Gibson ES-339 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar with 30/60 Neck  (Used)

Comments about Gibson ES-339 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar with 30/60 Neck:

In my search for a guitar that would work well with jazz, rock, pop, and other genres, I came across the Gibson ES-339. On paper it sounded great, and at a much more accessible price point than other hollow or semi-hollow Gibsons. However, once I got my hands on a new one I was very disappointed by the craftsmanship. The overspray, poorly cut nut, and an overall cheap feel made a lasting impression.

I can understand that a more affordably-priced Gibson might not be quite as nice as its more expensive brothers, but the sloppy construction of the ES-339 is inexcusable. For the money you can do way better than this. If you want a true high-quality Gibson semi-hollow save up your money and get the real thing. If you want a high-quality semi-hollow guitar for an affordable price, look elsewhere.

Comments about Gibson ES-339 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar with 30/60 Neck:

Been a musician for over forty years. Played all types of venues and this is one of the best all around guitars I have ever had. Covers an amazing amount of styles and just brings out the experimenter in you. One of those guitars that just gets you to reach that next bit farther and grow in your playing abilities. A keeper without question or hesitation !

Comments about Gibson ES-339 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar with 30/60 Neck:

If you want only 1 Gibson guitar, you should get this one. Like it says in the description, this one is half Les Paul, half ES335. Sounds absolutely amazing through Marshall's clean channel, and different but equally great through Fender amps. It looks great too, and the size is just right.

This guitar can scream too, but watch out for feedback as it is for real.

The neck is comfortable, but not as smooth as my Fender maple necks. But in time I'll break it in. The biggest issue is that the guitar doesn't stay in tune, especially when I bend the strings a lot. Conversely my Stratocaster stays in tune even after being thrown around.

In any case, this one is definitely a keeper, as its tone is quintessentially Gibson and no simulator can fake it.

Comments about Gibson ES-339 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar with 30/60 Neck:

this is an assembly line, stock production guitar .... period. thats not a bad thing, but its good to be well informed before taking the purchase plunge.. there is a consistency that is extremely evident on CS guitars, like the 1960 reissue plain top VOS I purchased. that thing is absolutely incredible, and when comparing it to the es339 for build quality... well you cant compare. The es339 string action is very inconsistent from guitar to guitar. a common problem is pickup vibration with certain frequencies.. mine vibrated like crazy with the D string... got it fixed. finish on mine is very good, but on some its pretty darn bad.

all this is Ok and unfortunately somewhat expected on any production line guitars, but this should NOT be expected on a CS model.. but it is.

Not bashing anyhting here, but just want people to know that they shouldnt drop 2k on any instrument jusrt because gibson says "CS" ... trust your own hands eyes and ears...

Comments about Gibson ES-339 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar with 30/60 Neck:

There's a number of terrific Gibson's out there. Should you consider this new addition in the same class as the established Gibson lineup (335, 175, Les Paul, SG, etc.)? Yes. I did not think there was a need for a Gibson that played like a 335, but the size of a Les Paul, but I was wrong. I used to be firm in my thinking that if you wanted to play rock, you'd always need an electric, and if you wanted to play blues or jazz, you'd always need a full-sized hollow or semi-hollow. With the 339, you need only one. This guitar rips with high gain tones that can fill out any rock tune, and also has the smooth sparkle for jazz. The title for my review, "Malcom in the Middle" refers to what I feel this guitar is. The middle child between Gibson's lineup of electrics and semi-hollows. Just like Malcom, this guitar comes across and the smartest and most surprising addition to the Gibson family.
Out of the box, the fingerboard plays as good any player could hope for, coming from the factory. The tone and volume knobs have a great feel with no skips or slips in the pot range. The tuning heads all feel perfectly uniform and all respond the same way. The size was an unexpected joy. Having a guitar that feels like a Les Paul, but plays like a 335 makes me giddy. The finish... wow, the finish is fanstastic!
Every inch of the guitar feels sturdy, precise, and "crafted" By crafted, I mean that you can tell that personal attention was paid the guitar in your hands. It doesn't feel like a clone. It feels like a custom-built gem. The finish is so beautiful. I got the Antique Sunburst and the picture on the website doesn't do it justice. I gasped when I open the case for the first time. It's simply gorgeous!
It's a lot of money. It really is. Do I think it's worth it... yes. I feel so happy knowing that I know have a guitar that I can keep for the rest of my life, and hopefully hand-down to one of my children (if they decide to play). I absolutely think it's a good value, I simply wish the whole guitar world in general would just do away with the quality concessions found within the void of the $500-$1500 market and bring down the price of high quality instruments like this.

Comments about Gibson ES-339 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar with 30/60 Neck:

As indicated above, a very well designed and generally well executed package. Versitility and playability are outstanding. It's a shame the quality control isn't better - with that improvement this would easily rate a 10.
I play primarily blues and jazz - this guitar has the full range of tones you might want for that style of music, but will rock as well (see any of the demos on Youtube). The 339 has a richer tone than the 335s I have played; clear, not muddy on the neck pickup. Played through a Vox AC15 or AC30, the tone is just incomparable. The 30/60 neck is very comfortable, particularly for those with shorter fingers (like me). Sustain is great. Overall a very well designed, well thought-out package.
You know, I really, really wish it were better. I waited a long time before buying this guitar, so had a long time to look forward to it with high expectations. First the good: the finish is perfect, and beautiful. Not to heavy, even with no defects. The hardware (except for a very small but deep scratch on the pickup mounting ring) is pristine. Tuners are fine (no complaints, as others have had, with not staying in tune). Set up was excellent - low without buzzing - and intonation was near perfect.

Now the bad: the neck binding has cosmetic defects - noticable and not easily remedied - on both sides of the first fret. More importantly the fretboard is not quite gouged but definitely scratched under the E and A stings at frets 5, 7, 9, 12, and 15, from barely noticable to obvious. Other posts have suggested this may be from the Plek machine, I don't know. Doesn't affect playablty, but still. Also, there is what seems to be excess varnish or glue on a couple of the inlays and the surrounding fretboard. As some others have noted there was also a pretty good amount of sawdust in the case - didn't bother me at all, but where do they pack these things?

Einstein said that everything in the universe is cracked, that's how the light gets in. So nothing's perfect and sometimes the defects serve a purpose. I don't put guitars in glass cases, I play them and none of the above affects playability, which I really, really love. Consequently, I didn't send the guitar back because I love playing it. Also, I would be concerned about trading these defects for others that affect playability. But as I mentioned above, I waited a long time for this guitar, thought about it a lot before ordering, and I imagine I'll keep it for much longer. I would have really liked it to be right. Sadly, just not good quality control by Gibson.
Would have been a 10, if not for the quality control issues mentioned above. That said, I've played guitars that cost a lot more, and that I didn't like nearly as well. Easily my favorite guitar in this price range - nothing else even comes close.

Comments about Gibson ES-339 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar with 30/60 Neck:

I'm in love with this axe. Not only does she play smoother and fit more comfortably than either my Gibson Goddess, Epi Black Back Paul, and my Stratocasters, the tone is beautiful, played clean. With the tubes saturated she barks like a rabid dog.Good sustain and runs easily just at the edge of feedback the way I like for our original rock sound.Every position on that three way switch give you a different sound ... not just a little difference.Good usable almost infinitely variable tones due to having a tone and volume potentiometer for the bridge and the neck.
Love the neck and balance of this guitar. She's light and fast. Not neck heavy like my Gibson Les Paul Goddess, and with more fret room above the 12th.The Memphis circuit seems to do just what is advertised though adjusting tone and volume on the fly took a little getting used to.And as for the pick ups.I can see no reason to own anything else for what I do ... seriously.
The fit and finish on this guitar is way above that of the average guitar on the market in my opinion.I have no complaints what so ever. Almost to pretty to play, and it might even stay home on those nasty hot summer gigs where I'm sweating bullets all over my axe ... we'll see.
I'm a working man with a large family to support, and the price of this guitar though not as high as some I'd considered, had my wife & I both a little bug eyed.But once I got her home and plugged into my Carvin VT-16 ...The tone ...The playability ...I'd paid twice that and not been disappointed. Broke, but not disappointed.

Comments about Gibson ES-339 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar with 30/60 Neck:

This guitar has the most value per cost of any of my 11 guitars. It is light weight but feels very solid. The tone is clean and resonant but will certainly dirty up with the right amp and settings. Best sounding jazz guitar I have heard recently.

Comments about Gibson ES-339 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar with 30/60 Neck:

I returned a Rickenbacker 620 that I did not like at all and got this instead. This guitar is in another galaxy compared to the Ric. I could not see anyone being disappointed with this guitar.
I am actually a Strat man (love em) but, when you have Bread everyday, some days you have a taste for Buns.
Beautiful guitar, nice case, pick ups are incredible. The rosewood on the fretboard is nicely figured, almost as nice as a Ric's fret board.
I expected something really nice....and it is.
For a Custom Shop guitar, this is a great value. And I couldn't imagine needing anything better...ever.

Comments about Gibson ES-339 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar with 30/60 Neck:

What can I say here that I didn't already say above? If you're looking for your next Gibson, maybe consider giving this a spin. When I was looking for a new SG Standard, I ended up walking out of the shop with this instead. Give it a shot. It might not be your thing, but it very well could be.
The ES-339 is a smaller, thinner version of the popular ES-335. It's size and weight put it in the same league as the Les Paul or CS-336, but with all of the characteristics you'd expect in a quality semi-hollow. Unlike its larger counterpart, it is able to cover a bit of a wider range of sounds. You can get great jazz and blues tones, but getting the right sound for hardcore punk (my preferred genre) is just as easy as it is with my SGs. The maple center block makes the ES-339 resistant to feedback, and gives the guitar the Les Paul sound while being more focused and versatile. Whether played through my JCM 900 or Mesa F-50, this guitar sings just how you want it to through its '57 Classic Humbuckers. Switch it the bridge to get that tight and focused sound needed for modern distortion, or switch it to the neck to get that deep, soulful tone needed for clean passages.
The particular model I purchased is finished in vintage sunburst. I'm a bit of a fanatic when it comes to the extra appointments that make a Gibson Custom model what it is. This model has full binding on the top, back and fingerboard. Every facet of my ES-339 was carefully constructed and attended to. Most of the ES-339's I saw on the wall that day were comparable in terms of attention to detail. All of the parts on the guitar are fantastic, and I would not recommend changing a thing on it. For those who like to tinker and replace parts, this is not the guitar for you. It has already been crafted to perfection.
When I purchased the ES-339, it was the cheapest of Gibson's Custom Shop offerings at $2,000, but in terms of sound and versatility, it held its own with the $3,400 CS-336 hanging on the wall next to it. It really is the answer for those looking for the solid body sound with the depth and resonance needed from a semi-hollow instrument.