Gibson VINTAGE ES-345TDC SV '73

The ES-345TD, which debuted in 1959 as a variation of the Gibson Thinline model ES-335TD, is a popular model that continues to be loved by guitarists across a wide range of genres, from blues to rock and roll and progressive music, despite its somewhat quirky specifications such as its stereo configuration and unique tone circuitry.

This particular guitar, which we have in stock, is a cherry-colored model shipped around 1973 during the era of narrow-neck, three-piece mahogany necks.

【body】
The total weight is approximately 3.8kg. The body is made of maple with a semi-hollow construction. The cherry color has faded moderately, and the reddish hue remains nicely. There was a gap in the neck joint due to age, which we have carefully repaired. Weather checking, slight fading of the cherry color, minor dents, and tarnishing of the gold hardware are visible, but it maintains a relatively clean condition while still having the wonderful atmosphere of a vintage guitar.

【neck】
The neck is made of mahogany, and the fingerboard is made of rosewood. While there is some weather checking, dents around the headstock, and tarnishing on the metal parts, it is in relatively good condition, similar to the body. The tuners function properly, although there is some slight variation in the tightness of the windings. The frets and nut have been replaced by our shop, resulting in excellent playability. The nut width is 40.0mm. Despite the relatively narrow nut width, the neck shape is characterized by its solid build towards the 12th fret.

[Electrical System]
The controls are the familiar ES-345 series setup: 3-way pickup selector, 2 volume controls, 2 tone controls, and a 6-way varitone control. We have converted it to a more user-friendly mono wiring configuration. The pickups are the original two sticker-covered T-tops. The bridge pickup cover was removed once to swap the magnetic poles during the mono conversion. Any other damaged wiring has been replaced.

It's great that it retains the look of an ES-345 while offering the same ease of use as an ES-335. The powerful, crisp attack, combined with clarity and the rich, airy feel characteristic of a semi-hollow body, creates a classic ES sound reminiscent of that era. Clean sounds offer excellent chord separation, a light distortion provides a thick, bluesy tone in the midrange, and increasing the gain delivers a punchy rock sound—it's versatile enough to handle a wide range of tones. Including the tonal variations provided by the 6-way varitone, you can enjoy sound shaping that evokes the music scene of that time.

Included case: Gibson black hard case

Weight: 3.8kg
Body Material (Top/Rim/Back): Laminate Maple 1 piece/Laminate Maple/Laminate Maple 1 piece
Neck Material/Scale length: Mahogany 3 piece w/volute/624mm (24-3/4inch)
Bridge/Tail: Gibson ABR-1, Gold/Gibson Trapeze Tailpiece w/raised diamond, Gold
Fingerboard/Fret Marker/Radius: Rosewood w/Single piy binding/Pearloid Double Parallelogram/254.0mm (10inch)
Nut Width/Fret Size (Width): 40.0mm (replaced)/2.7mm (replaced), 22 Fret
Neck Thickness (1F/7F/12F): 20.0mm/23.1mm/25.2mm
Pickup (Neck/Bridge): Gibson PU-490 Stickered Numbered Humbucker, Gold Cover (7.35kΩ/7.5kΩ)
*The DC resistance value of the pickup is measured through the control section.

Heartman Vintage Guitars is a specialty store for vintage guitars and basses operated by Ikebe Musical Instruments.