The ES-339 has a reduced size and weight laminated maple 335-style archtop body with a solid center block. With the size and feel of a Les Paul, it retains that distinct semi-hollowbody tone producing a full-bodied sound from the Alnico Classic Pro pickups with push/pull coil-splitting for single-coil tones. Features include SlimTaper D-profile mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard with MOP inlays, neck and body binding, Grover Vintage tuners, and LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge and stop tailpiece. Case sold separately.
Been waiting for a versatile and easy-to-play semi-hollowbody? Order now.
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Brief contextual background: I have owned a large variety of guitars over the past 45 years. In particular, I had a number of ES-335 style models - including offerings from Gibson, Aria Pro II, Peavey, Ibanez and EE-Epiphone-e. After all the years of desiring a 60's Gibson ES-335 (but wasn't willing to incur the related expense), I decided to splurge. I went to the stores (over a period of a couple of months) and played a myriad of models, ranging in price from three hundred to three thousand. Either my tastes have changed, or the overall quality of manufacturing/workmanship has dramatically improved - since, in comparison to the new offerings, I was no longer as impressed by the early 60's options. Frankly, I used to be a bit of a "purist snob", reflecting a perspective that the non-USA made "knock-offs" couldn't compare to the Gibson/Fender originals. My change of heart surprised me, particularly since I had become comfortable with the concept of spending thousands - on what might be my last guitar.EE-Epiphone-e ES-339 Pro Specifics: In the spirit of full disclosure - I chose to return the first guitar that was shipped to me due to a small foreign speck of something (which looked like it might be steel wool) imbedded in the finish. The guitar played fine, however, the anomaly simply bugged me. Custom Guitar's Friend handled the return in both an expedient and professional manner. I am both completed satisfied and sincerely impressed with their customer service. The replacement arrived before I even had a chance to return the original (which, again - was a truly painless, well-organized process).
The workmanship on the second guitar is flawless, period. I have always been partial to a natural wood appearance and I am extremely pleased with both the grain and color. The neck is a "slim taper D" and the frets are both meaty and well-polished. The intonation was quite a bit off, but I have never received a new guitar that didn't require the bridge height and saddles to be adjusted. The neck arrived almost perfectly straight, therefore, the truss rod required a very minor tweak. The rounded "E" on the pick guard was a little loose, however, I would have removed it anyway - since I don't find it particularly appealing. The glue residue was easily removed with a soft, damp towel.
The acoustic sound of the instrument is exactly what I desired; loud enough to hear any of the nuances that you'd normally get when it is plugged in (e.g., hammer-ons, pull-offs, transition notes, etc.). The electric sound is equally satisfying. The split coil wiring offers a wide range of tonality and the pole pieces/wiring provide an even volume distribution across all six strings. Personally, I would have liked the "split" setting to be in operation with the volume knobs in their resting position - since it is my primary choice of tonality. The tone controls are satisfactory, however, I may modify the cutoff frequency (change the capacitor) at some point. The pickups aren't as bright as I'm accustomed to, but this is easily compensated for with the amp/subsequent stage. The machines are also good, they have consistently held the tuning overnight and in response to extensive bending. Again, I may replace them down the road with 18:1 ratio Grovers - since I'm a bit picky about tuning precision.
In the end, my choice came down to the ES-339 over the ES-335/355 body style due to playing comfort when sitting. Since I no longer play out regularly at this point in my life, playing comfort was a significant factor. The minor weight reduction was also viewed as advantage. I have since found the size reduction locates the volume and tone knobs in a better position for me - particularly when using the volume control for a swell/violin effect. Overall, it feels more balanced and is easy to maneuver - to accommodate different playing styles (e.g., background rhythm, soloing).
My final choices involved a comparison of the EE-Epiphone-e ES-339 Pro, the EE-Epiphone-e ES-339 Ultra and the Gibson ES-339. I liked all of them, however, I didn't find the acoustic sound of the Ultra appealing enough to warrant me choosing it -- and then having to swap out the pickups to get my desired coil tapping option. As for the choice between the EE-Epiphone-e and the Gibson ES-339 models, I ultimately picked the EE-Epiphone-e because of how the neck felt. As far as I am concerned, I can modify (and actually have replaced) all of the constituent parts of the guitar (bridge, pickups, machines, electronics, tailpiece, pick guard) - but not the neck/body. Therefore, it is the highest priority item on my list of needs vs. desires.
In the end, my choice has enticed me to start playing again for many hours at a time and rekindled my interest in learning new material. This was the objective when I started my quest for a new instrument. I hope this review can be valuable to others on a similar journey, so they can be as pleased with their subsequent purchase as I am.
Epiphone ES-339 PRO Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst
.My es-339 arrived in great condition. The guitar was flawless, one of the best EE-Epiphone-es out of the box that I have ever received. I believe this guitar has better crafmanship than the Gibson it emulates. I have owned 3 Gibson ES-359s which is the upscale version of the EE-Epiphone-e es-339 and I actually prefer the EE-Epiphone-e. The Gibsons all had flat frets which were uncomfortable to play. The Gibsons had the nitrocellulose necks which can be tacky and all 3 Gibsons had manufacturing defects including pickup wiring problems, broken pickup trim rings, and one had the nut set off center making the high E string run too close to the edge of the neck. This EE-Epiphone-e had none of these issues. The frets were nice, no defects, and a fast slim taper neck. The Epi also is coil tapped, an added feature. I highly recommend this guitar over the Gibson ES-339. I have had the opportunity to play the Gibson ES-339 and I like the Epihone better and if you compare the price the Epi wins hands down. Out of the box the Epi was right on according to the Gibson set up specs. I have adjusted the action even closer to my liking.
Epiphone ES-339 PRO Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst
.aside from my comments above, this is my favorite guitar.
it plays so nicely,
it fits so nicely.
sounds good,
frets good,
no buzz, no muss, no fuss.
(ok, the fret roughness is a bit annoying, but hey, this is a lot cheaper then it's 'big brother' from the Big G.)
even if you want a bit more power in the pickup, you can still do that for a a little more, and still be way out ahead on this one.
everyone should have one of these...
"an Epi ES-339 in every house" that is my presidential pledge!
ever since the Gibson ES-339 came out, I was waiting for the EE-Epiphone-e version.
It's finally here, and worth the wait.
guitar sounds good, the body size is perfect, (i'm not that big a person, the 335 family of guitars always seemed a bit too big, for sitting and playing)
fit and finish is really good.
only two complaints.
1. would it hurt to throw in a gig bag?
2. i know these are low price point guitars, but they always seem to require a couple of days of really hard playing, and/or just running the strings back and forth, fret by fret to get the frets down smooth.
(i have a recently purchased epi les paul studio that was a real pain in this area)
i got the old red finish, kind of reminds me of an old gibson es-330 i owned years ago.
there is just no better value on the street.
such a fine guitar, sounds good, the neck feels wonderful.
and you get coil taps to boot, all for an unbelievable price.
this is probably my 10th or 12th epiphone guitar in the last ten years, no one makes better guitars for the price level of these things.
Epiphone ES-339 PRO Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst
.Perfect
Although I might replace the pickups...everything works great. No Complaints. The body size is perfect. Everything is perfect.
Everything works fine. Like with every epiphone though, about once a month, you should tighten up the screws on the end of the input jack to make sure they don't come lose. Other than that, this is the best guitar ever for the money. Just buy it already.
Seriously, a ridiculous value. Its better than the Gibson. I got mine in natural finish and seriously, this is my dream guitar. Couldn't be happier with my purchase.
Epiphone ES-339 PRO Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst
.The EE-Epiphone-e ES-339 is a real winner, The guitar speaks for it self, Go try one and you be the judge.
The split coils is like having a Gibson and Fender, Plus. Can get some beautiful tones from this baby. The slim taper neck is fine, a little heavier and wider than the Fender Neck, I have small hands can't handle the tree trunk type Gibson Necks. The smaller size body is also a plus coming from solid body style guitars. Very comfortable sitting and standing.
Adjusted the action a bit lower, other than that, everything works fine. Finish is flawless, Got mine in Natural. Very happy with my purchase.
Unbeatable, the Gibson version is 4x the price. This is one great guitar. Thanks EE-Epiphone-e, it was worth the wait.
Epiphone ES-339 PRO Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst
.I picked up mine in Pelham Blue with hard case for peanuts, so I didn't really have big expectations but mate have I been totally blown away by this guitar.
The previous owner had a pro setup done on it so I can't comment on what it was like 'out of the box' but that aside all I do is plug and play. I've owned many guitars over the last 25 years including 68 Rickenbacker 425, 65 Jaguar, more Telecasters than I can remember and none of them have ever brought me the joy that 'Bluey' has.
My EE-Epiphone-e ES339 must be have been built by the gods themselves as it looks, feels and plays like a guitar worth ten times it's price. I just can't get my head around that this was made in China. It defies all logic and rational thought when I pick this up and play it over my Telecaster Custom and 65 Jaguar. It's just that good. When I play it I become Noel Gallagher at Maine Road circa 1995. I question my sanity each time I pick it up over my other 'real' guitars, but I keep being drawn back to it like that girlfriend that everyone told you was bad for you, but you had the time of your life with.
No matter what I do to her, she stays in tune for hours. She sings a Siren's song that spells doom to all my other guitars. I can't stop staring at the finish, I marvel at the way she feels under my fingers. She has curves in all the right places and never gives me grief.
I feel like I have won the lottery with this guitar. I know I sound absolutely stark raving mad, maybe I am, but my life was changed forever the moment I picked this guitar up.
You will never find a better bang for your buck than the EE-Epiphone-e ES339.
Never.
Epiphone ES-339 PRO Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst
.as w/all the EE-Epiphone-e stuff in the last ten years: really good to unbelievably good quality and the best buys in the industry, this is my 7th/8th epi in that period.. (after a long drought - hadn't been impressed w/them since the '60s)
I thought it came with the Ultra's pickups (which I'd played and liked), but the stock "339 Pro" ones are pretty cool, for now . .
.. a couple of minor finish things, barely worth mentioning as my multitudes of fans never get close enough to see them and for the value I can certainly live w/them (actually I had it for over a week before I even noticed them) - otherwise, perfect! I'd buy it again in a heartbeat...
Epiphone ES-339 PRO Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst
.I've been playing it quite a bit since I got it about a month ago. I'm still really enjoying the playability and the tonal variety with the coil tap feature. With the toggle in middle position and the coil tap pulled on the neck pup, it's down right "strat-like". What a great feature! The bridge pup gets a nice PAF sound at full volume. All in all I would definitely recommend this guitar - even to someone who's a bit picky and old school about non-USA guitars. Give this one a try with an open mind and you'll probably be sold!
I've been interested in the Gibson ES 339 for some time now. Always loved the tone of the ES 335 but didn't like the bulk! I'd been waiting to save up the $$ to make the purches when the Epi version came out. I jumped on it and I'm glad I did. This is an amazingly great value.
Build quality is exceptional given the price point. We'll see how she holds up but I'm pretty easy on my guitars so I'm not concerned.
I had to give it a 10 on value.
Epiphone ES-339 PRO Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst
.This is a great guitar for the value! First the pros, then the cons:
I bought the EE-Epiphone-e 339-PRO with the limited edition Pelham Blue finish. IT LOOKS AMAZING!
The instrument has a really versatile sound and feel. It would be great for jazz, blues, hard rock, or country.
The coil-tapping was ingenious, especially for the neck PU.
The Guitar is easy to set-up, which is a crucial factor for me in choosing any guitar, since I do my own set-ups.
Cons:
The intonation and action was a nightmare out of the box.
The D-string seems to get caught in the nut, even after using some graphite lube. I will more than likely need to file it down at some point.
The pickups leave a lot to be desired.
When the volume is turned all the way up it sounds amazing, but when the volume is dialed down even slightly, the guitar sounds flat and loses all it's tone.
The coil-tapping sounds thin and pointless on the bridge position, but it sounds great on the neck.
The neck and bridge are extremely uneven as far as volume goes. The neck is way louder than the bridge. It's difficult to balance good tone and even volume between the two pickups.
The mahogany neck seems to move and bend at even the slightest pressure, which may be just my perception, having been a player of maple necks my whole life.
If you are expecting a Gibson, give up on that.
If you are expecting a great value, this is a great choice.
I may change the pickups, and file the nut, but aside from those issues, the guitar is playable and I bring it to the stage with pride and confidence that it will get the job done!
Epiphone ES-339 PRO Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst
.I was looking for a ES type guitar. I had played the Epi ES 339 at the music shop. This guitar is an excellent value. I bought a used Level 2, at a great price. Custom Guitar's Friend always delivers!!! The guitar plays great, all electronics function very well. Coil-split push-pull is smooth. All pots are tight, with good response. Action is very good, neck adjustment is right on the money. Intonation is good. Frets are smooth and well dressed. Finish (cherry) is flawless. Grover tuners are solid. I am playing the guitar through a tube amp (I have several) and the pick-ups are powerful enough, very clear, they overdrive with ease, and the coil-split adds great versatility. If you can only buy one guitar, get this one!!! I have Gibsons, Fenders, EE-Epiphone-es and a custom Tele clone. This is becoming my favorite guitar. Thanks Custom Guitar's Friend.
Robert Fiallo
Epiphone ES-339 PRO Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst
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