Vintage 1964 Gibson ES-330 TDC electric guitar

John Shults

Posted on May 06 2020

Vintage 1964 Gibson ES-330 red electric guitar

This vintage 1964 Gibson ES-330 TDC electric guitar in Cherry red finish with Bigsby vibrato tailpiece came through the shop a few years ago. It was a phenomenal sounding guitar and played like a dream. I'm always a vintage Gibson guitar buyer but I especially love Gibson guitars from 1964. Please contact me here to sell a vintage Gibson guitar

Gibson's Thinline Archtop line has been an industry favorite since its introduction with the ES-225 T in 1955. The ES-125 TD, ES-330 TD and ES-335 TD were introduced a few years later and featured a traditional archtop body but decreased the depth of the body from about 3.5" to 1.75". This innovation made for a more comfortable playing experience as well as decreased feedback at high stage volumes. The ES-330 was fully hollow instead of having a solid center block in the body like the ES-335. The 330 also featured Gibson's P-90 single coil pickup instead of the humbucker. The ES-330 was offered in single pickup, double pickup, cherry finish,  sunburst finish plus an optional Bigbsy brand B7 model tremolo tailpiece. This model's warm, bluesy tone offers golden age vintage Gibson electric tone spanning many genres from Jazz to Blues to Rock and Indie.

This 1964 Gibson ES-330 is in all original, excellent playing condition with no breaks or repairs. It has the desirable wide nut (1 11/16", standard for Gibson until 1965) with a very comfortable medium C profile. It has been played throughout the years so it does show signs of wear including light finish checking, dents/dings and light belt buckle swirling on the back. The only setup work that was required is a light fret dress. There's some pitting of the fret board in the first three frets but it's not deep enough to affect the player's experience. The neck is straight all the way to the end of the fret board and the frets have plenty of life left in them. This guitar is a joy to play and intonates just like it should. The factory installed B7 Bigsby offers a vibrato option but has the stability of stop tail piece. It doesn't knock the guitar out of tune unless you go for that deep dive bomb - and even the it's not far off. The pickups and electronics are original, untouched and in proper working order. The original case shows wear but is in proper working order to protect the guitar (edit: sold!).

 Vintage 1964 Gibson ES-330 red electric guitar

Vintage 1964 Gibson ES-330 with Bigbsy red electric guitar

Gibson headstock, 1964 Gibson ES-330

Vintage 1964 Gibson ES-330 red electric guitar

Volume and tone knobs, 1964 Gibson ES-330

Single line Kluson tuners, 1964 Gibson ES-330

P-90 single coil pickups, 1964 Gibson ES-330

Nylon saddles, ABR-1 bridge, 1964 Gibson ES-330

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