Gibson Custom ES-345 Reissue Electric Blues Guitar  

This is a guitar for someone who cares deeply about tone. Whether they play Blues, Rock, or even some Metal, this guitar brings a combination of power and resonance to whatever one is playing. i've played Gibson Custom guitar, and I've played a vintage ES-345, and I'm quite sure the reissue is fantastic. This is not a guitar to be hung on the wall. It is to be played and loved. The varitone switch is something that may seem silly at first, but does add a great deal of versatility to the tone of the guitar. It allows the guitar to sound as thin and twangy as a single coil guitar, or as beefy and resonant as a guitar with very high powered humbuckers. It plays like a dream, and string bends are completely natural. There is a sort of magic that takes place when one plays a guitar that feels so natural and has had so much thought go into its production as this. I hope whoever reads this gets a chance to play this guitar. Cheers!

Just a fantastic guitar to play with . I use it for ""Chuck Berry Tribute show "" in Sydney Australia with a  2 / Fender Twin 1970 models it sounds brilliant in stereo, The weight  action, is also just right even to do the " Duck Walk" all nit long

I have played the thinlines from the ES 330 full hollow to the 335,345,347, and 355. My old axes are getting a bit too valuable to drag around. Gibson has kept this true to the design sound and feel of all the vintage 345/347s I have played over the years. I am a trained luthier who did an apprenticeship, and in my opinion these are still made with a high level of quality like those from the 60s. The price is a bit steep, but when I see those from the 60s selling for six figures it makes these a bargain, I guess. I just love these though. The vari-tone is a neat feature. I have put a Bigsby on one recently and installed some of my hand wound blueblack enamel pickups on it. This gave me a good look around inside the body. They are still a guitar that plays wonderfully, and can do rock, blues, country, jazz, swing, stage band, and about anything else you can imagine. These are both beautiful and functional beyond belief. My last one was a walnut finish, but I prefer natural, then red. The split blocks, and crown inlay are iconic for this model as is the sound, touch, feel, and overall experience of playing a true legend from the McCarty years! You just have got to love these Electric Spanish thin lines no matter what model you have. The 345 is a personal favorite. My uncle owned a music store. It was small, but he always seemed to have a rack with a 330,335,345,347, and 355 on it behind the counter. He toped this row off with a D'Angelico Selmer, but the Gibsons were a must have item for him. I wish I had all those guitars that went through the shop way back when, but it is comforting to know Gibson has a product that still possesses the sound, feel, and quality of those wonderful guitars of bygone days.

I purchased a new ES 345 at the age of 16 back in 1966.  My guitar teacher had one and let me play his on occasion. I was hooked the first time I held one.  I worked odd jobs and played in a band for two years to save the money to buy my Gibson.  Needless to say 41 years later, I wouldn't sell it for ANY amount of money.  Although I don't play as much as I did in the 60's and 70's, I still get a great deal of enjoyment sitting down and playing my beautiful red 345. The tone and ease of playing just get better as time goes by. My Gibson remains one of my most precious possessions.  You can take my wife or my big house or even my sports car- but DON'T TOUCH MY GIBSON! 

The lead guitarist in my classic rock band plays an original 345 and that along with his 2x12 Fender combo puts out the most totally incredible sound. I mean we're playing hits from the old days and his 345 sounds just like the original recordings. If I had the bucks I'd say you can't go wrong with a 345. I have the cheap Epi Dot which is decent but puts out nowhere near the sound of the 345. If you want to get the original sound of the 60s classics and before, this is totally your axe!! My jaw dropped when I heard it the first time at our first practice.