Home >>Electric >> Thinline >> Archtop >> Gibson ES-330 TDC 1961

Gibson ES-330 TDC 1961

Mickey Mouse ears, dot markers and black P-90s Wow!

Description

It’s no secret that we love 330s here at JGG, and this 1961 330 is something of the holy grail amongst 330s. The black pickup covers and dot markers are the distinguishing marks of the earliest 330 guitars, but it’s when you pick it up and your left hand closes around that solid mahogany neck you understand all the fuss about the 59/60/61 Gibson neck profile. It’s flatter than you expect and wide, but comfortable and thin. This is a very lively guitar and that neck has a lot to do with it, but that’s only part of the secret.

You must always try a 330 unplugged first. It’s a fully hollow body guitar, and it should sound crisp and clear. The sonic signature of the 330 is a blend of the acoustic tone and the purity of those single coil P-90 pick-ups. If you don’t dig it acoustically, then it’s not great 330 and you need to put it down. This one fills the room unplugged and you won’t be able to wait to plug it in and see what it can do.

Something those P-90s do really well is to drive an overdriven valve amp. We’ve enjoyed playing this one through the black face Tremolux pictured, a Deluxe and also through a Carr that passed through recently. In every case it sang through with real character and tone, crunching blues in the bridge pickup, and feeling funky with both. Of course it’s easy to dial-in Britpop: Beatles, Stones and Jethro Tull on the 330 with a little clipping and overdrive, but jazz greats Grant Green and Emily Remler also used the neck pickup to create classic rich jazz tones.

If you play live, and are, perhaps of a certain age, you’ll appreciate the lightness of playing this guitar. You can wear it comfortably for a couple of hours without the strap cutting into your shoulder like it does with a solid or semi-solid guitar. Some people are worried about the hollowbody feeding-back, but really that’s a problem more associated with a full bodied electric, and we’ve certainly never had problems when playing our 330s on stage.

Condition

The cherry finish on this example has softened to a beautiful soft maroon colour, and the binding is now mellow yellow. The nickel plating on the metalwork is still bright and the pickup covers are in good condition with no cracks or breaks. There’s some characteristic crazing to the finish, one small ding above the pickup selector, and a bit of wear around the top of the headstock. The back is clear, with none of the usual buckle rash.

Everything is original from the Kluson Deluxe tuners down to the black Lifton case.

Prices for 330s have climbed in the past 10 years, and quite rightly. However, 330s are still looking like very good value compared with other golden era Gibson instruments such as Les Pauls and 335s. They are also low compared with the Epiphone Casino (same guitar, different badge).