Gibson ES-330 TDC

Made in USA (Kalamazoo, Michigan)
Maple laminate back, sides, and top
Bound fretboard, double bound body
No center block - completely hollow contruction, 2 f-holes
Mahogany neck
Rosewood fingerboard with 22 frets
Trapezoidal mother of pearl inlays
24.5" scale length
Gibson tuneamatic (ABR-1) bridge, with floating tailpiece
2 Gibson P-90 pickups
Gibson/Kluson Tuning keys with plastic buttons
2 volume, 2 tone, and 3-way switch controls
1/4" out
Floating pickguard

UTILIZATION

I'll tell you right now that this review will be glowing for this guitar. I bought this second hand for only $500, and I got the steal of a lifetime. This ES330 guitar is one of the best guitars I've ever played, hands down. The neck feels perfect for my hands, the tone of the unplugged guitar is loud and rings true, the whole guitar is very resonant, and the pickups growl and cut like none other. I love this axe.

SOUNDS

This guitar sounds like a million bucks. The P90s can sing like angels, growl like demons, cut like knives, and jive like turkeys. This guitar is absolutely fantastic for blues, jazz, and classic rock tones, and can even get into a chicken-pickin' or fingerstyle country vibe. If one wants, this even cruises into some 70s jazz fusion territory - it can scream on some Mahavishnu Orchestra or some Mike Stern-type stuff. The pickups are noisy, and one must fight this guitar for every ounce of control when playing at any volume, but what a rewarding fight it will be.

OVERALL OPINION

Perfection. It has the sleek styling of an ES335, with the attitude of a Les Paul Junior, so it can hang in so many varied situations. This guitar is incredible, and I love it all the way around. I can't really say anything bad about it except for the pickup noise, but they sound so good that it is absolutely worth it in every regard. Every time I pull this guitar out, I get looks and comments from musicians and non-musicians alike. It would be cool to have a Bigsby on it, but I'm not complaining here a bit. Perfect 10.