Gibson ES-330 Limited Release VOS Dark Cherry!

[BigMikeinNJ]

Gibson classic beauty: dark cherry 330
Damn that’s so pretty.

you and your son playing make this a great thread.
enjoy, long life...

[rpjazzguitar]

Looks great!

Whether you want the extra room on the treble side, bass side or neither, depends on your playing style.

I have had one guitar (D'A EXDC) on which I tended to pull the low E off the fingerboard. My luthier told me to give it time, and, eventually, I stopped doing it.
Played it for years without any work on it.

So, I'd say, leave it alone. It's isn't a problem until you can't get used to it and it hampers your playing. At that point, it isn't a big job to adjust the string locations, if you need to.

BTW, the fact that it lines up over the polepieces suggests that it's intentional for the reasons others have suggested. If you had to move the string location I doubt very much that a slight misalignment over the pole pieces would be audible.

[christianm77]

I like the yellowing on the binding... lovely

[christianm77]

are you guys bothered by the slight misalignment of strings? its leaning towards the bass side and while it's not affecting playability, its triggering my OCD.. not sure if the neck is set incorrectly or the bridge itself.. I also see this on other Les Pauls, 335's SGs, etc..
I know I can notch the saddles and have it spread evenly across the fretboard, but I prefer the strings to be centered on the saddles instead.. did you guys have this kind of problem with your Gibsons?
I dont want to return it as it sounds so good, and besides the fact that its a 2018 model and I may not find another one that sounds as good and the neck profile might vary..

here's some front photos to show the misalignment..
Untitled by D Y, on Flickr
Untitled by D Y, on Flickr

?

on this photo, its very noticeable;
Untitled by D Y, on Flickr

the strings run over the pickup poles perfectly which is great, but you can still see the strings leaning toward the bass side here;
Untitled by D Y, on Flickr

Yes, it really doesnt affect playability, and it plays really well. I dont see it when playing and i forget about it when I’m in the tone zone anyway lol.

but there are times when I just open the case, bring the guitar our, and stare at it and marvel on its beauty. Then I see the slight misalignment.

looks fine to me!

[Marty Grass]

I am a long time fan of the 330, long enough to have some particular tastes on the details.

I had a 1960s 330 that your guitar was based on and gigged with it happily. That's how I was introduced to the techniques of feedback control. The lightness of it is a pleasure.

From an aesthetic perspective I like the block inlays more than the dots. There have been times in dark concert halls and bars where the blocks helped.

I'm not a fan of the VOS treatment, but I don't mind it either. It's peculiar though in that as the guitar wears, the VOS gunk comes off and the hardware looks newer. It's like Benjamin Button. I personally wouldn't pay extra for it, but obviously others would.

Here is a pic of Heritage's Artisan Aged 535. Some go for it.



The chrome pickup covers look nice. Apparently they filter out some of the higher frequencies. That may be a good thing, but some replace them with black plastic. I kept the metal on mine.

All in all, the 330 is a professional instrument that should serve you well the rest of your life. It's worth the investment. Congrats.

[Woody Sound]

Finally the lighting is just perfect.. I think the other photos made it look quite bright red.. but this is the closest I have ever gotten to the color in real life


Untitled by D Y, on Flickr

Yes, much better!

[Woody Sound]

Here's another look at the hardwares..

When my wife saw it for the first time when I opened the case, she said "you didnt spend this much to get a used guitar did you? Are you sure this is a new guitar? How long was it hanging in the store? Why is it rusted??"

LOL, classic! Now confuse her even more by telling her that a *real* used one would cost even more!

[dreamingJazz]

I see this as a feature, not a bug. Seriously. That tiny bit of extra room on the edge gives you space for the occasional vibrato (rarely use on the low side). You have a beautiful and highly desirable instrument. Savor it!

Noooooooo! Leave the string alignment exactly as it is.

Slight bias for room on the treble side is perfection.

It is rare to have trouble pushing the low E off the edge of the FB, but dragging the high E over the edge in either vibrato, an emotive moment, or just being tired, is a far more likely problem.

The best of the best possible setup would arguably have this slight bias as your guitar has.

Enjoy the extra (if accidental?) feature.

Feel free to obsess and stare at it for hours. But definitely note that the slight string offset is, if anything, ideal in practice.

Very well said. The slight bias you noted is perfect. That guitar is a keeper.

thank you guys for putting my mind at ease. I guess I need to show you where I came from and why it bothers me;

this is how I set up my teles; both vintage spec, note how close the E and e to the edge of the board:

Untitled by D Y, on Flickr

Untitled by D Y, on Flickr

I’ve been playing vintage spec teles for years and years so I guess you could say I got used to that and whenever i have a problem with string alignment, I just unscrew-rescrew. But this is a set neck, so you guys can understand how it gets into my head. Lol.

Anyway, I see all of your points, it actually doesnt affect anything, when in fact, the wider nut width, wider neck and wider string spacing has more of an effect to me and my playing style than the E-to-e spacing on the edge of the fretboard.. Vintage spec teles have 42mm nut width and narrower neck on the 12th fret.

now that you guys have pointed it out, it doesnt look so bad now that I look at it. I have you guys to thank you for that! I see other Gibsons that are much worse and some which have all the strings closer to the treble side and if thats the case with mine, it’s definitely going back.

and yes, I can stare at it for hours if I can. I can play all day but i have a bub and I have work and house chores lol. Its a constant battle as im working from home because of restrictions and this guitar is just beside me in its case. Lol.


also, on the other hand, I did look at getting an Archtop Tribute from Japan or a Seventy-Seven Exrubato. Those guitars wouldve been perfect in every way and of course maybe have the tone, but I’m 5 years away from being 40 and I wanted to at least experience the Gibson side of life while I still can and have the means to get it!

[dreamingJazz]

looks fine to me!

its looking quite alright to me now come to think of it and how you guys pointed it out that this is okay!

I like the yellowing on the binding... lovely

the yellowing on the binding was the first thing I loved about it!

the mild gloss on the body and neck was second.

i definitely love the VOS treatment on the finish.

[dreamingJazz]

I am a long time fan of the 330, long enough to have some particular tastes on the details.

I had a 1960s 330 that your guitar was based on and gigged with it happily. That's how I was introduced to the techniques of feedback control. The lightness of it is a pleasure.

From an aesthetic perspective I like the block inlays more than the dots. There have been times in dark concert halls and bars where the blocks helped.

I'm not a fan of the VOS treatment, but I don't mind it either. It's peculiar though in that as the guitar wears, the VOS gunk comes off and the hardware looks newer. It's like Benjamin Button. I personally wouldn't pay extra for it, but obviously others would.

Here is a pic of Heritage's Artisan Aged 535. Some go for it.



The chrome pickup covers look nice. Apparently they filter out some of the higher frequencies. That may be a good thing, but some replace them with black plastic. I kept the metal on mine.

All in all, the 330 is a professional instrument that should serve you well the rest of your life. It's worth the investment. Congrats.

thank you sir.

what started the love affair is when I got a MIC Casino. Man, I loved that guitar but the quality was lacking. Although the sound and playability was great, it felt cheap, and fit and finish was not something i can live with. I vowed to get a better version and better made one. i couldve bought a Japanese elitist, or a vintage Japan casino, or even an Archtop Tribute/Seventy Seven, but I wanted a Gibson, even just once in my life, and experience it. So the 330 it is.

also, i’m very particular on the shape. I dont like the sharper horns on a 64 re-issue. The same goes for any 60’s ES-3xx that doesnt have the mickey mouse rounded horns. So that eliminated most of the options like Eastman, Casinos, etc.. but suprisingly, I like the Heritage take on the horns, but not enough to buy one. So I went with a Gibson as it did resemble a 62, including all the details, like chrome/nickel covers, black top hats reflector knobs, black pickguard, block in-lays, white button tuners, and of course, the cherry red color. It was 500 dollars more than the standard non-VOS color, but luckily the VOS option appealed to me so much that i did not regret spending more. And-

Like i said in my post, i had the option to get the other standard Memphis im sunburst, but I am not sold on it. To me, an ES should be in Cherry red. Thats just my preference. The other color id like it to be is Black.

i learned that the metal covers do filter out the highs through the Casino I owned, but surprisingly, the MHS spec P90’s are bright enough for me, very vintage-y and unlike the hot as hell P90s on the Casino (which i loved and was expecting) and it was wired with 550k (some tolerances maybe) pots from factory so i have no problem with the highs. Some minor adjustments with my amp and pedals, I’m in the zone already. I did tweak the pole pieces to level the volume of each string though. My only gripe is that i have the common problem of having a boomy neck pickup which i have to dial down to 7 in order to match the volume output of the bridge. Im guessing, live, when we play loud, it wont really matter that much, but playing bedroom levels, its very noticeable. But im planning to get some shims for the bridge as thats the cheapest fix to balance out the volume between two pickups. I wont change the pickups as I love the tone of it through my rig and very much resemble my telecaster single coils-on sterioids. I’ll probably buy some black covers if I get bored of the chrome look in the future. Heheh.

believe it or not, I sold most of my guitars now, yes, including my number 1 and number 2 teles. I’m already seeing myself using this a lot and i’m okay for it to be the only guitar I own and use. (Makes life a bit simpler at the moment)

from being a Fender nut and a tele addict, I have been converted to the dark side, lol. I’m already planning to get an ES-335 or wait a bit longer and aim for a CS ES-295.

[dreamingJazz]

Yes, much better!

LOL, classic! Now confuse her even more by telling her that a *real* used one would cost even more!

I showed her the prices of Custom Shop teles which some were just relic’ed to hell, and Custom Shop Prices of Gibsons. Then showed her the vintage prices of both brands. She couldnt believe it. I mean, she couldnt believe the price I paid for this one already, imagine her surprise for those beat up new ones and those vintage ones.

i have been able to justify this one as Im selling everything now, so she doesnt have a problem with it. But the challenge now is, i want another Gibson, and I wont be able to tell her that its just another 700-1500 dollar guitar (which is the most that buy from Fender and I show her the price).. any tips??? Hahahaha

[73Fender]

Nice - big congrats. I have a 2013 VOS and love mine. If it didn’t have a tool mark or a little something it wouldn’t be a Gibson. As long as it plays well it’s all good. I think the little guy likes it too. Great picture. Enjoy.

[73Fender]

I see this as a feature, not a bug. Seriously. That tiny bit of extra room on the edge gives you space for the occasional vibrato (rarely used on the low side). You have a beautiful and highly desirable instrument. Savor it!

Took the words out of my mouth. I’d leave that alignment alone.

[73Fender]

Nice - big congrats. I have a 2013 VOS and love mine. If it didn’t have a tool mark or a little something it wouldn’t be a Gibson. As long as it plays well it’s all good. I think the little guy likes it too. Great picture. Enjoy.

[pilotony]

Enjoy playing your beautiful new Gibson. Leave the alignment alone.

More importantly though, your family photos are terrific.

Thanks for posting.


Tony D.

[bohemian46]

I have owned many guitars to include at east 15 Gibsons. When you get a good one they are "great" and there is nothing like it. Appears you have one of those.
Congrats...great photos BTW.

[dreamingJazz]

Nice - big congrats. I have a 2013 VOS and love mine. If it didn’t have a tool mark or a little something it wouldn’t be a Gibson. As long as it plays well it’s all good. I think the little guy likes it too. Great picture. Enjoy.

hahaha! I’m starting to believe that every Gibson might have a little something to set it apart from the others and give it a bit of character of its own!

[dreamingJazz]

Took the words out of my mouth. I’d leave that alignment alone.

yes! Thank you!

the way I see it now, its not so bad at all, and it plays amazing anyway.

[dreamingJazz]

Enjoy playing your beautiful new Gibson. Leave the alignment alone.

More importantly though, your family photos are terrific.

Thanks for posting.


Tony D.

thank you sir. Im the lucky one to have my wife and bub, and supporting me in my guitar journey!

i am seeing that the alignment is not so bad. I’ll talk to my luthier once he opens and see where we can get the playability, frets level, and nut work better than what I have now.

[dreamingJazz]

I have owned many guitars to include at east 15 Gibsons. When you get a good one they are "great" and there is nothing like it. Appears you have one of those.
Congrats...great photos BTW.

luckily this is not a dog. The neck feels amazing, the tone is what Id expect from a thinline hollow and then some.

The quality and construction, fit and finish is astounding, except some of the minor issues I have on the tooling marks and paint bleeds on f-holes, and string alignment.

it’ll be super hard to find another one like it as these are quite limited in numbers (100 made based on spec sheet), and it’s the last one for sale here in Australia.

[Bezoeker]

thank you sir. Im the lucky one to have my wife and bub, and supporting me in my guitar journey!

i am seeing that the alignment is not so bad. I’ll talk to my luthier once he opens and see where we can get the playability, frets level, and nut work better than what I have now.

If I may annoy you regarding the alignment again...

1. It is far more likely (for reasons already noted) that a little extra room from the string to the fret end is often more useful on the high E vs. the low E.

2. When playing on the upper frets, you are far more likely to be playing the high E vs. the low E (for a number of musical and Newtonian physical reasons).

3. For the majority of players, an arguably ideal setup would have equal distances of the E strings to the fret ends at the nut and gradually more bias for distance on the high E to the fret end as you move to higher frets.

4. Your current condition is, for most players, ideal - rather than “not so bad”.

[dreamingJazz]

If I may annoy you regarding the alignment again...

1. It is far more likely (for reasons already noted) that a little extra room from the string to the fret end is often more useful on the high E vs. the low E.

2. When playing on the upper frets, you are far more likely to be playing the high E vs. the low E (for a number of musical and Newtonian physical reasons).

3. For the majority of players, an arguably ideal setup would have equal distances of the E strings to the fret ends at the nut and gradually more bias for distance on the high E to the fret end as you move to higher frets.

4. Your current condition is, for most players, ideal - rather than “not so bad”.

you’re not annoying! Thank you!!

yes, i see that now, and I’ve been playing it everyday and I see the sense of it all!

I actually dont feel its an issue anymore.. (thanks to you guys).. the string spacing on the nut is very good and equal on both sides of the board, its just cut incorrectly (too low) so it would need to be replaced and cut correctly for 11’s.

[dreamingJazz]

Lollar Shims came! Now my bridge has bite and balanced with the neck pickup. I did put the thinnest shim on the neck and the medium + thin on the bridge. Neck booms beautifully, and the bridge screams. Untitled by D Y, on FlickrUntitled by D Y, on FlickrUntitled by D Y, on FlickrUntitled by D Y, on Flickr