Head to head
ESP Snapper Ctm See Thru Black Cherry vs Gibson LE 1959 ES-345 Reissue with Bigsby, Heavy Aged, Ebony
Electric$8,999
No ratings yet75Overall / 100
The verdict
The ESP Snapper Ctm See Thru Black Cherry comes out ahead overall — 81 to 75 on our estimated score.
Estimated from specs & owner reviews — a starting point, not a substitute for playing both.
ESP Snapper Ctm See Thru Black Cherry wins on
- Better build (97 vs 87)
- Better sound (73 vs 68)
- Better value (71 vs 65)
- Lower price ($6,149 vs $8,999)
Gibson LE 1959 ES-345 Reissue with Bigsby, Heavy Aged, Ebony wins on
No standout advantage.
Scorecard
| Metric | Snapper Ctm See Thru Black Cherry | LE 1959 ES-345 Reissue with Bigsby, Heavy Aged, Ebony |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 81 | 75 |
| Build | 97 | 87 |
| Playability | 78 | 75 |
| Sound | 73 | 68 |
| Value | 71 | 65 |
Full specifications
| Spec | Snapper Ctm See Thru Black Cherry | LE 1959 ES-345 Reissue with Bigsby, Heavy Aged, Ebony |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | ESP | Gibson |
| Type | Electric | Electric |
| Years | — | — |
| Country | JP | US |
| Body wood | Swamp Ash | Maple/poplar/maple |
| Neck wood | Maple | Mahogany |
| Fretboard | Hard Maple | Rosewood |
| Strings | 6 | 6 |
| Frets | 22 | 22 |
| Scale | 25.5" | 24.75" |
| Pickups | Seymour Duncan Vintage Hot Stack Plus / Seymour Duncan ’59/Custom Hybrid | Custombucker Alnico 3 / Custombucker Alnico 3 |
| Rating | — | — |
| Price | $6,149 | $8,999 |
| Bridge | ESP Flicker-III | ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic |
| Bridge pickup | Seymour Duncan ’59/Custom Hybrid | Custombucker Alnico 3 |
| Case | ST-1 Guitar Form Fit Case | Custom Shop Hardshell |
| Case Included | Y | — |
| Coa | Y | — |
| Construction | Bolt-On | — |
| Controls | Passive | 2 volume, 2 tone with Varitone |
| Finish | See Thru Black Cherry | Gold |
| Fretboard radius | 240-305mm Compound | 12 in. | 304.8 mm |
| Hardware | Chrome | — |
| Middle pickup | Seymour Duncan Vintage Hot Stack Plus | — |
| Neck pickup | Seymour Duncan Vintage Hot Stack Plus | Custombucker Alnico 3 |
| Neck profile | Slim U | — |
| Nut | Bone | Nylon |
| Nut width | 42mm | — |
| Scale length | 25.5" | 628.65mm / 24.75in |
| Strap Button | Standard | — |
| Top wood | Flamed Maple | — |
| Tuners | Gotoh Locking | Kluson Deluxe |
| Accessories | — | Certificate of Authenticity Booklet, Historic Reissue Hang Tags |
| Binding | — | Multi-ply top and back |
| Body Finish | — | Heavy Aged nitrocellulose lacquer |
| Body shape | — | ES-335 |
| Centerblock | — | Maple |
| Control Knobs | — | Gold Top Hats |
| Fretboard inlay | — | Split-parallelogram |
| Fret Count | — | 22 |
| Joint | — | Long neck tenon |
| Model | — | 59ES34526LE23271 |
| Output Jack | — | 1/4" |
| Pickup Covers | — | Gold |
| Pickup Selector | — | 3-way toggle |
| Profile | — | Authentic 1959 |
| String gauges | — | .010, .013, .017, .026, .036, .046 |
| Tailpiece | — | Bigsby |