The Restoration of my Gibson ES-335 Electric Guitar

Okay, so this may be a bit boring for everyone (except Jeff P.). But the photos are interesting, and I hope they get alot more interesting in the near future. Here is my story of perseverance.

A brief history:

I purchased my Gibson ES-335 electric guitar from the Manhattan Pawn Shop, Manhattan, KS, on July 30, 1991. The price was $300. I paid $200 plus a trade-in on my Yamaha RGX-112 with its brand new hard-shell case. The $100 trade-in was probably out of pity; I knew the proprietor, Mark Goodnow, as an assistant scoutmaster from Boy Scouts.

Unfortunately, I have no photos of the condition of the guitar when I bought it. I remember that it wasn’t pretty. It had recently suffered a horrendous white paint job. Everything had been sprayed except the fingerboard and headstock; there were runs all over. Red automotive trim was stuck in place of the binding, down the back of the neck, and around the f-holes. On the back, a piece of crudely shaped plastic covered up a barbaric jigsaw hole created to access the electronics. The name Tommy Lane was affixed on the tailpiece. I was told that he was indeed the previous owner and was responsible for the recent paint job.

In the month that followed I completed my first restoration of the guitar. I intended to give the guitar a natural finish, so I removed all the electronics and sanded off the white paint job. On the neck and portions of the back I sanded down to the wood grain. I quickly decided that this would not work so instead I finished the guitar with black Krylon spray-paint. This all sounds horrible to me now, but consider that I was 15-years-old back then.



The 2008 restoration:

In early 2008 I decided that it was time to properly restore my classic guitar. So, I dismantled the body and stripped it down to the bare wood. This time I used paint stripped rather than sand paper. I uncovered more of the history of the guitar as I progressed through three layers of paint (my black coat, the white coat, and an earlier black coat) plus the original finish. The original orange Gibson serial number sticker was still inside the upper f-hole (unfortunately, the serial number did not survive). There were multiple tuner and tailpiece screw holes (obviously both had been replaced before). The original finish was probably a dark stain, but it was very difficult to see.





I have put considerable thought into the proper identification of my guitar. Tragically, in my haste back in 1991 I sanded off a majority of the serial number. That has made identification difficult, but not impossible.

The serial number written on the July 1991 bill of sale was 300896. At that time the number would have been visible but obscured by two extra coats of paint. In February 2008, the serial number was clearly six digits long. The specific numbers were barely visible, but they appeared to be 3?0896, with the second digit looking round.



The serial number was definitely from the 1960s. The serial number was not ink stamped eliminating 1958 to early 1961. There was no “Made in the U.S.A. stamped below the serial number, eliminating the early to mid-70s. The serial number was not 8 digits, eliminating 1977 to present.

Assuming the first number was a 3, the possible six digit serial numbers from February 1961 to 1970 were:

250336 to 305983 1965
306000 to 310999 1965 or 1967
311000 to 320149 1965
320150 to 320699 1967
320700 to 329179 1965
329180 to 330199 1965 or 1967
330200 to 332240 1965, 1967 or 1968
332241 to 348092 1965
348093 to 349100 1966
349121 to 368638 1965
368640 to 369890 1966
370000 to 370999 1967
380000 to 385309 1966
390000 to 390998 1967

Assuming the second number was round and the rest were 0896, the possible six digit serial numbers were:

300896 1965
330896 1965, 1967 or 1968
360896 1965
380896 1966
390896 1967

Other guitar characteristics were considered. The neck nut width was 1 9/16”, which was available only from mid-1965 to 1967. The peghead angle was 14o, which was only available from 1966 on. Therefore, the guitar was from 1966 or 1967. This contradicts the July 1991 serial number 300896. It also eliminates a 6 as the second number. Also, the code on the four potentiometers (CBA-811-1053 500k AT 1376720) identified them as Chicago Telephone Supply (CTS) 500 kW manufactured on the 20th week of 1967. Assuming these were original, the guitar was manufactured in 1967 and the second number must have been a 3 or a 9.

Ultimately, the second number was assumed to have been a 9. This was based on the characteristics visible in February 2008. The second digit looked dissimilar to the first, and it looked fairly round and top heavy.

In conclusion, the guitar was assumed to be from 1967, with the serial number 390896.

Other specifications from that year were:

Sunburst or cherry red finish available
A short pickguard that does not extent past the bridge pickup
“chrome top reflector” volume/tone knobs
White switch tip
Metal strap button
Small block fingerboard inlays
Wire added to the ABR tune-a-matic bridge
Double-ring tulip Kluson tuners
White nylon bridge saddles
“Patent Number” stickers on the pickups
A trapeze tailpiece
Chrome parts
Indian rosewood fingerboard
Bevel angle on pickguard changed so the b/w/b layers are less noticeable

In February 2008 I went to my local luthier, Michael Bashkin, to ask his help in painting my guitar. I was a bit dissapointed when he declined, but upon his adviced I had the names of a couple of guys in Denver that could help. So, on leap day I decided there's no better way to spend a free day than fixing your guitar.

I was surprised how both luthiers immediately were aghast at the jigsaw hole in the back. I guess I thought it would be an easy fix, I was wrong. Both of them weren't hopeful about the restoration, their estimates started rising, and I got more discouraged.

Ultimately, I handed the project over to Colfax Guitar Shop, Denver, CO. They are a father/son buisness that specializes in vintage guitar restoration (they even worked on one of Jimi Hendrix's guitars). I'd call these guys honest, yet a bit shady. Noah had dealt with them sometime ago when he was shopping for a Mossman acoustic. The father is Scott Baxendale, a longtime employee and former owner of Mossman guitars (from Winfield, KS). They're pretty thorough; we got into a disagreement as to what color to paint it considering what was available in 1967.

So, they said it would take a couple of months. That sounded good to me. So I went back to Fort Collins, and I waited. In April I was driving back from a Kansas and decided to stop by their shop. Nothing new. In June I gave them a call. Nothing new. No word in July. Nothing in August.

Then, last Friday I gave them a call. I was planning something witty like, "If this was a baby, it'd be a little bundle of joy by now." Instead, I was shocked when the son, John, said, "We got the hole patched. It looks pretty good. We'll be done in a few weeks". Oh my god. It only took nine months!

So, in my excitement I made a road trip down to Denver on Saturday. The patch looked really good.



While I was there I loaned John a set of number stamps from the Forest Service (we use them to make tags and mark trees) to create a new serial number. I was a little anxious when he asked, "Are you sure you want 390896?" I said yes. A few hammer strikes later and he remarked "Its a 9 now". Hurray, my guitar has a name!



It'll probably be a few more weeks. I'll update this post when I have more information. I'll also try and dig up some old photos of my black beauty.

Take care,
John