Big 59 ES tone, real Gibson Custombuckers, and tuxedo-class looks without the Custom Shop price
If you’ve been chasing that wide-open 1959 ES-355 thing, this Epiphone “Inspired by Gibson” nails the feel, the look, and the sound in a way that actually makes sense for working players. In partnership with Gibson Custom, they built a semi-hollow that gives you all the vibe of the flagship ES model without you having to baby a vintage museum piece.
The 5-ply layered maple/poplar body with a solid maple centerblock and spruce bracing gives you that perfect mix of air and focus. It rings like a semi-hollow should, but the centerblock keeps the feedback under control when you lean on your amp or stack some drive pedals. The VOS cherry red poly finish has that gently aged sheen that looks classy under stage lights instead of plasticky and cheap.
Flagship ES-355 Build, Dialed For Real-World Playing
This is Epiphone’s top-of-the-line ES shape, and you feel it as soon as you pick it up. The ES-355 body brings full-size semi-hollow authority, dressed up with multi-ply binding, a long tortoise pickguard, and gold hardware that screams “big gig” before you even plug in.
Under the hood, the maple centerblock and spruce bracing are doing the heavy lifting. You get long, piano-like sustain, a tight low end, and enough acoustic volume that you can hear the chords bloom before they ever hit your amp. It is a proper stage tool, not a couch-only jazz box.
50s Rounded Neck & Ebony Board Feel Just Right
The one-piece mahogany neck with the 50s Rounded Medium C profile hits that sweet spot between vintage chunk and modern comfort. It fills your hand enough to keep your fretting hand relaxed, but it is not a baseball bat that will wear you out halfway through the second set.
The ebony fingerboard brings snap and clarity to every note. A 12 inch radius and 22 medium jumbo frets mean bends are glassy and smooth, chords stay comfortable all over the neck, and the mother of pearl block inlays give you that old-school ES-355 tuxedo vibe every time you look down.
Real Gibson Custombuckers: The Secret Sauce
Here is where this guitar jumps way ahead of the pack: it is loaded with genuine Gibson Custombuckers. These are the same style of pickups that live in high-end Gibson Custom Shop guitars, dropped into an Epiphone that costs a fraction of the price.
The neck pickup gives you warm, syrupy cleans that stay articulate for jazz, soul, and blues. The bridge pickup has that classic PAF-style bite and grit that loves overdrive without ever turning harsh. The hand-wired CTS pots, Mallory caps, Switchcraft selector, and jack mean your volume and tone knobs actually feel connected to the sound instead of on/off switches.
Stage-Ready Hardware And A Proper Case
Gold Grover Rotomatic tuners keep this thing locked in tune through big bends, wide vibrato, and long sets. The Tune-O-Matic bridge and Gibson Historic reissue aluminum stop bar give you solid intonation, fast attack, and a lively acoustic response. A Graph Tech nut keeps tuning stable and makes bends feel smooth, not grabby.
Real talk: the included brown hardshell case with pink interior and Inspired by Gibson Custom logo is exactly what you want if you are gigging, traveling, or just want to protect your investment. This is a full pro package right out of the box.
Moore Guitars Setup, Inspection, And The No-Disappointments Factor
This specific guitar weighs in right around 8.7 pounds, feels balanced on a strap, and has already been inspected three times by our crew. Every Epiphone we sell gets a full Player-Perfect setup dialed in by a real tech, not rushed through a warehouse line.
Photos on the product page are of this exact serial number, so what you see is what shows up at your door. If you want extra pictures, want to talk about a trade, or want to ask about 0 percent financing for up to 36 months with Synchrony, just call us at 888-794-8482. You should have zero disappointments when you crack this case and hit that first chord.
