The Untold Story of the 3rd Gibson ES-355 EVER MADE!

[@chicagomusicexchange]

THANKS FOR WATCHING!! SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE CHICAGO MUSIC EXCHANGE!! NEW VIDEOS EVERY WEEK!!

[@diggingwithmartin]

well, thats my dads guitar... and this is AWESOME!!! i had that here at the house for a couple years till my sister brought it to sell to you guys. i always wanted to come up and play it but just didnt do it.... that video of my dad & i playing, he was 85 yrs old there. there are more videos of him playing on my youtube channel "themrmartinhough" (that was the only name that wasnt taken...) he was an amazing player and father and teacher as well. i really loved the article and video you did!!! there were a few details that were missing tiny parts but overall, what a tribute... thank you so much!!!

[@diggingwithmartin]

i have a correction.... he was almost 80 when we played, not 85. just a side note: dad stopped playing out when he turned 85, he said it was a birthday present to himself.

[@chicagomusicexchange]

@@diggingwithmartin incredible! Thank you so much for allowing us the opportunity to share his story and help continue the guitars journey!

[@diggingwithmartin]

@@chicagomusicexchange and thank you as well, my sister speaks very highly of you guys!

[@StarryEzra_1]

@@diggingwithmartinwe have a family reunion here.... he was my great grandpa, im your great-niece.

[@zorbcanoo8574]

I knew the instant this thumbnail popped up, Nathaniel would be laying down some tasty fingerstyle magic on this beauty!

[@michaelpacinus242]

Kisses from Italia 🇮🇹

[@johngower2208]

What an incredible guitar player that man is!

[@diggingwithmartin]

very true!

[@jonnybeck6723]

Nathaniel plays this old gem really nicely... I luv the 'Gimme Shelter' licks, well it all sounds great

[@realgoodmind]

Thanks for sharing your guitar with the world Kenny and family. Truly remarkable piece and it couldn't be cooler. What a legend.

[@diggingwithmartin]

you are welcome! it is an awesome guitar and i would have kept it.... but i couldnt afford to buy my siblings share plus, it was tough to play it after my dad died. its now been 5 yrs and i just started playing his 1966 355 now and then at home.

[@rockfan11288able]

Bonamassa is probably already on the phone acquiring it as we watch lol.

[@rommelrivera1186]

nah, it's not bundled with a Fender tweed amp. lol

[@diggingwithmartin]

true, but i still have the fender amp my dad played that guitar thru.... and the 66 355 that he retired the 58 with.

[@zeroamplification]

They put holly and a stinger on the back of early 355's because the headstock on these guitars was larger and they were adapting standard necks for them. They accomplished this by having larger "wings" on the side of the standard neck/headstock. On multiple 355's, Charlie Gelber, the absolute authority on ES guitars, has found they took normal headstock 335 necks, took the wings off, added bigger wings, re-drilled the tuner holes and then covered it all nicely with holly and a stinger.

[@MarkBlackburnWPG]

Is there anything better than people who know what they're talking about? And thanks, ChicagoMusicExchange for eliciting this informed comment from "zeroamplification".

[@diggingwithmartin]

you are absolutely right on!!! thats exactly what my dad told me as well, this was his guitar till we sold it to C.M.E.

[@EDDBUD]

Quite possibly the greatest guitar sounds ever in this video. Quite amazing playing and gear right here. Thanks

[@chicagomusicexchange]

Wow! Thank you!! 🤘🤘

[@floydmorrison2025]

What an amazing guitar and story!! WATCH SPOTTERS!! - Daniel appears to be wearing an Omega Speedmaster 'Dark Side of the Moon' @18:04 in this video, and if I remember correctly, that dude David was wearing a standard Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch in the video where he helped Nathaniel spec out his ideal SG using the Gibson Made 2 Measure builder!! So, like, is wearing a Speedy a prerequisite for working at CME or something??? The J-200 Noel Gallagher Signature Model guitar was sweet, but isn't it time that Nathaniel was gifted a Speedy as well?!?!? 🤣🎉. Thanks so much for sharing this incredible video!!!

[@rafialvarez3308]

Stunning guitar, stunning and inspirational story, and stunning presentation. An excellent presentation of the magic world of guitars, the music they make, the magic of their history and the players who made it all possible. Truly beautiful and inspirational!

[@ToddTheJoker]

Amazing piece of history and guitar! and great playing too

[@roughcutguitars]

What a guitar - and what a story as only a guitar of that provenance would have to the point of continuing to forge its own destiny in Nathaniel's formidable hands. The parallel in Daniel's comment about Nate's humility with Ken's cannot be ignored. Chicago's loss would most definitely be Nashville's gain. He has only to want it.

[@diggingwithmartin]

so true, my dad was the most down to earth regular guy you could ever meet. he was his own worst critic. alot of times he would play live and after think he didnt do so well and i would play the video of them back to him and it was amazing!!! he would say "i should have played it different or better" i would just laugh and say " oh dad, you are just ants at a picnic". ha haha

[@mkmorris24]

I wished I've aged as well as that guitar - if it was finished the day number 1 came out that would be April 21st, 1958 - the exact day I entered this world. Of course I have one, how could I not? But not nearly so old - she's an '87. But thank you so much for featuring this - what a treat to see! and I love the history you're relaying to us!

[@realgoodmind]

Unreal. What a find and so glad we got some Stones going! New tour finally. In Keith We Trust

[@SamuelOceanMusic]

3,35 or 3,3,5 ... It matters not. ;) Fascinating story. Seriously, what a great sounding guitar! Nathaniel never disappoints.

[@chicagomusicexchange]

Glad you enjoyed it! 🤘🤘

[@naysunhuang]

what about three hundred and thirty five?

[@jackmundo4043]

Nathaniel is one of the greats. A true virtuoso.

[@Tonetwisters]

This was most likely, the model guitar used to play rhythm on The Ventures, "Walk Don't Run." It's pictured on the cover of their first album. The story goes that they were no where around for the cover photo shoot, so staffers were used to take their place and "staff" guitars as well; but if you listen to the drive of that rhythm, you'll hear that it certainly was not a Stratocaster on the record, but a neck or "front" humbucking pickup of a Gibson. I am blessed to own a 1973 version of this guitar, and it is wonderful. That, from a player of 62+ years ... And this is an excellent video, all the way around.

[@chicagomusicexchange]

Thank you for sharing that! Awesome! 🤘🤘

[@taylorwerner384]

Goddamn give that guitar to that man it ever sung that beautifully ever

[@PanamaJack666]

Incredible story, incredible history! Thanks for sharing it!

[@brianphelps1183]

Very nice. I have my fathers Gibson 1960 ES355TDSV and his Gibson Ranger 55 RVT .

[@justinguitarcia]

Beautiful guitar and beautiful story. I know it doesnt matter but I always wish that when folks like this pass that someone, anyone in the family can carry the torch but im sure the money did them good and its still singing so all good

[@diggingwithmartin]

i agree with you, and i had it here for a couple yrs but i couldnt afford my siblings share and it was really hard for me to play it after dad died, i just now started playing his 66' 355 that he retired the 58' with. its been almost 5 yrs since he died, and still a bit hard to get over....

[@delivrance3961]

gorgeous tones and amazing play!!!

[@chezzter4447]

8:56 Idk what that was but it’s awesome

[@tres311]

My favorite guitar

[@nicklausroberts738]

Damn....the things i would give to have that🤦‍♂️ so beautiful

[@jvd3n_geetar]

The coolest and one of the oldest guitar I’ve ever played is a 68’ 335 but goddamn man this is another level.

[@iansnyder274]

Genius player

[@dwftube]

Lovely top end.

[@paternuin]

That's the most beautiful 335 ever! That's why should put a yellow undercoat below the red, if not they fade ugly and pale, like most 335s

[@IOMMIFAN6565]

355

[@diggingwithmartin]

ha ha my dad played this 58' 355 guitar at outside shows and the old style hot lights on the road with lorretta lynne and dottie west's 1st t.v. appearance also. and many country stars and it faded to what you see in this video....

[@ScottsGuitar]

I just want to do a side by side with my new ML 355❤, this is already the best guitar I’ve ever heard so I can’t imagine what #3 is like to wield... 65 years later and still to do a custom order to get the bigsby 😂

[@rommelrivera1186]

Awesome guitar and history. I thought Gibson had originally put dots instead of blocks on the fretboard at first. At least my 1958 ES-335 reissue has dots. Thanks for sharing!

[@ScottsGuitar]

This is a 355 which is custom blocks and ebony like a les Paul custom. 335 had dot neck until the 60s 👍

[@rommelrivera1186]

@@ScottsGuitar true, my bad. I failed to read the model number. Regardless, a masterpiece of an instrument!

[@diggingwithmartin]

the 1st 10 58' 355's were made 1st as a prototype to see if there was any interest in that style guitar. and the 345's &335's were the lower priced models offered after the prototypes is what i was told by my dad.... this was his guitar, i've seen it all my life till we sold it to C.M.E.

[@Keven_Ortiz]

Gibson needs to make a replica geeeeez!!!

[@snapfinger1]

Hank Garland used the same little tiles to put his initials on the first black custom color Strat that’s disappeared. Hang on to that 355.

[@diggingwithmartin]

he made those letters at R.C.A. when he worked in the plating room.... they are 10 k gold.

[@lordjs9726]

Interesting that this one is so early that it is before they added the varitone switch to them.

[@diggingwithmartin]

none of the 1st 10 355's prototypes had the variatone, dads is # 4 we thought, but C.M.E. says its #3. my dad always told me it was #3.... i guess he was right after all!!!

[@sheercerebralpower]

Well done Nathaniel…..

[@lexgarnier]

Lovely guitar and still pretty much worth nothing compared to a burst with half the provenance.. crazy ❤

[@HighscoreCreative]

awesome video

[@chicagomusicexchange]

Thank you!! 🤘🤘

[@drewburgess525]

Weren’t those batch built? It’s the third in serial number but built alongside 1,2, and presumably the other seven as well, right?

[@diggingwithmartin]

im not sure, but i dont remember dad saying that in specifically. a tiny correction to the video is he tried the 1st one andy nelson brought up here and dad told him he wanted a bigsby so gibson put it on a different one and brought it up to him. he may have actually tried out #1 or #2 , but then received #3 delivered to him finished with the changes he wanted.

[@AllTheTimeWasted]

It is always refreshing to see someone that actually can play displaying whetever gear. Also including the JHS-guy, The Brits (TGS), Beato so on and so forth. (I'm bad with names.....) To many videos with "demoes" where the guitar isn't even in tune from square one. (Not to mention intonation, sound, recording....)

[@chicagomusicexchange]

Thank you!! 🤘

[@guitarsofold100]

Wasn't the price $355.00 as rumored the model came from the sell price or is the another story....you mentioned the price $800.00??

[@diggingwithmartin]

no, my mom got the loan to buy it with my grandpa co signing for it to surprise my dad for Christmas. she said it was a $900 loan but maybe with interest.... whatever interest was in 1958...

[@Briansm15]

The fact that he was in Ohio is cool cuz I'm in Kentucky & have family in Ohio & that his story is my favorite out of a musician & their story although Dave Grohl, Kurt Cobain & Taylor Hawkins have cool stories but his is cooler

[@diggingwithmartin]

i totally agree with you.... cause thats my dad they are talking about!!! and man what a killer player but he didnt really know or acknowledge it. we just live up here in n.w. ohio

[@tjr3403]

What was the second song he played?

[@stevelambert6581]

where is the pick up toggle switch ?

[@Erik3pt]

It's near the bottom of the pickguard

[@cfreeman5631]

Sounds to me like it belongs in the hands of the guy playing it here.

[@diggingwithmartin]

well, it belongs in my dads hands that i saw all my life but sadly he passed away and i could afford my siblings share or bare to play it after he died. but this man does play it very well i admit.

[@TRICK-OR-TREAT236]

IT'S ACTUALLY THE 7TH ONE EVER MADE !

[@diggingwithmartin]

no, not according to gruen and don mossman. they said its either the 3rd or 4th made.

[@ChuckNicholsonTRM]

Unless the saddles were also changed, wouldn't a 1968 ABR-1 on an ES-355 have nylon saddles?

[@diggingwithmartin]

the other one is a 66' 355 he retired this 58' with. i havent looked at the bridge on it yet.... maybe i still have the original bridge to that guitar? i actually didnt know that my dad changed it.

[@richfiryn]

Will it be going on tour with Joe Bonamassa?

[@JoeDannyOrtiz]

Anyone recall how much this sold for? Just daydreaming.

[@stevelambert6581]

sorry i see it now..

[@druwk]

Joe Bonamasa, if you’re listening…😂

[@davidpepper442]

Is it Noel Gallagher that's buying the guitar? I bet it's Noel Gallagher.