HN339D

LRS

LRS

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So I got myself last week a nice 2nd hand ES-339. It’s a lovely iced tea burst semi hollowbody provided with a pair of Classic 57 humbuckers and a 30/60 neck profile. It’s a 2007 one made in Memphis. Very happy with it so far, plugged in my Fender Blues Deluxe it gives a nice, fat clean tone. When plugged in my Marshall Vintage Modern, it rocks. What surprised me, is that the neck pickup isn’t too dark at all. Good note definition, on the airy side even. I used to have this pickup in my Les Paul Classic (sold) where it did sound quite a bit darker. That shall be due to the difference in guitar construction I suppose. The bridge pickup then: instead of the Classic 57+ which was installed in the LP Classic, the 339 comes with a regulair Classic 57 in the bridge. I’d say it sits right in between an LP 57+ bridge sound and a Tele Texas Special bridge sound. When using the bridge tone pot, it thickens up nicely. Too bad my band rehearsal was canceled this week, so I’ve got to wait for two more weeks to find out how it sits in the band mix. Alright, finally the photographs ;-)

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Note that the guy I bought it from, had locking grovers installed. Not my cup of tea, so i replaced those in the mean time with the original tuners which came with the guitar.
 
sweet guitar! great color and the locking tuners are a nice touch. whats the 30/60 neck shape like? similar to a 60s neck?
 
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“The 30/60 neck is based on the vintage slim neck design seen on most 335 models, with an additional .030 of an inch depth from front to back.”

Definitely towards 60s slim taper but more substantial than the LP Classic neck I had once.
 
That looks fantastic! I am going to own a 339 or 336 one day. Welcome to the Gibson semi-hollow club.
 
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LRS said:
“The 30/60 neck is based on the vintage slim neck design seen on most 335 models, with an additional .030 of an inch depth from front to back.”

Definitely towards 60s slim taper but more substantial than the LP Classic neck I had once.
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gotcha, thanks for the info. i usually find the slim taper 60s neck a bit too thin so probably would like this more.
 
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That's a gorgeous guitar. Congrats.

Several years ago when they first came out I tried many 339s because I wanted to buy one. I thought it would be the perfect compromise of a 335 and a Les Paul. They all felt fine and played well, but the tone just wasn't good. Not at all! I really, really wanted to love that model so I played every one in the store hoping to find one that was just perfect. No go. Every single one lacked the tone I was hoping for...they had essentially no bass, no clear highs, just mainly upper mids which sounded very tinny. I was so disappointed. Sounded like cheap $100 Chinese crap.

Maybe they're different now. Maybe the quality is better and they sound great. I hope so...I hope yours sounds and plays as good as it looks.

Maybe after you get familiar with it you could post a review (possibly with sound clips?).
 
Sound Clips can be done, but that’s going to be next weekend, I’m spending this weekend with my wife and kids at the boat.

I don’t think it’s neck heavy, but I played a similarly sized Epiphone Casino Coupe once, which is completely hollow, and that one absolutely is!
 
Nice guitar all around. Don't Memphis hollow / semi-hollows come with the A3 version of the 57s? Is that why the neck is clear? (I thought I read that in the specs years back when they were coming out?)
 
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beaubrummels said:
Nice guitar all around. Don't Memphis hollow / semi-hollows come with the A3 version of the 57s? Is that why the neck is clear? (I thought I read that in the specs years back when they were coming out?)
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Hmm… interesting thought…. although I read from several sources that the character of Classic 57s has changed over time, I always thought they’d be Alnico II pickups. It could explain the more than expected clarity indeed, but If I were Gibson, and already had a brighter Alnico II pickup in the form of a Burstbucker (due to different / uneven coil winding) I wouldn’t bother to make a fat and creamy pickup more bright by changing the magnet. That’s why I was thinking more in the direction of LP body vs ES-339 body construction attributing to the sound difference. Anyway, they’re not harsh pickups by any means, they’re just clearer sounding than I thought they’d be. Normally I adjust my amps for single coil / humbucker use, but the ES-339 didn’t urge me to use the bright switch so far!
 
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