Brand New ES Series From Gibson Well, Gibson this morning released full specs on its latest six-string creation––the ES-339––and it’s looking like a real beauty.
The guitar is basically an ES-335 packed into a Les Paul sized body, and includes all of the traditional accoutrements of the classic 335, including its hardware, body shape (if quite a bit smaller,) and, according to Gibson, its resonant tone and singing sustain.
Built by Gibson’s famous Custom Shop in Memphis, and available exclusively from Musician’s Friend until the end of this year (a sweet deal for MF, eh?) the ES-339 is currently being offered in two different neck sizes––a 30/60 slim & wide profile based on Gibson necks circa the early ’60s, and a fatter ‘59 neck profile for those who prefer something with a bit more muscle.
The 335-inspired design has also been updated with a side-mounted cable jack (no more plugging right into the top of your guitar,) and the guitar has been outfitted with Gibson’s Memphis Tone Circuit, which utilizes 500K audio taper pots operating with an interactive load to preserve the guitar’s high end even as you turn the volume down.
Specs The ES-339 is spec’d out with a laminated maple top, back and sides, maple center block, single-piece mahogany neck (24 3/4″ scale length,) rosewood fretboard with dot inlays and 22 frets, ABR-1 bridge with stopbar tailpiece, and “tulip-head” tuning machines.
Electronics include a pair of Gibson’s ’57 Classic Humbuckers, along with dual Tone & Volume controls, and traditional 3-way pickup switching.
The ES-339 will be available in three lacquer finishes: Antique Red (shown here,) Antique Vintage Sunburst, and Light Caramel Burst, and is carrying a surprisingly reasonable street price of just under $1800.
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August 31st, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Just finding it very odd that there really isn’t much information on the difference between the ES-339 and the CS-336, and i’ve seen a lot of photos of the 339 pictured with a 330… the casino comparison is just odd to picture when you’re talking about a super small ES-335
August 31st, 2007 at 2:20 pm
Yep… we think alike, Ian. And a photo alongside the 335 would definitely make a heck of a lot more sense.
August 31st, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Looks a bit smaller than my CS-336.
September 8th, 2007 at 7:10 am
The CS-336 is a hollowed-out slab of mahogany with a maple top glued on the top and then carved.
The ES-339 is a pressed maple plywood body with a solid center block-built exactly like an ES-335.
I just ordered a new Red ES-339 !!
September 19th, 2007 at 12:33 am
i don’t care if one is hollowed out and the other is pressed maple or guacamole.
what is the difference in SOUND? ANYONE?
September 19th, 2007 at 9:23 am
Hehe… too early to tell, raal––they aren’t even shipping yet ;)
October 3rd, 2007 at 7:09 am
I am saving up for one now. Hey- anyone know what the wood is on the front/top of the ES-339? Is it flamed maple? On the description I saw, it just said ‘laminate.’ It appears from the description that some significant improvements to the electronics have been made to get better resolution on the high frequencies, while also keeping that classic Gibson semi-hollow tone. Anyone seen any thorough reviews yet?? If so, please post a link… So far, I have only seen watered down versions of Gibson’s press release of the specs & features…
How SPECIFICALLY does the ES-339 compare to the ES-335 as far as tone, features and playability??? That is what I want to know.
Peace,
John from Philly
October 3rd, 2007 at 7:17 am
I found a pretty good review here:
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/industry_news/gibson_custom_the_es-339.html
Looks like one of the major differences is size- the 339 appears to be closer in size to a Les Paul- smaller than a 335. One has to wonder if they can truly preserve that rich semi-hollow tone with such a scaled-down body size…
If anyone hears more about it- or better yet, actually PLAYS one- please chime in!
J
October 14th, 2007 at 6:57 am
How heavy is the 336 and how does it sound? The concept sounds interesting–I am also looking at getting a 336 or 339 almost immediately. My old fingers are just longing for a break from the 25 1/2″ scale lenght.
October 15th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Hi–didn’t wait for a response since the deal had to be done–got a new 336 and am awaiting delivery as we speak. I can only hope that mine will be as good as the ones that all the players who reviewed on Harmony have.
October 30th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Hi – I played a 339 at the recent Arlington, TX guitar show. The new 339 is a spittin image of the 335, only smaller. Scale/size of this guitar is perfectly proportioned. I had a 67 ES-335 but sold it (dumb!). Holding the 339 felt like the old 335 but smaller. It played incredibly well. Workmanship was excellent on demo piece. The $1,799 price seems to be a real value. I just ordered a red one last night.
August 4th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
well I own a 336 and a 339 and I can’t really tell much of a difference soundwise i.e. they are both awesome guitars and sound incredible through my marshall/mesa amps