This is an original 1959 Gibson ES-355 Stereo guitar in cherry red with some very interesting rock'n'roll history. We purchased this guitar from Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs who was the original rhythm guitarist and along with Liam and Noel Gallagher, was a founder member of the Manchester band Oasis until 1999. Bonehead owned this guitar from the early days of Oasis until just recently. This is a fabulous guitar with a couple of issues, mainly that the guitar has had a small crack repair which clearly visible in the photo's which runs from the back of the 'G' string tuner to the top of the headstock. This is a very old repair and is totally stable and although the finish on the neck is original it was oversprayed with clear lacquer which has now aged to match the rest of the guitar. There are no other splits or repairs. The pickguard appears to be a repro but the guitar does feature original hardware including a great sounding pair of original PAF pickups, bell knobs, 3-way switch, Stereo Varitone circuit, a non-wire ABR-1 bridge, original M-69 pickup rings, bell truss rod cover, with the only other non original parts being the amber switch tip and the Bigsby vibrato as the guitar was originally fitted with an early sideways vibrola. The orange label is original to the guitar bearing the serial number A32833 dating it to 1959 and it has a factory order number stamped in the treble F-hole of S1144 again, confirming it's date of manufacture to 1959. The guitar features original frets and pearl block inlays, the last 3 inlays being the same size also confirming it to be an original late 50's guitar. There is no serial number on the rear of the headstock which is correct for a late 50's ES- series guitar. The tone of this thing is awesome - it's everything you'd expect from a top of the range Gibson and more and it is a dream to play - the 59 neck profile is a favourite among players and the rounded profile makes it a great feeling guitar. The instrument is accompanied by a later period fitted Gibson hardshell case. Visit www.wesellguitars.com for more great guitars!