Gibson has revived its ES-330 hollowbody electric guitar for the first time in years. It’s a rather notable release from Gibson, and will especially pique the interests of ES fans. Namely, the arrival of the Original Series ES-330 marks the first time Gibson has had a ES-330 proper on its books for what could be as long as half a decade.
Indeed, a brief browse of Gibson’s catalog (prior to today’s launch, of course) will reveal a range of ES-335s, a smattering of ES-345s, the ES Supreme and even the ES-339 across its Artist, Custom and Murphy Lab families...
but no ES-330. Given the impressive history of the 330 , it’s a welcome return for one of Gibson’s most known models. First unveiled in 1959, the ES-330 distinguished itself from the similarly shaped ES-335 with a pair of Dogear P-90s, the absence of a wood center block, and a Trapeze tailpiece, though arguably arrived in the shadow of its dual PAF-loaded sibling, which was launched a year before.
There were also some ergonomic and dimensional differences, with original 330s flashing a shorter neck that was in some way responsible for its faltering popularity. Owing to its electrics and hollowbody design, the ES-330 – a distant cousin of the revered Epiphone Casino – offered a completely different tonal palette compared to semi-hollow ES alternatives. The first production run lasted until the early 1970s, and the guitar was more recently reissued for a run between 2012 and 2019.
Since then, ES-330s have been.
