In what could quite possibly be the electric guitar comeback of 2024 the Gibson ES-330 returns, with the iconic P-90 equipped hollowbody now available in four classy finishes.
Gibson first discontinued the ES-330 in 1972, reissuing it in the 2000s. But if you are feeling as though it has never been away, maybe that’s because it bears an aesthetic similarity to the evergreen ES-335, only with some major differences in looks and build.
The ES-330 has white tuner buttons instead of the tulip-style buttons you find on the ES-335. Its trapeze tailpiece also sets it apart. On the ES-330, the neck joins the body at the 16th fret; the ES-335’s neck joins at the 19th. There is no headstock inlay on the ES-330, just the Gibson logo, and of course there are the pickups, with the ES-335 fitted with humbuckers.
Over the years the ES-330 has become something of a forgotten model, assuming cult classic status, perhaps because its place in pop-culture has been contested by the very similar Epiphone Casino, which was based on the ES-330, and debuted in 1961, just in time to be popularised by the Beatles.
Who wanted an ES-330 when John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney all played the Epiphone?
Well, it turned out that many did. The ES-330 has been played by the likes of Johnny Marr, Keith Richards, John Lee Hooker and dozens more. And it has a different voice to its cousins in Gibson's ES "Electric Spanish" lineup. With its twin dog-ear P-90 pickups, the resonant, fully hollow build and the tailpiece, it is a real tone machine, warm yet articulate, and versatile too.
The ES-330 makes a great blues guitar, works a treat on country and pop, and as the Beatles proved it was ideal for rock. In Grant Green’s hands it was an excellent jazz guitar.
Unlike the ES-335 and similar, the ES-330 has no centre block, and so that makes it susceptible to feedback in high-volume, high-gain scenarios,
But if you are operating in that kind of environment, sometimes that kind of volatility adds much needed danger to your sound. And besides, the ES-330 has a lot to recommend it.
With no centre block it is a considerably lighter instrument than its semi-hollow kin. Constructed of three-ply maple/poplar/maple, the body has the familiar ES silhouette.
The mahogany neck has a rounded C profile and is glued to the body. Its rosewood fingerboard has a 12” radius and acrylic small block inlays counting out the frets.
On the headstock we have a set of Vintage Deluxe tuners with white buttons as per the originals. There is an ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge with that trapeze tailpiece. Under the hood there are 500K pots and Orange Drop capacitors.
The ES-330 is being offered in Sixties Cherry, Natural, and Tobacco Sunburst nitro finishes, with the Ebony model available exclusively via Gibson direct, online and in-person at its Nashville and London Garages.
The ES-330 is priced $3,499, ships in a hard-shell guitar case, and is officially back and available to order. See Gibson for more details.
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