loading
reading
writing
saving
searching
Vintage Gibson 1988 ES-335 ~ Ebony Fingerboard Black Beauty Limited! - $1 (Jamaica Estates Holliswood Queens Village)
QR Code Link to This Post
This Exceptional Vintage 1988 Gibson ES-335 is a true gem in ‘Excellent +’ condition. It is one of a small run of 100 'Custom Commissioned' - ES-335 guitars from Gibson by Rosetti – UK (Gibson Distributors) in 1988. Classic looks and sound – with a stunning Ebony fingerboard and a classic Ebony (Black Beauty) lacquered finish, a high-quality refinement usually reserved for Custom Shop examples, this ES-335 is all that and a bag of chips for blues, pop, rock, or jazz.
At 36, she's all original down to her soul, except for her bridge and tuners. In contrast, the previous owner upgraded the original Grovers to Grover Classic Deluxes. (The Original Grovers are not included!) The original bridge is included with her original Gibson case. Despite two minor dings on the rear of the neck (see photos), she's in excellent condition, especially for a 36-year-old instrument, a testament to her quality and durability. There is minimal wear to her frets and fingerboard. A world-class luthier has meticulously maintained this instrument and verified its condition!
It's rare to come across a 335 with an ebony fingerboard, especially considering it's now illegal to manufacture them! The ban on the harvest and export of ebony in Madagascar, where Gibson sourced its fingerboards, has made these instruments even more unique. Gibson was even fined for stockpiling Ebony almost 20 years ago now!
Since then, Gibson has primarily used rosewood, but make no mistake—ebony is superior due to its durability and how smoothly strings flow against it.
The guitar plays and sounds excellent, thanks to a comfortable ’60s profile neck. The original Bill Lawrence engineered 'HB' humbuckers sound fantastic. They are one of the greats in pickup design! There's a harmonic complexity, midrange sweetness, and top-end clarity that this ES-335 delivers. Strummed acoustically, this guitar offers the note attack and percussive cut of maple, paired with the airy, smooth qualities of the semi-hollow body construction. This whole, dynamic acoustic tone translates well through the pickups.
The neck pickup has a detailed and round sound. At the same time, the bridge-position humbucker has a full-bodied sound and a smooth growl when pushed hard, while retaining a chiming treble range. This, combined with the singing sustain afforded to a great Gibson of this build quality, makes this instrument exceptionally comfortable to play. It has a low action and solid intonation.
The one-piece mahogany neck has a slender C profile that is particularly fast and effortless to play with moderate shoulder and limited taper up the fretboard. The bound ‘Ebony’ fretboard features dot inlays and clean factory frets showing only very light play wear beneath the plain strings.
The neck is straight, the truss rod is ideally adjusted, and the guitar plays effortlessly in every register. The headstock sports a pearloid Gibson logo and classic Crown inlay, and it holds pitch well.
The lacquer finish on the front of the guitar looks fresh and unmarked, with the rear in equally excellent condition. All of the original electronics function as they should, with the Bill Lawrence engineered 'HB' humbuckers wired to a three-way pickup selector and individual volume and tone controls for each pickup, utilizing its original knobs. The classic black lacquer-finished maple body features cream binding and nickel plating on the pickup covers and bridge (all original, except for the original bridge, which is also included).
The original white Gibson USA label, visible through the sound hole, is intact. It has a handwritten serial number that matches the number imprinted on the headstock.