The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Hi fellow jazzers !
    Have you seen, the Gibson ES330 is back in production

    It's part of the Original line up, 3500 $ (same in €)

    3 finishes, Cherry Red, Sunburst, and Antique Natural.
    There were a few avalaible here in Europe, they've already sold out within a week.

    I couldn't resist myself and ordered the last one avalaible, in Antique Natural.

    I once had a 2015 VOS with Bibsby.
    A tremendous instrument I sadly had to sell a couple of years because of health problems..
    I just had a cash entry a few weeks ago. Life is short, I just pulled the trigger today in pure excitment.

    Can't wait to recieve it now.

    If you have had the chance to try one ?


    Gibson ES-330 is back-0f488a7beaccaeyy3q6b0xcvktq3lrdum082mksv-wm-lh-jpg
    Last edited by Jx30510; 10-13-2024 at 11:39 AM.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    I have been looking for an ES-330 type with the short neck joint for awhile now, and would have bought a Gibson, but I figured it would still be another few years before Gibson made another hollow-body so I bought an Archtop Tribute AT-130. Funnily enough, on the same day I purchased it, the Gibson re-release of the ES-330 went live online.

    Congrats on your purchase!

  4. #3

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    Grant Green sure made one sing.

  5. #4

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    Congratulations! For a great guitar and improved health!

  6. #5

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    A student has a Heritage 530 and it’s lush. Never tried the original.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  7. #6

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    And....a great looking guitar too.

  8. #7

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    Thanks !
    The wait is going to be short, I hope. I'll report as soon as I get it.

  9. #8

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    Gibson brought out this 330 reissue last January and call it the "Slim Harpo Lovell" model after the Louisiana blues player. Lovell was his wife's name.
    Last edited by Doug B; 10-13-2024 at 01:05 PM.

  10. #9

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    If l'm not mistaken, it's a new release part of the "Original" lineup.
    It was annonced earlier this month of october.
    The Slim Harpo is a signature model.
    Not the same as the one l'm talking here.

  11. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jx30510
    If l'm not mistaken, it's a new release part of the "Original" lineup.
    It was annonced earlier this month of october.
    The Slim Harpo is a signature model.
    Not the same as the one l'm talking here.
    you are 100% right. The Slim Harpo was ltd edition and I’m not sure if m/any made their way to Europe.

    I think it’s very exciting and interesting that they’ve released this as part of the original line. I think their current 335s are excellent and so assuming that these are done to the same standard, you’ll be in for a treat

    HNGD! I am looking forward to the update when your new 330 arrives

  12. #11

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    This makes me wonder why Gibson never made a more "glitsy" version of the 330, like the 355. The closest thing was the Crest, which was a bit too much for most people, both looks and price. (And note the floating bridge.)

    Last edited by Woody Sound; 10-14-2024 at 11:39 AM.

  13. #12

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    Yeah the wait is some kind mix of torture and pleasure
    You all know that feeling

  14. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jx30510
    The Slim Harpo is a signature model.
    Not the same as the one l'm talking here.
    How so?

  15. #14

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    I don't really understand your question ?

  16. #15

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    Has it arrived yet? Keen to hear your first impressions

    I am also curious as to how these differ from the current US Casinos other than the aesthetics, if anybody happens to know

  17. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by Woody Sound View Post
    This makes me wonder why Gibson never made a more "glitsy" version of the 330, like the 355. The closest thing was the Crest, which was a bit too much for most people, both looks and price. (And note the floating bridge.)

    IIRC Big Mike or Joe D (Max405) have one or more Crest models?

  18. #17

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    Gibson runs the 330 once in a while the latest I knew of were in 2010 in Beale Street Blue with P90's, 2015 with an L in black with HB's, and later on in 2018 a satin Aquamarine blue L with HB's. It looks like they're on some sort of internal release schedule?

  19. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by Doug B View Post
    Gibson brought out this 330 reissue last January and call it the "Slim Harpo Lovell" model after the Louisiana blues player. Lovell was his wife's name.
    So they name a guitar after him over 50 years after he dies? - sounds like something Gibson would do.


  20. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mick-7 View Post
    So they name a guitar after him over 50 years after he dies? - sounds like something Gibson would do.
    After he achieves “legend” status.

  21. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by GNAPPI View Post
    IIRC Big Mike or Joe D (Max405) have one or more Crest models?
    Here's a story that goes back maybe 10 years. Pete Moreno, a Gibson employee and luthier, attended a garage sale. He often got to those very early. A lady had four Crest bodies unfinished. Pete got them.

    He completed at least two builds, one going to Big Mike and one traded for a small trailer Pete used to haul wood.

    They look stunning. My personal concern is that of the early ES-330s- higher fret access. Jazz players don't linger up there that much, and those frets are reachable but not as convenient.

    Guitarists argue the shorter neck joint transmits more to the body and affects tone. That's possible. Gibson made that shorter neck placement for stability because there was no center block, not for any other reason. The newer ES-330 have a joint similar to the ES-335, and it is made with stability.

    I like people to have choices. The old neck joint seemed like a plus when I was 12. By 10th grade I needed easy access to the highest frets plus the ES-330 feedback was hard to control in a rock band. Enter the ES-345!

    I have a couple of the Heritage variants. The current ones are virtual clones of the late Gibson ones. The pickup brands are different.


    Here are two Heritage variants from back when they were more readily versative with their builds. One came with humbuckers and one with more bling, including an ebony board, block inlays, pickguards, and multilayered binding.

    Gibson ES-330 is back-50978103622_0d03dc3170_c-jpgGibson ES-330 is back-50346189908_21a8d4dc83_c-jpg

    When Gibson came out originally with the ES-330, it was the bottom of the line in the series. Still it was a very usable, good sounding instrument. I'd like Gibson to give the concept a bit more respect and dress it up more. At the origin of the ES-3xx series, P-90s were the cheaper pickups. Nowadays that's not so true. The ES-330 gives a very pleasing sound that is different but not inferior to the rest of the thinline series.

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by Woody Sound View Post
    This makes me wonder why Gibson never made a more "glitsy" version of the 330, like the 355. The closest thing was the Crest, which was a bit too much for most people, both looks and price. (And note the floating bridge.)

    ps - When they were issued, was WAAAAYYY beyond my reach as a poor student. Sure would like to have one now.

  23. #22

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    I have one of each a short and an "L" The problem I had with mine is the bridge posts started to lean so I installed another pair of adjusting wheels on the posts and bottomed them out onto the top to stop the lean. It worked pretty good. The truth be told the Casino is a pretty good box and an even better price.

    Gibson ES-330 is back-330_cas-jpg Gibson ES-330 is back-es330_pair_f-jpg

  24. #23

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    So it arrived, at last!
    The delivery was scheduled on friday.. weather problems in France delayed it to tuesday.. it was a very very loooong weekend.

    Well, all I can say is that it's a beautiful looking, sounding and playing instrument !

    The playability is out of this world, just stunning how easy it is to play.
    The notes pop out evenly on all the fretboard, no dead spots. It's very spanky and percussive, I love that so much! It has quite a lot of sustain, more than I would have thought from what I read here and there.
    It's mounted with 10-46 strings. Before recieving the guitar, I was ready to put 11-49 right away.
    Now I 'm not so sure anymore, it's just so good as it is, I'm wondering. I like some slight fight with the strings, but the tension is really nice here. It's got girth and jangle at the same time.. Wow that feels great.

    The neck pick-up is really awesome, and so versatile. From jazz to rock and everything in between, it's a real chameleon.

    The neck is on the chunky side, but not that much. The C profile and rounded neck edges make it a real joy to play, very smooth and fast.
    It is said to have medium jumbo frets, but they feel skinnier and lower to me ? Maybe they've been crowned like that by the plek machine ?
    Anyway it just perfection. Reminds of the quality of the work on the Ibanez GB10.

    Now I kind of understand where the big bucks are..that's kind of a relief in a way

    No flaws anywhere.

    The nut is really well cut, electronics work like they should. The 500k pots are smooth with an unmistakable quality feel to them. Orange drop capacitors. Whatever this does, I'm not really an expert on that subject, the sound is clear and has great bite. The overdriven sound is to die for with my Benson Preamp pedal.
    I also have an Origin Effects DCX Boost, and this pedal has a switch to select "medium-flat-bright" voices . I didn't hear that much of a difference with my 59 Stratocaster, or Eastman Juliet.
    With the ES330 it jumps to the ears, that means something on the quality of the guitars' eletronics, I suppose.


    The case is very well made, but quite heavy. I wish Gibson would give us a lighter option for their cases, protective but less on the "vintage vibe" boat anchor. This heavy case kills a bit the advantage of having such a light guitar.

    Yes, it's really a light guitar, 2.780 kg to be precise on my kitchen scale.

    The hardware is fine. The white plastic button tuners work very well, and add to the light and airy feel of the guitar in my view.

    I've noticed that the screws of the ABR-1 are no longer directly in the body wood, but in "metal barrels" (studs?). I know Gibson has been doing this on the Original series. I see no problem with this, nor a tonal difference. And maintenance should be easier.

    The acoustic sound is VERY impressive. The honky nature of the build shows out, but it's really sweet sounding and dynamic unplugged. Much more than a ES335. And in my memories, it sounds louder than a ES175 I used to have (lighter also).
    The perfect couch electric guitar is not false. Since it's very light and loud, it could be your living room acoustic.
    This is the most expensive guitar purchase of my 35 years of playing. The 2000€ bar has always been a limit for me, and even such an amount has been just in recent years.
    So I was really nervous about the purchase. Even if I chose Thomann (Germany) for of it's faultless return policy, it was kind of a big jump in my case.
    I know now I did well! Have I had luck, and won the ticket on "a good one", as they say for Gibson ? I don't know for sure, but it's the very best Gibson I ever played (and I have two "pretty" good ones, now I shall say?).
    If I should just find a flaw, but this is more a design thing, the bridge pickup is lower volume than the neck. The neck is so gloriously fricking amazing that the bridge is kind of bland in comparison.
    And as a result, the in between position isn't as good as it could be. It's good, but it could be a lot better with a more balanced set.
    I know that the solution is to shim the bridge P90 and level its height to match the neck output. It's obvious it will be just as good as the neck one after this little adjustement.
    Lollar sells a P90 shim set with a lot of different heights.. it's 28€ but well worth the investement on such an otherwise stunning guitar .
    The proverbial pictures will come up later, I've got a busy day.

    And... If you have the funds, want a perfect ES330, well..
    .. I don't want to get you sleepless, nevermind
    Last edited by Jx30510; 10-23-2024 at 04:19 AM.

  25. #24

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    Congrats on your new guitar! It sounds perfect. Enjoy

  26. #25

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    I edited the post a bit. A few mistakes and omissions here and there (maybe not perfect, I'm French)