1964 Gibson ES-330 Red
Description
No sales tax for US customers outside California.
The ES-330 is the guitar the ES-335 gets all the attention for — same body dimensions, same thinline double-cutaway design, but fully hollow with P-90s instead of humbuckers and a neck that joins the body at the 16th fret. What that means in practice is a lighter, more acoustically alive guitar with a distinctly airy, open sound that no semi-hollow can fully replicate.
This 1964 example is in Transparent Cherry and represents the 330 in its pre-nut-narrowing, pre-headstock-pitch-change sweet spot.
These guitars are so light and comfortable to play, and they're a great couch guitar - you can noodle acoustically and get some good sound out of the guitar when you're just sitting around, practicing or writing. Plugged in, the P-90s really shine.
Condition
The guitar is in excellent condition with full frets, strong/unfaded cherry color, far less than average wear, a straight neck, and the truss rod has room for future neck relief adjustments.
All the parts on the guitar are original. There has never been a tuner change - we always look under the tuners to make sure there are no mysterious, hidden holes.
The only change to the guitar is a very small one. Under the neck pickup's mounting legs, someone removed a touch of wood to allow the pickup to lie a little lower. I approve of the way the work was done - it is very unobtrusive and responsible - and also it does make it so the two pickups are nicely balanced.
The case is a mid-60s variant that you don't often see, but a make and color that I've gotten with several Gibson and Epiphone guitars from the era. The handle is a replacement.
A Bit of History
Gibson introduced the ES-330 in 1959, sharing the double-cutaway thinline body shape they'd debuted the previous year on the ES-335 — but with one fundamental difference: where the 335 has a solid maple center block running through the body to combat feedback and add sustain, the 330 is fully hollow. The pickups mount into the top rather than into a center block, the resonating air chamber is uninterrupted, and the acoustic volume and response of the instrument is distinctly different — warmer, more open, with a bloom and decay that the 335's center block damps. To keep costs down and the instrument accessible, Gibson fitted P-90 soapbar pickups rather than the PAF humbuckers of the 335, and priced the 330 below its semi-hollow sibling. It was, in the company's own catalog language, a "wonder-thin" guitar. The Beatles plugged into ES-330s at the Cavern Club before they had the budget for anything better, and John Lennon famously used a 1965 Epiphone Casino — essentially the same guitar badged under Gibson's budget imprint — throughout his solo work and on Abbey Road. Jorma Kaukonen played a 1964 cherry ES-330 with Jefferson Airplane at the Monterey Pop Festival and has described it as one of the guitars that "mostly ends up making the records" — noting he paid $400 for it. Johnny Marr used an ES-330 on "How Soon Is Now" and has called it one of the guitars he'd recommend to any player. Jesus and Mary Chain's feedback-drenched approach was built partly around the 330's natural acoustic susceptibility. The Epiphone Casino variant brought the same circuit to the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, Paul McCartney, and Noel Gallagher. By 1964, the ES-330 had settled into what collectors consider its definitive configuration: cherry finish, block inlays, nickel-covered P-90s, 1-11/16" nut, double-line Kluson tuners, and the original short 16th-fret neck join — all the changes that improved the instrument over the 1959 original without any of the spec reductions that would arrive in 1965. George Gruhn of Gruhn Guitars has noted that a comparable year and condition ES-330 typically sells for less than half the price of an ES-335 — a discrepancy he finds difficult to justify on tonal grounds, and one that represents a genuine opportunity for the informed buyer.
Excerpts from real online user forums and reviews
"A comparable year and condition ES-330 will command less than half the retail price of an ES-335. This makes them an excellent buy for the savvy collector and player looking for that vintage vibe and tone without breaking the bank." — True Vintage Guitar
"I love that guitar for a very specific sound. I have a '64 330 Cherry that I got for like 400 bucks — I usually bring a bunch of guitars to the studio, but those are the ones that mostly end up making the records." — Jorma Kaukonen, via Equipboard
"Just a great player, and my favorite guitar to jam on unplugged, since the acoustic volume is so good." — The Les Paul Forum
"The 1964 ES-330 Cherry is known for its warm, resonant tone with a prominent midrange, thanks to its fully hollow body and P-90 pickups — delivering a rich, vintage sound ideal for blues, jazz, and rock." — Equipboard
"The cherry red used on 1962–64 ES guitars is deeper and prettier than any other year in my opinion." — The Les Paul Forum
A 1964 Gibson ES-330TD in Transparent Cherry — fully hollow, P-90s, original short-neck configuration, pre-nut-narrowing spec, from the year the model was at its best. Ships fully insured with the care a 60-year-old guitar deserves.
SPECS:
Color: Red
Weight: 6lbs 4oz
Top: Maple
Body: Maple
Body Date/Code: See Pic
Neck: Mahogany
Neck Profile: C
Fretboard: Rosewood
Inlays: Mother of Pearl Block
Frets: Original
Fret Count: 22
Nut: Original
Nut width: 1-11/16"
Radius: 12"
Scale: 24.75"
Neck thickness at 1st Fret: .822"
Neck thickness at 12th Fret: 1.078"
Action 1st String at 12th Fret: 2/32"
Action 6th String at 12th Fret: 2/32"
Overall length: 39-11/16"
Lower bout: 16"
Waist: 9-3/16"
Upper bout: 11-7/16"
Body depth/thickness outside edge: 1-3/4"
String gauge: .010-.046"
Hardware Color: Nickel
Pickguard: Original
Bridge Pickup/Brand: Nickel-covered Dog-ear P-90
Pickup Reading: 8.39k
Original?: Yes
Neck Pickup/Brand: Nickel-covered Dog-ear P-90
Pickup Reading: 7.57k
Original?: Yes
Bridge: ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic
Tuners: Original
Knobs: Original
Switch: 3 Way
Pots/Codes: Original
Case: OHSC
Notes:
Shipping policy:
There are multiple shipping cost options for purchases made on our site. Select Ground, 3 Day, 2 Day, or Next Day Air Saver. For Reverb purchases, there is one cost option for Eastern states - customers from any state that is more than a 3 day UPS ground shipment from our shop will get their shipment via UPS 3 day air. Otherwise, ground shipping will be used. Shipments will require signature on delivery, no exceptions. If there is damage, the buyer must retain all packing materials intact and picture them immediately and send them to . Less than 1% of our shipments are damaged in transit, and we are committed to making sure your item arrives safely, but we are taking these additional measures to make sure you are happy with your purchase.
The ES-330 is the guitar the ES-335 gets all the attention for — same body dimensions, same thinline double-cutaway design, but fully hollow with P-90s instead of humbuckers and a neck that joins the body at the 16th fret. What that means in practice is a lighter, more acoustically alive guitar with a distinctly airy, open sound that no semi-hollow can fully replicate.
This 1964 example is in Transparent Cherry and represents the 330 in its pre-nut-narrowing, pre-headstock-pitch-change sweet spot.
These guitars are so light and comfortable to play, and they're a great couch guitar - you can noodle acoustically and get some good sound out of the guitar when you're just sitting around, practicing or writing. Plugged in, the P-90s really shine.
Condition
The guitar is in excellent condition with full frets, strong/unfaded cherry color, far less than average wear, a straight neck, and the truss rod has room for future neck relief adjustments.
All the parts on the guitar are original. There has never been a tuner change - we always look under the tuners to make sure there are no mysterious, hidden holes.
The only change to the guitar is a very small one. Under the neck pickup's mounting legs, someone removed a touch of wood to allow the pickup to lie a little lower. I approve of the way the work was done - it is very unobtrusive and responsible - and also it does make it so the two pickups are nicely balanced.
The case is a mid-60s variant that you don't often see, but a make and color that I've gotten with several Gibson and Epiphone guitars from the era. The handle is a replacement.
A Bit of History
Gibson introduced the ES-330 in 1959, sharing the double-cutaway thinline body shape they'd debuted the previous year on the ES-335 — but with one fundamental difference: where the 335 has a solid maple center block running through the body to combat feedback and add sustain, the 330 is fully hollow. The pickups mount into the top rather than into a center block, the resonating air chamber is uninterrupted, and the acoustic volume and response of the instrument is distinctly different — warmer, more open, with a bloom and decay that the 335's center block damps. To keep costs down and the instrument accessible, Gibson fitted P-90 soapbar pickups rather than the PAF humbuckers of the 335, and priced the 330 below its semi-hollow sibling. It was, in the company's own catalog language, a "wonder-thin" guitar. The Beatles plugged into ES-330s at the Cavern Club before they had the budget for anything better, and John Lennon famously used a 1965 Epiphone Casino — essentially the same guitar badged under Gibson's budget imprint — throughout his solo work and on Abbey Road. Jorma Kaukonen played a 1964 cherry ES-330 with Jefferson Airplane at the Monterey Pop Festival and has described it as one of the guitars that "mostly ends up making the records" — noting he paid $400 for it. Johnny Marr used an ES-330 on "How Soon Is Now" and has called it one of the guitars he'd recommend to any player. Jesus and Mary Chain's feedback-drenched approach was built partly around the 330's natural acoustic susceptibility. The Epiphone Casino variant brought the same circuit to the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, Paul McCartney, and Noel Gallagher. By 1964, the ES-330 had settled into what collectors consider its definitive configuration: cherry finish, block inlays, nickel-covered P-90s, 1-11/16" nut, double-line Kluson tuners, and the original short 16th-fret neck join — all the changes that improved the instrument over the 1959 original without any of the spec reductions that would arrive in 1965. George Gruhn of Gruhn Guitars has noted that a comparable year and condition ES-330 typically sells for less than half the price of an ES-335 — a discrepancy he finds difficult to justify on tonal grounds, and one that represents a genuine opportunity for the informed buyer.
Excerpts from real online user forums and reviews
"A comparable year and condition ES-330 will command less than half the retail price of an ES-335. This makes them an excellent buy for the savvy collector and player looking for that vintage vibe and tone without breaking the bank." — True Vintage Guitar
"I love that guitar for a very specific sound. I have a '64 330 Cherry that I got for like 400 bucks — I usually bring a bunch of guitars to the studio, but those are the ones that mostly end up making the records." — Jorma Kaukonen, via Equipboard
"Just a great player, and my favorite guitar to jam on unplugged, since the acoustic volume is so good." — The Les Paul Forum
"The 1964 ES-330 Cherry is known for its warm, resonant tone with a prominent midrange, thanks to its fully hollow body and P-90 pickups — delivering a rich, vintage sound ideal for blues, jazz, and rock." — Equipboard
"The cherry red used on 1962–64 ES guitars is deeper and prettier than any other year in my opinion." — The Les Paul Forum
A 1964 Gibson ES-330TD in Transparent Cherry — fully hollow, P-90s, original short-neck configuration, pre-nut-narrowing spec, from the year the model was at its best. Ships fully insured with the care a 60-year-old guitar deserves.
SPECS:
Color: Red
Weight: 6lbs 4oz
Top: Maple
Body: Maple
Body Date/Code: See Pic
Neck: Mahogany
Neck Profile: C
Fretboard: Rosewood
Inlays: Mother of Pearl Block
Frets: Original
Fret Count: 22
Nut: Original
Nut width: 1-11/16"
Radius: 12"
Scale: 24.75"
Neck thickness at 1st Fret: .822"
Neck thickness at 12th Fret: 1.078"
Action 1st String at 12th Fret: 2/32"
Action 6th String at 12th Fret: 2/32"
Overall length: 39-11/16"
Lower bout: 16"
Waist: 9-3/16"
Upper bout: 11-7/16"
Body depth/thickness outside edge: 1-3/4"
String gauge: .010-.046"
Hardware Color: Nickel
Pickguard: Original
Bridge Pickup/Brand: Nickel-covered Dog-ear P-90
Pickup Reading: 8.39k
Original?: Yes
Neck Pickup/Brand: Nickel-covered Dog-ear P-90
Pickup Reading: 7.57k
Original?: Yes
Bridge: ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic
Tuners: Original
Knobs: Original
Switch: 3 Way
Pots/Codes: Original
Case: OHSC
Notes:
Shipping policy:
There are multiple shipping cost options for purchases made on our site. Select Ground, 3 Day, 2 Day, or Next Day Air Saver. For Reverb purchases, there is one cost option for Eastern states - customers from any state that is more than a 3 day UPS ground shipment from our shop will get their shipment via UPS 3 day air. Otherwise, ground shipping will be used. Shipments will require signature on delivery, no exceptions. If there is damage, the buyer must retain all packing materials intact and picture them immediately and send them to . Less than 1% of our shipments are damaged in transit, and we are committed to making sure your item arrives safely, but we are taking these additional measures to make sure you are happy with your purchase.