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1959 ES-345 TDN plugged into 1961 Fender Super and 1964 Fender Vibrolux Reverb

J T

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Uh oh, don't let Joe B see that. He will to be knocking at your door.
 

corpse

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Those 1864's have the wooden tubes and papyrus wire insulation and frequently catch fire. That's what so few are left.
A friend has one but I might right getting shot by Mrs Corpse. I have half of the equation (this is a 1960).
Damn you Slubowski- damn you!IMG_1944.JPG
 

mdubya

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I suddenly have a desperate need for a blonde ES 345 with a Bigsby. :love:
 

MikeSlub

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Those 1864's have the wooden tubes and papyrus wire insulation and frequently catch fire. That's what so few are left.
A friend has one but I might right getting shot by Mrs Corpse. I have half of the equation (this is a 1960).
Damn you Slubowski- damn you!View attachment 14511
:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO: Hey, so I made a typo! Fixed it now! Thanks for noticing! (y)✌️
 

brandtkronholm

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1964 ES-345 , Deluxe Reverb. Recently, I've been experimenting by running it stereo into the DR and a Princeton Reverb. Very cool !!
View attachment 14518
Steve, how are you treating each pickup/amp? Two wha pedals? Two different reverbs? Which pickup goes to which amp? The possibilities are endless ... and complicated!
 
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MikeSlub

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Mike, I ask if your ES345 is a "first rack" because I see the black Varitone ring. It is a trait, but not an identifier, of the "first rack" ES345s. Just curious.
Thank you for regularly sharing pictures of your collection!
You know, I must admit that I don't get all this "first rack" stuff. The finishing racks didn't hold that many guitars. And there is nothing in the shipping logs that indicate what "rack" the guitars were in. To my knowledge, no one who worked at Gibson in 1959 is still around to help answer questions about "first rack" and "second rack", etc. Who knows what rack these guitars ended up in? It's an interesting story, but I'm more focused on loving the guitars.

I like making a "rack"-et with them by playing them. :ROFLMAO:
 

brandtkronholm

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You know, I must admit that I don't get all this "first rack" stuff. The finishing racks didn't hold that many guitars. And there is nothing in the shipping logs that indicate what "rack" the guitars were in. To my knowledge, no one who worked at Gibson in 1959 is still around to help answer questions about "first rack" and "second rack", etc. Who knows what rack these guitars ended up in? It's an interesting story, but I'm more focused on loving the guitars.

I like making a "rack"-et with them by playing them. :ROFLMAO:
Indeed, first rack or not, a 1959 ES345 into an old Fender (or any amp!) is tonal heaven.
The term "first rack" is somewhat misleading. Clearly, no one knows which rack was "first". However, these "first rack" 345s (and at least one 355) have a reputation of sounding magical. The first rack features are distinct; the combination of a huge neck and short-legged bridge pickup are among the hallmarks. It has become part of the mythology, just like the 0600 'Burst serial numbers. A black Varitone ring is also a pretty good indicator of early 1959 - but it is not unique to the "first rack".
Here's a link to Charlie Gelber's blog post on "first rack" ES345s. It includes a response from G. Southworth himself: First rackES345s
Anyway, I was just curious.
Keep on playing and having fun!
 

MikeSlub

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Indeed, first rack or not, a 1959 ES345 into an old Fender (or any amp!) is tonal heaven.
The term "first rack" is somewhat misleading. Clearly, no one knows which rack was "first". However, these "first rack" 345s (and at least one 355) have a reputation of sounding magical. The first rack features are distinct; the combination of a huge neck and short-legged bridge pickup are among the hallmarks. It has become part of the mythology, just like the 0600 'Burst serial numbers. A black Varitone ring is also a pretty good indicator of early 1959 - but it is not unique to the "first rack".
Here's a link to Charlie Gelber's blog post on "first rack" ES345s. It includes a response from G. Southworth himself: First rackES345s
Anyway, I was just curious.
Keep on playing and having fun!
Mine was shipped in early May, so will check the FON to see if it may be a "first, second or third" rack. ;)
 

wernerg

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Jan 27, 2002
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Not vintage, but still kind of interesting: a Murphy Labs blonde 345 with "Stereo" TRC, black (!) Varitone Ring, Mono wiring (!), Ebony board, Parellelogram inlays, and 355-like binding - I am officially confused:

 

MikeSlub

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Not vintage, but still kind of interesting: a Murphy Labs blonde 345 with "Stereo" TRC, black (!) Varitone Ring, Mono wiring (!), Ebony board, Parellelogram inlays, and 355-like binding - I am officially confused:

But a cool combination of features nonetheless! (y)

Kirk is a great guy and amazing musician. I wish him luck that his endorsement will help sales of this model.
 
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brandtkronholm

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Dec 3, 2006
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Wow! That's a very cool guitar! If you don't have one like this, then you'll probably want this one!
The push-pull feature makes me think it's wired out-of-phase and not magnetically out-of-phase (like a regular ES345).
The Varitone sounds great!
That's some fine, fun playing to boot!
 
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