The 339 vs the 335, and Epi vs Gibson

[Aceman]

Okay, so EVEN after spending time with BTMN's super awesome Hamer (too bad that can't be in the semi-hollow cat!), I am under-whelmed at the reality of the Semi Hollow guitar for me. Still, I still find myself kind of jonesing for a semi hollow! It just seems, mature, refined, classy, flexible, etc...

335 is the obvious choice. Of course I don't want to actually spend any money on one!!! And I'm always on the lookout for a killer Dot Studio....but I played a 339 at a GC today. So as I see it, the 33? series breaks down into:

Gibson 335 vs 339
Epiphone 339 vs Dot vs Dot Studio

Who out there REALLY surfs this zone of guitars. The 339 Epi I played was a pretty solid guitar in every way. Had taps too!

But the thing I found about the Semi when I had BTMN's was that there really wasn't anything I could do with the Semi, that i couldn't do with the appropriate Les Paul.

So was i missing something, or at the end of the day is it really just vibe/mojo vs any real sonic differences. I can really make an argument that the neck/body block is 90% or more of the sound. That would make sense then that hollow part is really sort of whatever...

Let's talk

 

[formula73]

Re: The 339 vs the 335, and Epi vs Gibson

You can absolutely hear the hollow wings and regardless of the solid center block, they are more feedback prone. I've only played a couple 335s and 339-type things and I like the feel of the fullsize body better. My oldass Ibanez is a bit brighter than the 335s I've played-probably from the maple neck and ebony board. What bothers me most about everything but real 335s and faithful copies is that the 22nd fret is so hard to get to. On a real one or my 2630, it might be cramped from the small cutaways but the 22nd fret is easily within reach. Others join around the 19th fret and that pisses me off, like the weirdo Tropical USA and Select Dean MLs.

Screw Epiphones.

 

[BTMN]

Echotones Rules!!!!!!

Echotones Rules!!!!!!

Echotone is a cool beast. Fender scale 25.5 with a body that joins at 19th fret. It really had a nice blend on the feedback thing. A Hamer Artist I had you could feel the air coming out of the upper F hole not so much on the Echotone. A 14 year old future rawker in Orange County, California has my Echotone now.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Echotones Rules!!!!!!

Re: Echotones Rules!!!!!!

Echotone is a cool beast. Fender scale 25.5 with a body that joins at 19th fret. It really had a nice blend on the feedback thing. A Hamer Artist I had you could feel the air coming out of the upper F hole not so much on the Echotone. A 14 year old future rawker in Orange County, California has my Echotone now.

Are you sure yours is 25.5" scale? Mine is same era and is 25.25" scale. I measured it myself and old literature indicates that as well.

 

[JeffB]

Re: The 339 vs the 335, and Epi vs Gibson

Its just like anything else. If you "don't get it"..its because you have not spent time on a really good one. No different than a Tele..or Strat.


They are much different than a Les Paul tonally. Of course if you are using mondo gain, HO pups and/ or subpar amps,.everything sounds kinda the same.

Not trying to sound rude...its just the truth.

 

[BTMN]

Re: The 339 vs the 335, and Epi vs Gibson

Pretty positive but the guitar is not here. If you have Hamer info take that as what it is. I have been wrong before and will be again.

 

[erksin]

Re: The 339 vs the 335, and Epi vs Gibson

339 doesn't sound much like a hollowbody to me, way closer to a LP in sound. If you want a hollowbody sound, you need a 335 IMO.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: The 339 vs the 335, and Epi vs Gibson

My thinking goes like this:
If you cant tell the difference to les pauls, then just keep playing les pauls.
If you cant tell the difference between epis and gibsons then keep playing epis.
I really like the bigger body, its more comfortable for me, but many people like the feel of les pauls or strats etc. Each to their own.
Acoustic resonance and feel is a big thing for me too, which is not to say that good solidbodies dont resonate - they just dont resonate in the same way.
There is no right and wrong with choosing a guitar, there is really only what kind of guitar best facilitates your artistic expression when you play.
If you really want to tell the differences, spend an afternoon playing all of the axes you mentioned acoustically, then after you really have a handle on the one(s) you like best, try those through an amp.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: The 339 vs the 335, and Epi vs Gibson

I think a good approach, if you're staying in the under $1000 budget, is to not tell yourself what you think you should have.

Play every semi hollow guitar you see, and be patient enough to wait for a good one. Find the one that rings acoustically loud and with a nice natural tone. Get one with a perfect neck. Bring it home and get used to the stock pickups for awhile. If you decide on a better set of pickups, replace any cheap pots/wiring/switch/jacks while you're in there. After that's done, the guitar is much closer in overall quality to a $3000 semi hollow.

Wade through all the Epis, Washburns, Eastwood, etc. You'll know when it's time to pull out your wallet.

 

[Detroitblues]

Re: The 339 vs the 335, and Epi vs Gibson

I'll take my Epi Dot Deluxe SE any day... Had the frets dressed, swapped the wiring harness for CTS/Switchcraft stuff and changed the pickups to Seth Lovers. One if the best sounding ES types I've ever heard. Looks sweet too...

I've seen one one more like it at a local Music Go Round by me... $350 is a heck of a deal...

 

[blueman335]

Re: The 339 vs the 335, and Epi vs Gibson

I'll take my Epi Dot Deluxe SE any day... Had the frets dressed, swapped the wiring harness for CTS/Switchcraft stuff and changed the pickups to Seth Lovers. One if the best sounding ES types I've ever heard. Looks sweet too...

I've seen one one more like it at a local Music Go Round by me... $350 is a heck of a deal...

I put a pair of Seth's in a natural Epi Dot, with a thick 1958 type mahogany neck. Sounds great. Got the guitar used for $250 in mint condition.

 

[phil_104]

Re: The 339 vs the 335, and Epi vs Gibson

I'd strongly disagree, but I guess it depends on your rig and how you intend to use the guitar in question. I agree 100% that the 339 is closer to the Les Paul, but you still get a lot of those hollow tones, just voiced slightly differently.

 

[JeffB]

Re: The 339 vs the 335, and Epi vs Gibson

One of the things that is odd...not sure if that i sthe right word...

But the differences in an epiphone semi...or even most lower priced import semis and a Gibson is not that far apart as the import versions are largely made up of the same wood (maple) and it as well as the semiH construction are the big contributors to tone.. Especially if we are talking Norlin era instruments.its not like the Les Pauls where the Epiphones are made from an entirely different wood species and more often than not do not even have a maple top. In addition, the thick finish works more against the epiphone les paul vs. The semi hollow dot or such.

 

[blueman335]

Re: The 339 vs the 335, and Epi vs Gibson

its not like the Les Pauls where the Epiphones are made from an entirely different wood species and more often than not do not even have a maple top. In addition, the thick finish works more against the epiphone les paul

Hence the reason Gibson LP Stds cost 5 times as much.

 

[JeffB]

Re: The 339 vs the 335, and Epi vs Gibson

But the price disparity is there too between a Dot epiphone,and a 335 dot...$400 vs. $2800....however the disparity in tone is not nearly as great with the semiH vs. The Les Paul..which is the point I am trying to make. (But maybe it did not come across that way..)

 

[Aceman]

Re: The 339 vs the 335, and Epi vs Gibson

Lots of great points - let me address.

My thinking goes like this:
If you cant tell the difference to les pauls, then just keep playing les pauls.

I can tell the difference. I'm just skilled at getting the tones I want out of the LP. Or ones that I like/use/am comfortable with.

If you cant tell the difference between epis and gibsons then keep playing epis.

Again - not hard to tell. But it isn't worth an extra $2k to me.

I really like the bigger body, its more comfortable for me, but many people like the feel of les pauls or strats etc. Each to their own.

I'm good with the big body. BTMN was not. But the smaller body is kind of cool too. I found the tonal differences slight. But I wasn't really giving it a fair comparison side-by-side. Suspect they are bigger than I remember.

Acoustic resonance and feel is a big thing for me too, which is not to say that good solidbodies dont resonate - they just dont resonate in the same way.

Again - I'd have to go side-by-side for this. But a good point.

If you really want to tell the differences, spend an afternoon playing all of the axes you mentioned acoustically, then after you really have a handle on the one(s) you like best, try those through an amp.

Again - great point. I only played the 339 that day. And only one. They had a Pelham Blue one also. But there were Ibanez and Gibsons around as well as others. I think plugging into a decent Fender and playing a few might really be the key.

Still, that little 339 with coil taps seemed pretty cool. But - if going 335, why not really go 335/dot for the full effect.

 

[Aceman]

Re: The 339 vs the 335, and Epi vs Gibson

I'll take my Epi Dot Deluxe SE any day... Had the frets dressed, swapped the wiring harness for CTS/Switchcraft stuff and changed the pickups to Seth Lovers. One if the best sounding ES types I've ever heard. Looks sweet too...

I've seen one one more like it at a local Music Go Round by me... $350 is a heck of a deal...

You know - there is a Semi-hollow competition going on right now. You really should enter that!

 

[Bludave]

Re: The 339 vs the 335, and Epi vs Gibson

I own a 1985 335 Dot RI which has the Tom Shaw PAF RI pickups in it. I also bought a Gibson 359 which is a smaller version of a 355. I am also having a custom 335 built by a good friend/ luthier in Canada http://www.montyguitars.com/ Brian makes awesome guitars & does a lot of restoration work on old guitars. The model is called a Blues Queen.

335 For me the 335 is the perfect guitar. It has a lot less weight then a Les Paul & has much better upper access to the higher frets. The 335 is a laminated maple top,back & sides and it has a Mahogany center block. All the hardware (pickups,bridge, stop bar tail piece)are mounted in the center structure so the guitar responds similar to a solid body guitar, but the added "wings" add something that's hard to put into words. It has a smoother voice then a Les Paul IMHO and depending on your pickup selection it is usually warmer as well. You can get a tremendous amount of versatility out of the guitar just by adjusting voulme & tone in a variety of ways. It can be clean & sweet but can also scream when it needs to. The major drawback to a semi hollow guitar is if you play with excessive amount of volume or gain they can squeal or feed back on you. There are remedies for this. One is to turn down the volume & gain. or a better option would be to wax pot the pickups. In my case I don't play with excessive amounts of volume or gain, but in some amps I just have to watch where I stand. If I am too close to the amp or if we are playing too loud it can squeal on me. Hands down my 335 is my favorite Humbucking guitar.

359 The 359 I purchased a few years ago. I bought it in memory of my Mom who passed in 2006. The 359 has "custom" appointments, which is the fancy headstock, ebony board and gold hardware. It is a truly great playing and sounding guitar but to me it tends to sound more like a Les Paul then a 335 or 355. Its kind of pleasantly in between a LP & 335 which is what I believe Gibson was trying to do with it. It came stock with 57 classics & I see no reason to change them as they sound really good in this guitar. In some guitars then tend to be underwhelming but the sound very good in this guitar. It operates very similar to a 335 with the same controls, but there is something different with the wiring. I do recall reading about it but I don't remember what it is that's different. It has the warmth in the neck position of a Les Paul in the middle position id gets really jangly when playing clean & the bridge position is nice & crisp. When I play with overdrive it just rocks. Its a very cool guitar, but if I had to pick just one(fortunately I don't) I would pick my 335. There is just something special about this 335.

Monty Blues Queen The Blues Queen being built for me is a "SOLID" wood 335. Its made from maple & also has a center Mahogany block. This is being built for the most part exactly like a 335, but it will be a carved solid wood guitar. This should make the guitar much warmer & it should ring like a gran piano! I can't wait to get my hands on it. Should be ready maybe by the end of August or September.

 

[ErikH]

Re: The 339 vs the 335, and Epi vs Gibson

For the longest time I shied away from 335's but there was still an appreciation for them. Back in the 90's I recorded a song for one of my sisters' wedding and used an Ibanez semi-hollow for a few parts. That experience lit a small fire that made me look at them more and with more admiration. Since then, I'd look at them and go, "One day, I'll have a red 335." Earlier this year I stumbled across the Hamer EchoTone that I now own and once I picked it up, it hit me, and I got it. The neck feels right, the setup is right, the balance is right, the sound is right. I like how the larger body feels. It's like that small fire that was lit back in the 90's turned in to a full-fledged bonfire. The best part is that I paid $2 and change out of my pocked. The rest was GC gift cards for Christmas and NYE gig money. I have other dual humbucker guitars, but that EchoTone just has something different to it. It's sweet. It's hard to explain aside from that really. To me it's a, "you have to play the right one to get it", thing.

 

[phil_104]

Re: The 339 vs the 335, and Epi vs Gibson

I heard from a dealer here in town that Gibson was thinking of discontinuing their production of the 339 (Gibson, not epiphone) and launching a model that would be like the ES330, but smaller (so fully hollow).

I don't know how much of that is true, but it's certainly interesting.