Up for sale, a 1979 Gibson ES-345 TD in exceptional condition and in perfect working order, complete with a hardshell case. One of Gibson's premier semi-hollowbody models with an extremely dark Wine Red gloss nitro lacquer finish, the ES-345 TD is an upscale version of the 335, with gold hardware and a six-position Varitone rotary switch, still factory wired for stereo operation. This ES-345 has a feel that is instantly comfortable and intuitive, delivering a vibrant and well-rounded acoustic tone that translates flawlessly through the original T-Top humbuckers.

Tonewoods include a semi-hollow maple body and three-piece maple neck capped with a bound rosewood fingerboard, and of particular note this ES-345 has Gibson's full traditional 1 11/16" nut width, a notable contrast to the more slender 1 9/16" nut used on the majority of ES models from 1965 through the end of the '70s.

Through your favorite tube amp, these original T-Top humbuckers have a real richness and authority. The bridge pickup has a bold, clear quality with plenty of percussive cut, treble sparkle, and midrange sweetness. In contrast, the neck humbucker has a mellowness and warmth that's ideal for complex Jazz chord voicings or thickening up an overdriven lead line. The original Varitone circuitry is intact, and engaging this rotary switch provides access to five very distinct tones (1st position bypasses the Varitone) for varying degrees of thinned out snap and midrange focused cut. This ES-345 TD weighs 8lbs 10oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar with 11-49 roundwound strings, low action, and accurate intonation.

The three-piece maple neck has a slender C-shaped profile carve with moderate shoulders at the nut and greater overall roundness and heft in the higher registers, measuring .790" deep at the 1st fret and .970" at the 12th. The bound rosewood fretboard is a dark cut of this tonewood, featuring split parallelogram pearl inlays and the original wide/flat medium jumbo fretwire, leveled and dressed in the guitar's lifetime and currently only showing faint wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-3. The guitar plays cleanly up the 24 3/4" scale with a straight neck and a responsive, optimally adjusted truss rod. The nut measures a full 1 11/16" in width. On the headstock, the original gold Gibson-branded and Schaller-made tuning machines are intact, along with a cleanly inlaid Gibson logo and original "Stereo" truss rod cover.

All of the electronics work as they should, and both T-Top pickups have patent number embossed baseplates and inked date stamps from April, '79. The solder joints are untouched on the pickup covers, and both pickups have original windings with an untouched wiring harness and stock stereo functionality. The neck pickup cavity also reveals the long neck tenon, ensuring the best possible connection between the body and neck. The gold plating on the hardware has plenty of shine, with some patina through the plating on the edges of the pickup covers in particular. The original trapeze tailpiece is intact, while the Nashville bridge is a modern replacement. All of the original plastics are accounted for including the quartet of clean witch hat knobs with gold inserts and the narrow bevel multi-ply black pickguard. The original "Union Made" Gibson label is visible through the F hole.

The Wine Red gloss finish is 100% original with no touch-up or overspray, nearly opaque and extremely dark, framed by ambered multi-ply binding. Cosmetic wear is limited to light buckle wear central to the lower bout and just a few additional minor marks on the body as a whole. There is some finish checking along the treble-side wing on the back of the headstock that's purely cosmetic, and the gloss finish on the neck profile is remarkably clean.

A modern TKL hardshell case is included, along with a Gibson-branded polish cloth.