Friday, September 12, 2008

Vintage 1963 Gibson ES-330 Guitar, Right-Handed


1963 Gibson ES 330 TDC (Thinline, Double Pickup, Cutaway) Serial Number: 119427 Right-handed (pics are flipped, and my software can't flip them back, sorry...) ***NO RESERVE*** This is my first electric guitar, purchased when I was a senior in high school, 1989. It was already pretty well worn, full of spider cracks and the finish was faded out, more brownish in the front and a beautiful red in the back. The tone was a sweet, rich bluesy sound and I spent the next four years or so playing in a blues / classic-rock band rather than studying for college. Through a proper tube amp, the sound really cannot be matched. I set it aside and just started playing again this last year. Unfortunately, I'm moving overseas and getting rid of all of my stuff. Condition: this is not even close to a perfect collector's item. Spider cracks everywhere. Finish is faded to brown in front, but still a deep red in the back. A couple of small chips in the paint along the edge, slightly corroded switches and potentiometers, and one missing volume knob. BUT it plays very well. The neck is nice and straight, frets are fine, and the strings are close to the neck. Whenever I put the guitar away for more than a few days, I loosen the strings. I also keep a humidifer in the case itself. If you are like me, you want an instrument, not a museum piece. I like a guitar to match the blues I play, which is not a neat-pressed, bow-tied, wine-and-cheese affair. I'll include a hard case along with the guitar. That's why I'm charging $75 shipping. Case is pretty heavy. Note: the case is probably as old as the guitar, and has -- I find this hysterical -- "THE HOBIT" and "S. CHORNEY" stenciled on it. Dude misspells "hobbit". Lord, lord, lord... Case is pretty broken down. Handle is broken on one side and I just wrap my arm around the whole thing to carry it. So, I'm really just using the case to make sure shipping is safer. You'll want to repair this case, or, better yet, just buy a new one. But in a box, it will see the guitar through shipping safely. For reviews, check out epinions. People really love this. I don't know how much it's worth, so I'm putting it up with no reserve. I do hope the winning bidder will PLAY this thing. It means more to me that it's played than how much money it goes for... So, if you're not going to play it, or give it to someone who does, can I ask that you bid on the next Gibson hollowbody to come around and pass on mine?


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