This vintage Gibson ES-355-TDSV is in very fine condition. The finish on the top, sides and back of the body is completely unfaded. It is a bright and vibrant Cherry Red with a clean vintage gloss. It has been professionally refretted and there may be some overspray along the backside of the neck and headstock. It may be a touch up-it may be some sort of repair, or it may be just me being paranoid. The headstock and neck both black light as they should, but the clear coat has more wear on the neck than the headstock. At any rate, it's almost impossible to notice. Other than that-she is 100% original down to the original PAF pickups that are unpopped and sound amazing.
This guitar was made at the original Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan U.S.A. in late 1960, as it has an "R" FON number which is clearly visible inside the treble side F-hole. The original Orange label resides in the bass side F-hole and the serial number matches the serial number on the headstock. The serial number is 2012. Because it is die-stamped on the backside of the headstock, the guitar was most likely completed in early January, 1961. The body retains its original finish everywhere and it is super bright and very clean-see photos. The binding is in excellent shape everywhere with no issues. The gold hardware is in great condition with some handling wear here and there, most notable on the pickup covers-see photos. It shows an excellent touch of patina while still retaining the shiny Gold coloring. The finish shows almost zero checking-the guitar was obviously very well cared for. The neck fitment is perfect and the neck angle is excellent.
The neck itself is smooth and straight with no issues. The truss rod turns easily and still has the factory black paint on it-see photos. The neck profile is a typical 1960 slim-C shape with a nice flat ebony fingerboard. The neck measures 1.67" (1 11/16") wide at the nut. The neck depth measures .773" at the 1st fret and .897" at the 12th fret. The original gold grover tuners turn easily and smoothly. The headstock and logo display excellent. The veneer is all original and undamaged. The truss rod cover is in excellent condition too. The ebony fingerboard is super clean and the pearl block markers look great. As previously stated, the frets were replaced at some point with exact replacements-the job was done professionally and they even cut the frets inside the binding so as not to overlay and keep the original appearance. The action on this guitar is super low and it plays fast and easy with a light touch. The current string height is .010" at the 1st fret and .050" at the 12th fret. You can easily lower or raise the action with the fully adjustable (and original) no-wire ABR-1 bridge. It's easy! The guitar plays perfect as it is, with no fret buzz and no dead spots anywhere. It really rips!
The pickups both sound amazing as you would expect from PAF's. They very well balanced. The neck measures 7.42 ohms at the switch and the bridge measures 7.53 ohms. The bridge pickup appears to be a double black bobbin and the neck pickup appears to be a "Zebra" black & white bobbin unit-see photos. They are both unpopped with original solder. The wiring harness is 100% original and clean. The controls all function smoothly and quietly. The Vari tone switch functions cleanly. The original pickguard is nice and flat with no cracks or issues. The original ABR-1 no wire bridge functions perfectly. The Bigsby is smooth and fun. As you can see-it was a factory Bigsby guitar.
The guitar is lots of fun to play and very comfortable. It is most striking as you expect from the top of the ES-line of guitars Gibson offered at the time. The guitar weighs 8.98 lbs. It comes with the original 1950's style brown Gibson hardcase with the pink interior.
