Real nice, original stop tail 64 spec ES-345 from 1965, lets go…

This is a very nice example. The front and back have some dings though elsewhere the finish is in excellent condition. There is no sign of any excessive wear.

The neck, which has the 43mm nut, is worn in, feeling very comfortable in the hand. There are no signs of breaks or any other repair work. The fretboard has survived well with no signs of wear. This goes for the frets that have plenty of life left in them. The previous owner opted to have the headstock face only refinished as the lacquer had started to flake off the holly veneer. 

Plastics and hardware are in good condition with the inevitable wear to the gold plating. 

Electrically the guitar has been converted to mono but the varitone is still working. There are also signs that the cover has been off the neck pickup to reverse the magnet so it plays in phase in the middle position. The bridge  pickup looks to be untouched 

The guitar comes with a correct Gibson black tolex hardshell case.

All the touchstone tones are present here, the Patent Number pickups delivering as you’d expect. The neck has that unmistakable 1964 feel, possibly the ‘Goldilocks’ of Gibson guitar necks (not to fat but not too thin either, just right). 

The varitone does add extra weight but the sound and feel of this guitar quickly pushes that worry to the back of the mind. The sound is authoritative without being too heavy in the lower midrange. The bridge pickup barks when encouraged whilst the neck pickup is all kinds of smooth without losing definition. 

Sometimes only an ES-345 will do. Grab this one before it gets away…