Gibson 1961 ES-335 Reissue 60s CH VOS

Gibson 1961 ES-335 Reissue 60s CH VOS review

The Gibson 1961 ES-335 Reissue 60s CH VOS is a Custom Shop semi-hollow electric guitar made in the United States. Its listed price is $4,769, and the model has been available since June 2021. The specifications point to a period-inspired ES-335 layout, with a laminated maple, poplar, and maple body, a mahogany neck, and a rosewood fingerboard.

This is a specification-based assessment. No customer reviews are available for this product, so there are no buyer impressions or reported performance claims to draw on. The practical points below describe what the listed components establish, and what they leave unspecified.

Body, neck, and playing dimensions

The ES-335 is a semi-hollowbody design, not a fully hollow guitar. That distinction matters when comparing its construction with an acoustic-style hollowbody: Gibson identifies this model as semi-hollow, with a maple, poplar, and maple body. The available information does not give body depth, weight, or internal construction details beyond that material description.

The mahogany neck has an authentic 1961 Skinny C profile. That name indicates a slim C-shaped neck profile as described by Gibson, but the listing does not provide thickness measurements at the first or twelfth fret. Neck shape is a personal fit issue, so the profile name alone cannot establish whether it will suit a particular player's hand.

The rosewood fingerboard carries pearloid dot inlays and 22 frets. Its 628 mm scale is approximately 24.7 inches, a shorter scale than the common 25.5-inch electric-guitar format. The specification gives the scale length but not the nut width, fingerboard radius, fret dimensions, or setup measurements. Those details would help buyers assess feel and playability more precisely.

Pickups and controls

The guitar uses two Custombucker Alnico III humbuckers, described as unpotted. Alnico III refers to the magnet type, while unpotted indicates that the pickup coils have not been wax-potted. These are construction details, not guarantees of a particular output level or tone. The provided specifications include no resistance readings, inductance figures, or frequency-response measurements.

The control layout consists of two volume controls, two tone controls, and a three-way toggle switch. This is the familiar arrangement for selecting the neck pickup, bridge pickup, or both, with separate volume and tone adjustment for each pickup. CTS potentiometers and paper-in-oil capacitors are listed as part of the circuit. No values are supplied for the potentiometers or capacitors, so their exact electrical specifications cannot be confirmed from this listing.

Bridge, finish, and appointments

An ABR-1 bridge is paired with a lightweight aluminum tailpiece. The hardware is nickel, and the guitar has no tremolo system. The listing also specifies a five-ply pickguard and vintage double-ring tulip tuning machines. Royalite binding and a holly headstock veneer complete several of the external construction details. No independent measurements or durability information are provided for these parts.

The finish is identified as 60s Cherry VOS. The product's color is listed as red. VOS appears in the product name and finish designation, but the supplied information does not define the finish process or provide a gloss measurement. Buyers should therefore treat the full finish name as the listed specification rather than infer additional aging or coating details.

What the package and price establish

A case and certificate are included. No gig bag is included, and the model is not identified as a limited run. The sales unit is one guitar. At $4,769, the asking price places this instrument in a premium category, where the Custom Shop designation, period-specific neck profile, named pickups, and detailed appointments are central parts of the specification. The listing does not provide a warranty length, production quantity, or comparison with other ES-335 models.

For a buyer assessing the model on paper, the clearest reasons to consider it are its semi-hollow construction, 1961-inspired Skinny C neck, two unpotted Alnico III humbuckers, and traditional four-control layout. The main information gaps are equally concrete: no weight, neck measurements, fret dimensions, pickup output data, or setup details are listed. Trying the guitar in person would help resolve questions about fit and handling that its specifications cannot answer.