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ES-330 VOS - I want one but don't like the 2-piece parts


Sofaplayer

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1376897884[/url]' post='1413842']

I have a 2012 natural finish, purchased after A-Bing three, and the plugged & unplugged tone is stellar - to such a degree that the two piece fretboard became a non-issue for me. I literally could not leave the store without that particular 330.

 

Play every one you can get your hands on for the best frame of reference. It also so happened that the one I fell for had a slightly smaller neck profile, which fit me like a glove. They truly are not all created equal.

 

As for the criteria you have outlined, I've heard that some 2013s were to be made with a one piece front & back, but haven't seen one yet.

 

You might try emailing customer service regarding serial numbers, as you will have to go with a 2013 to get the one piece board.

 

Good luck in your search.

 

I own a 2012 330 VOS and it is amazing. A really under the radar guitar. Worth every cent. Sounds gorgeous and beautifully made.

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Call me dense (wouldn't be the first time) but I don't see the seam.

That's because what you're looking at now on Dave's website is a different guitar. At the time the quoted post was made back in September of last year, it would have been a different example with the two-piece top.

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  • 4 months later...

They are 2 piece to reflect the tops found on various 1959 models (spliced) apparently! Whilst a one piece might be more desirable, it in no way impacts sound or playability. I have one (2 piece) and it is the best guitar I have played for a long time - light, lovely neck profile, clear as a bell sounds acoustically and the p90s are fantastic!

 

If I had to keep one guitar it would be the 330 - I recommend it to all of you!!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just to clear this up, I bought a 2014 ES-330 recently and it has both a single piece fretboard and a single piece top and back. R serial number.

 

The new Memphis Historic Spec P-90s are fantastic too!

 

Don't hesitate on getting one of these as they are the most vintage feeling modern Gibson I've played in years, miles ahead of my 2008 R6 Goldtop.

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Just to clear this up, I bought a 2014 ES-330 recently and it has both a single piece fretboard and a single piece top and back. R serial number.

 

The new Memphis Historic Spec P-90s are fantastic too!

 

Don't hesitate on getting one of these as they are the most vintage feeling modern Gibson I've played in years, miles ahead of my 2008 R6 Goldtop.

If you check with Gibson, it might be that your guitar was produced in 2013. The 2012s used a T serial number, but S was skipped over (don't recall the reason). 2013s were R serial numbers. The two piece top started in 2013, but Memphis returned to one piece tops on the 330 before year's end.

 

I completely agree regarding the vintage feel of this model. My natural finish 2012 ES-330 would be my one "desert island" keeper. It is simply superb in both tone and playability.

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Not being familiar with this model (there are so many "330" series) I Googled it. What I found was there are lots of different pup choices. Minis, full dress, and P-90s. This would be a great addition to a collection at only 5 lbs 10 oz according to the hype. Over three grand is a lot, but I think for this guitar it may be worth it.

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If you check with Gibson, it might be that your guitar was produced in 2013. The 2012s used a T serial number, but S was skipped over (don't recall the reason). 2013s were R serial numbers. The two piece top started in 2013, but Memphis returned to one piece tops on the 330 before year's end.

 

It's definitely a 2014, the warranty card had a march 2014 date on it and the model number on the box was the new ES3014VBNH1 number, which has the new specs: Non-Spliced Plain Maple veneers, hide glue neck joint and MHS P-90s.

 

It's got a beautiful dark rosewood board and some subtle flame in the top. Absolutely beautiful!

 

Not being familiar with this model (there are so many "330" series) I Googled it. What I found was there are lots of different pup choices. Minis, full dress, and P-90s. This would be a great addition to a collection at only 5 lbs 10 oz according to the hype. Over three grand is a lot, but I think for this guitar it may be worth it.

 

The new ES-330 is totally worth it, even at the absurd price I had to pay here in Australia (around US$4200). I've never played a modern Gibson that feels closer to a vintage one than this.

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It's definitely a 2014, the warranty card had a march 2014 date on it and the model number on the box was the new ES3014VBNH1 number, which has the new specs: Non-Spliced Plain Maple veneers, hide glue neck joint and MHS P-90s.

It's got a beautiful dark rosewood board and some subtle flame in the top. Absolutely beautiful!

Sounds like a wonderful guitar - Congrats & enjoy!

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  • 4 weeks later...

I own a 1959 ES-330 T in natural. A few observations about this guitar. It has two piece front and backs (Laminated). The back piece has nice bubbling and the front a flamey grain. Also interesting is it is the body is thicker (1 1/2)than a 68 es-330TD I own (1 1/4) or a 62 Epiphone Century (2). Too add more mystery is the neck is laminated at the heel with a mahogany heel cap the depth of the binding. I have seen another of this era and it has the same heel so I don't think it is repair etc. The model number stamp is ES-330T with no N, but it is definitely not refinished. Sound and plays great.

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  • 2 years later...

it is true...

 

http://davesguitar.com/products/gibson-memphis/es-330-4/

 

odd give that it is plywood.

Very (very) late to the discussion here, but I'm curious now. I just looked at the photo in the link above (which still works!), and I don't see a 2-piece top. I see off-center vertical grain lines beneath the tailpiece, but I'm not seeing a center seam. I have a feeling I'd probably have trouble locating pics of the short-lived 2013 version with a 2-piece top, so does anybody (bobouz?) have photos or links where I can see these?

 

I'm not sure I ever heard (or read) anything about original '59 330's having two-piece tops/backs, so I'm puzzled. Anybody have photos of those, or links to reliable sources of info?

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Very (very) late to the discussion here, but I'm curious now. I just looked at the photo in the link above (which still works!), and I don't see a 2-piece top. I see off-center vertical grain lines beneath the tailpiece, but I'm not seeing a center seam. I have a feeling I'd probably have trouble locating pics of the short-lived 2013 version with a 2-piece top, so does anybody (bobouz?) have photos or links where I can see these?

 

I'm not sure I ever heard (or read) anything about original '59 330's having two-piece tops/backs, so I'm puzzled. Anybody have photos of those, or links to reliable sources of info?

Jim - Re Dave's Guitar link, the same question was asked on page two of this thread, which I answered similarly at the time: Dave's link does not change, but the guitars do! So in 2013, they had a two-piece ES-330 in stock. Eventually, it would sell and be replaced by new stock using the same link.

 

As for photos of two-piece 330s, I did a Google search typing in "Gibson ES 330 VOS 2013", and quickly found a natural and a sunburst with two-piece tops in the "images" section.

 

Then I Googled "Gibson ES 330 1959", and again quickly found an original single pickup 330 in natural finish with a two-piece top. It's very easy to spot, and they positively are out there..... Bob

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Check out what I just discovered: originals had 2 piece fronts/backs!

 

Listing: 1959 ES-330 for sale

 

Front:

p2_uibaklblv_so.jpg

 

Back:

p3_u5mk1ogjh_so.jpg

Image links have gone dead on this now, but at any rate, this is one of the posts that really made me curious. Saying that "originals had 2 piece tops/backs" almost sounds like a claim that they all had 2 piece tops/backs. "Originals"... does this refer to just the earliest examples produced in '59? And how many were made that way before they returned to one piece tops/backs?

 

bob, I tried the two searches you suggested, and I didn't find a 2013 example with a 2 piece top and back. Not sure why you still haven't posted any photos that you've found online...?

 

I did find one original example (an original one-pickup ES330TN):

GIE0504_bodft.jpgGIE0504_Gibson_ES-330_blonde.jpg

 

What I'd really like to find is a scholarly source that explains what was happening in 1959, and perhaps how many were produced this way. Obviously, not all 1959 330's had 2-piece tops and backs.

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bob, I tried the two searches you suggested, and I didn't find a 2013 example with a 2 piece top and back. Not sure why you still haven't posted any photos that you've found online...?

Jim - Sorry I'm not tech savvy & terribly lazy to boot, so I've never been motivated enough to learn how post pics or links on forums. I do know how to email the photos I take of my instruments for insurance purposes, but my 2012 330-VOS is a one-piece.

 

Re the two-piece 2013 Google links, I just looked again, and there they are, near the beginning of the row of images that pops up on my computer. The natural finish example is one that was being sold at Wildwood, with a Greg Koch video, serial #T18861. The still pic of this guitar shows the seam very clearly. When Greg is playing, it's harder to distinguish, but it's there. The first sunburst I see with a seam was from a 2013 listing by Ryan's Guitar Of The Week.

 

But here's the definitive info. Back in 2013, I also recall watching a NAMM video where one of the Memphis staff discusses the changes on the 2013 model, including the switch to two-piece. So I googled "NAMM 2013 Gibson Memphis", and up pops the video (Wildwood again, with Greg Koch @ NAMM). It's titled "What's New From Gibson Memphis w/Mike Voltz." Within the first ninety seconds, Mike is holding an example & describing why they went to the two-piece top (but as previously mentioned, by the end of the year, for whatever reasons, they'd given up on the idea & gone back to one-piece).

 

As for how many original two-piece ES guitars were produced & why, I've never come across any reliable information that discusses the rationale or production numbers.

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