A Near Mint Original Gibson Custom Shop ES-335DOT Re-Issue in the Super Rare Pearlescent White Finish.

1983 Gibson ES-335DOT (Custom Shop Reissue).

A really wonderful, early eighties ES-335 DOT reissue from the original Gibson Custom Shop with a very special pearlescent white finish. This 16-inch-wide guitar weighs just 8.40 lbs. Single 'cream' bound (top and bottom) laminated maple body with maple central block. One-piece mahogany neck with a nut width of just over 1 11/16 inches, a standard Gibson scale length of 24 3/4 inches and a nice medium to thick neck profile (rather like a '64). Cream bound rosewood fretboard with 22 original medium jumbo frets and inlaid pearl dot position markers. Headstock with inlaid pearl "Gibson" logo and pearl crown inlay. Serial number "81573574" impressed on the back of the headstock. Individual Gibson 'Grover' RotoMatic tuners with tulip shaped metal buttons. One Tim Shaw, Series Vll humbucker in the neck position with a white paper label on the underside with "409 583" in black and an output of 13.98k. One Tim Shaw PAF humbucker, engraved on the underside "Pat. No. 2,737,842" and with "330 583" stamped in black, with an output of 7.01k. The two black plastic pickup surrounds each have a small decal on the top with "T.M. / Pat. Appl. For" in gold and are also stamped on the underside "M8 788 / 70-595" and "M8 593 / 70-596". Five-layer black over white plastic pickguard with beveled edge. Four controls (two volume, two tone) plus three-way selector switch, all on lower treble bout. Black plastic bell-shaped knobs. Original "New Tune-O-Matic" bridge and separate stud tailpiece. All parts gold-plated. This guitar is in near mint (9.25) condition, with only a few minuscule surface marks and a tiny bit of tarnishing to the gold hardware. Housed in the original Gibson five-latch, shaped black hardshell case with dark red plush lining (8.75).

This guitar dates from 1983, two years after Gibson started producing reissues of the original 1961 ES-335 'Dot Neck'. Many guitar players consider Gibson's "Norlin Era" (1974-1986) to be a pretty dark time as far as quality construction and tone is concerned -but this Gibson Custom Shop ES-335 is an excellent example of Gibson trying fairly hard to get things right during this period.

"Introduced in 1958, the ES-335T (originally no final D) truly ranks among the all-time Gibson classics, not only because of its enduring popularity but also because of its semi-solid construction which pioneered a new style of electrics" (A.R. Duchossoir, Gibson Electrics -- The Classic Years, p. 231).

The ES-335 was discontinued in late 1981 and replaced by the ES-335 DOT (reissue).

The evolution of the Gibson Custom Shop
The first hint of what the current Gibson Custom Shop offers can be found in early artist partnerships. The idea of affixing an artist’s name to an instrument – to the benefit of both the artist and the manufacturer – is nothing new in the guitar industry, and Gibson has been at it since the 1920s. Gibson’s first foray into artist models came with the Nick Lucas Model acoustic guitar, which was followed by the Roy Smeck Stage Deluxe Hawaiian guitar in the ‘30s, and the Les Paul and Byrdland model electrics in the 1950s. Into the ‘60s, artists such as Barney Kessel, Trini Lopez, Johnny Smith and Tal Farlow were graced with their own Artist models, but custom instruments were another matter, having been limited to employee requests and one-offs for individual artists. This was no longer the case in the ‘80s, which became a time of great change for Gibson. In addition to their move from Kalamazoo, Michigan to Nashville, Tennessee early in the decade, Gibson began building custom guitars for individuals who had no other ties to the company other than the needed funds and a local Gibson dealer willing to make a few phone calls on their behalf. This tactic proved successful enough that when Henry Juszkiewicz and Dave Berryman bought the company in 1986, Gibson decided to split the Custom Shop into a separate division within the organization. (Premier Guitar.com).