Gibson ES-335 Dot, left-handed, made in USA 1985, natural finish. What a delight this is! The mid 80s was a great era for Gibson; many of the consistency issues from the previous decade were ironed out and the quality of guitars rolling out of the factory was very good indeed. The general practice when making a neck for left handed model at the time was to take a right handed neck, add a second set of fret marker dots to the opposite side of the neck and attach that to the body. The dot markers on the bottom side, the side that would've been on show on a right handed model, were applied a little crooked, hence the 'SEC' stamp on the headstock denoting this was a 'second' from the dealer. Aside from that little eccentricity, it's a very tidy build indeed and feels superb in the hands. The neck is moderate 60s-style profile; not too fat or thin, easy to enjoy and slick to play. The pickups hail from the reign of Tim Shaw, the legendary pickup designer who did a stint at both Gibson and Fender, and are a creamy, articulate delight. The comprehensively checked natural finish is an instant giveaway that this has a few miles on the clock, and once it's plugged in, the warm and storied tone reinforces why that's the way we like it. This isn't getting any younger and isn't too far away from being a serious vintage guitar, so if you're after a companion for the next few decades to warm you on those cold nights, invest in this charismatic creature now and enjoy the dividends in time.

Model: Gibson ES-335 Dot, left handed
Made: 1985, USA (serial 80535529)
Finish: natural gloss
Neck: mahogany with rosewood board, 24.75" scale, 12" radius
Weight: 3.705kg
Mods: none
Pickup: Gibson Tim Shaw Era 'Patent Applied For' humbuckers
Case: original Gibson deluxe hard case

Cosmetic condition notes: mild finish wear. Headstock has some minor marks on the end, as well as some checking lines on the back and some light scuffs on the front. The neck has some lacquer checking near the headstock join, a couple of grazes on the back and some hairline surface level cracks in the binding. As above the dot markers on the bottom side of the neck aren't straight, which incurred the 'SEC' stamp on the headstock. The back has no major marks, just some minor scuffs and surface scratches around the place. The sides are pretty good, just some scuffs on the shoulder and near the jack and some checking extending around the whole guitar. The front is pretty clean, just a couple of dimples near the jack and knobs and a whole lot of lacquer checking over the whole body. Overall: very good condition (8/10).

Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. Frets have some normal wear, nothing nasty and heaps of height in them, 7/10 for fret life left. No headstock breaks or major repairs. Setup with fresh 12/54 Moonshiners strings.