VINTAGE VIBES - 1960 GIBSON NATURAL ES-335

Our man Evan (don’t you call him no intern!) has the honor of showing you what he can do on the most viewed guitar in our entire online inventory: the 1960 Natural Gibson ES-335.

Special-ordered from the factory with a natural finish, split parallelogram inlays, and a Bigsby, this semi-hollow body beauty was once a part of the Chinery collection and is all original down to the wiring harness and PAF humbucking pickups.

CME Vintage Demo - 1962 Gibson Les Paul Custom Polaris White

Class is in session! Professor Murphy pages through the history books to highlight how the Les Paul gave birth to the SG, and created the 1962 Gibson Les Paul Custom along the way. So grab your pencils and an apple for teacher; this cream-white wonder will soon be history too. 

VINTAGE VIBES - 1970 FENDER ROSEWOOD TELECASTER

Shelby says there's something in the way this 1970 Rosewood Fender Telecaster moves. Most commonly associated with George Harrison of The Beatles and Traveling Wilburys fame, the Rosewood Telecaster was designed for Fender in the 1960s by former Rickenbacker luthier Roger Rossmeisl.

This 1970 model differs from the original Rossmeisl prototype Fender gave Harrison in that this body is two pieces of rosewood bound together, whereas Harrison's was solid rosewood. But you'll see it weeps just as gently, if not more so. Don't let us down, Shelby.

VINTAGE VIBES - 1958 FENDER BLONDE STRATOCASTER

It’s Nathaniel’s lucky day. He pairs our Blonde ‘58 Stratocaster with a ‘57 Princeton Tweed and the rest, they say, is history as he takes us on a tour through time beginning with The Everly Brothers’ classic, “All I Have To Do Is Dream”, released in April 1958.

VINTAGE VIBES - 1968 FENDER PINK PAISLEY TELECASTER

This 1968 Pink Paisley Fender Telecaster was definitely born to be wild, and Nathaniel shows us why. Manufactured only in 1968 and 1969, the Paisley Telecasters are named for their distinctive finish, which is actually a piece of wallpaper Fender affixed to the body and then covered with a clear coat.

This particular Paisley Telecaster has a one-piece maple neck and maple cap, a rare feature only available for a few years with 1968 being one. A ‘64 Fender Vibroverb and an Electro-Harmonix Triangle Big Muff Pi help reveal the true spirit of this special, psychedelic delight.

VINTAGE VIBES - 1965 FENDER LAKE PLACID BLUE BASS VI

Not a baritone, not a bass, and not even really a guitar, this 1965 Fender Bass VI is somehow all of those things at once, and more. Papa Shelby takes us through the history of this freaky Fender and outlines how it’s similar to other models, yet entirely its own. And he does a spot-on Carol Kaye.

1960 GIBSON SUNBURST ES-335

Described by CEO Andrew Yonke as “the guitar that Jesus built,” this 1960 Gibson Sunburst ES-335 boasts a custom-ordered, split-parallelogram fretboard.

1960 GIBSON ARGENTINE GRAY ES-345

This 1960 Gibson ES-345 bears an excellent example of the Argentine Gray finish, a rare, custom colorway only available by special order.

1961 GIBSON SUNBURST ES-335

This spotless 1961 Gibson Sunburst ES-335 gives us an ultra-clean look at the world’s first commercial semi-hollow body guitar as it was when it debuted in 1958. Block inlays replaced the original “dot necks” in 1962.

1963 GIBSON NATURAL BYRDLAND

The 1963 model is one of the rarest incarnations of the Byrdland offered, and the one we’ve nabbed is in impeccable form. This beautiful Byrd touts tons of all-original features, including authentic electronics, PAF bridge pickup and Patent Number Sticker neck pickup, and much more.

1963 FENDER FIESTA RED STRATOCASTER

A rose by any other name would certainly not smell as sweet as this 1963 Fiesta Red Stratocaster, customized with slab rosewood fingerboard and unique Rose decal.

1960 SUNBURST STRATOCASTER

This instrument is instilled with plenty of the design elements that vintage enthusiasts consider the culmination of the Fender Stratocaster aesthetic from the late '50s, including classic body contours, clay dot inlays, a beautifully intact 3-tone finish and most noticeably, a slab Brazilian rosewood fretboard introduced the year prior. A pristine model-year instrument for the savvy collector.

1957 SUNBURST STRATOCASTER

Never have we received a Strat that truly embodies that pivotal period of transition like this one, with a plethora of groundbreaking features that were realized in that year. From the 2-Tone Sunburst color, to Leo's perfect body contour, to the highly desirable "’57 V" neck profile, every aspect of this period-correct instrument makes it an outstanding find.

1954 SUNBURST STRATOCASTER

This Sunburst Fender Stratocaster dates back to the model’s first commercial year, 1954, when, after several years of development, the legendary electric guitar finally hit the market.

1964 FENDER CANDY APPLE RED JAZZMASTER

Sweet is one word to describe this 1964 Candy Apple Red Jazzmaster, an outrageous offset manufactured in the new custom color just one year before Fender transferred ownership to CBS in 1965.

1965 FENDER OLYMPIC WHITE JAZZ BASS

This 1965 Olympic White Fender Jazz Bass demonstrates the first changes made to the model during the Fender-CBS transition, notably pearloid dot inlays, bound rosewood fingerboards, and oval-shaped tuning machines.

1967 FENDER BLONDE TELECASTER

Manufactured at the tail-end of country music’s golden age, when chicken pickin’ chops were exceeded only by the height of one’s hair, this 1967 Blonde Fender Telecaster stands strong as a prime picture of Fender’s first solid-body electric, and Music Row’s greatest weapon.

1953 FENDER BLONDE PRECISION BASS

This 1953 Blonde Fender Precision Bass dates back to the final year of the model’s initial design. Fender would add body contours in 1954 and arrive at its contemporary design in 1957.

1954 GIBSON GOLDTOP LES PAUL

Before the PAF, there was the P-90. This 1954 Goldtop shows the Les Paul in one of its earliest stages, equipped with two P-90 single-coils and a wraparound bridge.

GIBSON NATURAL DOVE

On the wings of a dove comes this stunning 1963 Gibson steel-string flattop, complete with hand-engraved pickguard, mother-of-pearl Dove inlay, and original Tune-O-Matic bridge.

1965 GIBSON POLARIS WHITE FIREBIRD

This white-hot 1965 Gibson is an early example of the highest-end Firebird model, the VII, loaded with three pickups, Tune-O-Matic bridge, Maestro “Lyre” Vibrola tailpiece and finished in rare Polaris White.

1937 MARTIN 000-18

The year is 1937. Franklin D. Roosevelt is inaugurated for a second term. Joe Louis defeats James J. Braddock to become heavyweight champion of the world. A certain cartoon duck makes his debut, and this Martin is fresh off the line. Still in fine form today, this 1937 000-18 is set to sing into its 100th year and then some.

VINTAGE VIBES: The Bursts

The Burst evolved out of Gibson's very first solid-body guitar, the 1952 Les Paul. Issued initially as a Gold Top, the Les Paul got a new look in 1958, when Gibson introduced a new model with a sunburst finish: the Les Paul Standard. Coloring the solid Honduran mahogany bodies with aniline dye, Gibson's Les Paul Standards featured a deep red hue that, with time, would react to ultraviolet light and other environmental conditions to bleed, fade, and otherwise change. Our '59 Burst, '60 Burst, and '60 "Scarface" Burst are excellent examples of this landmark guitar and beautifully illustrate how each early Burst is different from any other, both visually and sonically.

While the Les Paul was changing with almost every year after its initial release, the debut of the Les Paul Standard in 1958 is perhaps the most significant and substantial change to the legendary model, made more so by the 1957 introduction of the humbucker.