Gibson ES-330TD Cherry 278697 (1965)
Hollow-Body/Archtop · P90s Pickups · Vintage
What a great example of Gibson's thinline hollowbody electric!
This ES-330TD came off the line sometime in the early part of 1965 as Gibson was going through their most significant changes of the decade. Moving from their standard nut width of 1 11/16" to 1 9/16" also came with a change from nickel-plated hardware to chrome-plated hardware. As is common throughout the first half of the year or so, you could encounter a Gibson with all nickel parts, a mix of nickel and chrome, or all chrome. Same goes for the nut width, with one added ripple. During the transition from the "wide nut", you'll sometimes find Gibsons with a transitional nut width of 1 5/8".
Well, this ES-330's got that transitional nut width along with all nickel-plated parts! We typically see this some of the earliest 1965 builds. Though it's not a true barometer of quality, it's fun to see how things shook out during what we're sure was a wild time in Kalamazoo!
What stands out most about this 330 hasn't much to do with anything mentioned above. It's the neck carve that really wowed us with this guitar. Closer to the '63/'64 profiles, this 330's C neck has a bit more meat at the first position with a very nice taper that stays rounded without flattening out. Combine that with a fresh set of Jescar 45100 fretwire and you're unleashing a level of playability that hasn't been felt since this guitar first left the factory.
The P90s are very well matched, which is not as common as you might think. The neck pickup measures 7.7k and the bridge just over 8.0k, and they both absolutely sing on their own and together.
The guitar was previously outfitted with an old set of Grover Rotomatics, but luckily the original double line Klusons were in the case when the guitar first came in. We opted for the originals to give it a more complete vintage look, and the tuners work great to boot!
Paired with a 1970s Gibson ES thinline hardshell case in excellent condition.
| Style | Hollowbody |
| Body | Laminated Maple |
| Finish | Nitrocellulose |
| Color | Cherry |
| Pickups | Original P90s | 7.70k Neck / 8.04k Bridge |
| Electronics | Original Centralab harness w/ Sprague Black Beauty caps (65xx pot codes where visible) |
| Controls | Volume (x2) / Tone (x2) / 3-Way Toggle |
| Bridge | ABR-1 w/ Trapeze tailpiece |
| Tuners | Kluson |
| Pickguard | Original |
| Knobs | Original Reflectors |
| Neck | Mahogany |
| Binding | White |
| Carve | Medium/Full C | .83-.96" |
| Fingerboard | Rosewood |
| Radius | 12" |
| Inlays | Small Blocks |
| Frets | Jescar 45100 (Refret) |
| Nut | Original |
| Scale Length | 24 3/4" |
| Serial # | 278697 |
| Weight | 6lb 7oz |
| Case | Vintage Gibson Hardshell |
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