After an eight-year absence, the ES-330 arrives in two year-specific versions, handcrafted in Nashville with VOS finishes and classic P-90 pickups.
Gibson has reissued the ES-330 after an eight-year break, bringing two Custom Shop models, the 1959 and 1962 versions, back to the lineup.
The ES-330 has real history behind it, having appeared across blues, rock and jazz recordings for decades. Gibson’s Custom Shop versions stick to the specifications and build standards of each production year, an important factor for players after period-accurate guitars.
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The key difference between the ES-330 and its more famous sibling, the ES-335, is the absence of a maple centreblock. That makes it fully hollow, which changes how it sounds. You get a more open resonance and stronger acoustic output when you’re playing unplugged. It’s a noticeable difference. Both reissues pair a slightly underwound P-90 neck pickup with a standard-wound bridge P-90. Gibson matched them so the balance stays consistent across all pickup selector positions.
The 1959 arrives in Vintage Burst or Vintage Natural finishes, while the 1962 comes in Vintage Burst or 60s Cherry. Both have VOS finishes – gloss nitrocellulose lacquer applied to achieve that softly aged look of a well-preserved vintage guitar. Each ships in a Lifton hardshell case.
The ES-330 hasn’t been in Gibson’s Custom line for eight years, making it a significant return for Gibson enthusiasts.
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