Shop Murphy Lab-Aged Editions of the Semi-Hollow Body Guitar That Defined the Category @ Chicago Music Exchange!

Chicago Music Exchange is proud to offer our customers a chance to own any of these very special Gibson Custom Shop 1958 ES-335 Murphy Lab aged reissues, paying homage to the debut-year design specs on one of the most versatile electric guitars ever made!*

Sporting Gibson’s big ’58 rounded neck profile, plus an unbound fingerboard—a feature found only on 1958 ES-335 models—these Gibson Custom Shop Murphy Lab aged editions commemorate the inaugural ES-335 in a special run limited to 130 instruments, each crafted in celebration of Gibson’s 130th Anniversary.

*Note: Tri-burst will have a Murphy Lab Light-Aged finish; Dirty Bonde and Faded Tobacco Burst models will have a Murphy Lab heavy-aged finish.

Gibson’s Golden-Era Game-Changer

While Gibson initially solved the feedback problem in 1952 with the debut of its first-ever solidbody electric guitar (the Les Paul) fans of Gibson’s earlier archtop hollow-body electric guitars were left wanting. Despite subsequent design improvements on the Les Paul lineup throughout the decade, the solidbody models still had significant tonal variance compared to hollow-body guitars, not to mention added weight.

So, to offer Gibson archtop guitar lovers a feedback-free electric alternative with more tonal versatility and less weight, Gibson’s president Ted McCarty developed the world’s first semi-hollow guitar model. In retrospect, McCarty later called this design his proudest contribution to the world of electric guitars.

“I came up with the idea of putting a solid block of maple in an acoustic model to get some of the same tones as a regular solid body,” McCarty said, “plus the instrument’s hollow wings would vibrate, and we’d get a combination of an electric solid-body and a hollow-body guitar."

With its double-cutaway design offering unfettered access to the upper frets plus a pair of dual humbucking pickups, the ES-335 has been in continuous production since its debut, with support from countless legendary artists including B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Larry Carlton, and Warren Haynes.

Commemorate Gibson’s 130th Anniversary with the Semi-Hollow that Started It All!

Although the 300-or-so original ES-335 guitars that shipped during the model’s first year now command some of the highest prices on the vintage guitar market, you can choose from among this special limited run of 1958 ES-335 Reissues featuring Murphy Lab Aged finishes when you shop Gibson Custom Shop models at Chicago Music Exchange!*

Call CME, chat us online, or visit our Lincoln Avenue showroom today to learn more about Gibson Custom Shop Murphy Lab Aged 1958 ES-335 Reissues!

SHOP GIBSON CUSTOM SHOP

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