Signature ES-355 Packed with Premium-level Features
A 20-year veteran of the Japanese music scene, Shinichi Ubukata of Ellegarden and Nothing’s Carved in Stone has long favored the old-school elegance of the ES-355 for his distinct brand of alt-rock edge. The Epiphone Shinichi Ubukata ES-355 Custom Bigsby doubles as a stunning replication of his axe of choice and a feature-stacked 6-string with world-class hardware and electronics. Firstly, the maple semi-hollowbody is loaded with dual Gibson ’57 Classic humbuckers and a vintage-style 6-position Varitone rotary switch to provide you with endless PAF-style tonal possibilities. Next, the rounded “C” mahogany neck is topped off with a beautiful slab of ebony, then finished with custom block inlays. What about performance? A top-class hardware trio of Grover Rotomatic Tuners, an ABR-1 LockTone bridge, and a Bigsby B70 Vibrato system ensure the highest level of tuning stability and playability. It’s all wrapped up in an attention-demanding black-on-black finish with graceful diamond F-holes, 7-ply body binding, and a signature Shinichi skull on the back of the headstock.
Style carved in stone
From the black-on-black finish to the custom Shinichi skull on the back of the headstock, the Epiphone Shinichi Ubukata ES-355 Custom Bigsby is no slouch when it comes to style. The semi-hollow maple body is adorned with Trini Lopez-style diamond F-holes — a perennial favorite of Foo Fighters founder Dave Grohl, who has not-so-coincidentally been spotted several times sporting one of Shinichi’s signature Gibson/Epiphone 6-strings. The rest of the guitar is pure ES-335 elegance, boasting a sleek ebony fingerboard, highly refined 7-ply body binding, custom block fingerboard inlays, and a split-diamond mother-of-pearl headstock inlay.
Professional-grade hardware
Like the rest of the Epiphone Shinichi Ubukata ES-355 Custom Bigsby, this guitar’s hardware configuration comprises only the highest quality components. Genuine Grover Rotomatic tuners adorn the headstock to provide rock-solid tuning stability, while the ABR-1 Locktone bridge keeps everything locked down and reliable on the opposite end. Finally, it’s rounded out with a Bigsby B70 vibrato, a must-have for guitarists hunting after old-school warble and sway. Sweetwater guitarists often find that Bigsby-equipped instruments with a long string travel typically deliver a far more resonant and open-sounding response, especially compared to a standard stoptail system.
Gibson USA pickups paired with a vintage-style Varitone switch
The ES-355 has historically served as the ES-335’s upscale sibling, but the Shinichi Ubukata ES-355 Custom Bigsby’s appointments go well beyond the surface level. Under the hood lies a pair of clear and organic-sounding Gibson ’57 humbuckers, the same pickups used on many of Gibson USA’s top-of-the-line models. They’re one of the most renowned PAF-style humbuckers in the Gibson catalog, supplying you with everything from articulate and jazzy cleans to Shinichi’s own brand of raw-alt rock bite. Moreover, this guitar fully lives up to its ES-355 heritage with a full-fledged Varitone switch — a period-correct rotary knob with six distinct positions of frequency scoops for endless tonal possibilities.
Epiphone Shinichi Ubukata ES-355 Electric Guitar Features:
- Signature guitar of Shinichi Ubukata, a 20-year veteran of the Japanese rock scene and guitarist/songwriter of the bands Ellegarden and Nothing’s Carved in Stone
- Maple semi-hollowbody with old-school ES-355 elegance and stylish diamond-shaped F-holes
- Mahogany neck in a comfortably rounded “C” profile
- Sleek ebony fingerboard with custom block inlays
- Dual Gibson ’57 Classic humbuckers for resounding PAF-style cleans and raw, ripping-driven tones
- Varitone rotary switch provides six distinct tonal positions to swap between
- Rock-solid Grover Rotomatic tuners and ABR-1 LockTone bridge
- Bigsby B70 vibrato unlocks sweeping vibrato with exceptional tuning stability
- Signature Shinichi skull design on the back of the headstock
