Gibson 1965 ES 345

by Paul Canty
(Midlothian, VA)

I have had this guitar for 20 years+ and was told it was manufactured in 1965. It states oon the head that it is "STEREO". What is the difference between this and a 335? Can you give me any details? My kids think it is worth much more than the $400 I paid a band mate for it. Any idea of its worth?

Thanks,

Paul Canty

ANSWER

Hi, Paul--

I am actually asking for a $2.00 donation now for guitar evaluations, but this was a very interesting case so here goes:

I think that your guitar was manufactured no later than 1964. I say this because starting in 1965, this model had a trapeze tailpiece, while yours has a stop tail piece consistent with the guitars manufactured from 1959-1964.

The reason that I am making such a point of this seemingly small difference is the difference in monetary value.

Here is the Blue Book info for both years:

1963-1964 (Stop)

Mint $10,750
Exc.+ $8,650
Exc. $7,500
Avg.+ $6,450
Avg. $5,500
General $4,850

1965-1966 (Trapeze)

$6,000
$5,300
$4,600
$4,150
$3,650
$3,100

As you can see, you kids are absolutely correct!

As far as the difference between this and a 335, here are the Blue Book Descriptions of the two guitars:

ES-345 TD
- double rounded cutaway semi-hollow bound body, arched maple top, unbound f-holes, raised layered black or tortoiseshell pickguard, maple back/sides, mahogany neck, 22-fret bound rosewood fingerboard with pearl parallelogram inlay, tune-o-matic bridge, stop, trapeze, or Bigsby tailpiece, blackface peghead with pearl crown/logo inlay, 3-per-side tuners with plastic buttons, gold hardware, 2 covered humbucker pickups, 2 volume/2 tone controls, 3-position/Vari-tone switches, stereo output.


ES-335 TD (1958-1982 MFG.)
- double round cutaway semi-hollow bound body, arched maple top, interior maple block runs down the middle of body between tailpiece and endpin, unbound f-holes, raised layered black or tortoiseshell pickguard, maple back/sides, mahogany neck, 22-fret rosewood fingerboard with pearl dot (originally mfg. 1958-1962) or block (became standard 1962) inlays, tune-o-matic bridge, stop, trapeze, or Bigsby tailpiece, blackface peghead with pearl crown/logo inlay, 3-per-side tuners, nickel hardware, 2 covered humbucker PAF pickups, 2 volume/2 tone controls (see-through gold bell knobs on early mfg.), 3-position switch, available in various finishes.

Hopefully this info has been helpful.
Best Wishes,
Lynne