Gibson Custom Murphy Lab 1961 ES-335, Ultra Light Aged, 60s Cherry

Gibson Custom Murphy Lab 1961 ES-335, Ultra Light Aged, 60s Cherry Overview

The 1961 ES-335 is considered to be the quintessential hollow-body guitar. It was first introduced in 1958 and has been in production ever since. In the early period of production, from 1958 to 1962, the ES-335 used PAF humbuckers instead of the later ‘patent number’ pickups, which are considered not as good due to their lack of kick, and sounding less exciting. The models from this era also had dot inlays, instead of the later block inlays. With the launch of the new Gibson Murphy Lab, you can get hold of a replica of these classic guitars, crafted by a team of experts led by one of the original pioneers of guitar ageing, Tom Murphy.

The Gibson Murphy Lab is a new division of the Gibson Custom Shop and is dedicated to crafting historically-accurate guitars of Gibson’s most legendary and sought-after instruments. The team of experts is led by Tom Murphy, known for being one of the original pioneers of guitar ageing, who for 25 years has been faithfully recreating the sound, feel, and character of vintage guitars. The attention to detail in the Murphy Lab is second to none, from laser-scanning the dimensions to get the exact size and shape of the originals to reverse-engineering the original lacquer to create ultra-realistic ageing, every detail has been thought of. This guitar is the closest you can get to the real thing.

This model has a 3-ply Maple/Poplar/Maple body and a solid maple centre block, giving it a nice substantial weight and producing top-end definition, with clarity, vibrancy and a precise tone. The neck is made from solid mahogany which adds some warmth and has an authentic ‘61 skinny C-shape profile for comfortable playing, topped with an Indian rosewood fretboard with 22 authentic medium jumbo frets. There’s also an ABR-1 bridge and lightweight aluminium stop bar for increased tuning stability.

For pickups, it has a pair of unpotted Custombuckers with Alnico 3 magnets which deliver warmth and a nice mid-range punch, and there’s a 3-way Switchcraft pickup selector to get the exact tone you want.

To complete the 1961 ES-335 is a 1-ply Royalite binding, nickel Murphy Lab light aged hardware, a black 5-ply wide bevel pickguard, black top hat control knobs with silver inserts and a classic Sixties Cherry finish with nitrocellulose lacquer to complete the authentic vintage look.

It comes with .010 - .046 strings, a Brown/Pink Lifton Reissue 5-Latch Case, and a Certificate of Authenticity.

Overview by Gibson

The Historic Reissue ES-335 is back and better than ever thanks to a year of studying, scanning, and listening to original examples. The expert craftspeople at the Gibson Custom Shop have rendered every contour, profile, inlay and color of the priceless vintage ES™ models in magnificent detail. The result is a playing and ownership experience that will keep you coming back for more. The 1961 Reissue models utilize rounded cutaways, SlimTaper™ neck profiles scanned from originals, dot inlays and vintage-replica parts. It also features Ultra Light Aging by the skilled artisans of the Murphy Lab. The Murphy Lab Ultra Light Aged finish treatment, paired with lightly aged hardware, simulates decades of light play wear, giving it the unique character, vibe, and feel of an original example from the Gibson Golden Era.