Ebay ES of the Week #2
1958 ES-335 in Natural. I've always been a sucker for a pretty blonde. Just ask my wife (of 25 years)
It’s merely a coincidence that the first two “Ebay ES of the Week” candidates are very expensive, high end 335’s. This is a first year (1958) natural finished ES-335. It has a gorgeous birdseye maple top and back, it’s original PAF pickups and is owned by the son of the original owner. I wrote a post about one owner guitars a while back and there always seems to be something about them that intrigues me. This guitar has been played but never abused-you can tell not only by the condition of the guitar but also by the case. There’s hardly a mark on it and, get this, it has both keys. That’s almost unheard of. I can’t keep a guitar for a week without losing at least one of the keys. I lost the keys to my 2009 Historic 3 days after I got it and I never took it out of the house (I’ll just put them in a safe place…). There is the typical sagging bridge but there are plenty of ABR-1 bridges in the correct no wire/nickel configuration. There is no fix for metal fatigue so a replacement is the only solution. It ain’t cheap but, you know, it’s a once in a lifetime guitar. There were 50 1958 blonde 335’s out there. Another 160 59’s and 60’s. So it’s rare but not ridiculously rare. If I had $75,000 in disposable cash lying about, I’d be all over this guitar. I absolutely love it. Unfortunately guitar blogging doesn’t pay and my real job covers my living expenses, so unless the seller accepts my $500 a month for the rest of my life offer, I’ll have to do without. Given the fact that there are people who will pay as much as $400,000 for the right 59 Les Paul, it wouldn’t surprise me if someday these guitars caught up or at least got close. At the very top of the market, this was a six figure guitar and there aren’t many of those. Is it actually worth $75,000? I guess it is if you want it badly enough (and I do). This isn’t a guitar you buy with your head. This is one you buy with your heart and if your heart is bigger than your wallet, then you are out of luck (rats). Today’s market for these isn’t what it was at its peak and most would agree that the price is a bit on the high side. There are so few that sell, that there’s no price guide for them. It’s strictly supply and demand. One of the things I love about 58’s is that the top (at least on the ones I’ve seen) is thinner-it has one less ply. This makes the guitar a bit more resonant, in my opinion and gives it a fuller sound-a little more like an archtop and a little less like a solid. It’s subtle, but its there. More so when unamplified but noticeable even on “11”. Please, readers, send me an envelope full of cash so I can have this guitar. I promise I’ll never sell it and you can use it on alternate weekends. Here’s a link to the listing
Check out the figuring in the wood. Flame? anybody can have flame but birdseye? Not so much.
The case looks brand new and comes with both keys which I would lose within 3 minutes of purchase.
