While this 1961 Gibson ES-330TD would easily pass the "Museum Grade" exam, it aces the Tone test a few times over.

It's easy to get caught up in the looks when a guitar of this age is so remarkably clean, but don't think for a second that we would overlook the tone.

The first time plugging in... striking a chord, playing a melody... was pure bliss. This is just one of those ES-330s that has "it". The original P90 pickups are superbly matched, and exhibit a lot of the qualities we often find in 50s P90s, combined with some of the powerful tone of 60s P90s. It's the perfect mix of sweet and chimey, woody and percussive, open yet ripe with musical compression and bloom...

...and could it be any easier to play? This slim C neck profile has a smooth, slim taper many early 60s Gibsons have, but the neck isn't totally flattened out as some can be from the year prior. The original medium jumbo frets show very little wear with plenty of wire left for years of continued enjoyment, and even the original saddles on the ABR-1 retain their singular string slots. Details!

To top it off, it includes its original pebble-grained black Lifton hardshell case with gold interior, nearly as clean as the guitar itself. A devastatingly handsome pairing if you ask us.

Examples like this don't come along often. We're hard-pressed to rate any guitar a Perfect 10, but we're not quite sure how much closer you can get than this ES-330.