2013 Gibson Custom Shop 1963 ES-335 Block Reissue

The original “dot neck” ES-335 had already set the guitar world alight for half a decade with its powerful blend of archtop finesse and solidbody power by the time the “block neck” came along in 1963, but the first major renovation of the design marked a major milestone in Gibson history nonetheless. Two new refinements, represented here in the Gibson Custom Shop’s 1963 ES-335 Block Reissue, took the seminal semi-hollow guitar to new heights of popularity, and sales spiked as a result. The first alteration was cosmetic: Gibson replaced the ES-335 fingerboard’s dot inlays with blocks, which both eased visibility and added an extra touch of class. The second was a change in playing feel: the guitar’s neck was given the fast, slim profile that was standard for Gibson in the ’60s, and popular with players of all genres. The result was the guitar that Eric Clapton, for one, used to power up blues-rock with the supergroup Cream, and which took the ES-335 in general to new heights of popularity.

The ES-335’s design and construction, revolutionary for its day, gave it a “best of both worlds” appeal that suited it to any imaginable genre of music, from jazz to rock, blues to country. The 1963 ES-335 Block Reissue accurately retains the original construction, with the solid maple center block for superb sustain and resistance to feedback, and arched laminated maple top, back, and sides for added hollowbody-like warmth. The glued-in quarter-sawn mahogany neck with long tenon has a one-piece rosewood fingerboard with a 12” radius and a width of 1 11/16” at the nut, along with classic 24 ¾” Gibson scale length. In addition to these details, the newly revamped 1963 ES-335 Block Reissue also benefits from elements of the Gibson Custom 20th Anniversary Specifications being introduced for 2013. These include double ring Kluson™ Deluxe machine heads, hot-hide glue neck fit, a period-correct Historic Truss Rod assembly with no tubing, a more accurate body and fingerboard binding color, and period-correct Aniline dye for the neck of guitars finished in Faded Cherry. The result is a block-neck ES-335 that is more true to the original of 1963 in look, feel, and tone than ever before.

A period-correct hardware set that includes an ABR-1 Tune-o-matic bridge and lightweight aluminum stopbar tailpiece completes the ’63 specs, and adds to the 1963 ES-335 Block Reissue’s considerable sonic bite through a pair of Burstbucker humbucking pickups, which yield everything from rich vocal-like tones in the neck position, to impressive sting and grind in the bridge, to round, funky tones in between.

• One-piece rosewood fingerboards
• Kluson™ Deluxe machine heads
• Hot Hide Glue Neck Fit
• Historic Truss Rod Assembly (no tubing)
• Accurate body and fingerboard binding