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Introducing Gibson’s 2019 hollow-body guitars
Here’s a quick rundown of the new year’s models.
Picking up from where we left off with Gibson’s 2019 line of solid-body electric guitars, here are the highlights from the brand’s latest Electric Spanish offerings.
Six new guitars have been added to Gibson’s esteemed hollow-body line, the ES. From classic jazz boxes like the ES-275 Thinline to affordable archtops like the ES-335 Studio, the new range has a little bit of everything.
ES-335 Dot 2019
This guitar has been the hallmark of Gibson’s ES line-up since it first appeared on the scene in 1958. This year’s model brings you classic tone with a couple of modern appointments. The time-honored features include a hand-rolled rounded “C” mahogany neck and a rosewood fingerboard with pearloid dot inlays.
New on this year’s Dot are the Memphis Historic Spec II (MHS II) humbuckers and the Memphis Tone Circuit Plus (MTC Plus) circuitry, preferred over last year’s Burstbuckers and MTC, respectively. Grover 102 Rotomatics have also been swapped out for Grover ‘Milk Bottle’ tuners.
Lists for $2,999. Available in Antique Faded Cherry and Graphite Metallic.
ES-335 Studio
This one’s for guitarists after that ES sound and tone without the accompanying hefty price tag. It features a semi-hollow maple/poplar/maple body, mahogany neck, and rosewood fingerboard with pearloid dot inlays. A pair of ’57 Classic humbuckers gives you that sought-after warmth with a sprinkling of PAF crunch, while the MTC circuit lends some flexibility. That sunburst finish on this Studio makes for a neat hat tip to history, too.
Lists for $1,999. Available in Vintage Sunburst.
ES-275 Thinline 2019
With this guitar, Gibson is looking to spice things up on the traditional jazz box design. The ES-275 has something up its sleeve—quite literally.
Along with an AAA figured maple/poplar/maple top and back, the archtop features “a thermally engineered chambered maple center block and thermally engineered quarter-sawn Adirondack spruce bracing,” Gibson said. This gives the guitar its lightweight semi-hollow character without taking away from the ‘big’ look of an ES-275.
Helping out with tone are a pair of MHS II humbuckers and MTC Premiere circuitry (two “Volumes,” two “Tones” and a pickup toggle switch—all hand-wired to 550K pots).
Other highlights include a mahogany neck, an A-grade dark rosewood fingerboard, celluloid split parallelogram inlays, ABR-1 bridge with titanium saddles, and Kluson Supreme Single Ring Tulip Button tuners.
Lists for $4,099. Available in Figured Cherry Cola.
ES-355 Figured 2019
This top-of-the-line offering is very similar to the ES-275 Thinline, save for a few additional premium appointments.
It features the same body and neck tonewoods, center block, bracing, and even hardware and electronics. The ES-355 Figured does, however, have gorgeous mother-of-pearl full block inlays—as compared to celluloid—and a natural finish that flaunts its figured maple top.
Lists for $4,499. Available in Figured Vintage Natural.
ES-335 Figured 2019
The ES-335 is identical to the ES-355 apart from its pearloid block inlays, Blueberry Burst finish, and gold top hat control knobs with silver reflectors.
Lists for $3,699. Available in Figured Blueberry Burst.
ES-235 Ebony
This is another entry-level option from this year’s ES line-up. Archtop fans will notice it draws inspiration from the ES-125s of yore, featuring a similar single-cutaway design. It also has a maple/poplar/maple top and back, with a maple center block and spruce bracing. In terms of electronics, Gibson has elected to go with a pair of BurstBuckers and the MTC Plus.
Other features include a maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, pearloid dot inlays, ABR-1 bridge with plated brass saddles, a zinc stopbar and white oval button tuners.
Lists for $1,799. Available in Ebony.
More information at gibson.com.