1956 Gibson ES-350T – Sunburst

1956 Gibson ES‑350T – Sunburst

We present an all original 1956 Gibson ES‑350T in its original Sunburst finish, made in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

History

The Gibson ES‑350T was introduced in 1955 as the Thinline version of the ES‑350, featuring a 23.5″ short scale, thin hollowbody, and rounded cutaway. The 1956 production year represents one of the very brief periods when the model was equipped with P‑90 pickups, making it extremely rare and highly collectible.

This Thinline design was intended to offer greater playability and comfort compared to Gibson’s earlier deep archtops, while still delivering warm, full-bodied tone. ES‑350T models from this era were popular among jazz and early rock & roll players. Notably, Chuck Berry played a similar early ES‑350T during the mid‑1950s, using it on some of his first hits such as “Maybellene” and “Johnny B. Goode”.

This guitar captures the essence of Gibson’s innovative Thinline design and is a rare surviving example of a model that helped shape the sound of early rock & roll.

Condition

This 1956 Gibson ES‑350T is in excellent and clean condition, showing extremely minor play wear only. The flamed maple top and back are stunning, showing finish checking. To find this model in this condition is extremely rare, making it a very special collector’s piece.

This extremely rare Thinline hollowbody features the original P‑90 pickups and showcases a beautifully flamed maple top and back. The one-piece mahogany neck is straight and comfortable, with the short-scale profile unique to early Thinline Gibsons. The bound rosewood fingerboard with mother-of-pearl split parallelogram inlays is clean and even, featuring 22 frets in excellent condition. The original frets are perfect with a lot of life left, and the P‑90 pickups are perfect and well balanced. The guitar plays and sounds fantastic, delivering the classic warm and articulate tone of a vintage Gibson archtop. All original gold hardware, including tuners, bridge, and tailpiece, is intact and functioning perfectly.

Originality

This 1956 Gibson ES‑350T is 100% original throughout. It’s exactly as it left the Kalamazoo factory in 1956, making it a rare and highly desirable collector’s piece. The pickups and electronics/wiring remain untouched and fully intact, with no broken solder joints and no rewound pickups. All original and 100% correct.

Includes its original Gibson brown hardshell case with pink interior, with all latches and handle in perfect working order.

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