GIBSON ES-330s

We take an in-depth look at the background development and evolution of Gibson’s ES-330 models with George Gruhn, co-author of vintage guitar bible Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars and proprietor of Gruhn Guitars in Nashville, Tennessee…

- Rod Brakes

Released in 1959, the single P-90 pickup ES-330T and dual P-90 ES-330TD models represent decades of innovation as Gibson’s premier double-cutaway thinline hollowbody electric archtops. The ES-330’s lineage can be traced back to 1936 when Gibson released their first Electric Spanish (ES) archtop guitar, the ES-150, a jazzbox electrified with a ‘blade’ single-coil pickup (commonly referred to as a ‘Charlie Christian’ pickup).

In 1938, the ES-150 was followed up by a “less expensive” alternative, the ES-100 (renamed the ES-125 in 1941), and in 1939, the top-of-the-range ES-250 appeared (soon replaced, in 1940, by the ES-300).

Initial sales of Gibson’s novel Electric Spanish guitar range proved encouraging. During this period, the electric guitar was beginning to find its voice as a lead instrument, while cutting-edge players such as Charlie Christian increasingly stepped away from the shadows of the rhythm section and into the limelight of centre stage. However, World War 2 temporarily halted further advancements at Gibson as far as electric guitars go and production stopped over the next couple of years. By the end of the war, Gibson was under new ownership, having been acquired by distributors Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI) in 1944, and with a fresh injection of cash, production of the ES range recommenced in earnest, albeit with some major design alterations and enhancements.

By 1946, a revised ES range consisted of the ES-125, ES-150 and ES-300, with Gibson’s first regular production Venetian/ rounded cutaway electric model, the ES-350 Premier, making its debut in 1947. Guitars from this ES line-up feature a laminate body design. At the time, this was deemed a more cost-effective and practical solution (as opposed to the solid construction of the pre-war ES range) and set the standard for future ES production.