Gibson ES-340TDW Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1969)
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Gibson ES-340TDW Model Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1969), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 563213, walnut lacquer finish, laminated maple body, laminated maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
This 1969 ES-340TDW is one of Gibson's interesting 335 family experiments from the end of the 1960's, a time the company was trying all sorts of things. The differences from the 335 are not too apparent at first glance; the most visible change is a laminated maple neck in place of the mahogany, touted as an upgrade at the time. The 340 was initially cataloged as having a birch veneer laminate body; this walnut finished example, like many, appears to be built on a standard maple laminate body.
"Under the hood" the wiring scheme is the most unique feature, a completely different flavor of the standard Gibson 4-knob, one switch recipe. The two Patent # humbucking pickups are standard fittings, but the 3-way switch offers a completely different selections than usual: in-phase, out-of-phase or standby. There is one master volume knob, although each pickup has a separate tone control. The top forward knob is a blend control, allowing the pickup signals to be mixed in any ration in either the "in or out" phase configurations. This is essentially the same as the sometimes baffling Rickenbacker 5th knob, and on this guitar in practice offers a wide range of blended sounds. This ES-340 retains its original wiring; a large proportion have been re-wired to standard 335 configuration, which seems a bit of a waste of a novel idea.
The instrument's other features are typical for 1969 including the then brand-new dark Walnut lacquer finish, Gibson's concession to the "Hippie wood" look starting to become popular at the time. The rosewood fingerboard is bound with pearloid block inlay like the 335, and the headstock is identical as well. The nut width is quite narrow as it had been since late 1965, but the neck itself is rather chunkier back-to-front than many and feels great. The hardware includes the chrome-plated Tune-O-Matic bridge with nylon saddles, trapeze tailpiece, enclosed Kluson Deluxe tuners with double-ring plastic buttons and the "amp"-style black molded knobs.
The ES-340 never really caught on big, with only 261 Walnut examples shipped 1969, 184 in 1970 and less than 900 total before it was phased out by mid-70s. This first-year example shows some play time but no abuse and remaining all original, a fine sounding and playing instrument offering a unique sonic twist on the familiar ES-335 formula.
Overall length is 41 3/4 in. (106 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.). (Posted on 5/8/2025 by Peter Kohman)
Overall length is 41 3/4 in. (106 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This is a generally clean guitar overall, showing some minor wear but no repairs or alterations. The unusual wiring setup remains original; a large proportion of these have been rewired to the familiar ES-335 spec. over the decades. The deep walnut finish shows some light checking and minor wear, with one noticeable spot of finished dinged off the top and some wear to the edge of the upper soundhole. There is some scratching on the back, but no heavy belt buckle wear.
The original large frets show some very minor wear and playability is excellent. The guitar is still housed in its original '60s style yellow-lined black HSC, a late example of this as the purple-lined '70's case was just about to appear. In the pocket is a passel of original paperwork including the instruction sheet for the novel wiring, hang tag, inspection tag and case key in the envelope. Overall this is a very nice example of this slightly oddball Gibson, a sonic oddity hidden under a familiar look! Excellent Condition.
This 1969 ES-340TDW is one of Gibson's interesting 335 family experiments from the end of the 1960's, a time the company was trying all sorts of things. The differences from the 335 are not too apparent at first glance; the most visible change is a laminated maple neck in place of the mahogany, touted as an upgrade at the time. The 340 was initially cataloged as having a birch veneer laminate body; this walnut finished example, like many, appears to be built on a standard maple laminate body.
"Under the hood" the wiring scheme is the most unique feature, a completely different flavor of the standard Gibson 4-knob, one switch recipe. The two Patent # humbucking pickups are standard fittings, but the 3-way switch offers a completely different selections than usual: in-phase, out-of-phase or standby. There is one master volume knob, although each pickup has a separate tone control. The top forward knob is a blend control, allowing the pickup signals to be mixed in any ration in either the "in or out" phase configurations. This is essentially the same as the sometimes baffling Rickenbacker 5th knob, and on this guitar in practice offers a wide range of blended sounds. This ES-340 retains its original wiring; a large proportion have been re-wired to standard 335 configuration, which seems a bit of a waste of a novel idea.
The instrument's other features are typical for 1969 including the then brand-new dark Walnut lacquer finish, Gibson's concession to the "Hippie wood" look starting to become popular at the time. The rosewood fingerboard is bound with pearloid block inlay like the 335, and the headstock is identical as well. The nut width is quite narrow as it had been since late 1965, but the neck itself is rather chunkier back-to-front than many and feels great. The hardware includes the chrome-plated Tune-O-Matic bridge with nylon saddles, trapeze tailpiece, enclosed Kluson Deluxe tuners with double-ring plastic buttons and the "amp"-style black molded knobs.
The ES-340 never really caught on big, with only 261 Walnut examples shipped 1969, 184 in 1970 and less than 900 total before it was phased out by mid-70s. This first-year example shows some play time but no abuse and remaining all original, a fine sounding and playing instrument offering a unique sonic twist on the familiar ES-335 formula.
Overall length is 41 3/4 in. (106 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.). (Posted on 5/8/2025 by Peter Kohman)
Overall length is 41 3/4 in. (106 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This is a generally clean guitar overall, showing some minor wear but no repairs or alterations. The unusual wiring setup remains original; a large proportion of these have been rewired to the familiar ES-335 spec. over the decades. The deep walnut finish shows some light checking and minor wear, with one noticeable spot of finished dinged off the top and some wear to the edge of the upper soundhole. There is some scratching on the back, but no heavy belt buckle wear.
The original large frets show some very minor wear and playability is excellent. The guitar is still housed in its original '60s style yellow-lined black HSC, a late example of this as the purple-lined '70's case was just about to appear. In the pocket is a passel of original paperwork including the instruction sheet for the novel wiring, hang tag, inspection tag and case key in the envelope. Overall this is a very nice example of this slightly oddball Gibson, a sonic oddity hidden under a familiar look! Excellent Condition.