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Lucked into this Beauty!

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greywolf

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While we were waiting for muy Lady's car to get out of the shop we stopped by Guitar Center just to kill time.    I stroll back to the used section and behold this beauty.

Absolutley MINT , no scratches , or any evidence it had ever been played, new warranty card , certificate of Authenticity and case .  1/2 MSRP .. Plugged it in and I was hooked.

It's a Gibson Custom Shop ES 339 , smaller than a 335 same basic setup except for the "Memphis Tone Circuit"  a logarithmic based system of volume control which creates 2 advantages: clarity and sweet high-end sounds do NOT roll off when volume is decreased (maintaining sharpness in tone at any volume) and the rate of volume increases/decreases are more natural  it has  57 classic PAF's and the thick '59 neck ( which I love!!!) 

It's the easiset playing guitar I own , even more than my vintage LP Custom and the tone is pure heaven..  They used the PLEK system on the fretboard which explains the easy playing.


http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/ES/Gibson-Custom/ES-339/Features.aspx
http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/ES/Gibson-Custom/ES-339/Specs.aspx
 

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Slap some Lollars or BKPs in that. I'd also get an ABR from callaham. Then it'd  be the perfect semi-hollow  :eek:ccasion14: Nice grab.
 
I'll be putting Lollars into one I'm building that is quite close to this one , except all walnut  (neck/body and claro walnut cap)  ( High wind Imperial neck / Regal bridge)  I'm actually quite fond of the Alnico II 57 classics .  Played it for 3hrs yesterday and it handles all tones well from clean warm and jazzy to bity treble and with the dirt on it's just pure magic. 

If I really favor the Lollars after I get the new build up , I may switch.
 
Hey, that is a really nice score :headbang1:
I have wanted one of those for years because they are a really comfy play.
I am currently having a 356 clone built which I think is the exact same body as the 339, just different accompaniments.
I was also going to try out some Lollars in the 356, but the low winds instead of the high winds.
Have fun with that girl cuz she is sweet :glasses9:

 
It is hard to put down .  Very easy to contol feedback on , notes blossom wonderfully .  Even though I have 14 guitars , this one is my favorite to play .
I wasn't even looking to buy a new one, just ran across it and it "spoke to me"  that's only happened a couple of times .. luckily this time I gave in.
 
greywolf said:
I'll be putting Lollars into one I'm building that is quite close to this one , except all walnut  (neck/body and claro walnut cap)  ( High wind Imperial neck / Regal bridge)  I'm actually quite fond of the Alnico II 57 classics .  Played it for 3hrs yesterday and it handles all tones well from clean warm and jazzy to bity treble and with the dirt on it's just pure magic. 

If I really favor the Lollars after I get the new build up , I may switch.
Click to expand...

Perhaps, you may consider the new Lollar-Trons? :dontknow:
 
Those ( Lollar -trons)  looked interesting ..  perhaps for a future build.  I have 6 sets of book matched tops still to use so lots of room for more combinations.
It depends on what clients want. 

I'm pleasently surprised with the stock pickups , so far I have no complaints , so for now they are good. 

 
My first guitar was a cheap copy of a ES-335 that my parents got for me with food stamps (e.g., as in S&H for those that remember them).  I have no idea what every happened to the thing but I always wanted an ES-335 and it had to be red.  I couple of years ago, I found a Epi Elitist in red and scarfed it up.  Not a true Gibson, but I'm very happy with it.  The thing does feel a bit bulky though, so I always thought the 339 size was probably a good thing.

Anyway, nice score!!!!
 
For the record , I have several guitars with boutique pickups , among them Batolini's,  Fralins, Harmonic Designs , the Pre Duncan Benedetto PAF, Texas Specials, Di Marzio's  ., Duncan JB and Jazz, and PRS 

Oddly the only electrics that I  have that retain stock pickups that I enjoy are my '79 LP custom which I bought new and this one.

I'll be putting Lollars in the Claro walnut 339 clone  I'm building so it will be interesting to see  what the same construction with different wood and slightly different pickups produces.


I saw a recent interview with Dickey Betts his opinion was that pickups didn't make much difference it was the wood and finish ..  "

http://www.premierguitar.com/archive/interviews/dickey_betts1.htm

BG: When you chose the pickups for your Gold Top that Gibson remade, why did you choose the '57 Classics over the Burstbuckers?
DB: I didn't choose the pickups they just sent it to me with the '57 Classics in it. You know they are selecting the wood and drying the wood in a computerized kiln dryer and they are putting nitro cellulous lacquer on them and that's what makes the difference more than anything else, I think it's the wood and the kind of paint they use on it. Nitro Cellulose is what they put on violins. It's a real crispy sound. It lets the wood vibrate. Gibson has got a deal worked out with the E.P.A. I think they pay them a $10,000.00 fine right off the bat and then the E.P.A. allows them to make I think 550 guitars a year. This is the Custom Shop, not the Historics. The Historics are different. The Custom Shop is something that they just started doing. The reissues do not have the nitro cellulose on them."





My philospohy is , if it sounds good , keep it , if it doesnt' try something else.



 
Statements like that make me suspect Mr. Betts has gone senile. He's almost 70, after all.
 
Well, wood matters - or we woodn't be here. But all this silliness about nitro/poly/plastic/thickness... You can put on poly that's at least as thin as factory "nitro" finishes, and IT'S A BOARD, not an acoustic guitar...  what's usually missing from all these discussions is an acknowledgement that rock stars are much, much better guitarists than most of the people in the world, AND they've been willing to toss away a lot of the "normal" comforts in a monomaniacal dedication towards being a star.

It doesn't MATTER what finish
is on your guitars if:

A: you suck
B: you don't​
:party07:
 
StubHead said:
Well, wood matters - or we woodn't be here. But all this silliness about nitro/poly/plastic/thickness... You can put on poly that's at least as thin as factory "nitro" finishes, and IT'S A BOARD, not an acoustic guitar...  what's usually missing from all these discussions is an acknowledgement that rock stars are much, much better guitarists than most of the people in the world, AND they've been willing to toss away a lot of the "normal" comforts in a monomaniacal dedication towards being a star.

It doesn't MATTER what finish
is on your guitars if:

A: you suck
B: you don't​
:party07:
Click to expand...

So, for me, I guess the finish doesn't matter.  Not saying if it's because I'm an A or B.  :laughing7:
 
I've refinished one guitar several times over the last 25 years based on current whims , it's had  paint, tung oil, nitro  and there is a subtle difference , withthe tung oil providing the most warmth and the paint the most bite .  Nothing dramatic.
 
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