Gary’s Story
My interest in the ES-335 goes back almost to the beginning of my interest in guitars.
When I was about 12 years old, I became enamored with Cream. Clapton was God, as they used to say, and “Crossroads” became one of those recordings that permanently shaped the way I thought about electric guitar. Eric wasn’t playing a 335 on that particular recording, but his association with the Cherry ES-335 stayed with me, and I’ve kept an eye on 335s for much of my life.
Around 2019, I became much more serious about understanding the evolution of the ES-335 from 1958 through the mid-1960s. The differences can appear subtle until you really start studying them — neck profiles, construction details, hardware, plastics, finishes and, of course, the original PAF pickups.
That search eventually led me to this guitar. A35451 is a 1960 ES-335 TDC in the original bright Cherry finish with a stop tailpiece. It came from a private collection and was essentially uncirculated when I acquired it through London Vintage & Rare, also known as Denmark Street Guitars.
London Vintage & Rare described the guitar as 9.5/10 condition when I acquired it. It retains its original PAF pickups, wiring harness, single-line Kluson tuners and buttons, long pickguard, amber switch tip and almost-unplayed original frets. There are no cracks, extra holes, touch-ups or repairs.
The early 1960 Cherry has a character that I find particularly beautiful. I think of it as “watermelon Cherry” — a deep, rich red that still allows the texture and shading of the laminated maple to show through.
The pickups measure remarkably evenly: approximately 8.24kΩ at the neck and 8.20kΩ at the bridge. I have deliberately not disturbed the pickups simply to determine bobbin color. On an instrument this original, preserving what hasn’t needed to be disturbed matters more to me than satisfying that curiosity.
The rarity is fascinating, but ultimately that isn’t why this guitar matters so much to me. It gives me something very few modern-guitar dealers have available when evaluating a 335-style instrument: a reference point.
When I talk about what I like in the neck of a 335, what I expect from a great semi-hollow guitar acoustically, how a good PAF responds, or whether a modern interpretation captures some of the character of the originals, I don’t have to rely entirely on photographs, specifications or somebody else’s description.
I can pick up the real thing.
