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.

The vibrant sunburst finish has kept a good colour that really accentuates the grain pattern of the maple. There’s little if any wear on the body and only a few minor scratches and bumps.

The same can be said for the neck which hasn’t worn at all. There is a little dink to the finish but nothing else to indicate any extensive use. The fretboard is in great shape and there is plenty of life left in the original frets.

The plastics look good and the nickel has dulled somewhat.

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 what is probably the original soft-shell case.

Acoustically this guitar has a pleasantly warm tone that certainly tips the hat to Gibson’s archtop 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…