Gibson Review: ES-330TD

History:

Purchase: This guitar (still in mint condition) was my grandmother's, purchased new in the late '60's. I acquired this guitar because I wanted to learn how to play and knew she had a guitar stashed back in a closet that I had never known her to even play. I asked to borrow it and when I went to a music store to ask about what I had they nearly fell on the floor. I know now what I have and appreciate more than I could have ever imagined. I didn't pay anything for it.

What I Like About This Gibson ES-330TD: This guitar is a dream. Easy to play and sounds great. Soulful sounds come out of the full hollow body and it's great for playing blues or classic rockabilly. It's lightweight and holds in tune very well. It's a slimline case so it's very easy to handle.

What I Do NOT Like About The Gibson ES-330TD: The sound it makes is the sound you get. Being full hollow there isn't much you can do to change the sound of this instrument. Forget hard rock, country, surf, folk. This is a blues/jazz guitar and it is definitely made with one kind of playing in mind. I have also heard that because it has no real support for the neck (being full hollow) it won't take much abuse before it will "fold" where the neck joins the body.

Gibson ES-330TD Quality Rating: It's a '69 Gibson. What else do I need to say? This guitar demonstrates why classic guitars are worth so much. Frets are perfect, tuners are solid. This guitar lay in its case for 20 years under tension before I picked it up without warping, bending or any other damage. Even being 35 years old, in terms of quality I'll put this guitar up against any found in 99% of the guitar stores out there.

Review Summary: This is my favorite guitar. I play Strats for other kinds of music but when I just want to play, this is the guitar I pick up.

Rating of this Gibson product: 5

This Gibson ES-330TD Electric Guitars Review Submitted By: Matthew Speed

Review Date: 2004-03-29