ES-345
The ES 345 is perhaps my favorite guitar of all time. A lot of folks don’t like the stereo wiring and the Varitone switch but those can be removed if you choose to do so. The fancier binding and the split parallelogram markers make for a very classy instrument. They usually cost less than the corresponding year’s 335 and yet, they are so much cooler. To me , anyway.
There’s good news and bad news. Good news-original finish ES-345TDN. They only made 50 of them. Bad? Busted neck, two holes in the top and mostly changed parts. Stay tuned, this one is coming back.
Near mint very early 60 ES-345. This is a stunningly clean guitar. If it wasn’t for a little chip in the back of the headstock, I’d be calling it mint. Even the gold is almost all there
I am dead certain that this is the very first black ES-345 made and maybe even the first black ES thinline. It is a first rack (short leg PAF and huge neck) and was shipped in April of 1959. It is awesome.
Very unusual 66 ES-345. Look at those ears…M-I-C-K-E-Y you know the rest. Stranger things have come along but not many.
Joe Bonamassa says “black is the new blonde” and I think he might be on to something. Watch black guitars in 2016. They will be smoking’ hot. Having two black 345s at once must be some kind of record.
As Bullwinkle used to say “three at once!” Yep, I’ve got three 59 ES-345’s in the shop now and each is just a little different. This is the earliest with a chunky neck and the black VT ring.
It doesn’t get much better than this. Rare 59 stop tail ES-345 TDN. Not good enough for you? How about sealed double white PAFs? Nicest 345 TDN I’ve ever seen.
Here’s another 59 ES 345 TDN. This one was refinished but was still stunning.
This mid 60’s, probably a 66, ES-345 had been stop tailed and Schallered and was that funny Sparkling Burgundy color but it played great and was cheap.
This stunning 1960 stoptail 345 was bought at auction by me. For me. It’s mine (for now).
Holy Virtuoso Polish, Batman! Can you say clean? This 61 looks like its never been played. Stay tuned. I hated to let this one go. Played great, too
Here’s one from a reader. It’s a very rare 59 RED ES 345. I only know of 4 in the world. One was mine for a while. This one has a factory Bigsby.
Top stripped and a whole bunch of plugged holes but double whites and a great player. Late 59.
1959 ES 345’s All from December 59
Really Nice ’60 345. I didn’t buy it because I thought it had been renecked.
I Owned this 66 a while back. It had very Mickey Mouse-ish ears for a 66
This is one of the 59s in the “Three Sisters” photo. I had this for a couple of years. This one was allegedly borrowed from its owner by Duane Allman which is why it’s usually referred to as “The Allman” Now owned by Hugh Hardy in Toronto
Has anyone ever seen an ES345TD With a natural finish neck? I just bought one and was wondering if the previous owner had the paint stripped off and refinished or if they came like that. I believe it is a 76 model because the serial number format is 00 xxxxxx
Probably stripped and resprayed unless the guitar was blonde to begin with
Charlie, what would a headstock break do to the value of one of those nice ’59 ES-345s? Not the first rack ones but maybe like the one you have with the gold ring, can a buyer expect a solid 50% off? So does a sunburst like that, normally ~$16,000 become an $8,000 guitar with a professional headstock repair?
have PAF’s out of my 63-64 345, for sale
Send me an email with photos. I buy lots of them.
Great site, thank you. I want a 345 but do not see many in West Canada. I will have to purchase from afar. I want to be schooled on neck profiles. In general what can I expect from the years 1960 to 1965. I know each is different, but would you take the time to give me a general rule for these years. Thanks, Grover
Great site. I’m probably an anomaly here, but I actually like the Varitone. It
has value to me in the studio and live for unusual rhythm and funk sounds. I
do get the reasons why people either bypass or remove the vtone from the
circuit, though I have a friend with a ’60 cherry red 345, minus the vtone and
stereo (totally useless for 90% of us). It’s killer, just awesomely Gibson. My
1st was a cherry red w/ factory Bigsby purchased new in early ’68. I found I
could get bypass the stereo by petting the cable in only as far as the first click, not all the way. Everything worked fine and it was my fave guitar of all
time. Sadly (and my own fault), it was stolen. The guitar was beautiful, played
great and had some balls for sure. Many years later I found a walnut ’72 I
liked, with a trapeze and had been converted to mono already. It’s really
a fine guitar, too, but not as great as that 1at one. The red 345 just had
something about it that stood out, soundwise. I’d still have it today for sure.
So, I have some great axes now and i love them and play them all. That
red 345 was the one I really wanted and it hurt to lose it. Especially ‘cuz
I was an idiot and allowed oit to happen. Oh well, c’est la vie, c’est la
guerre! Thanks for listening. 345 forever!
This came up for sale near me recently. I was interested in it but certain features of this guitar just don’t look right to me… Any ideas as to what this guitar truly is would be much appreciated. It would be nice if it was a “real” es345, but I have my doubts!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gibson-stereo-Guitar/113461770484?hash=item1a6ad938f4:g:A3AAAOSwIddcGB4f
Looks to me like a 66 or 67 with an added stop tail (should be trap). Changed Vari-Tone ring-should be gold. Looks like a legit Gibson in any case.
Happy to post readers guitars. Please re-post to the Readers Gallery page.
I have a ES 345 TDC year 1963.
Serial No: 106696
I would like to know its value
Thanks
Mansoor
I can’t appraise a guitar based on a photo of the label. It may be a 63 or it may be a 67. That serial number was used in both years.
Send a photo of the front of the guitar and the back of the headstock and I’ll be able to tell you what its worth. I need to know what parts are not original. Condition matters as well and the photo you sent tells me nothing about that. A 63 345 can be worth as much as $15000 (mint) or as little as $6000 (refinished and/or neck repair) depending on originality and condition. If it’s a 67, cut those numbers by more than half.
Mansoor Cohen
Adding a picture
Mansoor Cohen
I bought this ES-345 guitar in 1964 from a friend. I played with it till 1966. All the parts are original and the guitar is in good condition.
Mansoor Cohen
Adding a photo
Mansoor Cohen
The headstock
I have a 1963 ES 345. I am trying to date the controls but can not identify the manufacturer. The numbers/codes are rubber stamped rather than mechanically stamped. Can you look at the picture and identify for me or give me your thoughts on them.
Thank you.
I notice in the pic above that Mansoor Cohen has an es 345 with what looks like a B3 vibrato and using the stop tail piece as the 2nd roller. How effective is this?
Hi – I have a 1968 345 Stereo. Stereo wiring is intact. The bridge pickup only delivers a very, very faint signal to the output. I can hear enough to believe that the notch filter on the Varitone is still functioning. The neck pickup functions normally.
Any thoughts as to what the problem might be? I think perhaps the volume pot on the bridge has failed but wanted to ask before I start taking things apart. Thanks for any insight.
It could be a number of things. I assume you are using a stereo cord. If you aren’t, you need to get one. This assumes the jack is still a stereo jack. If you don’t have one, pull the mono cord halfway out of the jack and see if your bridge pickup comes back. Usually, when you use a mono cord with a stereo guitar you won’t hear anything from the bridge pickup with the cord all the way in but electronics are a funny thing. They aren’t always predictable. I don’t think it would be the volume control but squirt some pot cleaner in there just in case. It could be the pickup-taking a DCR reading will be helpful. If you don’t have the equipment to do this, take it to your local tech.
Hej Mansoor,
Jag har en Es 345 från 1963 med nr 106676.
Kul att ha ett nummer så nära varandra
Yes. It is a great coincidence. I bought it in Eritrea, from an American army man in an American military base at Asmara.
I had also the Gibson stereo amplifier GA-79RVT, but unfortunately I sold it in 1968.
I have a ES 345 with the serial number A325xx and the FON is: S 608 x I truly believe that this guitar is one of the first prototypes that Gibson made – a mix of 335 /345. Awatiting your kind feedback, M
Not a first rack. We’ve spoken about this one via email a long time ago. Serial A325xx is actually a 60 with a 59 FON. Not a prototype, not a first rack, not even a 59 if, like me, you go by the serial number.
Hi.I have a 345 stereo with 552551 serial number.Do you know which year was the guitar made?
Serial numbers are a little unreliable for most of the 60’s. It should be a 69. Look at the Gibson logo on the headstock-
If there is no dot over the “i”, then its a 69. If there is a dot, it could be (but is probably not) a 66.A 66 would have reflector knobs
a 69 would have witch hats.
Hi. Looking for advice on whether this is a worthy investment or not: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/265135331832
The location and price of the guitar are both conducive to me committing to buy it, but I’m not sure if it’s a good deal or not. It seems pretty legit, but I’m out of my league on what to look for on these models. Any help greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
WHAT is the Mickey Mouse “ears” I keep reading? Is this a reference to the double cutaway? *Thanks!*
I don’t think ANY 70’s ES 335 is a good investment. They can be decent guitars but they aren’t a good investment because most folks don’t want them.
They are often heavy, the design was changed significantly (the centerblock doesn’t go from end to end after 72 or so). The money saving shortcuts
put in place by the new owners (Norlin-an Ecuadorian conglomerate who mostly made beer and cement) hurt the quality significantly. Buy one of you like it but don’t expect to make any money. It’s not impossible but I would buy an 81-85 before I bought any 70’s 335.
Your ES’s amazing, I really love those guitars.
Do you guys have 59’s or 60’s varitone rings you can sell?
I’ve been looking for it for 3 years, but I can’t find it.
I think I have one. Email me at okguitars@gmail.com
@okguitars Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. I sent Email, please check it.
Hi Charlie, I have a possible 68 es 345 that has no label but it’s ink stamped es345 td, is this common?
It also has a very skinny neck.
Cheers Pete
I’ve never seen that. It isn’t common at all.