1977 Gibson ES-345 TD (STEREO)
- Country of manufacture: USA
- Year of manufacture - 1977
- Condition: Very Good
This is an all-original, timeless, vintage Gibson in near-excellent condition.
Made in USA in the Kalamazoo Michigan factory in 1977, it is one of Gibson's premier models.
The Gibson ES-345 TD is a benchmark in the quality of guitars that Gibson was producing during the era.
An upscale version of the 335, it boasts gold hardware and a six-position Varitone rotary switch, with original factory wiring for stereo operation.
Tonally unmatched, it features the original T-Top humbuckers which deliver a beautifully warm, well-rounded acoustic tone. Super rich and effortlessly clean.
Professionally set-up, it is playing in all of its original glory. Perfectly smooth, easy action. Top-notch playability.
This is a guitar to hold on to forever.
Weight: 3.9 kgs.
Tonewoods include a semi-hollow maple body in a vintage Sunburst with a nitro finish. Multi-ply black scratchplate. Slender C-shape, 3-piece maple neck capped with a bound rosewood fretboard. Zero fretware. Split parallelogram Mother of Pearl inlays. Neck is straight and truss rod has been adjusted to an optimal position. On the headstock, there is the cleanly inlaid gold Gibson logo and crown. Original "Stereo" truss rod cover. Original gold Gibson-branded and Schaller-made tuning machine heads. ABR-1 Bridge. All gold hardware.
All of the electronics are working as they should. The T-Top pickups have the patent number embossed and inked date stamps from 1977. Both pickups have the original windings with an untouched wiring harness and stock stereo functionality. The gold plating on the pickups is still in great condition. Clean witch hat knobs with gold inserts. 2 volume and 2 tone dials. 3-way pickup selector and a six-position Varitone rotary switch.
The six-position "Varitone" switch is a notch filter with six separate capacitors soldered to switch decks. The first position (1 on the dial) is true bypass, allowing the signal to go straight to the volume pot from the pickup, with no resistors or capacitors in the way. The other five steps on the switch remove certain frequency ranges of the tonal spectrum, creating different EQ maps for each.
The Stereo function: Rather than splitting the treble and bass strings into a stereo image like Gretsch, Gibson took a simple solution of splitting the neck pickup from the bridge pickup with the use of a special "Y" cable as used on this STEREO model.
Cosmetically it is in near-excellent condition. There is one small ding on the underside of the back as shown in photos. A few super faint, tiny scratches in the lacquer on the back. 8.5/10 overall.
Simply an amazing piece.
Comes in original Gibson Tolex black hard-case with dark pink plush interior.
For enquiries or to purchase call 0413 615 759 or email: guitargaragebondi@gmail.com