Vintage 355 Vibe Without The Vintage Price Or Drama
If you have always wanted a big, classy ES-355 that sings like a late 50s Gibson but your wallet disagrees, this Epiphone “Inspired by Gibson” 1959 ES-355 is the sweet spot. Gibson Custom worked with Epiphone on this one, so you are getting the real 59 recipe: maple and poplar semi-hollow body, solid maple centerblock, ebony board, and genuine Gibson Custombucker pickups.
The result is that chewy, vocal semi-hollow tone with piano-like lows, glassy top, and a midrange that blooms when you lean into it. Plug it into a clean amp and it is wide, open, and three-dimensional. Hit it with some grit and it tightens up and sings without turning into a muddy mess.
Gibson-Grade Semi-Hollow Power
The 5-ply layered maple and poplar body with a solid maple centerblock gives you that ES-style air and chime, but with the focus and feedback resistance you need on stage. Spruce bracing lets the top move just enough so chords have depth and single notes have that little halo of resonance around them.
The Classic White finish with VOS treatment is pure old-school class. It is not a plasticky high-gloss that chokes the tone. It feels and looks like a guitar that has been cared for since 1959, not like something that just rolled off an assembly line.
50s Rounded Neck And Ebony Board
The one-piece mahogany neck has a 50s Rounded Medium C profile that fills your hand without feeling like a baseball bat. It is the kind of neck that makes you want to stop staring at the specs and just play, because every position up the board feels natural and consistent.
The ebony fingerboard adds snap and clarity to the attack, which is exactly what you want on a semi-hollow like this. Bends feel buttery, vibrato feels controlled, and the block mother of pearl inlays and bound board give you that “top-shelf Gibson” look every time you glance down.
Real Gibson Custombuckers, Real 59 Voice
Here is the lowdown: the pickups are not generic Epiphone humbuckers. They are real Gibson Custombuckers, wired up with CTS pots, Mallory caps, and Switchcraft switch and jack. That matters, because it is the heart of why this guitar sounds way more expensive than it is.
Roll your volume back and you get glassy, articulate cleans that stay clear instead of going dull. Open everything up and the Custombuckers give you rich, complex overdrive with harmonic bloom and just the right bite to cut through a mix. Neck pickup for syrupy blues, bridge for snarling rock rhythm, middle position for soulful, airy chords that sit perfectly in a track.
Dressed To Kill In Classic White
The Classic White finish, gold hardware, and tortoise bound guard hit that tuxedo-level class without feeling fragile or fussy. Gold Grover Rotomatic tuners, gold pickup covers, and the Gibson-style open book headstock with split diamond inlay make this look like it should cost two or three times what it actually does.
The details are right: black top hat knobs with dial pointers, amber switch tip, bound tortoise long guard, and the Inspired by Gibson Custom logo on the case. It is a guitar you will be proud to walk into any session or gig with.
Dialed In And Ready From Moore Guitars
Photos are of the actual guitar, so what you see is exactly what will show up at your door. It has been inspected three times in our shop and gets our full Player-Perfect setup before it leaves: clean fretwork, dialed-in intonation, and action set where it actually plays like music instead of a chore.
Tell us your preferred string gauge and action at checkout and we will set it up your way. We ship it fast and free in its brown and pink hardshell case, so the only thing you have to worry about is what song you are playing first.
Questions about this guitar? Call (888) 794-8482 and talk to a real player on our team who has actually held it, played it, and can give you the straight story.
