The Gibson Flying V is an electric guitar model first released by Gibson in 1958. The Flying V offered a radical, 'futuristic' body design, much like its siblings the.
A Gibson ES-335 with a Phase Switch This adaptation of the popular ES-335 weighs 9.60 lbs. And has a nice, fat nut width of 1 11/16 inches and a standard Gibson scale length of 24 3/4 inches. Laminated maple body, mahogany neck, and bound ebony fretboard with 22 jumbo frets and inlaid pearl block position markers. This guitar has the original brass nut. Multi-bound headstock with inlaid pearl 'Gibson' logo and pearl crown inlay.
'ES-347' on truss-rod cover. Individual Gibson tuners with tulip-shaped metal buttons. Serial number ('81302569') and 'Made in U.S.A.' Stamped on the back of the headstock. Two humbucking pickups with outputs of 8.02k and 7.95k.
Four-layer (black/white/black/white) plastic pickguard. Four controls (two volume, two tone) plus three-way selector switch on lower treble bout and two-way phase (coil-tap) switch on upper treble bout.
Black plastic bell-shaped knobs with metal tops. Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridge and separate stud tailpiece. The body is single-bound. This guitar is in near mint condition, with only some smooth natural playing wear on the treble side of the neck between the third and ninth fret.
All hardware gold-plated. Housed in the original Gibson black hardshell case with dark red plush lining (8.50). Oval white Gibson label inside the bass f-hole with serial number and 'Model ES-347TD.' Original Dirty Finger pickups (neck pickup has a white bobbin and the bridge pickup has a black bobbin). The white stamps on the bottom of the pickups show a sequential matching pair, the numbers are: 409 482 and 410 482, also in the bridge pickup cavity is the name in ink 'Sharon/J/8#'.
'Gibson totally revamped its line of semi-hollowbody guitars (with the 'wonder-thin silhouette') in early 1979. They replaced the ES-335 with their first 'reissue' - the ES-335DOT - and discontinued the ES-345 and 355, which had never sold as well as the more workmanlike 335. These guitars were replaced by a new model, the ES-347, which combined many of their most attractive features with new trends in guitar technology.
The 347 had deluxe appointments: maple body and neck; bound ebony fingerboard with pearl block inlays; an SP-2 headstock with binding and tasteful 'crown' inlay; and gold hardware. Its updated features included high-output 'Dirty Fingers' humbuckers, a coil-tap switch, Gibson’s new TP-6 fine-tuning tailpiece, and the 'Sustain Sisters', which had their genesis in the big brass insert of Mitch Holder’s ES-355 Custom. Gibson R&D had refined Mitch’s concept, and the Sustain Sisters were four large, threaded brass inserts sunk into the centerblock, into which the TP-6 and Tunomatic bridge were mounted' (Baker Rorick, 'Gibson ES-357,' at http://www.vintageguitar.com/brands/details.asp?ID=22).
Here's mine: This is a 1981 347 made in Kalamazoo, s/n 81251XXX. For the record, i did replace original pickups and wiring harness with Dimarzio 36ths., and 500k pots. I know these were made for 15 years or better, and that there is some diversity within the model, but mine seems to be especially rare for the following reasons: 1. This guitar has a cherry sunburst finish, which appears to be an extremely rare finish for this model. I wonder whether this is true, or whether there are more CSB 347s out tyere than it seems.
Gibson 347 For Sale
All the other 347s I've encountered have gold hardware, but mine is chrome, another rarity. Were all 347s in cherry sunburst also given chrome hardware, I wonder? Lastly, this example has a standard Gibson tailpiece, whereas all the other 347s I've seen have the TP-6 with individual fine-tuners for each string.
It doesn't appear to have been teplaced, especially since I believe the TP-6 to be a bit wider than the standard stopbar. These three anomalies make me wonder whether this particular 347 might have been part of a special run, a custom job, or something else. I called Gibson, but their catalog of serial numbers only goes back to '89, so I was told to email them with pics., which I did.
I'll let everyone know what Gibson says, but meantime, let's talk 347 - add your pics., compare features, discuss mods, etc. I love this model - a little too close to my 1979 ES-355 to seriously consider getting one for myself but it's a great model.
I have to say as well, yours looks particularly nice. I've seen a few with that deep cherry sunburst so I don't think they're hugely rare. Blonde seems to be most common 347 finish followed by black and vintage sunburst, then the cherry burst. I think there was a wine red option as well but it's a long time since I've seen one.
It's a great burst, that early 80s cherry - very different from the cherry sunburst occasionally used on ES models in the 60s. Gold hardware and TP6 was standard as far as I know. I have a TP6 knocking about somewhere, I'll have to check the post spacing.
I thought they were straight drop in replacements for a standard stop bar but I might be wrong. I'm not sure about the CSB finish.
I have a Gibson catalog from 1981, and it lists tobacco sunburst and natural. I'd bet the original owner replaecd the fine-tuner tailpiece. I had a Strat with one and I couldn't get rid of it fast enough.
I speculate that the owner couldn't find a gold one, so he swapped out the hardware for chrome parts - he (or she) should have been easily able to find somebody to trade for gold pieces (somewhere out there there's trapeze 335 with gold parts). The serial number problem is real: the story I heard was that, when Norlin sold out to Henry, the password to the computer the serial numbers were on didn't make it to the new owners. I agonized over buying a new ES-347 and a SF Super Reverb vs a '63 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gent and a Carvin X100 oak amp in 1981.
In the end, the Country Gent and the Carvin won out, but I forever felt regrets. The 347 was the only ES model during the Norlin era (other than the ES-340 - a friend has one) available with a stop tailpiece and natural finish. I ended up playing the Gretsch for 25 years and sold it for 2.5K more than I paid for it. I went through a '70 Les Paul Deluxe gold top, a Bigsby-equipped SG and now have a blonde 335 Dot. Once I got my hands on the 335, I had buyer's remorse all over again. I could have had the great upper fret access, even sound up and down the neck, and practical controls for that many more years!
On the other hand, the sale of the Gretsch more than compensated me for what I paid for the Gibson. Anyway, enjoy your 347. It's a gem, especially the finish: a lot of Gibsons with CSB look more like 'sunburn'. The post-spacing was the same, but they were wider from front to back, weren't they?
In order to incorporate the thumbscrews? I'm thinking if it were replaced, you might see a tiny bit of finish loss on one side or the other. Not sure, though. Yeah, I love the color on this guitar.
I set about looking for a Gibson semi a couple summers ago, and when I settled on the 347, there were many to choose from. Found this one in killer condition, with a drool-worthy finish, and they only wanted $1875, so I jumped on it. A Strat with a TP-6? I'm guessing it was something different lol. Had a 25/50 Anniv. Les Paul with a TP-6, and it was awesome, but frankly, so is the stopbar. I suppose it's possible someone later switched the gold hardware to chrome, but man, that would have been a pricey swap even 30 years ago, and with no Internet to scavenge replacements, it'd have been a hassle, too.
I wonder if Gibson sold loose hardware all those years ago. Either way, I dig the chrome.
Hell, I'd dig gold with this finish. Can't really lose. I have a 1990 version, the last year they were made.
Mine has the coil-tap next to the pickup selector 3-way switch, instead of on the upper bout. Mine is in vintage sunburst finish (avatar)which I thought was the most popular finish, followed by black, natural, cherry and CSB. It seems the prices are increased for the natural or blond finish. I have gold hardware and the stock Series 7 (Dirty Fingers w/ gold covers) pickups. I have a TP-6 tailpiece which really helps for any intonation issues. I wanted one for my LP because they are interchangeable with a stop tailpiece; the TOM bridge on my LP I just can't seem to properly intonate and a TP-6 would help.
The $139.99 price deters me. The tone and volume controls are speed dial knobs, not the top hats you have. Ebony fingerboards are common on this model, and the amount of binding they used put this model closer to the 355. I often call this model a BBKing with F-holes, the only other differences are the pickups, the BBKing uses 490R and 490T pickups.
Also, there is no 6 position Varitone on the 347. The action on this guitar is the best I have in my collection and it plays like butter. If I were to change pickups I would want the 4 conductor Classic '57s for use with the coil-tap. If I change the pickups I would have to change the tone pots, too, from 100k to 300k. The volume pots are 300k. True, Qblue (hey, that rhymed lol). Both switches on mine are topped with similar plastic covers, so I'm glad for the distant placement.
John, originals in mine I believe we're Dirty Fingers, and they were noisy and aquealy. The 36ths and new wiring harness changed all that. I don't have clips, but the tone plugged straight into my Goodsell is from the gods. Full, ballsy blues-rock heaven.
Add a drive or boost, and the result is pure hard-rocking madness that cleans up really well with a simple twist of the volume knob. I truly couldn't be happier.
More good news: They can be had for much less than a new 335, even after the pickup swap. I say, pick your favorite finish, and grab one ASAP! I think the dirty fingers pups were modified by Bill Lawrence when he worked for Gibson.
There is a short history of a circuit board inserted to alleviate the muddy sound. I didn't know that until a few years ago, and I don't know what they do, except a few anecdotal quotes that BL didn't want to change the sound of the guitar. I like the sound of these pickups both untapped and tapped. I like single coils better in general, so the tapped sound is a favorite for me.
The most a used one in natural finish, in good condition, would cost is $3500. So you got a good deal. A new 335 is about $4500; I paid $1500 new, for my ES-347. I 'made' my friend Ron buy a special custom built ES347 I found used when we lived in Kalamazoo. It is a dark sunburst and has multiple layers of body binding, bound f holes, and, a bound headstock with, if I recall, a split diamond inlay pattern (might be a crown, though).
It's a 347 for sure, because it has the TP-6, the coil tap switch, and the most outstanding ES347 feature, the three piece maple neck. A great guitar, although I agree with upgrading the pickups. It was and is in mint condition with the OHSC.and cost $500! I am a good friend.