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Average Price: $9,450
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Description
The Gibson ES-350T is a captivating blend of vintage allure and modern playability, perfect for musicians looking to add a touch of classic elegance to their collection. Originally introduced in 1956 as a thinbody alternative to its predecessor, the ES-350, this semi-hollowbody electric guitar features a thinline archtop design that beautifully balances rich, resonant tones with reduced feedback.
In its evolution, the ES-350T became renowned for its transition from P-90 pickups to the sought-after humbuckers in mid-1957, providing a warmer, fuller sound that continues to inspire guitarists. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, this guitar boasts a stunning maple body paired with a rosewood fingerboard, offering a smooth playing experience with every strum.
Whether you're a jazz aficionado or a rock enthusiast, the ES-350T's versatility ensures it holds its own across genres. Its historic production run from 1955 to 1963 and subsequent revival from 1977 to 1981 has solidified its status as a timeless instrument, cherished by collectors and performers alike.
Key Features:
- Thinline archtop semi-hollowbody design
- Transitioned from P-90 pickups to humbuckers in 1957
- Maple body with rosewood fingerboard
- Production years: 1955-1963, 1977-1981
- Versatile sound suitable for various music genres
Product specs
| Brand | Gibson |
| Model | ES-350T |
| Finish | Natural, Sunburst |
| Year | 1955 - 1963 |
| Made In | United States |
| Categories | Hollow Body Guitars |
| Body Material | Maple |
| Body Shape | Single Cutaway |
| Body Type | Hollow Body |
| Bridge/Tailpiece Type | Stop-Bar |
| Color Family | Brown, Tan |
| Finish Pattern | Sunburst |
| Finish Style | Gloss |
| Fretboard Material | Rosewood |
| Model Family | Gibson ES-350 |
| Model Sub-Family | Gibson ES-350 T |
| Neck Construction | Set-Neck |
| Neck Material | Mahogany |
| Number of Frets | 22 |
| Number of Strings | 6-String |
| Pickup Configuration | HH |
| Right / Left Handed | Right Handed |
| Wood Top Style | Flamed, Plain |
FAQs
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What is the neck profile of the Gibson ES-350T?
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The Gibson ES-350T features a short 23.5" scale neck with a compact neck carve, making it comfortable for players who prefer a smaller, more manageable neck size.
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What type of music is the Gibson ES-350T best suited for?
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The Gibson ES-350T is ideal for jazz and blues, thanks to its warm, rich tones produced by the hollow body and dual humbucker pickups.
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How does the body construction of the Gibson ES-350T affect its sound?
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The hollow body construction of the Gibson ES-350T, made from maple, provides a resonant, full-bodied tone with excellent sustain, making it perfect for clean and smooth sounds.
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What are the pickup configurations on the Gibson ES-350T?
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The Gibson ES-350T is equipped with dual humbucker pickups, offering a wide range of tonal possibilities from warm, mellow tones to more powerful, driven sounds.
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Is the Gibson ES-350T suitable for live performances?
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Yes, the Gibson ES-350T is well-suited for live performances, particularly in genres like jazz and blues, due to its versatile tone and comfortable playability.
Videos
The Trogly's Guitar Show
My Forbidden Love | 2021 Gibson Chuck Berry Signature 1955 ES-350T Antique Natural Review + Demo
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Gibson ES-350T.
Features and functionality
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The 1956 Gibson ES-350T uniquely features P90 pickups with 50's Alnico 3 magnets, producing a warmer tone suitable for jazz and hollow body resonance.
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Comparisons
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Compared to the SG Standard, the ES-350T's 50's Alnico 3 P90s are warmer but require more amp push for early rock tones.
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Setup and maintenance
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Owners adjust pole pieces higher on the ES-350T to enhance warmth and compensate for top sinking over 70 years.
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Use cases and applications
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The ES-350T's shorter scale and narrower nut facilitate jazz chords and fingerpicking, contrasting with the SG's accessibility for solos.
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Value and pricing
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Despite vintage status, the ES-350T remains more affordable than ES-335s or LPs, appealing to those seeking vintage tones without extreme costs.
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Based on 0 Reviews and 1 Rating
Artist usage
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Mark Knopfler is confirmed to use a Gibson ES-350T, which he acquired in the mid-1980s from Rudy Pensa. In an interview with Neil McCormick for The Telegraph in 2012, Knopfler reflected on his early musical influences, stating: “I fell in love with songs when I was very, very small. Chuck Berry made a huge impression, where the rhythm of the lyrics is as important as the music, there’s a ricocheting effect.” Furthermore, Knopfler utilized this Gibson ES-350T while producing Willy DeVille's 1987 album Miracle, specifically playing it through a Fender Vibrolux for his solo on DeVille’s cover of Van Morrison's "Could You Would You?" These details are corroborated by the source "Mark Knopfler and his guitars" on Oneverybootleg.nl.
Taylor Swift used a Gibson ES-350 T in her Gorgeous - The Making of a Song video from AT&T/Taylor Swift Now.
This article states, "Chuck Berry’s most iconic guitar would have to be his 1957-ish Gibson ES-350T, which sported the company’s then-new P.A.F. humbuckers and was used to cut most of his Chess recordings (though Berry was also photographed with an earlier P-90 model, which was introduced in 1955)."
In this video for Frettedamericana, Phil can be seen playing a Gibson ES-350T. There is a good shot of the guitar at 1:12.
I just got a guitar that I’m very excited about – it’s the exact guitar that Chuck Berry played in the beginning. It’s a Gibson ES-350T, plain maple colour, but it’s beautiful and Gibson just made me one. Because the sound of the guitar on those first Chuck Berry records is unbeatable. And also the sound that Scotty Moore played on some of those early records with Elvis, too, on those Gibson hollowbody guitars, was really beautiful.
"I'm playing an old, hollowbody Gibson ES-350T. The warm, dense tone is probably due to the strings. I always use thick-gauged D'Addario strings -- typically an .011 set."
"Ok folks now here’s something you don’t see every day. Not only is this a pretty clean example of a 1959 Gibson ES-350T in natural finish but it used to belong to Franny Beecher who was one of the original members of Billy Haley’s Comets!! Yep, that’s right this guitar played its part in early Rock-n-Roll history. Only Franny himself knows how many gigs this was played on.
The current owner told me that he bought it directly from Franny about 2-3 years ago and he got to chat with him at great length about the guitar and his career as a Comet. There are many photos of Franny playing a mid 1950’s Gibson Les Paul “Black Beauty” but after a certain length of time Franny had to give the Les Paul back to Gibson. He then purchased this ES-350T. The guitar is essentially stock except it had some fret work done some years ago and because the fretboard was planed a bit the inlays became very thin. One is actually missing. I am going to again lightly plane the board, install new inlays, re-fret, new bone nut and set it up for some rockin’ fun times! One interesting point is that the fretboard is made of ebony and has the 'widows peak' near the neck pickup along with the 5-ply binding. You usually see this type of fretboard on the fancier Byrdland model. The double parallelogram inlays are usually seen on the ES-350 but only up to the 15th fret. This guitar has the inlays up to the 20th fret which is one fret more than a Byrdland. This inlay scheme is usually found on the 1959 ES-345 model. These few anomalies make this guitar even more unique"
Album Usage
The Gibson ES-350T has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Gibson ES-350T, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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