1960 Gibson ES-330T - Sunburst

After successfully launching the new Thinline ES-335, ES-345 and ES-355 range in 1958 Gibson decided to expand of the lineup in 1959 to include a new more affordable model. The newly released ES-330T and dual pickup version ES-330TD shared a similar silhouette to the Thinline range but was produced differently with a 16-fret neck joint and a fully hollow body. As such ES-330s share more in common with Gibson's earlier Thinline Archtops such as the ES-225T and ES-225TD, the model it succeeded in 1959. The ES-330 proved popular throughout its initial production run with the ES-330TD appearing in the catalog from 1959 until 1972 with the single pickup ES-330 being phased out in 1963.

Our second year 1960 example is one of 772 guitars produced that year. The Factory Order Number, late '59 pots with gold bonnet knobs and the larger neck profile all lead us to believe the guitar is from the first half of 1960. In excellent condition, the guitar plays superbly and sounds amazing with a character all of its own from the central position of the single Dog-ear P90. It can almost be thought of as an ES-Series Junior. We all have a real soft spot for all variants of ES-330 but this example is one of our all time favorites. The guitar comes with the equally good condition Lifton Faultless Plush lined Case.