Gibson Custom Shop 1964 ES-335 Reissue VOS - Vintage Burst

Few electric guitar designs have shaped the sound of recorded music as fundamentally as the ES-335 — and the Interstellar Tone Traveler approached this one with the quiet reverence it deserves. The Gibson Custom Shop 1964 ES-335 Reissue VOS is a period-correct recreation of the semi-hollow that defined blues, jazz, and rock across six decades, built to the specifications of the specific year when the ES-335 reached its most celebrated form: slim taper neck, 1960s small block Mother of Pearl inlays, and all the tonal refinement that the early part of that decade represented in Gibson's Nashville production. The VOS treatment — Gibson Custom Shop's light aging of the Vintage Burst nitrocellulose lacquer — gives this guitar the visual warmth and tactile character of a well-loved original without sacrificing the tone-enhancing properties of fresh nitro. It doesn't look new. It looks right.

The 3-ply Maple/Poplar/Maple body with solid Maple centerblock is the architectural innovation that made the ES-335 what it is: semi-hollow construction that delivers the airy resonance and note-bloom of a fully hollow guitar while the centerblock provides sustain, feedback resistance, and the kind of note articulation that fully hollow instruments struggle to maintain at volume. The mahogany neck with "C" profile connects via Long Tenon Hide Glue fit, Authentic 1950s No-Tube truss rod, and a rosewood fingerboard at 12" radius — all period-correct, all immediately comfortable. Custombucker Alnico 3 pickups in Authentic Profile Gold Plated Nickel Silver covers deliver the warm, PAF-voiced character this body shape was always meant to amplify, wired through CTS 500K pots and Paper-in-Oil capacitors for the touch responsiveness that made the ES-335 an enduring player's instrument rather than just a collector's piece. ABR-1 bridge with nylon saddles, Lightweight Aluminum Stop Bar, Kluson tuning machines, Amber Catalin switch tip, Black Butyrate Top Hat knobs with dial pointers, Aged Gold hardware throughout — every detail is correct. Lifton Reissue 5-Latch case and Certificate of Authenticity included.

Model: 1964 ES-335 Reissue VOS
Body Construction: Semi-Hollow
Body: 3-Ply Maple/Poplar/Maple
Centerblock: Solid Maple
Body Finish: Aged Nitrocellulose
Body Binding: Single-Ply
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Fingerboard Inlay/Headstock Inlay: 1960's Small Block Mother of Pearl / Gibson Logo
Nut: Nylon, 1.69"
Neck Profile: "C"
Neck Joint: Long Tenon, Hide Glue Fit
Frets: Authentic Medium-Jumbo 22
Truss Rod: Authentic 1950s No-Tube
Radius: 12"
Fingerboard Binding: Cream, Single Ply Royalite
Scale Length: 24.75"
Bridge Pickup: Custombucker Alnico 3
Neck Pickup: Custombucker Alnico 3
Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone, CTS 500K Audio Taper Potentiometers, Paper-in-Oil Capacitors
Pickup Selector: 3-Way Switchcraft
Output Jack: 1/4" Switchcraft
Bridge: ABR-1 (Nylon Saddles)
Tailpiece: Lightweight Aluminum Stop Bar
Hardware Color: Aged Gold
Pickup Covers: Authentic Profile Gold Plated Nickel Silver
Strap Buttons: Cream Plastic
Switchwasher: Silkscreened Cellulose Acetate Butyrate
Pickguard: Laminated Cellulose Acetate Butyrate
Truss Rod Cover: Authentic Stepped 2-Ply
Switch Tip: Amber Catalin
Tuning Machines: Kluson
Mounting Rings: M69 Cellulose Acetate Butyrate Medium and Tall
Control Knobs: Black Butyrate Top Hats with Dial Pointers
String Gauge: .010, .013, .017, .026, .036, .046
Accessories: COA
Case: Lifton Reissue 5-Latch