"Special"?? Vintage 1968 Gibson ES-345 Sparkling Burgundy with a hidden feature!

Just in from its original owner out of Long Island, NY is this incredibly well preserved 1968 Gibson ES-345 TDC "Special" with factory Bigsby tailpiece and custom color Sparkling Burgundy finish. When I saw that the tag says "Special", I originally thought that it was in reference to the Sparkling Burgundy finish that it's sporting. I plugged it in as soon as it arrived from the original owner and noticed something that I've never experienced before on an unmodified vintage Gibson stereo guitar: in-phase pickups with no disturbed solder!
John: / truevintageguitar
Riggs: / the_riggstaylor
Riggs on YT here: ‪@RiggsTaylor‬
Gibson debuted their Stereo with Varitone switch features on the ES-345 model in 1959. Each pickup outputs to one side of the stereo signal via a TRS input and two mono outputs. But unlike their mono output guitars, the Stereo guitars all (or nearly all apparently) have a reversed magnet on the bridge pickup. It sounds in-phase through a Gibson stereo amp, but if the signal is summed to mono before the amplifier (if you want to play through your pedals in mono like an ES-335), then the pickups are out of phase from each other.
And that's what makes this example very unique: both pickup magnets are typical south to strings facing on the screw coil like a standard mono output ES-335! So with the included ES Box and TRS to TRS cable, a player can use this guitar like every other ES-335. Or if you're feeling experimental, you can run each pickup wet or dry through different pedals like Riggs does in the video!
The listing is here if this 1968 Gibson ES-345 Special Sparkling Burgundy finish is still available: truevintagegui...
Are you looking to sell a vintage Gibson guitar? You can contact me here: truevintagegui...

[@mikesweeney1435]

Such a great color! 😍😍😍

[@bryancollins6796]

Awesome guitar! Beautiful, and what a tone.

[@mikemiller6628]

Years ago I had a burgundy Gibson ES 330

[@patrickwaclaw]

What in the hell is that SG?

[@chriswahle1942]

please do a video of the blue sg, very cool!

[@truevintageguitar]

I’d be happy to as soon as I find out what it is. Can you help?? It’s definitely the original finish, but it isn’t a metallic finish like Pelham is. So what is it??

[@Tonetwisters]

That out-of-phase is actually a VERY COOL sound! These mono OOP guitars pop up all the time. And all you really should do is run different pedals onto the individual stereo pickups into two different amps. Why have a stereo guitar and then turn it MONO?!?! Does not make sense! I have a 1973 ES-355 and love running it into two amps with individualized effects on each pickup/amp. That SG Standard with the Varitone is FAR OUT!!