1959 Gibson ES-335 Sunburst

Not all 1959 ES-335's are created equal. This one kind of proves the point. Big neck (early) vs medium neck (later). Thin top vs "standard" top. Black PAFs vs white vs zebra. Shallow neck angle vs "normal" neck angle.
Big frets vs little frets. Bigsby vs stop tail. From a desirability standpoint I can say with reasonable confidence (I sell a lot of 59 335's) that some are definitely more desirable. And those are more expensive too. My personal preference would be a thin top, double whites, big neck, big fret, shallow neck angle, stop tail. Good luck finding that one because the ones with thin tops usually have small frets and a shallow neck angle. And the ones with double whites often have the thicker top and the smaller neck. I find that the best sounding 335's have the thin top and (though I don't know why) the shallow neck angle. Big neck, small neck and bobbin color is a matter of taste not tone. Big frets or small frets depends on what kind of music you play and how you play it. Bigsby vs stop tail is also a matter or preference but also of price-a Bigsby will cost you a fair bit less and most have the stop tail bushings already. So what is this one and why do I like it enough to keep it off the market for a while so I can play it. Read this: https://www.es-335.com/2024/11/15/magic-rack
This early 59 has a thin top, small original frets, shallow neck angle, double black PAFs and had a Bigsby but is now a stop tail. It is a monster player. Up there with the best of them. The neck is a little big for my small hands (otherwise I would keep it for myself). Neck measures .92" at the first and .985" at the 12th. That's big. Frets are original PAFs read 8.02K bridge and 8.18K neck. I, unlike most, prefer the hotter pickup in the neck position. They are pretty close however and the balance is quite good. The tuners are repro but the originals are in the case and need new tips. The stop tail is the correct short seam. The ABR-1 is lightly shaved on the treble side only for better action. Brown original Gibson case.