Gibson ES-345

{{Short description|Guitar produced by Gibson, 1959 to 1981}} {{Infobox guitar model |title = Gibson ES-345 |image = 1960 Gibson ES-345TDC.jpg |caption = 1960 Gibson ES-345TDC |manufacturer = [[Gibson Brands]] |period = 1959-present |bodytype = Thinline semi-hollow body |necktype = Set-neck |scale = 24.75" |woodbody = Maple-poplar laminate |woodneck = Mahogany |woodfingerboard = Rosewood |bridge = [[Tune-o-matic]] |pickups = [[Humbucker]]s |colors = Sunburst, Cherry and Natural }}

The '''Gibson ES-345''' is a guitar manufactured by the [[Gibson Guitar Company]]. The guitar has been produced since 1959 to the present day. It was designed as a hybrid between a solid-body electric guitar and a jazz guitar, and was intended as a middleground between the [[Gibson ES-335|ES-335]] and the [[Gibson ES-355|ES-355]].

==History== The 345 was developed in 1958 as an upscale version of the [[Gibson ES-335]]. Gibson announced the ES-345 as the ES-345T in May 1959. The Gibson ES-345T had a price of $345 in the standard sunburst finish.<ref>{{cite web |title=Announcing the ES-345T |url=https://www.vintageguitarandbass.com/gibson/announcing_the_ES345T.php |website=Vintage Guitar and Bass |access-date=28 August 2025}}</ref><ref name="GW"/> From the guitar's 1959 introduction through 1979, 10,560 ES-345s were shipped.<ref name="Vintage">{{cite news |title=Gibson ES-345TD |url=https://www.vintageguitarandbass.com/gibson/ES345TD.php |access-date=29 November 2022 |publisher=Vintage Guitar and Bass |date=2022}}</ref> Gibson designed the guitar to create a guitar which could be used to play jazz, as would be typical of an Electric Spanish guitar, but with a maple block running through the guitar to allow the versatility of a solid body electric guitar.<ref name="MR">{{cite news |title=Old gold: 1965 Gibson ES-345 |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/old-gold-1965-gibson-es-345-626812 |access-date=29 November 2022 |publisher=Music Radar |date=26 August 2015}}</ref>

Gibson produced the guitar in three finishes, Cherry, Natural and Sunburst, with each finish reflected in its model name — the cheapest, Sunburst, was the default ES-345TD, the Cherry finish was denoted as ES-345TDC and the natural finish as ES-345TDN.<ref name="GW">{{cite news |last1=Brakes |first1=Rod |title=Classic gear: Gibson ES-345 |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/classic-gear-gibson-es-345 |access-date=29 November 2022 |publisher=Guitar World |date=2 December 2020}}</ref>

==Specifications== 1958 saw the introduction of Gibson's new thinline series of guitars in the ES-335 and 355, both of which came with a semi-hollow body. The bodies were made of laminated maple with spruce bracing, and a solid maple center block - designed to prevent unwanted feedback from the pickups - extending from the base of the body (where the strap button is mounted) all the way to the mahogany neck, along with a rosewood fingerboard.<ref name="Vintage"/>

The fretboard of the guitar has what are known as "split parallelogram" inlays. The guitar also features a stereo pickup configuration and 6-position Varitone circuit on certain models.<ref name="GW"/> The varitone's positions were not properly defined by Gibson, which left players describing the various sounds of the varitone dial positions as "squishy", "underwater", and "guitar-in-a-box". What the varitone does is run the signal from the pickups through any number of chokes installed in the guitar, which produces pre-set frequency scoops in the sound of the guitar whilst also keeping highs and lows.<ref name="Reverb">{{cite news |last1=Schu |first1=Peter |title=The Varitone Circuit Demystified: Scott Sharrard and the Gibson ES-345 |url=https://reverb.com/news/the-varitone-circuit-demystified-scott-sharrard-and-the-gibson-es-345 |access-date=6 December 2022 |publisher=Reverb |date=1 October 2016}}</ref>

At the same time, Gibson also manufactured a variant of the ES-355, with the model suffix 'TD-SV', which was, in effect, a fancier version of both the 335 and 345. However, both the 345 and 355TD-SV did not become as popular as the simpler ES-335 model. One reason was that both the ES-345 and the ES-355 each required a 'Y' cable and a [[TRS jack]] to separate the pickup signals, whereas the much simpler mono ES-335 did not require any special equipment to function properly. The original ES-345 came with gold-plated nickel parts and [[PAF (pickup)|PAF humbucker]]s.<ref name="GW"/> Early models from 1959 and 1960 featured long pickguards, which extended all the way to the bridge, but it was shortened in 1961 on all models.<ref name="MR"/>

During the early years of manufacture, Gibson installed a [[Stoptail bridge]] on models without a vibrato unit, but beginning in 1964 they began to transition into installing gold trapeze tailpieces on ES-345s. It was not until 1982 that Gibson transitioned back to stoptail bridges on the ES-345.<ref name="Batey">{{cite book |last1=Batey |first1=Rick |title=The American blues guitar |date=2003 |publisher=Hal Leonard |location=Milwaukee, WI |isbn=9780634027598 |page=143 |edition=1st |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=10PtO6eF12UC&dq=gibson+es-345+history&pg=PA143 |access-date=29 November 2022}}</ref> Some of the first Gibson ES-345s also shipped with a [[Bigsby vibrato tailpiece]].<ref name="Duchossoir">{{cite book |last1=Duchossoir |first1=A. R. |title=Gibson electrics : the classic years : an illustrated history from the mid-'30s to the mid-'60s |date=1998 |publisher=Hal Leonard Corp |location=Milwaukee, Wis. |isbn=9780793592104 |page=234 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rogO4vkRrYcC&dq=gibson+es-345+history&pg=PA234 |access-date=29 November 2022}}</ref>

A limited series of cherry-colored ES-345s was released in 2025, in correspodence with the 40th anniversary of the film "Back to the Future", faithful replicas of Marty's guitar from the film. Two models were released, one by Gibson and one by Epiphone, and came with an array of additional BTTF paraphanellia including a hard case with the logo of Marvin Berry and the Starlighters, the McFly family photo and a Flux Capacitor.

==Notable players== *[[Elvin Bishop]]<ref name="Reverb"/> *[[George Harrison]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pssst, Hey, Beatle|date=13 January 2012 |url=https://www.es-335.com/2012/01/12/pssst-hey-beatle/|language=en-US|access-date=3 March 2023}}</ref> *[[Steve Howe]], main guitar on the 1972 album ''[[Close to the Edge]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gear4music.com/blog/yes-steve-howe-interview/|title=Yes 'Close to the Edge' 50th Anniversary – Steve Howe EXCLUSIVE Interview|last=Rice|first=Tom|date=27 May 2022|website=Gear4music Blog|language=en-US|access-date=16 August 2024}}</ref> *[[Hiroki Kamemoto]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://guitarmagazine.jp/interview/2020-1104-glimspanky-kamemoto/2/ |title=Interview｜亀本寛貴（GLIM SPANKY）ギター・ソロの魅力を再確認させる『Walking On Fire』|work=Guitar Magazine|language=Japanese |date=2020-11-04|access-date=2024-12-29}}</ref> *[[Jorma Kaukonen]] *[[B.B. King]]<ref name="Reverb"/> *[[Freddie King]]<ref name="Reverb"/> *[[Marty McFly]] — [[Michael J. Fox]] appeared with two different ES-345s in both [[Back to the Future]] and [[Back to the Future Part II]] respectively. The ES-345 featured in the first movie is now the subject of a search by Gibson, known as "Lost To The Future".<ref name="Reverb"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Lost To The Future |url=https://losttothefuture.com/ |website=Lost To The Future |publisher=Gibson Brands, Inc. |access-date=28 August 2025}}</ref> *[[John McLaughlin (musician)|John McLaughlin]] — Bought in 1978, his 1976 instrument has been modified with a scalloped fingerboard, a mini-humbucker in the neck, and a Bigsby B12 vibrola.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McLaughlin |first1=John |title=John McLaughlin - Equipment |url=https://www.johnmclaughlin.com/equipment/ |access-date=28 August 2025}}</ref> *[[Bill Nelson (musician)|Bill Nelson]] *[[Harry Vanda]] *[[Bob Weir]] acquired an ES-345TDC in 1967, and from 1971 until early 1973 it was his primary guitar. *[[Bob Welch (musician)|Bob Welch]] used a Gibson ES-345 and a heavily modified [[Fender Stratocaster]] on Fleetwood Mac's 1971 album, [[Future Games]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://musiclegends.ca/bob-welch-fleetwood-mac-interview/|title=Bob Welch Interview, Fleetwood Mac Guitarist on Nashville Flood|last=Saulnier|first=Jason|date=4 May 2010|website=Music Legends Online|language=en-US|access-date=15 September 2019}}</ref> *[[Marcus King|Marcus King]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{commons category}} *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO46qveHL3M Video - Scott Sharrard of the Gregg Allman Band on The Gibson Varitone ES-345]

[[Category:Gibson electric guitars|ES-345]] [[Category:Semi-acoustic guitars]] [[Category:1958 musical instruments]] [[Category:1959 in music]] [[Category:Discontinued products]]