Gibson / ES-330 TD / 1964 / Sunburst / Guitar
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Sunburst is surely your favourite traditional Gibson colour and this nice 1964 Gibson ES-330 TDC wears it so well.
Introduced in 1959 as the successor to the ES-225 and the budget thinline alongside the ES-335, the ES-330 bridged the gap between the new centre block arch top guitars and Gibson’s classic arch tops of the previous decades becoming a firm favourite with players such as BB King and Grant Green not to mention the rhythm guitar of choice for many.
Theres no hiding with this guitar round your neck. The vibrant sunburst finish has kept a good colour that really accentuates the grain pattern of the maple. There are a few dings here and there - take a look at the pics, but nothing at all structural.
The same can be said for the neck which has worn along its length which suggests a past of more than a just a cowboy chord rhythm machine. The fretboard is good with some signs of wear. The original frets show quite extensive signs of use with some pitting in places. The guitar is perfectly playable in this condition but would benefit from a refret at some stage.
The plastics are in good shape as is the nickel though the plating has dulled on the pickup covers with some corrosion on the bobbins. This doesn’t detract from the look of the instrument.When it arrived with us there was a thin aluminium bridge fitted, we found a period correct, nickel ABR-1 with nylon saddles and that is what is on there now.
Electronically the guitar looks to be correct, original harness, pots caps etc. Both pickups are strong and very evenly balanced which is not always the case with ES-330’s from this period.
The guitar comes with its correct Selmer case which has been covered almost entirely with Gaffa tape and the lid stay has been replaced.
Acoustically this guitar has a pleasantly warm tone that certainly tips the hat to Gibson’s arch top heritage. Plugged in the guitar runs the gamut from warm neck pickup to a more honky, biting bridge pickup tone. 1963 saw Gibson revert back to fuller neck profiles and this is a fine example of that, being very comfortable in the hand
If 330’s are your thing and why would they not be, don’t let this one get away…
ATB Guitars, UK 
Hello we’re ATB Guitars.
We are one of Europes leading sellers of vintage and rare guitars. We only sell vintage Gibson and Fender electric guitars from 1950 until 1975 and have an extensive inventory to browse in our bricks and mortar store in Cheltenham, UK or in our online web store.
Payment and p/x:
All prices are in UK GBP £ Sterling. Payment can be made by Paypal, bank transfer, cash, or money order cashiers cheque etc.
Should you not be absolutely delighted with your purchase you may return it to Cheltenham, at your own expense, within 7 days from the date of delivery for a full refund. The item must not have been altered or tampered with in any way, and it must arrive in the same condition as it left us.
Postage and shipping:
We ship within the UK by Royal Mail Recorded (small items under 2Kg), TNT or UPS and Worldwide by Royal Mail Airmail Signed For (small under 2Kg) Parcelforce, UPS or FedEx. All shipping prices include expert packing, cartons and packing materials but not insurance which is typically around 2% of items value. Currently approx shipping rates for a single guitar are as follows:
UK excluding Northern Ireland and Highlands £29
Most of mainland Europe £49
U.S.A. £129
Asia £149 - £190
Rest of World including S. America £149 - £275
