Description
Gibson ES 135, 2006
The ES 135 was discontinued in 2004. A small run of ES 135s was produced in 2006; we’re not sure exactly how many but we’ve seen about four others.
The differences between the earlier and later versions…
Firstly, the 2006 version has a one-piece mahogany neck with binding on the fingerboard, unlike the laminate maple neck and unbound ‘board of the earlier version.
This version also has a solid mahogany centre block and not the balsa wood block of the earlier 135.
The pickups in this version are factory P90s, and not P100s as found in the previous version.
But most strikingly, the body outline and particularly the cutaway shape of the later guitar is slightly different to the earlier one.
Spec’s are as follows:
- 1-piece mahogany neck
- 50s neck profile
- Kluson vintage-style tuners
- Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays and binding, with fret nibs
- 22 medium-jumbo nickel frets
- Maple/poplar laminated front back and sides, with binding front and back
- See-through cherry nitro lacquer
- 2 x Gibson P90 pickups
- 3-way switch, 2 x volume, 2 x tone controls
- Bigsby B50, added later
- Schaller roller bridge
The guitar is in great condition, despite being heavily gigged. There are no cracks or breaks and the finish is wearing well.
There is a small patch of finish damage on the back of the neck, presumably from a guitar stand, but it doesn’t cause any issues with playability.
It is worth noting, however, that the frets are quite heavily worn, particularly lower down the neck. There are no issues currently but a re-fret will be necessary before too long.
The guitar comes with the original Gibson hardshell case, also in good condition.
The weight of the guitar is 8.6lbs
Use this form if you have any questions about this guitar.
