Gibson ES-335 Dot 1991 - 2014

About the Gibson ES-335 Dot 1991 - 2014

The ES-335's entire design logic comes down to one piece of wood: a solid maple block running the full length of the body's centre, flanked on either side by genuinely hollow chambers rather than a solid slab. That block is what makes the semi-hollow format work as something more than a compromise - it gives the top enough rigidity to resist feeding back at stage volume the way a fully hollow archtop would, while the hollow wings still vibrate and contribute real acoustic warmth a solid-body Les Paul or Stratocaster simply can't produce.

This particular production run carries a genuinely unusual detail even by Gibson's own naming standards: the guitar started out sold under the name ES-335 Dot, then was officially renamed the ES-335 Reissue partway through this same 1991-2014 window - meaning an early-1990s example and a 2010s example of what's catalogued here as one continuous model actually wore two different official names during their respective production years. The spec itself stayed close to late-1950s vintage territory throughout: a one-piece mahogany neck with a slim '60s taper, bound rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays, and 57 Classic humbuckers voiced to recreate the original PAF-era character rather than a modern hot-output alternative.

Where to buy

• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot 2013 Cherry 2.199 EUR Best price View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 "Dot" Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar w/Case - Ebony (2006) 2.313 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot 1991 - 2014 - Cherry 2.329 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot 1997- Figured Antique Natural 2.329 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot Vintage Sunburst 1991 2.332 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Made in Memphis ES-335 Dot 2003 - Vintage Sunburst 2.379 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot 2007 - Figured Cherry - Memphis 2.499 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot Reissue 2001 Cherry Red – Made in Nashville (Excellent Playing Condition, Natural Aging) 2.674 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot 2011 Cherry 2.699 EUR View details
• Reverb 2006 Gibson USA ES 335 Dot - in Cherry Red 2.730 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot 2003 Cherry 2.977 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot Figured Antique Natural 2001 3.041 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 DOT Reissue Custom Vintage Sunburst 3.050 EUR View details
• Reverb 2001 Gibson ES-335 Dot Figured Cherry Semi-Hollow Guitar w/ 57 Classic PAFs, Hangtags & Case 3.056 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Es-335 Dot Reissue, nickel hardware. 2004 - Memphis 3.069 EUR View details
• Reverb 2005 Gibson ES-335 Dot Figured Cherry Semi-Hollow Guitar, 57 Classic PAF & DiMarzio w/ Case 3.075 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot 1997- Figured Antique Natural 3.085 EUR View details
• Reverb 2005 Gibson Memphis ES-335 Dot Antique Natural, 100% Original & Near Mint w/ 57 Classic PAFs, Case 3.131 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Memphis USA ES-335 Semi Hollow Dot Cherry w/ OHSC & COA 3.167 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot Reissue 2004 - Antique Natural 3.200 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot 1991 - 2014 - Figured Cherry 3.200 EUR View details
• Reverb 2006 Gibson Memphis ES-335 Dot ebony 3.217 EUR View details
• Reverb Beautiful Vintage 2000 Gibson ES 335 Dot Tobacco Sunburst Yamano Order w/ Orig. HSC 3.222 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES 335 Dot 1997 - stunning Flamey See Thru Bright Red w/Gold Parts Special Order ! 3.256 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot 1997 Figured Vintage Sunburst 3.277 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot 2002 Figured Antique Natural 3.289 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot 1997 - Figured Antique Natural 3.350 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot 2013 Vintage Sunburst 3.351 EUR View details
• Reverb 2003 Gibson ES-335 Dot Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar Figured Beale Street Blue + COA OHSC 3.443 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Custom ES-335 Dot 2010 Vintage Sunburst – OHSC, COA, Near Mint 3.490 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES 335 DOT Figured Sunburst ES335 Flamed (Cod.811UG) 2014 3.490 EUR View details
• Reverb 2009 Gibson Custom Shop ES-335 Dot Figured Cherry 3.490 EUR View details
• Reverb 1997 Gibson (Good Wood Years) ES-335 Dot Figured - Cherry Red - Yamano Hand Picked Export - Pro Set Up! (Perfect Frets/Action/Intonation) - Tons of MOJO 3.494 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot 1999 - Black-Ebony 3.494 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot Figured 1995 Cherry 3.499 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES 335 Dot Custom - Memphis 3.500 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Es 335 Dot Custom Shop 1963 Reissue 2012 - Figured Cherry 3.531 EUR View details
• Reverb 2011 Gibson ES-335 Dot figured cherry 3.542 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot 1991 - 2014 - Figured Cherry 3.546 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 DOT Reissue 2008 - Vintage Sunburst (COD 2115UG) 3.790 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot 1997 - Figured Vintage Sunburst 4.000 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot Natural (Pre-Owned, 1997, VG+) #92517655 4.096 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA ES-335 Dot Reissue Semi-Hollow "Vintage Sunburst + Rosewood" (1995) 4.097 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson ES-335 Dot 2000 Translucent Brown Yamano Music w/ OHSC, Case Candy 4.188 EUR View details
• Reverb GIBSON USA ES-335 Dot Reissue Yamano Import "Vintage Suburst + Rosewood" (1988) 4.221 EUR View details
• Reverb 1997 Gibson ES-335 Dot antique natural 4.300 EUR View details
• Reverb 1999 Gibson ES-335 Dot 4.339 EUR View details
• Reverb Gibson Custom ES-335 Dot Cherry 4.752 EUR View details
• Reverb 2013 Limited Edition Gibson ES-335 Dot in Gold finish with hard shell case 4.929 EUR View details

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Source: https://reverb.com/item/97896512-gibson-es-335-dot-1991-2014-figured-cherry

Sound character of the Gibson ES-335 Dot 1991 - 2014

As a semi-hollow, the ES-335's fundamental character sits between the two poles most guitars researched in this project occupy: more acoustic air and resonance than a solid-body Les Paul or SG, but tighter and more feedback-resistant than a fully hollow archtop. The 57 Classic humbuckers are voiced to recreate the warmer, less compressed character of original late-1950s PAF-style pickups rather than a modern hot-output alternative, keeping the guitar's overall voice consistent with the vintage recipe the rest of the spec chases.

What owners of the Gibson ES-335 Dot 1991 - 2014 say

The slim, flat '60s neck is consistently treated as a defining preference point rather than a universal positive - players who find Gibson's chunkier '50s carves too much reach for this profile specifically, framing the choice between the two eras as a genuine fork rather than one being simply better.

The semi-hollow construction's feedback tendency at high volume is treated as a known, accepted characteristic of the format rather than a defect specific to this production run - players who choose an ES-335 generally know what they're signing up for and value the tonal trade-off deliberately.

Playability & handling of the Gibson ES-335 Dot 1991 - 2014

The slim '60s-taper neck profile is noticeably thinner and flatter in the hand than the substantial '50s carves found on the Les Paul Standard '50s already researched in this project - a genuine, immediately felt difference for players moving between the two, not just a spec-sheet number.

Documented individual examples weigh around 8 lb 10 oz, within the roughly 7.5 to 9 lb range typical for ES-335-family guitars depending on specific configuration - lighter than an unrelieved solid-body Les Paul of comparable size, a direct benefit of the hollow wings either side of the centre block.

Recommended accessories & strings for the Gibson ES-335 Dot 1991 - 2014

The 24.75-inch scale takes the same .010-.046 starting point as other short-scale Gibsons researched in this project. Because the semi-hollow construction is more feedback-prone than a solid body, especially at high stage volume or with heavy gain, some care with amp placement or a noise gate becomes more relevant here than it would on an equivalent solid-body Les Paul or SG - not a flaw, just the honest trade-off of the format the guitar was specifically designed around.

Technical data for the Gibson ES-335 Dot 1991 - 2014

Price history for the Gibson ES-335 Dot 1991 - 2014

Cheapest seen: 2.199 EUR  ·  Most expensive seen: 4.929 EUR

The history of the Gibson ES-335 Dot 1991 - 2014

The ES-335 is, by consistent accounts, the music industry's first semi-hollow electric guitar, introduced in 1958 under Gibson president Ted McCarty. McCarty himself described the thinking behind it directly: "I came up with the idea of putting a solid block of maple in an acoustic model to get some of the same tone as a regular solid body, plus the instrument's hollow wings would vibrate and we'd get a combination of an electric solid body and a hollow body guitar." It solved a genuinely practical problem of the era - hollow archtops fed back badly at the volumes electric players increasingly needed, while solid-bodies, though feedback-resistant, lacked the acoustic warmth many players wanted to keep.

Within this specific 1991-2014 production window, the model's own name changed partway through: it launched as the ES-335 Dot and was later officially renamed the ES-335 Reissue, an unusually documented mid-run naming shift for a single continuous production era. Throughout, the guitar was built to recreate late-1950s vintage specification closely - the slim '60s neck taper, dot inlays, and PAF-inspired 57 Classic pickups - rather than incorporating the more dramatic modern updates Gibson applied to some other lines during the same decades.

About Gibson as a manufacturer

This guitar belongs to the same Ted McCarty-led golden era of Gibson design already touched on in the Les Paul Studio 1990-1997 research in this project, but where that guitar's story centres on the Norlin-to-1986-buyout corporate turnaround, the ES-335's significance is purely about the engineering problem McCarty's team solved: proving a guitar didn't have to choose between solid-body reliability and hollow-body character.

That single design decision - the centre block - proved influential enough that Gibson built an entire ES family around variations on it (the ES-345 with its Varitone circuit, the ES-355 with ebony fingerboard and Varitone options, among others), each adjusting the formula slightly rather than replacing it, a rare case of a single mid-century engineering solution still defining an entire guitar category more than six decades later.

Notable players & recordings featuring the Gibson ES-335 Dot 1991 - 2014

Larry Carlton has the most direct, sustained connection to this exact model: his nickname "Mr. 335" comes from his late-1960s ES-335, which he used as his primary session guitar for decades across work with Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell and many others, and Gibson eventually built him his own signature ES-335LC based on it. Eric Clapton played a 1964 ES-335TDC through his Cream years, a guitar central to defining British blues-rock's sound, and Chuck Berry famously wielded a cherry red ES-335 through his most iconic stage performances.

An important correction: B.B. King is frequently and incorrectly associated with the ES-335, but his famous "Lucille" is actually based on the ES-355, not the 335 - a related but genuinely different model with its own Varitone circuit and other spec differences, deliberately checked and corrected here rather than repeated as a common but inaccurate assumption.