Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitar Amps
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • EVH trance state
  • Antonoff on Please Please Please
  • “Mick looked peeved. The Beatles had upstaged him”
  • 95k+ free music samples

Recommended reading

Gibson Les Paul Standard Double Trouble: this limited edition single-cut features uncovered pickups and a vintage gloss nitro finish, and it's available in Vintage Cherry Sunburst and Vintage Tobacco Sunburst
Guitars Gibson’s Les Paul Standard Double Trouble is a limited edition run with that ’59/’60 Golden Era vibe
Epiphone goes high-end with its Inspired By Gibson Custom 2025 collection: [from left] the '63 Firebird in Polaris White is joined by a 1959 Les Paul Standard, a '64 SG Standard, a 1960 Les Paul Special in TV Yellow and a 1962 ES-335 reissue.
Guitars Epiphone expands and upgrades Inspired By Gibson Custom range with 8 stunning "reissue" electrics
Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom 1960 Les Paul Special Double Cut Reissue TV Yellow
Electric Guitars Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom 1960 Les Paul Special Double Cut Reissue TV Yellow review
Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom 1960 Les Paul Standard
Electric Guitars “If you’re all about getting as close as possible to period-correct as you can for this price point, then you won’t be disappointed here”: Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom 1960 Les Paul Standard Reissue review
Fender American Vintage II Series 2025 new models: a still from Fender's promo video pictures the '51 Tele in Prototype White, the '57 Strat in Black, P-Bass in Olympic White, the exquisite all-new '65 Stratocaster in Candy Apple Red (one of three finish options) and the '66 Jazzmaster in Sherwood Green Metallic.
Guitars Affordable retro mojo: Fender expands American Vintage II series with fresh finishes and new models
Margo Price with her signature Gibson J-45, which refinishes the classic workhorse dreadnought with a double pickguard, and has a slightly shallower body depth.
Guitars Country star Margo Price and Gibson team up for stunning double-guard signature J-45 acoustic
Gretsch Limited Edition Streamliner 2025: three limited edition semi-hollow electric guitars are pictured against a bank of studio hardware.
Guitars Bigsby wobble, rock ’n’ roll mojo for $699? Gretsch unveils trio of limited run Streamliner models
  1. Guitars

Old gold: 1965 Gibson ES-345

News
By Guitarist ( Guitarist ) published 26 August 2015

A mid-60s sunburst semi stunner

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Introduction

Introduction

Launched in 1959, the ES-345 was aimed to sit in between the 335 and the slightly more luxuriously appointed 355 models in the Gibson catalogue.

Like its stablemates, the 345 was originally designed to summon up the mellowness of an f-hole jazzer and combine it with the raunch of a solidbody. In order to achieve this, the 335-style instruments had a maple block running the length of the body to add warmth and sustain as well as eliminate troublesome feedback in one fell swoop.

"One thing that set the 345 apart was its Varitone switching and stereo wiring"

One thing that set the 345 apart was its Varitone switching and stereo wiring, the former having achieved some notoriety in guitar circles, with many players insisting that it did more harm than good!

The model has seen some variations in its livery since introduction - for instance, on early models, the ring around the Varitone switch was black, with the upgrade to gold being introduced during the second year of production.

The pickguard was also shortened in 1961 so that it no longer extended beyond the bridge and Gibson dropped the ‘jazz style’ tailpiece in 1982 in favour of the Les Paul-type ‘stop’ variety.

This gorgeous ’65 Sunburst model features a single-bound rosewood fingerboard with double parallelogram inlays, a trapeze tailpiece with raised diamond motif, gold hardware, PAF pickups and the longer, non-rounded horns prevalent on the 60s 335 series.

Notable ES-345 players include guitar connoisseur Steve Howe, who can be heard playing his Sunburst model on the Yes prog masterpiece, Close To The Edge.

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
Pickguard

Pickguard

The 345's pickguard was shortened in 1961 so that it no longer extended beyond the bridge.

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
Tailpiece

Tailpiece

Gibson dropped the ‘jazz style’ tailpiece in 1982 in favour of the Les Paul-type ‘stop’ variety.

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
Inlays

Inlays

There's a single-bound rosewood fingerboard with double parallelogram inlays.

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
Pickups

Pickups

Humbucking duties are handled by Gibson's much-loved PAF pickups.

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
Switching

Switching

The Varitone switching and stereo wiring set the 345 apart.

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
Guitarist
Guitarist
Social Links Navigation

Guitarist is the longest established UK guitar magazine, offering gear reviews, artist interviews, techniques lessons and loads more, in print, on tablet and on smartphones Digital: http://bit.ly/GuitaristiOS If you love guitars, you'll love Guitarist. Find us in print, on Newsstand for iPad, iPhone and other digital readers

The magazine for serious players image
The magazine for serious players
Subscribe and save today!
More Info
Read more
Gibson Les Paul Standard Double Trouble: this limited edition single-cut features uncovered pickups and a vintage gloss nitro finish, and it's available in Vintage Cherry Sunburst and Vintage Tobacco Sunburst
Gibson’s Les Paul Standard Double Trouble is a limited edition run with that ’59/’60 Golden Era vibe
Epiphone goes high-end with its Inspired By Gibson Custom 2025 collection: [from left] the '63 Firebird in Polaris White is joined by a 1959 Les Paul Standard, a '64 SG Standard, a 1960 Les Paul Special in TV Yellow and a 1962 ES-335 reissue.
Epiphone expands and upgrades Inspired By Gibson Custom range with 8 stunning "reissue" electrics
Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom 1960 Les Paul Special Double Cut Reissue TV Yellow
Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom 1960 Les Paul Special Double Cut Reissue TV Yellow review
Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom 1960 Les Paul Standard
“If you’re all about getting as close as possible to period-correct as you can for this price point, then you won’t be disappointed here”: Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom 1960 Les Paul Standard Reissue review
Fender American Vintage II Series 2025 new models: a still from Fender's promo video pictures the '51 Tele in Prototype White, the '57 Strat in Black, P-Bass in Olympic White, the exquisite all-new '65 Stratocaster in Candy Apple Red (one of three finish options) and the '66 Jazzmaster in Sherwood Green Metallic.
Affordable retro mojo: Fender expands American Vintage II series with fresh finishes and new models
Margo Price with her signature Gibson J-45, which refinishes the classic workhorse dreadnought with a double pickguard, and has a slightly shallower body depth.
Country star Margo Price and Gibson team up for stunning double-guard signature J-45 acoustic
Latest in Guitars
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: My pick of Father's Day deals for musicians include $400 off the Polyend Play+, $200 off a Martin acoustic and so much more
Gretsch Broadkaster Jr LX Center Block with Bigsby
Gretsch’s unveils new MIJ high-end semi-hollows with redesigned bodies and Pro Twin Six humbuckers
Jackson X and JS Series Surfcasters: the long-awaited offset electric guitar is now being offered in white, satin black and metallic black, and and at the entry-level JS price point and the mid-priced X Series.
“A bold new take on a classic metal machine”: Having ridden the wave of popular demand, Jackson’s Surfcaster offset has landed – and it’s built for speed
Line 6 Helix Stadium XL: The new flagship amp modeller and multi-effects unit is a dramatic expansion of the Helix framework with a suite of state-of-the-art features
Line 6 debuts all-new AI tech as it supercharges its amp modelling platform with the Helix Stadium
Orangewood Del Sol: the new offset is the brand's first ever electric guitar and it was designed in collaboration with Josh Forest of TreeTone Guitars.
Orangewood teams up with TreeTone for its first-ever electric – a baritone offset semi, priced $695
Kirk Hammett of Metallica wears a studded denim jacket as he plays live with his Mummy ESP signature guitar
“Guitars should be played”: Kirk Hammett has been anonymously selling his guitars online
Latest in News
Home studio
You don't need to be a music theory expert to make electronic music, but it helps - here's our guide to the basics
Ed Sheeran, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix
How Ed Sheeran generated royalties for Bob Dylan by borrowing from Jimi Hendrix
Richie Hawtin
“All my equipment kind of glowed and then shut down”: The weather event that shaped a Richie Hawtin classic
Bono black and white in glasses
“Our band is...three musicians. And a salesman”: Bono suggests next U2 album will have a looser feel
Apple's new Automix
Sack The DJ: Apple launches its new feature that can mix tracks using AI
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: My pick of Father's Day deals for musicians include $400 off the Polyend Play+, $200 off a Martin acoustic and so much more

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...