Gibson ES-345 Left-handed Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar - Vintage Burst

I spent several weeks playing the Gibson ES-335 Figured 60s Cherry across rehearsals, small club gigs, and a few late-night tracking sessions to see whether it lives up to the ES-335 legend. I came to this review as a player who values versatility - I want jazz warmth, blues midrange, and enough bite for driven rock tones - and I used the guitar in both clean and overdriven signal chains to judge how it behaved in real-world situations.

First Impressions

Out of the case the thing that hits you first is the figured AAA maple top and that Sixties Cherry gloss - it makes the guitar feel special before you even plug in. The neck felt familiar and comfortable with a rounded C profile and the 24.75-inch scale, and the weight balanced well on strap so it never wanted to tilt head-heavy on me during long standing rehearsals.

Design & Features

The ES-335 Figured keeps the classic double-cut semi-hollow silhouette with a 3-ply AAA figured maple/poplar/maple top and maple centerblock, and the cream single-ply binding frames the top nicely. The hardware package is straightforward and stage-friendly - ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge, aluminum stopbar tailpiece, and Vintage Deluxe tuners with keystone buttons that held tuning well through bends and aggressive rhythm playing. The control cluster is hand-wired with Orange Drop capacitors and 500K pots, which I noticed immediately when shaping cleans and tone stacks - the taper is musical and responsive.

Build Quality & Protection

Construction felt very consistent with Gibson standards - set mahogany neck, bound rosewood fretboard with acrylic small block inlays, and a glossy nitro finish that looks great and feels break-in friendly but that will scuff if you treat it roughly. Frets were dressed well from the factory and the medium-jumbo profile made bending and vibrato feel secure without fret buzz through the setups I ran. Fit-and-finish on the figured top and binding was clean with no visible gaps or sloppy veneer joins.

Playability & Usability

The rounded C neck and 12-inch radius hit a comfortable sweet spot for me - chording and single-note runs are both easy to execute. Nut width (about 1.7 inches) and string spacing suit fingerstyle comping as well as plectrum work, and the medium-jumbo frets were large enough for expressive bends while still offering accurate intonation up the neck. The guitar sat nicely on my lap for seated playing and didn’t fatigue me when standing for a two-hour rehearsal.

Sound & Electronics

Equipped with Gibson Calibrated T-Type humbuckers the ES-335 Figured delivers the classic ES-335 tonal range - warm, woody neck cleans and snappy, focused bridge tones that cut through a band mix without sounding harsh. On clean settings I heard a rich midrange and a rounded low end with clear articulate highs; roll back the tone and the neck pickup becomes very smooth for jazzier comping. Cranked through a tube amp or pushed with a mild overdrive the guitar responds with a pleasing harmonic richness and the centerblock helps control feedback so you can run higher gain without the body ringing out uncontrollably.

Real-World Experience

I used the ES-335 Figured on rhythm duties for a three-song set and on a couple of recorded takes - it handled both tasks without fuss. In a small club the semi-hollow character added the right amount of air, and when I switched to a pushed amp channel for lead work the guitar kept clarity and bloom rather than turning muddy. The hand-wired electronics gave me consistent control while adjusting volume and tone on the fly, which I appreciated during quick soundcheck tweaks.

The Trade-Offs

The biggest compromises are cost and weight relative to cheaper hollow-ish alternatives - this is a premium instrument and you pay for the figured top and Gibson setup. The nitro finish, while beautiful, will age and mar over time and may show wear if you gig hard; also players expecting modern thin necks might find the Rounded C a touch chunkier than current slim profiles. Finally, if you want super-high gain metal tones you may prefer a solid-body with hotter pickups, though the ES-335 still does a respectable job in rock contexts.

Final Verdict

The Gibson ES-335 Figured 60s Cherry is a beautifully finished, versatile semi-hollow that does exactly what an ES-335 should - it gives warm cleans, singing leads, and reliably controlled feedback when driven. I recommend it to gigging players and studio musicians who want a classic-looking instrument with modern wiring and dependable hardware; if you prize extreme value over finish and brand pedigree there are cheaper options, but this one earns its price through tone, playability, and that figured top presence.