2002 Gibson Memphis ES-345, Sunburst
By Gibson
£3,250.00
Wonderful, 20 year old Gibson ES-345 in quite remarkable, nearly new condition with next to no marks to the finish, no wear to the ever so delicate gold hardware, and the pickguard even has it’s protective covering attached. Crafted in the now sadly closed Memphis factory this popular run of the classic ES-345 was produced between 2002 and 2010 and featured twin side input jacks for Stereo and Mono use. Although still in the Gibson range today, the current version has no Varitone or stereo options. Both definitive features of the ES-345, making this example much more true to the originals.
Introduced in 1959 alongside the ES-355TD the Gibson ES-345TD sat in the middle of the Gibson Thinline Semi-Hollow Electric Range. The ES-345 was released as the more tonally flexible sibling of the ES-335 thanks to the addition of a Varitone rotary tone switch and stereo wiring offering up a wide range of tones all with the cosmetic additions of a triple bound top, Rosewood fingerboard with double parallelogram fingerboard inlays and gold plated hardware.
The guitar is in superb condition throughout, the iconic vintage Sunburst finish is still vibrant with next to no wear, marks or dings. The particularly dark Rosewood fingerboard is punctuated by split parallelogram inlays and unsurprisingly the guitar still has its original frets. The neck has a C profile with a depth at the first fret of 19.75mm. The nut width is 42.6mm. The two original Gibson ’57 Classic humbuckers sound excellent and the 6 position Varitone switch opens up a wide tonal palette as anyone that has played a good 345 can attest. Pickups measure 7.39 and 7.42 in then neck and bridge respectively. The hardware is in equally good condition with no corrosion or wear to the gold plating. The ’59 style long pickguard still has its protective film attached, knobs are the gold reflector variety and the tuners are Gibson Deluxe branded with keystone buttons.
A fantastic opportunity to buy a 20 year old guitar in next-to-new condition with the spec Gibson originally intended, all with the convenience of separate mono and stereo inputs. Complete with original hard case.
Introduced in 1959 alongside the ES-355TD the Gibson ES-345TD sat in the middle of the Gibson Thinline Semi-Hollow Electric Range. The ES-345 was released as the more tonally flexible sibling of the ES-335 thanks to the addition of a Varitone rotary tone switch and stereo wiring offering up a wide range of tones all with the cosmetic additions of a triple bound top, Rosewood fingerboard with double parallelogram fingerboard inlays and gold plated hardware.
The guitar is in superb condition throughout, the iconic vintage Sunburst finish is still vibrant with next to no wear, marks or dings. The particularly dark Rosewood fingerboard is punctuated by split parallelogram inlays and unsurprisingly the guitar still has its original frets. The neck has a C profile with a depth at the first fret of 19.75mm. The nut width is 42.6mm. The two original Gibson ’57 Classic humbuckers sound excellent and the 6 position Varitone switch opens up a wide tonal palette as anyone that has played a good 345 can attest. Pickups measure 7.39 and 7.42 in then neck and bridge respectively. The hardware is in equally good condition with no corrosion or wear to the gold plating. The ’59 style long pickguard still has its protective film attached, knobs are the gold reflector variety and the tuners are Gibson Deluxe branded with keystone buttons.
A fantastic opportunity to buy a 20 year old guitar in next-to-new condition with the spec Gibson originally intended, all with the convenience of separate mono and stereo inputs. Complete with original hard case.