Introduced in 2000 and only made for a handful of years, the Gibson ES-446 is an overlooked and often misunderstood Custom Shop model. Incorrectly marketed as "in between" a Les Paul and an ES-335, the ES-446 is actually more like a hollowbody archtop guitar than either of those. To be fair, its unique construction and design are not like anything else to ever come out of the Custom Shop.
Based on dimensions, the ES-446 body does fall somewhere in between a 335 and LP—it is 13-3/4" across and 17" long. Its thinline body is approximately as deep as each of those models, too. But that's where the similarities end. Its body is fully hollow, whereas the 335 is semi-hollow and the Les Paul is solid. Also, it has a carved Spruce top instead of a Maple top, but what's most interesting—and what makes the ES-446 a unique beast—is the way the top is braced.
Borrowing from the violin tradition (and also mandolins, thanks to Lloyd Loar), traditional archtop guitars have two parallel top braces that run from the neck block to the end block. On over 99% of archtop guitars, these braces are carved from separate pieces of Spruce and then glued to the underside of the carved top. But on the ES-446, the braces are carved out of the same block of Spruce as the top. Essentially, the braces are part of the top. This intriguing design requires a high level of workmanship and also a substantial amount of Spruce. It makes the guitar deeply responsive, and it gives its tone nice woody character. Despite what it does for the sound of the instrument, this laborious and inefficient design is probably why the Custom Shop discontinued this model.
From there, the ES-446 has straight-forward electrics and components. It sports Gibson '57 Classic humbuckers, a three-way switch, two volume controls, and two tone controls. It has a trapeze tailpiece, an ABR-1 Tune-o-Matic bridge, and Kluson Deluxe tuning machines with Keystone buttons. It's a familiar, usable template that makes this guitar feel right at home, even though its construction is unlike anything you've played before.
This 2002 Gibson Custom Shop ES-446 is clean! It features a gorgeous, full-gloss vintage sunburst top finish, and it doesn't look to have been played much over the years (see photos). In fact, the protective film on the pickguard is still in place. There is a little wear near the input jack, frets are pristine, and the setup is great. No repairs, no issues—it's a great player that brings something unique to the table. Original case included, but the combination lock is broken.