Gibson ES-330
| Gibson ES-330 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Manufacturer | Gibson |
| Period | 1958 — present |
| Construction | |
| Body type | hollow |
| Neck joint | Set |
| Scale | 24.75" |
| Woods | |
| Body | maple (laminated) |
| Neck | mahogany on most models in most periods; sometimes maple |
| Fretboard | rosewood on most models, ebony on some |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | Fixed |
| Pickup(s) | 1 or 2 P-90s |
| Colors available | |
| Vintage Sunburst, Cherry, Black, Natural | |
The Gibson ES-330 is a thinline hollow-body electric guitar model produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation. It was first introduced in 1959.[1]
Though similar in appearance to the popular Gibson ES-335 guitar, the ES-330 is a fairly different guitar in construction and sound. While the ES-335 is a semi-hollow guitar (that is, the central part of the guitar body is a solid block while the wings of the guitar are hollow), the 330 is a fully hollow thinline guitar. Also, the 335 features two humbucking pickups, while the 330 features two single-coil P-90 pickups; these featured black plastic covers for the first few years of production and later switched to nickel covers. Together, the 330 body construction and the different pickups create a sound that is quite different from the 335. Also, the 330 neck joins the body at the 16th fret, whereas the 335 neck joins the body at the 19th fret; later, due to complaints of the lack of access to upper frets, the neck was elongated by joining it to the body at the 19th fret. In modern versions, this longer necked guitar is called the ES-330L.
The guitar has been produced both as a single-pickup instrument (ES-330T) and as a dual-pickup instrument (ES-330TD). Somewhat unusually, the ES-330T had its pickup mounted halfway between the bridge and the end of the neck, not in one of the usual neck or bridge positions. It has been available in sunburst, cherry, natural, walnut, and sparkling burgundy finishes. Tailpieces used are usually trapeze or Bigsby vibrato tailpieces. Due to its lack of popularity compared to the other Gibson thinline guitars (such as the ES-335, ES-345, and ES-355), the ES-330 was discontinued by Gibson in 1972. Since then, it has been reissued a few times by the Gibson Custom Shop division.
As notable as the ES-330 is its nearly identical cousin, the Epiphone Casino (Epiphone was and is a subsidiary of Gibson), which was played by John Lennon, George Harrison, and Paul McCartney.
Notable ES-330 players
- Jack Antonoff
- Martin Barre
- Chris Bell
- Junior Brown
- Pete Doherty
- Doug Gillard
- Grant Green
- Slim Harpo
- Johnny Marr
- William Reid
- Emily Remler
- Eddie Roberts
- Elliott Smith
- Thom Yorke
References
- ↑ "Guitar Review: Gibson Custom ES-330" by Tom Beaujour. Guitar Aficionado, April 17th, 2013