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* Smokin' Vintage Original 1960 Blonde Gibson ES-330 from OK Guitars *

sgt_steiner

Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2007
Messages
145
Massive thanks to Charlie Gelber at OK Guitars for helping make my dream of owning a legit vintage blonde Gibson ES-330 a reality.


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If you're not familiar with Charile (or his killer ES-335.org website) he's largely considered the foremost authority on vintage Gibson hollows and semi-hollows in the world, having owned, played or sold somewhere in the neighborhood of SIX HUNDRED of them. That's right, my friends, not a misprint :) I've been conversing with Charlie and following his site for a couple years now, and when I saw this listing late one night, I knew my ship had finally come in.


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One great thing about Charlie, he's about as straight a shooter as they come -- a man after my own heart. He ran everything down for me and with every detail my confidence grew. Was this, finally, gasp!, The One? Early '60's wide/thin neck profile. Monster screaming original P90's (9.2K bridge, 8.45K neck). Weigh = 5 lbs. 13 oz. (Hallelujah, yes!) Scale from 1 to 10, he estimated this beauty was a 9+. "Bright, lively and LOUD", was his description. "As good a 330 as he's ever had."


And this is coming from a man not prone to exaggeration. Then, of course, there were her looks...


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After decades playing and collecting everything under the sun, I fell in love with Gibson hollow/semi-hollows over the past year. Picking up a sick Warren Haynes 335 is what started the brushfire, and an outstanding '61 Cherry 330 is what hooked me on the hollow bodies. I'd forgotten how FANTASTIC vintage P90's sounds, especially in the neck with a little overdrive. The resulting cream factor is simply off the charts. Are they noisier than 335's with buckers? Hell, yes. Does it bother me? Not in the slightest. The trade-off? A guitar weighing approx. 6 lbs. instead of a 335's 8 lbs.


Added bonus -- her rarity. Gibson only made 79 Blondes in 1959, and 215 in 1960. A grand total of just 294 of these heart-stoppers ever left the factory. As Charlie himself posted recently -- "The best example of a very rare guitar that is desirable but is vastly underpriced is a blonde 59 or 60 ES-330."


(Full post -- http://www.es-335.org/2017/08/16/upside-down-market/)







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What I really love about this guitar is that it was clearly well-played and well-loved over the past half-century. She has all the earmarks of someone's beloved #1, with a ton of honest playwear but zero abuse. IMHO, this is the best of all worlds for vintage pieces. If she wasn't a killer guitar, she never would've been played this much in the first place. As many of us have encountered, those many decades of playing and gigging call forth a tone and mojo that closet queens rarely -- if ever -- possess.


THANKS AGAIN, CHARLIE! You've helped yet another vintage gear addict reach unexpected heights, my friend :)


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reddeluxe

Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2017
Messages
82
Charlie Gelber is THE MAN for 3xx series Gibson knowledge and expertise, and follows realistic pricing guidelines on his instruments for sale, too. Also full disclosure from someone who knows the smallest details of what is vintage correct or not. Love his informative blog.
 

mdubya

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 31, 2010
Messages
1,020
Wow! :bug

That is a beauty! I can only imagine how good she sounds.

:XRE:XRE:XRE:XRE
 

AA00475Bassman

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 26, 2016
Messages
3,769
Thanks for posting such a cool 330 , the checking makes the guitar look like its alive , veins !
 

MapleFlame

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 3, 2005
Messages
14,044
Congratulations, wonderful 330. My main player is a black 63. The Blondes are the most sexy looking 330's for sure
 

F-Hole

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 2, 2015
Messages
2,171
Very underrated guitars IMHE. I played a killer double PU 59 recently.
 

ourmaninthenorth

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 28, 2009
Messages
7,119
The colour is worth the entrance fee alone.

Eye-wateringly beautiful.

In the finest of...
 

Michael Minnis

Active member
Joined
Feb 12, 2004
Messages
1,597
Congratulations on a fabulous guitar. Those old 330s are wonderful. And I agree. Charlie is fabulous to do business with. Enjoy!
 

Anje

Active member
Joined
Jan 3, 2002
Messages
1,170
Fantastic! Congrats :salude
I find those old 330 to have a real unique lively open feel and tone, really great guitars. Feedback can sometimes be a challenge to control in some high volume / small space situations, but that's part of their nature.
 

P.Walker

New member
Joined
Apr 17, 2007
Messages
941
Hey there,

We conversed at length through email so I had to come check...what an absolutely beautiful guitar :peace2

Regarding the frets, they do look the perfect width. If you want to recreate some of that higher RA 335 feel, all you need to do is ask for 0.045"-0.050" to bring up the height just a little- kinda like new tires.

Play it well!
 

gmann

Well-known member
Joined
May 26, 2003
Messages
6,147
That's just one of the coolest guitars I've ever seen.
 

surfreak

Well-known member
Joined
May 6, 2002
Messages
1,115
Fantastic guitar Sgt., Congratulations!

I own a mint condition ES 330, of the sunburst variation, and indeed these are exceptional sounding instruments!

You will find that the unique tone and resonance really grow on you, and there will be more and more situations, aside from the expected blues and jazz stuff, where the ES 330 will be your first choice.

P90 hum? Noise can be very creative, in the right hands!

Feedback? it is just a variable pitched, unique tonal beast for you to tame!

Enjoy it in good health!
 

surfreak

Well-known member
Joined
May 6, 2002
Messages
1,115
Fantastic guitar Sgt., Congratulations!

I own a mint condition 1960 ES 330 as well, of the sunburst variation, and indeed these are exceptional sounding instruments!

You will find that the unique tone and resonance really grow on you, and there will be more and more situations, aside from the expected blues and jazz stuff, where the ES 330 will be your first choice.

P90 hum? Noise can be very creative, in the right hands!

Feedback? it is just a variable pitched, unique tonal beast for you to tame!

Enjoy it in good health!
 

mdubya

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 31, 2010
Messages
1,020
psshhh...hum and feedback are glorious things to be celebrated and encouraged! :dude:
 
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