Up for sale, a 2001 Gibson Custom Shop ES-446 in excellent condition and in perfect working order, complete with a hardshell case. This rare Gibson Custom Shop archtop was only produced from late 1999 to 2003, featuring a scaled-down (13 3/4“ wide) thinline hollow body and a pair of ‘57 Classic PAF humbuckers. The ES-446 also features unique bracing on the carved spruce top: the parallel tone bars are actually carved from the same piece of spruce as the top itself (the top and bracing is all one piece of spruce), a labor-intensive and exceedingly uncommon technique that results in a remarkably resonant acoustic response.
The spruce top is paired with mahogany back/rims, a one-piece mahogany neck, and a rosewood fretboard. The ‘57 Classics yield a traditional PAF-style tonal profile: notes are sweet and bold, with great clarity and a touch of growl in the bridge position, offering lots of breadth when flipped to the neck position humbucker, perfect for smooth, woody Jazz sounds. This ES-446 is featherweight at 6lbs 5oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.
Neck Specs:
-Wood: Mahogany
-Shape: Slender C, full shoulders, measuring .820” 1st fret, .925” 12th fret
-Fretboard: Rosewood, dot inlay
-Frets: Medium jumbo, virtually no wear
-Scale Length: 24 3/4”
-Nut: 1 11/16”
-Tuners: Grover Rotomatics (replacement)
-Serialization: CS1-prefix, Custom Shop decal
Body Specs:
-Wood: Spruce (carved), mahogany
-Bracing: Parallel tone bars (carved as part of top)
-Pickups: ‘57 Classic PAF humbucker x2
-Harness: Alpha pots, upgraded Cornell Dubilier tone caps
-Hardware: ABR-1 bridge, trapeze (nickel-plated)
-Plastics: Four-ply pickguard, black bonnet knobs
The gloss Sunburst nitro lacquer finish is very well-kept, showing a concentrated area of light buckle rash central to the back, and some small dings and light finish scratches on the body. The neck profile retains its smooth nitro gloss, free of palm wear.
A modern Gibson hardshell case is included.