1961 Gibson ES-330 T anyone?

Introduced in 1959 as the successor to the ES-225, the ES-330 bridged the gap between the new centre block thinline guitars and Gibson’s iconic archtops, becoming a firm favourite with players such as BB King and Grant Green.

The finish has kept that deep colour both front and back and free from any knocks or wear. The colour combination really accentuates the grain pattern of the maple. There is a little crazing on the sides but the top has avoided this. The back in particular has some nice figuring.

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 pickguard. The hardware shows no real signs of corrosion and still has that lustrous shine. 

These guitars were shipped from the factory with just the single strap button at the tailpiece end and you were expected to tie your binder twine around the headstock behind the nut. Many people obviously added a second strap button and a former owner has done exactly that. One of the previous owners also fitted different tuners as is evidenced by rings around the tuner posts on. the front of the headstock.

Electronically the guitar has zero issues with the solder joints being untouched and the pickup is correct with original windings.

The guitar comes with a later hardshell case

Acoustically this guitar has a pleasantly warm tone that certainly tips the hat to Gibson’s archtop heritage. Plugged in positioning of the single pickup seems to give you the best of both worlds, not too trebly and not too dark. The neck is the slimmer profile of the early 60s and is very comfortable, a complete delight to play.

If 330T’s are your thing and why would they not be, don’t let this one get away.