Gibson Custom ES-339 Figured Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar  

I have wanted a 335 for a long time. When the 339 came out I thought it was the perfect fit between a Les Paul and A 335. I was concerned how much different it would sound than a 335 but I played it along side of 3 335's and there really is no difference tone wise to speak of. Mine had a couple of minor finish flaws but it plays great and the music store sold it for a great price. The top and back figuring is pristine and the tone is absolutely sick! From RUSH to Steely Dan and Allman Brothers to Ted Nugent this axe satisfies!

I took delivery only a couple days ago, but I am absolutely thrilled with this beautiful guitar.  I am coming from a Les Paul and Strat, so the shape and size of the guitar are very comfortable and familiar to me.  I have always admired the ES 335, both for its history in music and sound, but I have to say that when I demoed both side by side, I realized that the 335 would take some real getting used to due to its size.  And besides, I was able to get both that 335 growl and sharp high high end out of the 339.  So, for me, it was a win/win, not to mention the cost saving. From what I gathered from reading posts on the Gibson Forum, the choice of whether to go with the figured model or standard is extremely subjective.  There is no performance difference -- it really just matters which appearance you prefer.  To go for the figured, you really need to like it a lot more, as the price difference is significant.  But these guitars out of the Custom Shop are real works of art.  If you are at all into variations in wood and grain, I would highly recommend taking a look at one in person.  To my eye the figured model is breathtaking and worth every penny.  Also, I expect the production run on these to be quite a bit lower, making future value much better if you keep your guitar in tip top condition. If you are on the fence, just do it -- you won't regret it. 

Two days ago I test drove this baby... I wasn't even thinking of buying a Gibson (mainly because I am not a pro, and never thought I'd spend so much money on a guitar... LOL), but I couldn't get this guitar out of my mind. So finally I put myself out of my misery and pluncked down the money and bought it tonight. I am now the proud owner of this ES 339 Figured Cherry Maple Semi-Hollow Electic guitar. I currenly own a Fender Startocaster w/maple fretboard (bought it new a year ago) with a Fender Amp (Super Champ XD) and I play at home. While I enjoy playing many different styles, I've been seriously and intensly "trying to" learn how to play Jazz via online lessons... So finally, I thought it is time to buy a little better guitar. A few days ago, I stumbled onto a series of video's on You Tube in which this Dutch fellow (Matt Otten) is playing real cool jazz tunes on Korean Made various Peerless Hollow guitars (the Monarch, Renaissance, etc.) so that's how I got the bug to buy something similar. In fact I almost bought one of these Peerless guitars -- sight unseen -- until I realized how large their body is (just as I found out most hollows are modelled after the ES 335's (and have 16" to 17" wide bodies) which I find very hard to hold and play. That's why I was so excited when I saw this ES 339 hanging in the store with a body that's only 14.2" wide + looks so similar to a 335 with it's semi-hollow style. The high price was definitely a shock... compared to the Peerless or other less expensive 335-style budget models sold under various brand names.... but nothing out there (hollow or semi-hollow) is this small... Also I find the 30/60 Neck on this ES 339 to be very appealing because it is not too wide nor as narrow as my Fender which I find at times could be pretty difficult for Jazz. Before I bought the guitar, I took down the serial number and called Gibson's 24 hr customer service to make sure the frets were set using their latest Plecking machine.  The fellow did confirm that all the Figured Cherry models were indeed Plecked. Mine was buit in March 2008. Obviously the quality and finish is impeccable. Once I made up my mind to cough up a bit more for a good guitar, I also tried various solid body Les Pauls (BTW, that 2008 LP Standard was pretty hot sounding too, and a bit less expensive...); and also tried the regular ES 339s (about $1,000 less)..., but nothing felt as smooth and as beautiful sounding to me than this Figured Cherry Custom Shop Gibson ES 339. I love the sound of the Rosewood/Mahogany fretboard (compared to my Mapled Fender) and the Classic '57 Humbucker pickups... This is a keeper. Now I am even more motivated to learn more and improve my skills.

I was looking for a hollow body Jazz Guitar and I saw this. I played it all afternoon. It sounds really really nice, and it looks even better in the Red version..., beautiful wood grain.

I purchased an ES-339 Figured guitar after looking since January for a plain ES-339 but not finding one that met my standards. The ES339 Figured I received was built early in the first run and came through in literaly flawless condition.  I have owned well over 200 new Gibsons, and mostly custom shop guitars, so my reference to flaws vs. quality has a background.  I could not find one single flaw  in paint, frets, setup, or any other picky thing about this guitar, and was naturally astonished not to find anything wrong with it. I did find that Memphis got a plek machine in the fall of 2007, as reported to me by Gibson.  This is why the frets on this guitar and the nut as well, are perfect.  The early run of plain ES-339's had frets that were hand-filed and they left the factory prior to the plek machine being used. The neck was in fact 30/60 and not just a slim taper 60's Gibson neck. It felt truly comfortable and was a great choice by Gibson for this guitar. I naturally do my own set ups no matter how well the guitar comes to me set up, and this one took very little time as it was extremely close. The volume, accoustically coming from this guitar, is louder then any ES-3X5 I have owned, and actually louder then the CS-356F-59 I own.  The electronics are extremely versatile. I would strongly recommend leaving the guitar stock until you play it long enough to decide in a realistic time frame that you actually feel it needs different pickups. I wouldn't change a thing on this guitar.  My styles are jazz, rock, country, blues, et. al., but no metal. I use Diezel and Duesentrieb Amps from Germany, with only a wah and volume pedal for out-of-amp toys and the guitar easily covers all styles with ease and in a very convincing way.  It has less bass response then a larger bodied 335, but it has a more balanced tone as well between the bass, mids, and treble notes. It is very comfortable to play, weighing only 7.7 pounds, and has replaced my LP as my main guitar.  This guitar compared to a solid wood CS-336/356 has more of what I call a "commercial" sound.  It is not better then, or worse then a 336/356 guitar.  It is different in the way a solid wood 356 type Gibson may be compared to the 339 type laminated guitars much in the same way a laminated ES-175 may be compared to a solid wood L-5.  Both have great tones, but it depends on what you are personally looking for in a tone as to whether one guitar or the other better suits your personal tastes, finances aside. The ES339/359 is as versatile a guitar with a comfortable feel and how it feels to hold as any Gibson I can think of.  It has no bad points, unless one complains about the size of the cutaways.  I have heard that players with larger hands may prefer the larger 335 cutaways, but I have regular size hands and find the access to the cutaways on thhe 339 absolutely no problem.  They have more access then a LP and I have no problem getting into the upper fret reaches on an LP.  It becomes a matter of simply adapting to the guitar. Jeff Pevar has a video about the 339. He appears, from the looks of his video, to be a big man with large hands, and he has no problem getting upper fret access on the 339.  Like any other guitar, each has it's own unique personality and feel and must be gotten used too.  For me, there was no problem of any type in getting used to the 339.  It was as natural as breathing.