Gibson ES-330TDN

by bryan roberts
(knoxville, tn, usa)

Just wanted to know what this guitar might be worth. My mom purchased this one new. It is 100% original except for the tail piece which I heard was known to break. George Gruin told my dad about 10 years ago that the replacement was a very good quality. This guitar is in near mint condition. There is no spider webbing on the finish and really the only blemish on the guitar is on the back of the neck; a very small scuff.

The serial No. is R4111 25

ANSWER

Hi, Bryan--

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Thanks for the pic.

Your guitar is similar to the ES-330 T so I am first giving you the Blue Book general info for that model:

ES-330 T
- double round cutaway semi-hollow bound body, arched maple top, raised bound black pickguard, f-holes, maple back/sides, mahogany neck, 22-fret bound rosewood fingerboard with pearl dot inlay, tune-o-matic bridge/trapeze tailpiece, blackface peghead with pearl logo inlay, 3-per-side tuners with plastic buttons, nickel hardware, single coil pickup, volume/tone control, available in Cherry (ES-330 TC) Natural, or Sunburst finishes, mfg. 1959-1963.

BUT--your guitar is a bit more special. Here is the Blue Book info:

ES-330 TD (the "N" stands for Natural Finish)
- similar to the ES-330 T, except has two single coil pickups, four knobs (two v, two tone), and a three-way pickup switch, available in Cherry (1960-1975), Natural (1959-1962), Sparkling Burgundy (1967-69), or Sunburst finish, mfg. 1959-1975.

Now--the value:

I was unable to get a definite year of manufacture from the serial number that you provided. The dot inlays on the fretboard, however, indicate the year(s)and therefore the value. Here is what the Blue Book says:

1959-1961 Dot Inlays
Mint $6,000
Exc.+ $5,000
Exc. $4,000
Avg.+ $3,250
Avg. $2,500
General $2,000

**I think that the tailpiece replacement will not affect the value much, especially because it was replaced with an "original" and more especially because of the evaluation of the replacement by
Mr. Gruin.

** More info that I noticed about the history of the prices for your guitar:

2006: Mint-$4,000
2007: Mint-$7,500
2008: Mint-$7,500

It may be that the decrease in value for 2009 is a reflection of the general economic environment.
I just thought that the historic info might help in any decisions you may want to make.

Best Wishes,
Lynne