Gibson Custom Shop

The ES-335 was an important part of the six-string landscape by the time Gibson’s engineers gave the instrument its first major renovation in 1963, creating the prototypes of the Custom Shop’s 1963 ES-335 Block Reissue. Just five years earlier the ES-335’s semi-hollowbody design was a remarkable innovation and became the perfect guitar for players seeking the gorgeous, round, mellow tones associated with hollowbodies - ideal for jazz and blues - complimented by the edge and sustain of a full-blooded solidbody.

Sales absolutely spiked in 1963 following the two refinements represented in the 1963 ES-335 Block Reissue. The first was cosmetic. The dots on the fingerboard of the ES-335 were replaced with block inlays, introduced for easier visibility and an extra touch of eye-catching class. And the neck was tapered to the thinner profile that was standard for Gibsons in the ’60s. The result was the classic instrument now honored by the Gibson Custom Shop’s exacting reproduction.