2002 Gibson ES-333 Vintage Sunburst
Weighs 8.5 lbs

Free Pro Setup - $100 Value
See below for details.

Case:  Includes Gibson Hard Shell Case shown

Description:  The Gibson ES-333 is a semi-hollow-body electric guitar. It was produced by Gibson from 2002 to 2005 as a more affordable, stripped-down alternative to the legendary Gibson ES-335. While it shares the same body shape, size, center block, and structural dimensions as the 335, and was built in the same Memphis factory as the ES-335, it omits several cosmetic luxuries.

History: In 1958, Gibson was already making many Electro Spanish (ES) guitars like the ES-125, ES-175 and ES-225, but these hollow guitars had a tendency to feedback when played at loud volumes. The solution was simple - add a solid block of wood down the center to keep the top from vibrating uncontrollably when excited by the sound waves coming from the amp. It worked brilliantly and gave the best of both worlds - that nice organic, woody and lively tone of a hollow body with the practicality of a solid body. It could be played loud on stage and would not feedback. This new guitar was called the ES-335. These guitars gained popularity among jazz, blues, and rock musicians. Iconic guitarists like B.B. King, Eric Clapton, and Chuck Berry have famously used them. The ES-335 remains a staple in the music industry, and routinely makes the cut when people are listing iconic guitars that every guitarist should own, because it looks, plays and sounds wonderful. It's that good.

What about the ES-333? The ES-335 is a fabulous guitar, but they are expensive to build. In the early 2000's Gibson realized there were a lot of players out there that wanted an ES-335 but couldn't afford one. So they came up with the ES-333.

The differences are as follows:

• Satin finish
• Uncovered pickups
• No pickguard
• Silk screened headstock logo
• Access panel on back

Bottom line: The subtle changes helped Gibson get the price down, but they do not affect sound or playability. So the ES-333 provided 100% of the performance at about two thirds the cost. It was so popular that Gibson discovered they were selling a lot fewer ES-335's. So they ended production in 2005 after just four years. Since they were only made for four years, they are hard to come by. The rarity coupled with how good these guitars are, are making them more desirable and collectable.

Rear access panel: Many players actually prefer the ES-333 because of the rear access panel. This panel makes it so much easier to swap pickups or replace pots. Try doing that on a traditional hollow body and you'll understand why. So the ES-333 is the clear winner in that regard, unless you enjoy spending hours fishing wires and pots through the f-holes After doing that, you'll understand the real reason they are called f-holes! The access panel makes a lot of sense.

Pickups:  We added a chrome cover on the Gibson 490R neck pickup, and replaced the Gibson 498T bridge pickup with a DiMarzio PAF. This gives the traditional tones of the original guitars that made the ES-335 famous, and the guitar looks so much better with the chrome covers.

Condition: Very good condition overall. Frets in excellent 9.5/10 condition. Truss rod is slightly misaligned, but it works as it should, and we have it set for the proper neck relief.

Luthier's measurements and assessment:

• Serial No. 03122728
• Weight: 8.5 lbs
• Nut width: 1.68"
• Neck width at 12th fret: 2.07"
• Neck thickness at 1st fret: 0.79"
• Neck thickness at 12th fret: 0.90"
• Action at high e: 0.050"
• Action at low E: 0.060"
• Neck pickup DCR: 7.9k Ohms
• Neck pickup DCR: 8.5k Ohms
• Truss rod: Slightly misaligned, but works as it should. Has been adjusted for the proper neck relief.
• Frets: Excellent 9.5/10
• Cosmetic condition: Very good
• Functional condition: Very good. Everything works well.
• Electronics: Excellent. No issues.
• Playability: Excellent. Plays very well. Neck is comfortable.
• Sound: Loud and resonant unplugged. Good sustain. Pickups sound wonderful.
• Overall condition: Very good

Features and Specs:

• Brand: Gibson
• Model: ES-333
• Body wood: Laminated maple
• Top wood: Laminated maple
• Body binding: Antique white
• Neck wood: Mahogany
• Neck profile: 60's slim taper
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Fingerboard radius: 12"
• Fingerboard inlays: Dots
• Fingerboard binding: Antique white
• Scale: 24.75"
• No of frets: 22
• Fret size: Medium jumbo
• Neck pickup: Gibson 490R
• Bridge pickup: DiMarzio PAF
• Pickup switch: Three-way toggle
• Controls: Volume and tone for each pickup
• Bridge: Tune-O-Matic
• Tailpiece: Stop-bar
• Tuners: Gibson Deluxe
• Hardware: Chrome/nickel
  

About Del Mar Lutherie: We’re a small shop in San Diego County, California. We build electric guitars, hand-wired tube amps, and do mods and setups.  We also buy and sell vintage and used gear.  Our owner is a guitar enthusiast, wood worker and professional engineer by training. We’re part of the local guitar community (Fender, Taylor, Carvin/Kiesel).  We welcome clients by appointment. 

Why buy from us?  Our customers have peace of mind knowing they are buying from a highly rated professional shop.  We've been doing this type of work since 1999 and have thousands of happy customers.  We pride ourselves in providing best-in-class personalized service for each of our clients. We are a Reverb Preferred Seller, and our approval rating is close to 100%.

Dr. T’s Professional Inspection and Setup: You may find a similar guitar at a lower price, but ours may still be the better value as we include our professional inspection and setup. This service costs from $100 to $150 at most shops. With over 25 years in the industry, we’re convinced that a good setup is the single most important investment to improve the playability and sound of your guitar.  Here’s what in entails. We go through our 66-point checklist and make sure everything is right at each step.  Once the initial inspection is done, we remove the strings and tighten and set the drag on the tuners. Next, we inspect the frets, find any high spots, then level, crown and polish. We clean and oil the fingerboard, restring, tune to pitch and set the neck relief, action and intonation. We then play each fret and check for fret buzz and fret-outs during bends, and we fine-tune as required.  Next, we test the electronics, clean and tighten pots and jacks and balance the pickups.  Occasionally, we find a fault with the electronics, so we dig in and diagnose and repair that.  Once the electronics are tip top, we play the guitar to make sure everything is just right.  Finally, we clean and polish the guitar, then slacken the stings to get it ready for shipping.

String Gauges and Settings:   We do our setups using common string gauges and settings, which we've found work well for most players. For electrics, we use 9-42 gauge strings for Fender (25.5") scale guitars and 10-46 for Gibson (24.75") scale guitars.  We set action to 0.050 on the high e side and 0.060 on the low E side. This action is fairly low and allows for easy fretting without buzzing or sacrificing tone. If you have special preferences, please let us know, and we will do our best to accommodate you.

Fine Tuning Adjustments:  Your guitar will be playing and sounding wonderful when we finish our setup. However, occasionally minor adjustments will be needed after shipping due to changes in temperature and/or humidity, rough handling or other unfavorable conditions. Since we have no control over this, we cannot cover the cost of these adjustments. However, if your guitar was mishandled during shipping, please let us know, so we can see if a shipping claim is in order. Sometimes it’s possible to get you a partial refund to help cover issues if we can show that they were caused by shipping.

Condition Ratings: We do our best to be consistent with Reverb’s condition rating system.  Please keep in mind that Reverb’s descriptions are very general and can be open to interpretation. The guitar you get will be the one shown in the photos, and if it has any major flaws or defects, we will point them out in the listing.  Our guitars rated below “Mint” will have signs of use and cosmetic imperfections, including minor dings, dents and swirl marks, which might only be visible upon close inspection. If you are sensitive to minor cosmetic defects, please let us know, and we can provide you with close-up photos.  We do not accept returns nor give partial refunds if you receive your guitar and believe that it should have been rated lower.  We’ve sold thousands of guitars, and almost without exception, our clients have not had issues with our ratings.  This tells us that we are doing a great job with our condition ratings.  

Standard of Care: We strive to meet our clients’ expectations, and we want you to be happy with your purchase.  Guitars develop wear with use and it’s widely accepted that honest wear adds character and shows that the guitar has been played and loved. Our used and vintage guitars will have signs of use. Our Del Mar Lutherie brand guitars are hand-built and will have artifacts that some people might view as "imperfections".  If you want a guitar in “perfect” or “flawless” condition, we advise you to buy new from an authorized dealer or buy locally so you can inspect it in person. We do not guarantee that our guitars will be cosmetically flawless, and we don’t accept returns or give partial refunds due to cosmetic imperfections.

Specs: We list specs as a courtesy. Some specs are measured by our techs. Others are taken from the manufacturer's data. Manufacturers change specs all the time, and their listed specs may not be 100% accurate. Also, some used guitars have mods that may not be apparent upon visual inspection. The guitar you will get is the one shown in the photos. If there are any "deal breaker" specs that you must have, please let us know so we can double check for you before your purchase.

Videos: We often include YouTube links to provide our clients with more information. These videos will be of a similar make and model which is representative of the guitar in our listing. 

Shipping: We ship guitars via UPS ground. The fee shown includes shipping within the contiguous USA with insurance. It also includes packaging materials and our time to pack up and drop off at UPS.  For guitars, shipping costs are controlled by box size and insurance is based on value. Your guitar will ship without a case, unless one is described as included in the listing or you add one to your order. If you decline to add a case, we will pack your guitar well with bubble wrap and other padding and ship it in a sturdy guitar box. However, if you want your guitar to have even better protection, we encourage you to add a hard case to your order. See below for details.

Cases: Some guitars we buy come with cases and some don't.  Some clients want cases, and some have so many they don't want more.  To offer flexibility, we make cases optional.  This allows us to pass on some savings to those who don't want cases and to offer several case types to our clients who do want them.  If you want a case, please let us know.  There are many benefits when you buy a case from us; we have good prices, we make sure your guitar fits, we offer free shipping on the case (when combined with a guitar) and we ship your guitar inside the case for better protection. Each year, we see a small number of guitars arrive with damage caused by mishandling during shipping. However, when shipped inside a hard case, the incidence of damage is almost zero. See the top of the listing or inquire for options.

Delivery Time: We do our best to get your guitar setup, boxed and shipped as soon as possible. However, sometimes this can take a few days depending on our workload and other factors. Once UPS receives your guitar, they will estimate a delivery date, which you can access via Reverb. UPS will typically deliver your guitar within 2 to 7 business days after they receive it, depending on your distance from Southern California. If you're in a hurry, please let us know and we’ll do our best to accommodate you, or at least we can advise you of the estimated wait, so you can decide if you need to make other arrangements.

Damage Claims: Although rare, guitars sometimes are damaged during shipping. If you receive a guitar that is damaged, please let us know immediately so we can open a claim.

Returns and Canceled Orders: We are a small business and can’t afford to offer free returns like the big guys. There is a lot of time, effort and cost involved with processing your order, pulling your guitar from inventory, setting it up, packing and shipping it. Please make sure you want the guitar before you commit to buy. If we agree to a return or to cancel your order, you will be responsible for shipping costs (both ways) and a restocking fee to cover our time.

Trades:   We are a professional guitar business. Anything we take on trade, we resell. Due to shipping costs and transaction fees, we only do trades in person. To make sense for us, we can only offer wholesale value, which is typically 40% to 60% of what it would sell for on Reverb. This is usually as good or better than Guitar Center.  If you’re OK with this, please send current photos of the actual gear you have for trade. We need brand, model, year, and condition. Note any mods, repairs or other issues. If your guitar includes a hard case or gig bag, send photos of that as well.