THREE THIRTY-FIVE AN ORAL HISTORY OF THE GIBSON ES-335
This is the oral history of the ES-335, the revolutionary semi-solid electric that Gibson introduced in 1958. The 335’s new construction placed a solid maple block in an otherwise hollow laminated-maple body, which had double cutaways for good access to the upper frets, and the guitar had a pair of Gibson’s new humbucking pickups.
Three associated models appeared following the success of the 335: the stereo ES-345, the high-end ES-355, and the fully hollow ES-330. This 335 family of guitars would find favour with many players through the years, including BB King, Eric Clapton, Grant Green, Jorma Kaukonen, Alvin Lee, Lee Ritenour, Andy Summers, Noel Gallagher and JD Simo.
The voices here come from interviews I’ve conducted for my various books about Gibson. The people you’ll hear from are Larry Carlton, the session guitarist who’s worked with Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, The Crusaders and more; Luther Dickinson, guitarist with North Mississippi Allstars; Don Felder, guitarist with the Eagles between 1974 and 2001; Mark Knopfler, ex-Dire Straits guitarist and solo artist; Seth Lover, who at Gibson (1952-67) devised the firm’s humbucking pickup; Phil Manzanera, guitarist with Roxy Music (1971-83 and recent reunions); Ted McCarty, who joined Gibson in 1948 and later became its president (1950-66); Eddie Phillips, guitarist with The Mark Four (1963-66) and The Creation (1966-68 and recent reunions); and Mike Voltz, who joined Gibson in 1984 and has overseen much of the company’s ES-series production in recent years.
ORIGINS OF THE 335
Ted McCarty
“The idea for the 335 was primarily one I came up with to make a solidbody guitar in sound, but looking like a regular acoustic guitar. And we never patented that. I patented some [Moderne, Flying V, Explorer] because I knew what Leo would do. So if I had
