Bargain! ES-355 for £250K+

[adrian_k]

https://propstoreauction.com/lot-detai ... e-Up-OASIS

A guitar “smashed up” by Liam Gallagher to spite his brother, then restored.

Obviously these things stop being instruments and magically become investments. It’s still only a few hundred quids worth of wood. The original hardware is probably worth a thousand or so though.

[James Perrett]

I wonder if Ed Bazalgette from The Vapors still has Paul Weller's Rickenbacker that Paul smashed into an amp and broke the neck? I had the chance to play it after it had been repaired and it was still a lovely guitar.

[Wonks]

A 1960 ES-355 goes for around £25k-35k depending on condition. An equivalent 'base' ES-335 goes for a lot more. Being fairly unloved, they have often had their PAFs removed (typically for use in Les Pauls) and replaced by other pickups.

So they are putting a silly price on it because of the Oasis connection.

I'm not sure if there's quite the market for this era as there is for inflated prices for non-60s/70s ex-guitar hero guitars.

But if you are very rich and grew up with their music in the 90s, then I suppose it could go for that sort of money. But I'd have thought Noel's Union Flag Epiphones would be more iconic.

[MarkyC]

The funny thing is about this particular guitar is that in TPS Noel says it is a really bad guitar.

He goes on to say that just because the serial numbers are one apart, he thought it would be similar to the one he used all the time.

Turns out not. He says it was probably built on a Friday afternoon……….

[Martin Walker]

Well MarkyC, that's put the mockers on it - no-one will want to buy this guitar now that dreadful quality control secret has been revealed

[adrian_k]

…

Turns out not. He says it was probably built on a Friday afternoon……….

I wonder what day of the week it was re-built?

[Wonks]

Gibson serial numbers are notoriously inaccurate as proof of exactly when made from that period. Just because they are one serial number apart does not guarantee they were made one after the other.

The serial number will be on the orange label viewable inside the upper F-hole (there's definitely no number on the headstock). That label could be added some time after the guitar was finished.

On the solid bodied guitars the serial number was ink-stamped on the headstock and then had a couple of coats of clear lacquer applied over the top, so it was an integral part of the finishing process, so these are more likely to be numbered sequentially in build order.

[siderealxxx]

I love a 335 but not with a bigsby! Can't stand Oasis either.

Even regular used 335s are incredibly expensive, they sell for close to new values.

That's the reason I don't own one, but tempted by an Epi.

[Wonks]

This is obviously a 355, not a 335. In theory you should get an identical sound to a 335 with one of the varitone switch positions (the VS variant of the ES355 had the Varitone and Stereo output), but most people will swear there's still a slightly different sound from them.

[adrian_k]

My Hamer 335 copy draws admiring comments for its jazz and blues tones. (Thanks Wonks, looks like you saved me a few quid, maybe as much as £250K )

[Wonks]

It does sound good. Really glad you’re happy with it.

[arkieboy]

(Wonks and I were having a difference of opinion about 335s earlier on this evening: I think the joint between a blond (maple veneer) 335 body and its mahogany neck is something beautiful, where as Mr W thinks its just messy. Philistine!!)

If I had a budget, I'd definitely prefer this one ...

https://richtonemusic.co.uk/gibson-es-3 ... -2nd-hand/