Gibson ES339

[mat]

Anyone has or have tried the ES-339 ? I'm getting a minor fever over it How do You like Yours ? Are these made in USA ? They are priced quite nicely at thomann.de (german megamusicstore). Just under 1500 euros.... Ooh it is so cool looking

http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/F ... 0Presents/

[jelle]

That looks sweet! Thanks for putting that up.

jelle

[tonelab2]

Worked on a few for a local guitar tech when he was busy. Needed solder joints reflowed on them and 1 or 2 had dicky switches. Same with new BBking 345s. Overall real nice guitars and more meat on the necks help with sustain and tone. If you get a chance try out the '58 or '59 reissue (can't remember which model they call it) with the big fat neck. Accousticaly the best 335 I've ever played for tone and sustain ( I've owned 3-4 dozen 335s over 35 years and played 100s).
Bottom line the 339 is very nice but play the '59 reissue before you pull the trigger is the best advice I can offer.

[mat]

Worked on a few for a local guitar tech when he was busy. Needed solder joints reflowed on them and 1 or 2 had dicky switches. Same with new BBking 345s. Overall real nice guitars and more meat on the necks help with sustain and tone. If you get a chance try out the '58 or '59 reissue (can't remember which model they call it) with the big fat neck. Accousticaly the best 335 I've ever played for tone and sustain ( I've owned 3-4 dozen 335s over 35 years and played 100s).
Bottom line the 339 is very nice but play the '59 reissue before you pull the trigger is the best advice I can offer.

tonelab2, big thanks for the info ! You really have been trough lots of 335's
This is just the info I need. I like thick necks. Much fuller tone and better sustain. Great !

[mat]

I ordered this (59 fat neck) http://www.gibson.com/_microsite/electr ... h/339.html

[RJ Guitars]

I bought a used 339 off EBAY back in July. Traditional sunburst.

I went to Guitar Center first and played one... brand new right out of the box. I thought I wanted the 59 neck, but after I played that one I decided against it. The 30/60 neck was plenty fat and really nothing like the thin neck on the SG I used to play.

I have played a Les Paul (medium chunky neck) the last few years and as much as I love that guitar, it get's pretty heavy... the 339 seemed like a great replacement - at least on paper.

My guitar had been originally sold from a Chicago area Guitar Center and apparently had never been played and certainly had never been setup. I had to tighten up the truss rod a bit and let the bridge down a few turns but it all dialed in pretty easy and sounded great from the beginning. The neck pickup really needs a different bezel because it just doesn't sit parallel to the strings. That hasn't hurt the tone but it kinda seems like they missed something over there in the design or QC department.

It has a bigger mid range than my Les Paul and yet is plenty bright on the bridge pickup when I need some high end bite.

It's a great guitar and really well made although I would say that Gibson would really do themselves a favor by doing a little setup work, especially if they are going to send them off to Musicians Friend or Guitar Center.

I really like the guitar and I think it will work out really well in all the situations where I have relied upon the Les Paul. It's not really exactly the same, but rather has that hollowbody feel and sound to it... I'm thinking it just doesn't seem right for metal work, mostly because it just doesn't look the part. It does make you look like you've got the right guitar if you're trying to come off as a jazz, blues, or pop player. Definitely goes well with my prematurely gray hair.

rj

[mat]

I went to Guitar Center first and played one... brand new right out of the box. I thought I wanted the 59 neck, but after I played that one I decided against it. The 30/60 neck was plenty fat and really nothing like the thin neck on the SG I used to play.

This is the first guitar I'm buying without test playing it first Allthough I can send it back if it is not what I want it to be. I've built around 10 guitars and I have learnt to like fat necks. They DO sound much better than thin ones.

My guitar had been originally sold from a Chicago area Guitar Center and apparently had never been played and certainly had never been setup. I had to tighten up the truss rod a bit and let the bridge down a few turns but it all dialed in pretty easy and sounded great from the beginning. The neck pickup really needs a different bezel because it just doesn't sit parallel to the strings. That hasn't hurt the tone but it kinda seems like they missed something over there in the design or QC department.

I've been reading too for some of the 339's to need little setup work but also others that was working ok right out of the box. I also read how someone wanted to turn few bridge saddle bits other way around and then the string does not go in the middle of the pole pieces of the pickup because the slot is not in the center of the bit. Maybe this might be the case on Your guitar, I don't know.
I will also make a new bone nut (it has a plastic one) for the guitar.

It has a bigger mid range than my Les Paul and yet is plenty bright on the bridge pickup when I need some high end bite.

That is good to hear

It's a great guitar and really well made although I would say that Gibson would really do themselves a favor by doing a little setup work, especially if they are going to send them off to Musicians Friend or Guitar Center.

I know someone who does quarantee work for the gibson custom shop guitars and the thing is that also the expensive models has too many problems in them.

I'm thinking it just doesn't seem right for metal work, mostly because it just doesn't look the part. It does make you look like you've got the right guitar if you're trying to come off as a jazz, blues, or pop player. Definitely goes well with my prematurely gray hair.

Thanks rj for the info,

[mat]

Finally got my antique cherry red '59 neck Gibson 339 I'm very happy with it now after I adjusted few things (actually almost everything there is to adjust ) with it.

The 'Memphis tone circuit' that is supposed to be in these guitars is a bit mystery to me. I searched the web and found the following:
0.001uf capacitor between the lugs of the volume pot and a 150k or 300k ohm resistor in parallel.

I loosened the volume pot and looked trough f-hole and there is not a cap or resistor on the volume pot on my guitar. The pot is quite big so there might be a possibility to the cap+resistor to be inside of the pot..

The volume has a different feel comparing my Ibanez 335-style guitar. The 339 stays guite trebly while turning the volume down as the Memphis TC is supposed to do.

I turned the pot trough the f-hole with pliers and on the side of the volume pot there is a series of numbers: 440-70085 0821. Does these numbers mean anything to anyone ?

I would like to try the bridge pickup without the 'MTC' to see if it would better suit for me but it would be nice to first find it

Any further info of the 'MTC' (Memphis tone circuit) ?

[Blind Lemon]

Do a search on "Treble Bleed" and see if something comes up. What it does is as you turn the Volume pot down it doesn't get muddy at lower volume. I've put them on a couple of guitars of mine. Couple of Strats. SOme use just the cap.

Ahh, don't do a search read this.

http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/volpass.php

BL

PS I edited the DO to Do.......I didn't want anyone to think I was being mean or yelling.

[mat]

Do a search on "Treble Bleed" and see if something comes up. What it does is as you turn the Volume pot down it doesn't get muddy at lower volume. I've put them on a couple of guitars of mine. Couple of Strats. SOme use just the cap.

Ahh, don't do a search read this.

http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/volpass.php

BL

PS I edited the DO to Do.......I didn't want anyone to think I was being mean or yelling.

Thanks BL for the answer. Actually I know how the treble bleed works. I've added it to couple of my D-builds. The mystery part is that I cannot locate the cap or cap+resistor. I mean if it is not on the volume pot where can it be then ? I asked for the schem from Gibson support but haven't got an answer yet. I would very much like to try the bridge PU without the cap (if there is any )

PS I edited the DO to Do.......I didn't want anyone to think I was being mean or yelling.

One can never be too carefull these days

[Structo]

I use a 1000pf and 150K in parallel on my Fenders.

A Gibson may require a different value resistor since they are usually 500K or 300K pots.

The volume kit would not be inside the pot.

Not sure of the wiring scheme on those guitars but there are a few mods to the traditional Gibson's that a lot of guys prefer.

BTW, a friend of mine took a tour through the Gibson factory and near the end of the tour they were in a room that had completed guitars in racks.

If they had a green hang tag they were ready to be shipped out.
If they had a red tag they were to be destroyed because the defects were unfixable.
I think he said there was also a yellow tag for ones that needed something fixed.

He came away thinking that Gibson really needs to work on their QC work.

The red tagged ones out numbered the green tagged guitars almost by 1/3.

I have heard a lot of people complain about the quality issues on guitars they are seeing in the stores. So if these are the green tag guitars, what in the hell do the red tag ones look like?

[Blind Lemon]

Went to GC to play one, they only had 1, a Red one. Looked nice, lighter than a LP (what isn't). Dude handed it to me and I gave it back without even putting a pick to it. It wasn't a bad set-up, it was like someone tried to screw it up......you should have seen the bow in the neck.......strings were a mile from the neck. I just looked at the dude and he shrugged and said they don't get around to setting all of the guitars up. But, "we've really got a guy interested in this one." I told him I hope the neck isn't totally screwed buy the time he buys it. Thats the bad thing about being in a one dealer town.

BL

[Blind Lemon]

Dup...............

[RJ Guitars]

Went to GC to play one, they only had 1, a Red one. Looked nice, lighter than a LP (what isn't). Dude handed it to me and I gave it back without even putting a pick to it. It wasn't a bad set-up, it was like someone tried to screw it up......you should have seen the bow in the neck.......strings were a mile from the neck. I just looked at the dude and he shrugged and said they don't get around to setting all of the guitars up. But, "we've really got a guy interested in this one." I told him I hope the neck isn't totally screwed buy the time he buys it. Thats the bad thing about being in a one dealer town.

BL

This was pretty similar to what I found, Gibson really needs to figure this out. If they are not going to run a reasonable setup, GC will not do anything to make them better. What is potentially a great guitar comes across as a factory defect. Why bother to put that "CUSTOM SHOP" decal on it when it's an unplayable mess?

In the end when I got it dialed in, it's really a very well made guitar, much nicer than my buddies Epiphone 335... but right out of the box, the Epiphone was ready to play and mine still needed finished. I spent a few hours working it over and it is a great guitar, but the Gibson Custom shop kinda looks like they went off to lunch break and somebody boxed up all the guitars that were a few hours short of being finished.

rj

[Blind Lemon]

RJ, I'm with you on that....Custom Shop....But the problem is compounded by GC. They've got one in the house and it sucks, WTF...........

Anyway.......I'm over it. I did find a used one for $1400, Red but it would have been an internet buy. I just wanted to play one.

BL