The 2012 Gibson ES-330 ’59 Reissue is a fully hollow thinline electric guitar produced by Gibson’s Memphis division, built to replicate late-1950s specifications. It features a laminated maple top, back, and sides paired with a mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard, constructed with a 24.75-inch scale length and 22 frets. The neck uses a late-1950s C/D profile with a 1 11/16-inch nut width, and the body joins at the 17th fret in keeping with the original ES-330 design.

Electronics consist of two underwound P-90 single-coil pickups in the neck and bridge positions, wired to traditional independent volume and tone controls with a three-way selector switch. Hardware includes Kluson-style tuners with white buttons and a vintage-style adjustable bridge and trapeze tailpiece layout. The instrument’s fully hollow construction omits a centre block, contributing to lower overall weight and increased acoustic resonance compared to semi-hollow designs.

The finish is nitrocellulose lacquer applied in a lightly aged vintage style, often with slightly dulled hardware to reflect period-correct aesthetics. Binding is off-white celluloid, and original examples were typically supplied with a fitted hardshell case. Production models from this period retained historically accurate construction details such as laminated maple body woods and traditional fret count and neck joint placement.