A Superb Early Sixties
ES-330TDC

This guitar weighs just 6.00 lbs. and has a nice, fat nut width of just under 1 11/16 inches and a standard Gibson scale length of 24 3/4 inches. Single-bound laminated maple body, one-piece mahogany neck with a medium profile, and rosewood fretboard with 22 jumbo frets and inlaid pearl block position markers. Headstock with inlaid pearl "Gibson" logo. Two-layer (black on white) plastic truss-rod cover. Serial number ("140069") impressed into the back of the headstock. Individual "single-line" Kluson Deluxe tuners with white plastic oval buttons. Two hot P-90 pickups with nickel covers and outputs of 8.68k and 6.11k. The model "ES-330TDC" is stamped in black inside the bass f-hole. Five-layer (black/white/black/white/black) plastic pickguard. Four controls (two volume, two tone) plus three-way pickup selector switch, all on lower treble bout. Black plastic bell-shaped knobs with white markings and metal tops. ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic retainer bridge with nylon saddles and original trapeze tailpiece with raised diamond on cross-bar. All hardware nickel-plated. This fabulous guitar is in exceptionally fine (9.00) condition, with just some very slight checking all over and a few minuscule marks. Housed in its original (very worn) Gibson black hardshell case with orange plush lining (7.00).

"Built with the same body shape as the ES-335T, but not the same semi-solid construction, the ES-330T/TD were originally introduced in 1959 as a replacement for the single cutaway ES-225T/TD. The single pickup version was phased out in 1963, but the ES-330TD remained in production until 1972. Two main variants are usually distinguished up to the mid-60s...The first variant is characterized by a dot-inlaid fingerboard and black plastic-covered pickups...The ES-330TD was originally offered in sunburst and natural finish but in the course of 1960 the popular cherry red was substituted for natural...In mid-62 the fingerboard was enhanced with small pearloid block inlays and at the end of the year the the pickups were fitted with metal covers. The transitional instruments made during the second half of 1962 therefore feature block markers and black plastic-covered pickups" (A.R. Duchossoir, Gibson Electrics -- The Classic Years, p. 230).

The main differences from the more expensive ($282.50) ES-335 were the absence of the solid center block and the use of a trapeze tailpiece as opposed to the 335's stop tailpiece. This is one of only 652 ES-330TDCs that were shipped in 1963.