This is a new 2023 Left Handed Gibson Murphy Lab ES-335, 1959 reissue, Ebony Finish, Ultra Light Aged, Special Order. The wait time for this guitar is over 2 years.

Description:

The Historic Reissue ES-335 is back and better than ever, thanks to a year of studying, scanning, and listening to original examples. The expert craftspeople at Gibson Custom Shop have rendered every contour, profile, inlay, and color of the priceless vintage models in magnificent detail. The result is a playing and ownership experience that will keep you coming back for more.

The 1959 ES™ Reissue models feature rounded cutaways, Medium C-shape neck profiles scanned from originals, dot inlays, and vintage-replica parts. It also features Ultra Light Aging by the skilled artisans of the Murphy Lab. The Murphy Lab Ultra Light Aged finish treatment, paired with lightly aged hardware, simulates decades of light play wear, giving it the unique character, vibe, and feel of an original example from the Gibson Golden Era.

Body:

Body Style: ES
Body Shape: ES-335
Body Material: 3-ply Maple/Poplar/Maple
Centerblock: Solid Maple
Body Finish: Murphy Lab Aged Nitrocellulose Lacquer

Neck:

Profile: Medium C
Scale Length: 24.75 in
Fingerboard Material: Indian Rosewood
Fingerboard Radius: 12 in
Fret Count: 22
Frets: Authentic Medium-Jumbo
Nut Material: Nylon
Nut Width: 1.687 in
Inlays: Pearloid Dot
Joint: Long Tenon, Hide Glue Fit

Hardware:

Finish: Nickel, Murphy Lab Light Aged
Bridge: ABR-1
Saddle Material: Nickel-plated Brass
Tailpiece: Lightweight Aluminum Stop Bar
Tuning Machines: Kluson Single Line, Single Ring
Pickguard: Black 5-Ply Wide Bevel
Truss Rod: Authentic 1950s No-Tube
Truss Rod Cover: Authentic Stepped 2-Ply
Control Knobs: Black Butyrate Top Hats with Dial Pointers
Switch Tip: Amber Catalin
Mounting Rings: Black M69 Medium & Tall
Pickup Covers: Authentic Profile Nickel Silver

Electronics:

Neck Pickup: Custombucker Alnico 3 (Unpotted)
Bridge Pickup: Custombucker Alnico 3 (Unpotted)
Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone, CTS 500K Audio Taper Potentiometers, Paper-in-Oil Capacitors
Pickup Selector: 3-Way Switchcraft
Output Jack: 1/4″ Switchcraft

Miscellaneous:

Strings Gauge: .010, .013, .017, .026, .036, .046
Case: Brown/Pink Lifton Reissue 5-Latch
Certificate of Authenticity

***SOLD***

This is a 1961 Factory Left Handed D-28 (D-28L), Serial # 180455 in Near Mint/Extra Fine Condition. It is a one-owner guitar, 100% original with no cracks or repairs (most vintage Martins come with an assortment of cracks, repairs, and excess wear – there are few exceptions) !

This guitar has been inspected in-hand by Gary Burnette of Bee-3 Vintage Guitars, who has seen as many vintage acoustics as anyone. He stated it was the cleanest vintage D-28 he has seen, lefty or righty.

The guitar recently came back from master luthier and renowned authority on vintage Martin guitars, John Arnold. Mr. Arnold performed a perfect neck reset using hot hide glue (hot hide glue was used through 1964, when Martin moved from the original North Street factory. The action was lowered to 5/64 (low E) and 4/64 (high E) at the 12th fret. The original ivory saddle and nut were preserved and adjusted, and the frets were leveled, recrowned, and polished (see pic of letter documenting inspection and work on the guitar).

There is no lifting of the bridge or pickguard, it has minimal wear on the first 3 frets. The finish is in incredible unfaded condition with a beautiful color to the German spruce top with no checking, and no typical arm wear on the top lower bout. German Spruce was used by Martin from 1957-64 as an upgrade to Sitka Spruce and was in limited supply. The upgraded German Spruce was 4x the cost of Sitka Spruce on the Martin price list. There is some minimal wear around the sound hole with some light scratches. There is a small area of minor wear on the back upper bout. The Brazilian Rosewood sides and back are gorgeous, and the back of the neck looks practically new.

It has a good string break angle, sustains and projects great as you would expect from the best vintage D-28s. The neck has a great comfortable profile. Everything underneath, including the bracing and maple bridge plate, is original and perfectly intact.

This is only the 3rd pre-1964 factory Left Handed D-28 I have seen (the other 2 being a 1941 and 1948). I mention pre-1964 because Martin ceased production at their old factory on 10 West North Street on 6-26-64. A number of changes to production ensued after the move to the new factory, including the discontinuation of hide glue, introduction of the drop-in saddle, etc. And we all know about the dreaded bridge plate change from maple to rosewood several years later. I have had many requests for vintage Martins, with many mentioning 1964 as a critical year and looking for the earlier ones.

My personal history of Martin guitar ownership includes: 1938 000-28, 1947 000-28, 1950 00-21L, 1954 D-28, 1954 D-18L, 1962 D-28.

The guitar comes with the original chipboard soft-shell case, with the owner’s name in acronyms found just above the handle. The guitar will ship in a heavy duty deluxe hardshell case (see pics of the cases) and the original case will be shipped separately.

The pre-1964 Factory Left Handed Martin D-28s are among the rarest of the top-tier Lefty vintage guitars, and only come around once every 20 years or so based on my personal experience of collecting vintage guitars since the early 1980s. Being a one-owner and in this condition, it could be more like once every 40-50 years!

***SOLD***