Gibson shipped exactly 317 ES-335 guitars in 1958, each one priced at $267.50. Sixty-eight years later, the company just split that original design into two distinct decade-correct models, the ES-335 50s and ES-335 60s, and priced them both at $3,499. The announcement landed on May 12, 2026, and both guitars are available now through Gibson.com, Gibson Garage locations, and authorized dealers worldwide.
This is not a subtle refresh. Gibson applied the same strategy that worked for the Les Paul Standard (offering separate 50s and 60s versions with era-specific neck profiles, pickups, and hardware) to its most celebrated semi-hollow. For players who have always known they wanted an ES-335 but couldn’t articulate which version they wanted, Gibson just made the decision much easier.
The 50s Model: Chunky Neck, PAF-Voiced Pickups, Vintage Warmth
The ES-335 50s targets players who want the feel of those original late-1950s instruments. The neck is a Rounded C profile carved from mahogany, meaning a substantial handful of wood that rewards a relaxed grip. If you’ve played a Les Paul Standard 50s, you know the shape. It fills the palm, encourages thumb-over-the-top blues phrasing, and discourages death-grip tension.
Gibson loaded the 50s model with Custombucker pickups wound around Alnico 3 magnets. That magnet choice matters: Alnico 3 is the weakest of the common alnico grades, and it produces a softer attack with a rounder top end. The original Patent Applied For humbuckers from the late 1950s used Alnico 3 (though inconsistently), and Gibson is clearly chasing that breathy, vocal midrange that makes vintage ES-335s so expressive at moderate gain.
The hardware tracks the era. Vintage Deluxe tuners with keystone buttons, gold Top Hat knobs with dial pointers, a longer five-ply pickguard matching the 1959 profile, dot inlays on the bound rosewood fingerboard, and an ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge paired with an aluminum stop bar tailpiece. Hand-wired electronics with 500K pots round out the control cavity.
Three finishes are available: Vintage Tobacco Burst, Vintage Natural, and Ebony.
The 60s Model: Slim Neck, Punchy Pickups, and a Faster Response
The ES-335 60s makes a different set of choices, and they add up to a noticeably different playing experience despite sharing the same semi-hollow body.
The neck switches to Gibson’s SlimTaper profile. Players who find the Rounded C too beefy will appreciate the reduced front-to-back depth; the SlimTaper encourages speed and wide stretches without sacrificing structural rigidity. It is the same profile found on the Les Paul Standard 60s, so players who already own that guitar will feel immediately at home.
Pickups change to calibrated T-Type humbuckers with Alnico 5 magnets. Compared to the Custombucker’s Alnico 3 warmth, the T-Types deliver tighter lows, a more prominent upper-midrange push, and increased output. “Slightly brighter, punchier” is how Gibson describes the difference, and in practice it means the 60s model will cut through a band mix with less EQ compensation needed from your amp.
Hardware shifts to Grover Rotomatic tuners with milk bottle buttons (a visual and functional upgrade in tuning stability), small block inlays replacing the dots, and a shorter pickguard matching early-1960s originals. The knobs switch to black with silver inserts. Same ABR-1 bridge, same aluminum stop bar, same hand-wired electronics.
Three finishes: Sixties Cherry, Vintage Burst, and Dark Walnut.
What Both Models Share
The foundation is identical. Both the 50s and 60s use Gibson’s three-ply maple/poplar/maple semi-hollow construction with a solid maple center block, the design Ted McCarty’s team patented in 1958 to give hollow-body tone with solid-body feedback resistance. Both use a 24.75″ scale length, a 12″ fretboard radius on rosewood, 22 medium jumbo frets, and a Graph Tech nut. Both ship in a Gibson hardshell case.
The center block is worth highlighting because it is the engineering detail that made the ES-335 relevant to rock guitar. Before 1958, semi-hollow guitars fed back under stage volume. The maple center block running from the neck joint to the bridge absorbs vibrational energy that would otherwise loop between the amplifier and the hollow chambers. It is, as MusicRadar described it, “one of the undisputed genius inventions in guitar design.”
Spec Comparison at a Glance
| Feature | ES-335 50s | ES-335 60s |
|---|---|---|
| Neck Profile | Rounded C (thick) | SlimTaper (slim) |
| Pickups | Custombucker, Alnico 3 | T-Type, Alnico 5 |
| Tone Character | Warm, breathy, softer attack | Bright, punchy, tighter response |
| Inlays | Dot | Small Block |
| Tuners | Vintage Deluxe (keystone) | Grover Rotomatic (milk bottle) |
| Pickguard | Longer, five-ply (1959 style) | Shorter (1960s style) |
| Knobs | Gold Top Hat with pointers | Black with silver inserts |
| Finishes | Vintage Tobacco Burst, Vintage Natural, Ebony | Sixties Cherry, Vintage Burst, Dark Walnut |
| Price | $3,499 | $3,499 |
Where These Fit in Gibson’s Current Lineup
Gibson’s ES line has grown crowded over the past two years. The ES-335 Satin sits below at a lower price point with stripped-down appointments. The ES-335 Figured commands a premium with AAA figured maple tops. Signature models like the Marcus King ES-345 and the Keith Richards ES-355 Collector’s Edition (based on Richards’ 1960 ES-355 used during the Sticky Fingers and Exile On Main St. sessions) fill the high end.
The new 50s and 60s models slot into the core of the lineup as the standard-bearer ES-335s. At $3,499, they sit in the same territory as the Les Paul Standard 50s and 60s, which reinforces Gibson’s decade-split strategy across its most important product lines.
For players deciding between the two: the 50s rewards a lighter touch, excels at jazz and blues at moderate gain, and feels best in the hands of someone who likes to wrap their thumb around the neck. The 60s is the rock and session player’s choice, responding well to higher gain, faster passages, and players who prefer a flatter, faster neck. Neither is objectively better. The right one is the one that matches how you already play.
The Bigger Picture
Gibson started offering decade-specific Les Paul Standards years ago, and it worked. Players who previously agonized over which neck profile or pickup set to choose suddenly had a clear path: pick your era, pick your guitar. Applying the same logic to the ES-335 was overdue.
The original 1958 ES-335 was a compromise instrument, designed to give hollow-body warmth with solid-body reliability. Nearly seven decades later, Gibson is acknowledging that what players loved about those early guitars wasn’t one thing. It was two distinct things, split roughly at the turn of the decade, and now you can choose the version that matches your hands and your ears.
Both models are available now at $3,499 from Gibson.com, Gibson Garage locations (Nashville, London), and authorized Gibson dealers worldwide.