Gibson’s limited-edition Chuck Berry 1955 ES-350T promises to be a "perfect" replica of the rock ‘n’ roll legend’s iconic guitar

(Image credit: courtesy of Gibson)

Gibson has been hinting at a Chuck Berry 1955 ES-350T all year, and now the impressively-spec'd limited-edition electric guitar has been officially announced.

The model, created in conjunction with the Chuck Berry family, is an historically accurate, "perfect" replica of Berry’s 1955 ES-350T and, incredibly, the first-ever Berry signature guitar.

The new 1955 ES-350T boasts a three-ply figured maple/poplar/maple Venetian cutaway hollow body, an Authentic '55 medium C-Shape three-piece walnut/maple/walnut neck and a 22-fret Indian rosewood fingerboard with double parallelogram inlays.

Pickups are a pair of custom dog-ear P-90s, with two 500K CTS volume and tone knobs.

Other features include Kluson single line single ring tuners, a no-wire ABR-1 bridge and an engraved wire loop trapeze tailpiece.

The guitar comes with a Custom Shop ES-350T case, a replica strap and a replica of the Zuni 'Sun God' bolo tie that Berry wore throughout the 1950s.

(Image credit: courtesy of Gibson)

The Chuck Berry 1955 ES-350T is being produced in a limited run of just 55 examples. 

The guitar will be available for $14,115 beginning on October 18 - what would have been Berry’s 93rd birthday.

For more information, duck walk over to Gibson

That astonishing price is even higher than the previous record-holder, Slash's $13,299 1966 EDS-1275 Doubleneck.

Richard Bienstock

Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.