home | guitar links | vintage guitar forum | sitemap 

Trying to find a guitar valuation?

 more guitars here more basses here more effects here more amplifiers here resources

Gibson ES-355 TDSV
Thin line semi-acoustic guitar

Gibson Guitar Parts
bridges, machineheads
pickups, scratchplates
www.guitarandbassparts.com		 All Gibson Products
guitar, bass, strings and accesories
www.musiciansfriend.com		 Gibson SG
custom, standard and special, vintage and new!
www.ebay.com		 Gibson Books
Get the most out of your Gibson
all titles in stock
www.amazon.com



PART 1 description and chronology | PART 2 specifications and shipping figures | PART 3 BB KING | Other users

The Gibson ES-355TD-SV

The Gibson ES-355 TD SV was available in several standard colours, as well as a number of custom colours. From left to right; 1961 sunburst, 1969 cherry, 1975 walnut, 1978 wine red, 1979 sunburst, 1980 antique sunburst. Note the ebony block tailpiece which occured in some early sixties models, and the TP-6 tailpiece of the newest instrument.

1978 spec sheet for the ES-355TD-SV
1978 spec sheet for the ES-355TD-SV
 FEATURES:

Curly maple top, back and rims (rims are spruce after 1980) with solid maple centre block
Slim, fast, low-action neck joins body at 19th fret (1958-1962) and from then on at the 20th fret
One-piece mahogany neck (1958-1969?) Laminated maple neck (1970-1982)
Ebony fingerboard, pearl block inlays
Gold plated hardware throughout
Tune-O-Matic bridge
Twin Humbucking pickups with separate tone and volume controls
Three position toggle switch
Vibrato tailpiece. TP-6 from 1979/80
six-position Vari-Tone control
16" wide, 19" long, 1 ¾" thin; 24 ¾" scale, 22 frets

The varitone gave increasing depth notch out of midrange frequency. An explanation of all controls can be seen in the 1978 ES-355 spec sheet
Gibson String advert from 1970? BB King plays his Gibson ES-355 TDSV - wailin on Gibson strings
Gibson String advert from 1970? BB King plays his Gibson ES-355 TDSV - wailin on Gibson strings

As well as the cherry, walnut, sunburst and antique sunburst, shipping figures also show small numbers of white, ebony and natural instruments shipped in the 1970s. There were most likely more shipped in the 1960s, however pre 1969 shipping figures do not always specify color. There is no mention in any Gibson literature of the availablilty of these colours

  1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970
ES-355TDSV 123 189 174 148 97 198 127 137 198 174 147 96


  1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
ES-355TDSV             3    
ES-355TDSV - Cherry   113 172 89       3  
ES-355TDSV - Ebony         3 3 3    
ES-355TDSV - Natural         3 3 1 3  
ES-355TDSV - Tobacco Sunburst           8 12 6  
ES-355TDSV - Walnut 37 119 161 102   124 139 112 66
ES-355TDSV - White 9       79       1
ES-355TDSV - Wine Red         69 166 116 122 70

PART 1 description and chronology | PART 2 specifications and shipping figures | PART 3 BB KING | OTHER USERS

Back to the GIBSON INDEX



© 2004-2009 vintageguitars.org.uk | Contact Us | Terms and Conditions

Gibson bass guitars | Learn to play guitar | Vintage vinyl for sale | PRS guitars
Trying to find the value of your guitar?

Gibson B.B. King Lucille Electric Guitar
Gibson B.B. King Lucille Electric Guitar Black

Own the Gibson B.B. King Lucille Electric Guitar and you'll own the smoothest, sweetest blues axe out there. Features a laminated maple top for total sustain, a solid maple center block, special laminated maple neck and ebony fingerboard. Stereo/mono jacks require no special cords; TP-6 tailpiece allows precise tuning. Also includes the name "Lucille" scripted in mother-of-pearl on the headstock and gold-plated hardware

available in black and cherry

Gibson ES-335 Reissue Electric Guitar
Gibson ES-335 Reissue Electric Guitar Heritage Cherry

The Gibson ES-335 Reissue Electric Guitar is about the most versatile guitar you can have. Classic semi-hollowbody design and dual '57 Gibson humbuckers combine to produce everything from full-bodied growls to singing sustain. Also features a thin tapered 1960s neck and rosewood fingerboard (24-3/4" scale), body/neck binding, nickel-plated hardware with Grover heads, tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece, separate volume and tone controls, and a 3-way switch.

available in: ebony, heritage cherry, light burst, triburst, vintage sunburst, heritage cherry sunburst, honey burst, antique natural

Gibson Custom Shop Custom Shop CS-336 Figured Top Electric Guitar
Gibson Custom Shop Custom Shop CS-336 Figured Top Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst

Created by Gibson's Custom, Art, & Historic Division, it's a "tonally carved" guitar with a solid mahogany carved back-and-sides unit, a carved, bookmatched, figured maple top, and a center block that is an integral part of the top and back. The shape is a scaled-down version of the ES-335, offering the player more comfort from this highly refined version of the classic. Includes hardshell case

Available in vintage cherry, antique sunburst or tangerine burst

1963 ES-335 Historic Block Reissue
Gibson 1963 ES-335 Historic Block Reissue Nickel Hardware

A Custom Shop marvel with the fleet feel and luxury looks of the fastest 335 ever.

In mid-1962 Gibson's fantastically popular thinline semihollow wonder machine adopted a thinner, faster neck profile and gorgeous pearloid block inlays to enhance the rosewood fretboard. This precision Historic reissue is identical in every way to the original. It's made on the original forms by some of the world's finest luthiers.