GIBSON ES 350-N, 1949

natural. A very beautiful archtop guitar, from the first year of production of the double-pickup version with the two-volume / one master tone circuitry (for three more 350s see my personal collection). This instrument was once oversprayed with an ugly brown finish, which we was able to carefully remove through several months of patient work... it has well-worth the wait! Now the guitar is back to its gorgeous blond finish, revealing a flamed maple top and back, and all the guitar has been of course lightly oversprayed with clear lacquer to protect the finish. No label with serial number and no Factory Order Number, because the ES 350 received a regular white oval label only in 1950. Original parts: P90 pickups, rosewood bridge,  pickguard and bracket. Non original parts: pickup covers and spacer, knobs, jack socket (there was a damage in the rim wood and it was covered by an  ugly large plate which we have replaced with a LP style jack-plate).
The tuners are correct-style genuine Kluson-made Gibson Deluxe with tulip-buttons, still with the D-169400 patent number; they work and look great, but of course are not the original Pat. Appld. Klusons which must have been once installed on the guitar; no additional tuner hole on the headstock.
Considering these flaws, the guitar's price is 3,000 euro less than it would be for an all-original '49 blond 350, and it makes of this instrument a very affordable late '40s electric archtop, with the look and the feel of the great Gibson classics.

front - front2 - body1 - body2 - body3 - back - body back - headstock - neck - pickups - tuners - jack