History speaks for itself. The ES-335 is one of the most important guitars of all time. Right from its introduction in 1958 as the world’s first semi-hollowbody electric guitar it has been a mainstay of players eager to balance the gorgeous, round, mellow tones perfect for jazz and blues with the edge and sustain of a full-blooded solidbody. Today Gibson Memphis creates exacting duplicates of the ES-335 as it first left the Kalamazoo plant in 1958. That year just 267 were built, but the original vintage 335s grew steadily in popularity, peaking in 1967 thanks largely to Eric Clapton’s high-profile use of a cherry ES-335 in the band Cream.