Head to head
Gibson LE 1959 ES-345 Reissue with Bigsby, Heavy Aged, Ebony vs Harley Benton ST-70 RW
Electric$8,999
No ratings yet75Overall / 100
The verdict
The Gibson LE 1959 ES-345 Reissue with Bigsby, Heavy Aged, Ebony comes out ahead overall — 75 to 65 on our estimated score.
Estimated from specs & owner reviews — a starting point, not a substitute for playing both.
Gibson LE 1959 ES-345 Reissue with Bigsby, Heavy Aged, Ebony wins on
- Better build (87 vs 58)
- Better sound (68 vs 60)
Harley Benton ST-70 RW wins on
- Better value (75 vs 65)
- Lower price ($195 vs $8,999)
Scorecard
| Metric | LE 1959 ES-345 Reissue with Bigsby, Heavy Aged, Ebony | ST-70 RW |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 75 | 65 |
| Build | 87 | 58 |
| Playability | 75 | 72 |
| Sound | 68 | 60 |
| Value | 65 | 75 |
Full specifications
| Spec | LE 1959 ES-345 Reissue with Bigsby, Heavy Aged, Ebony | ST-70 RW |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Gibson | Harley Benton |
| Type | Electric | Electric |
| Years | — | — |
| Country | US | — |
| Body wood | Maple/poplar/maple | Basswood |
| Neck wood | Mahogany | Maple |
| Fretboard | Rosewood | Amaranth |
| Strings | 6 | 6 |
| Frets | 22 | — |
| Scale | 24.75" | 25.51" |
| Pickups | Custombucker Alnico 3 / Custombucker Alnico 3 | 3 Roswell STA Alnico-5 Vintage ST-Style Single Coils |
| Rating | — | — |
| Price | $8,999 | $195 |
| 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 | — |
| Bridge | ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic | — |
| Bridge pickup | Custombucker Alnico 3 | — |
| Case | Custom Shop Hardshell | — |
| Centerblock | Maple | — |
| Control Knobs | Gold Top Hats | — |
| Controls | 2 volume, 2 tone with Varitone | — |
| Finish | Gold | Natural High Gloss |
| Fretboard inlay | Split-parallelogram | — |
| Fretboard radius | 12 in. | 304.8 mm | 305 mm |
| Fret Count | 22 | — |
| Joint | Long neck tenon | — |
| Model | 59ES34526LE23271 | — |
| Neck pickup | Custombucker Alnico 3 | — |
| Nut | Nylon | — |
| Output Jack | 1/4" | — |
| Pickup Covers | Gold | — |
| Pickup Selector | 3-way toggle | — |
| Profile | Authentic 1959 | — |
| Scale length | 628.65mm / 24.75in | 648 mm |
| String gauges | .010, .013, .017, .026, .036, .046 | — |
| Tailpiece | Bigsby | — |
| Tuners | Kluson Deluxe | — |
| Ex Factory Stringing | — | D'Addario .010 - .046 (Article no. #104555#) |
| Neck profile | — | C |
| Nut width | — | 42 mm |
| Top wood | — | Imitation rosewood veneer |
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