Gibson 1959 ES-335 Reissue VN UHA #3

Gibson 1959 ES-335 Reissue VN UHA #3: Technical Review

The Gibson 1959 ES-335 Reissue VN UHA #3 is a Murphy Lab Custom Shop semi-hollow electric guitar made in the USA. Its listed price is 6,599, and it has been available since October 2025. The specifications describe a vintage-style ES-335 with a maple and poplar body, mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, and two unpotted Custombucker pickups. The model is finished in Vintage Natural with an Ultra Heavy Aged treatment.

No customer reviews are available for this product. This assessment therefore focuses on the supplied specifications. Those details establish what the guitar includes, but they do not provide a basis for claims about its sound, setup, weight, playability, or consistency from one example to another.

Body and neck construction

This is a semi-hollow guitar, not a fully hollowbody model. Its body construction is listed as maple, poplar, and maple, with maple specified for both the body and top in the general specifications. That construction places it in the ES-335 category while distinguishing it from a solidbody instrument. No information is supplied about the internal center block, body depth, or exact thickness, so those details cannot be confirmed here.

The neck is mahogany, and its profile is described as Authentic Medium C. The fingerboard is rosewood, with dot inlays and 22 frets. The 628 mm scale is approximately 24.7 inches, a familiar short scale length for this style of Gibson. The headstock has a holly veneer, while Royalite binding is specified. The information does not include nut width, fret dimensions, neck radius, or neck joint construction.

Pickups and controls

The guitar is equipped with two Custombucker Alnico III humbuckers. They are unpotted, meaning the pickup coils are not treated with wax or another potting material to reduce movement. That is a specification, not a guarantee of a particular tonal result. The supplied details do not include pickup output measurements or a description of their frequency response.

Control hardware consists of two volume controls, two tone controls, and a three-way toggle switch. CTS potentiometers and paper-in-oil capacitors are also listed. These components define the control circuit's stated parts, but no wiring diagram or component values are provided. Players can use the two pickup volumes and tone controls alongside the selector switch, though the precise electrical response cannot be determined from the available data alone.

Bridge, tuners, and finish

An ABR-1 bridge is paired with a lightweight aluminum tailpiece. The hardware has a nickel finish, and the tuners are described as vintage double-ring tulip machines. The guitar also has a five-ply pickguard. These are specific period-style appointments; the specifications do not identify adjustment ranges, tuner ratios, or the source of the hardware.

The finish is Vintage Natural, with an Ultra Heavy Aged treatment. The product details characterize this treatment as showing extreme signs of wear and tear. That is a deliberate finish choice rather than evidence of the instrument's service history. The listed color and aging level give buyers a clear description of its intended appearance, but photographs would be necessary to judge the wear pattern on the individual guitar.

Included items and buying considerations

A case and certificate are included. A separate gig bag is not listed. The model is not identified as a limited run, and the sales unit is one piece. Its item number is 627126. These details may help with ordering and inventory checks, but the supplied information does not state the certificate's specific contents or provide details about the case construction.

At 6,599, this is a high-priced instrument, so the central buying questions are whether the buyer wants a Murphy Lab Custom Shop ES-335 with an extensively aged finish, and whether the listed construction and appointments match their needs. The specifications offer a substantial amount of detail on pickups, controls, and hardware, while leaving out practical comparisons such as weight, setup measurements, and instrument-to-instrument variation. Those points should be checked with the seller before purchase.

On paper, the Gibson 1959 ES-335 Reissue VN UHA #3 combines semi-hollow construction, a medium C mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, two Alnico III humbuckers, and period-oriented hardware. The provided data supports a careful technical description, not a claim about how it sounds or feels in use. Since customer feedback is unavailable, an in-person inspection or a direct discussion with the retailer is the best way to evaluate the individual guitar.