Gibson Custom Shop 1959 ES-330 Reissue VOS Vintage Burst w/Case

The ES-330 is one of those models that's been quietly overshadowed for decades by its semi-hollow siblings, which is a shame, because nothing else in Gibson's lineup does quite what this guitar does. Introduced in 1959 — two years before the Epiphone Casino it's so often compared to — the ES-330 is a fully hollow thinline with no centerblock, which makes it a fundamentally different instrument from the ES-335. It's livelier, more resonant, louder unplugged, and more dynamically responsive to how you actually play it. After an eight-year absence from the Gibson Custom catalog, it's back as a core Historic Reissue, built to first-year specs.

The three-ply maple/poplar/maple body is what gives this guitar its character. Without a centerblock, you get the full acoustic voice of the chamber working for you — open, airy, and remarkably present even before you plug in. It's the kind of guitar that earns the "couch guitar" reputation honestly. Plugged in, that same resonance translates into a complex, overtone-rich voice that sits differently in a mix than anything with a solid or semi-hollow construction.

The pickup set is a thoughtfully matched pair of Dogear P-90s — standard-wound with an Alnico 3 magnet at the bridge, underwound with an Alnico 5 at the neck — wired to individual volume and tone controls through CTS pots and paper-in-oil capacitors. It's the kind of detail that matters when you're chasing the real thing. The one-piece mahogany neck is carved to an Authentic 1959 C-profile — substantial enough to fill your hand without crossing into baseball-bat territory — and the bound rosewood fretboard carries 22 medium jumbo frets with cellulose dot inlays. The neck joins the body at the 16th fret, exactly as it did in '59, with a long tenon joint for solid coupling between neck and body.

Hardware is period-correct throughout: a Historic no-wire ABR-1 bridge, trapeze tailpiece, Kluson Deluxe tuners, nylon nut, and True Historic gold Top Hat knobs with dial pointers. The VOS nitrocellulose lacquer finish gives it the look of an instrument that's been sitting in a case since the Eisenhower administration — aged just enough to feel broken in without looking played. A Lifton reissue hardshell case and Certificate of Authenticity are included.

Yes, it feeds back more readily than a semi-hollow or a solidbody. That's the trade-off with any fully hollow guitar, and if your thing is high-gain saturation at stage volume, this probably isn't the tool for the job. But for everything from jazz and blues to rock, country, Americana, and just about anything where touch and dynamics matter, the ES-330 does things that most other guitars simply can't.

Body: Maple/Poplar/Maple, Hollow
Body Shape: ES-335 Thinline
Binding: Single-Ply Top and Back
Finish: Vintage Burst, VOS Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Neck: One-Piece Mahogany, Long Neck Tenon
Neck Profile: Authentic 1959 C
Fingerboard: Rosewood, Bound
Fingerboard Radius: 12"
Frets: 22, Reissue Medium Jumbo
Inlays: Cellulose Dot
Nut: Nylon
Nut Width: 1.69"
Scale Length: 24.75"
Pickups: Dogear P-90 (Neck), Dogear P-90 (Bridge)
Pickup Covers: Black Dogear
Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone, 3-Way Toggle
Bridge: Historic No-Wire ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic
Tailpiece: Trapeze
Tuners: Kluson Deluxe
Hardware Finish: Nickel
Pickguard: ES-330 Multi-Ply
Control Knobs: True Historic Gold Top Hats with Dial Pointers
Plastic Parts: Black
Strings: .010, .013, .017, .026, .036, .046
Case: Hardshell Lifton Reissue
Accessories: Certificate of Authenticity
Model Number: 59ES330VOVBNH1