Sale
1963 Gibson ES-355 TD Blonde + OHSC
Regular price
£59,995.00
£49,995.00
- Unit price
- / per
Summary
Model: ES-355 TD
Year: 1963
Finish: Blonde
Modifications: Other trem arm fitted at some stage
Weight: 4.308
Case: Original Hardshell
Fingerboard: Ebony
Body Wood: Maple Ply
Neck Wood: Mahogany
Tuners: Original waffle back
Pickups: 1 x PAF, 1 x Pat Number
Hardware: Correct gold plated
Neck Profile: Medium C
Pots: Original sealed
We are not box shifters, we take your packing and shipping very seriously..!
We have to. You're considering spending a lot of money with us and you would obviously like your valuable musical instrument to arrive at your door, without drama, fuss or damage.
We have many years (stretching way back in to the last century) of packing and shipping fragile musical items all over the world - in fact the number of sometimes priceless, vintage instruments we have shipped is in the thousands.
When you buy a vintage or second hand item from us, it will be hand packed by one or more of our specialist, in house staff and then shipped in our own custom made cardboard boxes (If applicable).
We normally ship via our preferred carriers UPS, DPD, Parcelforce and Royal Mail for smaller items such as straps and leads. Tracking numbers are always provided.
Shipping prices vary by item and by location, please see the individual products for details but as a guide, prices for a guitar is usually:
UK - £50
Mainland Europe - £75
USA - £200
Rest of World (rates can vary a lot depending on country) - £250
How can I pay?
All our base prices are in £GBP Sterling and exclude delivery.
Payments can be made by bank transfer (up to any amount) or credit/debit card through our website (up to £10,000.) Due to fraud risks we do not take payment by phone. We accept and use many online payment services that work by way of bank transfer and recommend Wise.com who will in generally offer far better exchange rates than banks.
Do your prices include VAT?
All prices include UK VAT but most used or vintage guitars are sold under the UK marginal scheme for secondhand goods which means you will not get an invoice with the VAT amount shown separately, neither will you be able to claim this VAT element back if you are VAT registered, and the VAT element cannot be deducted for export sales.
For new items such as some guitars, pedals, straps, cables etc 20% UK VAT is included and if you are in an export country, which since Brexit now includes Europe and of course the US, this 20% VAT will automatically be deducted at checkout for you. You may have to pay local taxes and duties when your goods arrive in your home country, we advise you to check with your local customs office to be sure.
Can I reserve or put an item on hold?
Yes you can. Items can be put on hold for a deposit payment of 10%. This will hold the item for up to 30 days but this deposit payment is non refundable in the event of the buyer failing to complete the sale.
A further 10% payment at the end of the initial 30 day period will extend this period for another 30 days and subject to individual approval, this arrangement can be extended at our discretion. ATB Guitars holds title to the goods until paid for in full and if the buyer should change his/her mind for any reason, a restocking fee equivalent to to 15% of the total purchase price will be deducted from any refund given.
Do you have a mailing list?
The best way to get on our mailing list is to submit the form at the bottom of every page on our website. Also follow us on Facebook and Instagram @ATBguitars as most new items are posted there as soon as we buy them and before they go on the website. If you are searching for a specific guitar then send us an email and we will attempt to alert you once one has been found.
Sale
1963 Gibson ES-355 TD Blonde + OHSC
Regular price
£59,995.00
£49,995.00
- Unit price
- / per
Ask a Question:
1963 Gibson ES-355 TD Blonde + OHSC
Quantity selected exceeds current stock
Description
How about this then... We are totally thrilled to present to you a super rare (in fact I know of no other) 1963 Gibson ES-355 TDN in superb condition and factory blonde!
You do see ES-335's in blonde, you also see the occasional ES-345 in blonde (rare) and of course, ES-330's came in blonde but how many ES-355's have you seen an from the golden era..?
This was probably a one off, ordered by a special client back in 1963. It looks to have left the factory with one of the engraved truss rod covers that Gibson did for special orders. These had the owners name on them and for sentimental reasons they sometimes go missing so on this guitar at the moment is a 'Custom' TRC that looks wholly appropriate.
It also appears a Maestro trem was fitted at some stage due to the presence of filled extra screw holes by the strap button however what is more than likely the original Vibrola trem has now been fitted. and there are no extra holes visible on the top, however two are visible under the Vibrola. The Varitone knob has also probably been changed but there is a chicken head black knob in the case however the trem arm will not work properly if this is fitted under the current string tension (.010's).
Aside from that, it boasts undisturbed electrics with two great sounding and powerful PAF's - one has a PAF sticker and the other a PAT Number. Both are identical of course.
Stereo wiring is intact and it can be converted to mono if so desired. Weight is a not unreasonable 4.3Kg and it does have a good balance. One oddity with this is the serial number stamped on the neck is slightly different to what is on the label. We have come across this before and our best guess is Gibson was in a bit of a rush to get this out. Both numbers date from 1963 and there is absolutely no evidence of any neck repairs anywhere!
Playing wise, it just plays like butter all up and down the fretboard and is very fast and slick. There are a few patches of wear here and there but other all it really is totally superb.
So there you have it. Probably one of the rarest guitars we will see this year and it is still only February. This will of course be on our 2026 calendar when it comes out in December, in the meantime get up to Cheltenham and buy it now...!
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Summary
Model: ES-355 TD
Year: 1963
Finish: Blonde
Modifications: Other trem arm fitted at some stage
Weight: 4.308
Case: Original Hardshell
Fingerboard: Ebony
Body Wood: Maple Ply
Neck Wood: Mahogany
Tuners: Original waffle back
Pickups: 1 x PAF, 1 x Pat Number
Hardware: Correct gold plated
Neck Profile: Medium C
Pots: Original sealed
We are not box shifters, we take your packing and shipping very seriously..!
We have to. You're considering spending a lot of money with us and you would obviously like your valuable musical instrument to arrive at your door, without drama, fuss or damage.
We have many years (stretching way back in to the last century) of packing and shipping fragile musical items all over the world - in fact the number of sometimes priceless, vintage instruments we have shipped is in the thousands.
When you buy a vintage or second hand item from us, it will be hand packed by one or more of our specialist, in house staff and then shipped in our own custom made cardboard boxes (If applicable).
We normally ship via our preferred carriers UPS, DPD, Parcelforce and Royal Mail for smaller items such as straps and leads. Tracking numbers are always provided.
Shipping prices vary by item and by location, please see the individual products for details but as a guide, prices for a guitar is usually:
UK - £50
Mainland Europe - £75
USA - £200
Rest of World (rates can vary a lot depending on country) - £250
How can I pay?
All our base prices are in £GBP Sterling and exclude delivery.
Payments can be made by bank transfer (up to any amount) or credit/debit card through our website (up to £10,000.) Due to fraud risks we do not take payment by phone. We accept and use many online payment services that work by way of bank transfer and recommend Wise.com who will in generally offer far better exchange rates than banks.
Do your prices include VAT?
All prices include UK VAT but most used or vintage guitars are sold under the UK marginal scheme for secondhand goods which means you will not get an invoice with the VAT amount shown separately, neither will you be able to claim this VAT element back if you are VAT registered, and the VAT element cannot be deducted for export sales.
For new items such as some guitars, pedals, straps, cables etc 20% UK VAT is included and if you are in an export country, which since Brexit now includes Europe and of course the US, this 20% VAT will automatically be deducted at checkout for you. You may have to pay local taxes and duties when your goods arrive in your home country, we advise you to check with your local customs office to be sure.
Can I reserve or put an item on hold?
Yes you can. Items can be put on hold for a deposit payment of 10%. This will hold the item for up to 30 days but this deposit payment is non refundable in the event of the buyer failing to complete the sale.
A further 10% payment at the end of the initial 30 day period will extend this period for another 30 days and subject to individual approval, this arrangement can be extended at our discretion. ATB Guitars holds title to the goods until paid for in full and if the buyer should change his/her mind for any reason, a restocking fee equivalent to to 15% of the total purchase price will be deducted from any refund given.
Do you have a mailing list?
The best way to get on our mailing list is to submit the form at the bottom of every page on our website. Also follow us on Facebook and Instagram @ATBguitars as most new items are posted there as soon as we buy them and before they go on the website. If you are searching for a specific guitar then send us an email and we will attempt to alert you once one has been found.
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ATB Guitars has been trading since the '90s and we've sold thousands of guitars to date. We pride ourselves on our in-depth descriptions, detailed photography, honesty and transparency. We also accept no questions returns within 14 days so you can buy with confidence! Read more about our history below...
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