Specs of a Gibson ES330 neck

[ChristopherG]

Does anyone know the detailed measurements on this particular Gibson? I owned one years ago--destroyed in an accident, ended up selling the hardware and electrics--and want to reproduce it in a all rosewood neck to go on the walnut Tele body that Warmoth is making for me.

I loved the way that neck played. So if anyone knows the widths, the string spacing, etc, and the profile that best matches it I would be grateful. I know you can never go home again, but if I could get close I would be pretty happy.

 

[bagman67]

If you know what year the guitar was made, that would make tracking down the specifications a little easier.  That said, if it was similar in dimensions to an ES-335, by far the most common Gibson guitar of that shape, there's a wealth of info on that model that might make the grade.  if yours was a 330L (meaning the longer guitar, with the neck joint at the 19th fret) you may be on solid ground with the 335 measurements.  BUt if it's the 330T or TD, which has the neck joint at fret 15 or 16, all bets are off.  However, not all hope is lost lost:


Wildwood guitars actually has some dimension info for the ES330 reissues they have in stock, and it appears you're looking at a 24.75" scale, 1 11/16" nut width, .90" neck thickness at the first fret, tapering to 1.03" at the 12th fret.  Not sure what kind of profile shape we're talking about (C-shaped or more flat across the backside), but it's a start.

 

[ChristopherG]

Derp, sorry. It was a ES330TD. My father always said it was either a 68 or 69.

Will search harder.

 

[bagman67]

Sorry, my research was a little shaky.  Looks like the TD joint is at fret 19.  And there seem to be a few specimens showing a 1 9/16"(!) nut width.  Other specimens are described as having a "clubbier" neck profile than the 335 of the same era.  One problem is that manufacturing techniques of the era did not result in perfect uniformity of necks coming off the line, so it may well be that every description you read, no matter how at variance with others, could be accurate as to the individual specimen being evaluated.


Anyhoo - if you're after an auditory reconstruction of your memory of your old 330, a solid body won't quite cut it, sound wise.  I'd go with a hollow body and hope for the best.  But if you just want to recreate the neck feel, my guess is a 59 roundback will come close.  If you start with a fat neck you can always remove some meat.  You'll want the 24.75" scale, of course.


And for the pickups, one of our fellow forumites, TroubledTreble aka Ken Calvet, does business under the name Roadhouse Pickups, and he winds a mind-blowingly good P90.  I cannot recommend his work highly enough.  THe P90's are not on his site since he's concentrating on his vintage Valco repros and variants on that theme, but contact him - he may be able to wind some for you anyway.  Totally worth the effort.  Plus he's a sweet guy.


Best of luck.

 

[ChristopherG]

Hey man, thanks for the info. I definitely had one of the 1 9/16" nuts since I remember being able to easily fret two adjacent strings with the same fingertip.

Not really going for the same sound, just the same or similar feel.

Thanks again for the advice. I am sure I will hem and haw over every little detail until I actually order the neck.