Gibson / ES-330 TD Factory Vibrola / 1965 / Sunburst / Guitar
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For those of you out there who can’t get enough of the sunburst this stunning 1965 Gibson ES-330 TD with factory fitted vibrola surely fits the bill.
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.
1965 was an interesting and seminal year for Gibson. It marked the crossover for a number of features, most notably the change from the 43mm nut width to the 41mm width and the change from nickel plated hardware to chrome plated hardware. This particular one has what some people refer to as a transitional nut width of 42mm and has a mixture of nickel and chrome parts.
Theres no hiding with this guitar round your neck. The ice tea sunburst finish (first official year for this) has kept that those exquisite hues with the brighter two tone contrasting wonderfully with the darker back. Both front and back are free from any knocks or wear. The colour really accentuates the grain pattern of the maple. There is a little crazing but nothing too substantial.
The same can be said for the neck which has a few minor dings. The fretboard is excellent and the frets have plenty of life left in them. The plastics are in great shape with only very slight warping of the pick guard.
The hardware is possibly the most striking thing about this guitar. The mainly nickel with some chrome shows no signs of pitting and the factory fittedLyre Vibrola looks new. A stunning addition.
Electronically the guitar looks to be correct with the solder joints being untouched and both pickups undisturbed with original windings.
The guitar comes with a 70’s Gibson black tolex hardshell case with purple lining.
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. Though the vibrola may not be your go to vibrato unit, it works well here and provides just the right amount of wobble without throwing the guitar out of tune.
If 330’s are your thing and why would they not be, don’t let this one get away as it is a mightly fine example of this timeless classic…
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
