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Help Dating This ES-335TD

torren61

Active member
Joined
May 11, 2010
Messages
228
Hi, I bought this ES-335TD a couple of Sundays ago. It was listed as a 1970 model. When I got it, the guitar was filthy and it took me about 12 hours of cleaning to get her in good condition.

So, first, the headstock sports a dotted "i" in Gibson, it has a pantograph label inside instead of the orange label, the serial number is 101308, it has a headstock/neck volute, it has Made In U.S.A. stamped on the back of the headstock and it has a mahogany neck. I pulled the pots to get a serial number from them but they are ALL under solder. It came with the original case which has a purple lining.

I checked Reverb and ALL of the for sale and sold listings have dotted "i"s, most have the orange labels but many have the pantograph label, ALL say Made In U.S.A.

Here are some pics:

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Last edited:

fakejake

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Messages
1,274
I'd say some time between '70 and 77', before they had the extra toggle switch on the lower horn. Probably not '72, as most had the embossed logo on the pu covers that year.
 

torren61

Active member
Joined
May 11, 2010
Messages
228
Thanks for the reply. There's a lot to support it being a 1970 and very little to show that it isn't. In 1975, they changed to maple necks and mine is mahogany so it's older than a '75. It doesn't have embossed covers so it isn't a '72. It has the Made In U.S.A. stamp so it's not a '69. That makes is a '70 or '71 and there's no reason to think it's a '71 if the guy who sold it to me was told it was a '70 from the guy who sold it to him.

If anyone has any more insight, I'd be grateful to you for sharing. The more I know, the better I like it.
 
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