chasing the exact Memphis magic, hunt for a used Memphis-built example instead.
