335guy1281734281 Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 So GC is selling a ES-139 ( http://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson-ES-139-Electric-Guitar-109429464-i3118656.gc ) but I haven't been able to find anything about it. Flat top or arch top? GC's site says burstbucker 2's in one description and Classic 57's in another description. I'm guessing it's a GC exclusive maybe ??? Anyone know anything about these? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brundaddy Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 Can't tell if it's an archtop - it probably is, though. Looks like a no-soundhole ES 135 with half the knobs & a fancier neck & headstock. And if it's anything like the 135, the specs are loosey-goosey at best. They made 135's with p90's, '57 Classics, f-holes, no f-holes, trapeze tailpiece, stopbar tailpiece, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brundaddy Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 Double post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasdw Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 Yeah, looks like a GC exclusive. I saw one hanging on the wall at a GC while on vacation last week - never seen one before so I pulled it down and savored it. I gotta say, it was very nice. About the same size and weight as a 335. Similar feeling to my 335's neck. Actually set up pretty well for a factory Gibson. I didn't plug it in because I didn't want to start GAS'ing for yet something else. If I didn't already have a 335 I'd be all over it though. And yes, it's an archtop, at least to the extent that a 335 is an archtop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Played a black one today at GC. Loved it!!! Big sounding. That's all I can say. Great neck and feel. I gotta sell some stuff and get one :'( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Also arched back and front. I was playing whole lots love and the solo when it goes to the 17th fret it felt as if I smashed my car into a telephone pole, but I don't care. It's a wonderful guitar. Thanks gibson!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ondergard Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 I bought a Gibson ES-139 yesterday, in vintage sunburst, I think the colour is called. It's my first ever Gibson, and it's beautiful crafted and wonderful to play. Crystal clear sound, plenty of "oomph" if needed, beautiful tone and sustain. Altogether glorious! I spent so much time playing it yesterday that my fingertips ended up with semi-permanent red string grooves, and I finally went to bed at two in morning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E.S. Spooner Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 I have one on hold, same color. Beautiful guitar. Since putting it on hold, i have learned they do not come with a case!? Seems like an expensive guitar for no case. Might be a deal breaker. Also, why no info on gibson site? It's their product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ondergard Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 I have one on hold, same color. Beautiful guitar. Since putting it on hold, i have learned they do not come with a case!? Seems like an expensive guitar for no case. Might be a deal breaker. Also, why no info on gibson site? It's their product. It comes with a very well-padded gig bag, although I agree I would rather have a Gibson hard case, so I have ordered one - as I paid a lot less for the guitar than I had gone out prepared to pay (I was looking at a PRS SC 245 as well) lashing out another £100-150 wasn't a deal breaker... and it is SUCH a wonderful guitar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E.S. Spooner Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 I actually returned it. There is no company that currently makes a case that fits the es-139. I have a es-137. Absolutely love it. I feel in love with the es-139. But a $1,600 guitar that comes with a padded gig bag is insulting. I get it, it's a new size guitar, they don't have boat loads of cases that fit this model. Well ...for $1,600 a pop...make them. Till then, I won't be buying one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockycreeker Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 I bought a vintage sunburst ES-139 from Guitar Center on 11/30/13. After having played Fenders for years and years, this guitar has been a real breath of fresh air. I love the light weight, and even with humbuckers, it has clarity even when the volume is turned down. I added a custom truss rod cover with my name and "ES-139" inscribed on it and also Dunlop Straplocks, both mods that are completely reversible. I don't completely trust the padded gig bag, and hope to at least get a heavier duty gig bag or some kind of hard case in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scramopolis Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Glad to see the love here for the ES 139.... I just put a black one with white binding on layaway at my local GC. It was clearanced down $960 which felt like a steal to me as I was playing it. Do I gather correctly from you all here that its worth the $1600, and that finding one on clearance is a no brainer? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scramopolis Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 As fate would have it.... I walk into my local GC to look at the ES139 that I have on hold and sure enough they've got an ES339 on clearance, a little more $ than the 139, but much more of a guitar(double cut away, locking tuners, 3 tone burst finish, coil taps, 10dB rhythm boost, hard shell case). Guess Ill be eating bologna sandwiches just a bit longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ondergard Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 As fate would have it.... I walk into my local GC to look at the ES139 that I have on hold and sure enough they've got an ES339 on clearance, a little more $ than the 139, but much more of a guitar(double cut away, locking tuners, 3 tone burst finish, coil taps, 10dB rhythm boost, hard shell case). Guess Ill be eating bologna sandwiches just a bit longer. The shop I bought the ES-139 from in October - which is in the UK, of course - says on its website that it is exclusively importing the ES-139, and that I bought one of only sixteen in the country. I couldn't get a hard case for it from Gibson, but have bought a Gibson hard case for an ES-339, which is only a gnat's different in one measurement. I'm just waiting on delivery from the States. The thing is, the ES-139 is nowhere on the Gibson website, apart fro being mentioned in this forum thread, and having contacted Gibson, they won't say how many they made, how many they exported, or even if they have discontinued the model. I suspect the answers to those questions are "not many", very few", and "Yes -but we're not telling you". This may be good news for collectors of rare guitars in the future, but it's bad news for anyone who is expecting either to buy one or to buy a pukka hard case for it. They just aren't going to be made. Why won't Gibson own up and admit they've made something which is unpopular (despite the fact that I and several others love the guitar) and have discontinued it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 The shop I bought the ES-139 from in October - which is in the UK, of course - says on its website that it is exclusively importing the ES-139, and that I bought one of only sixteen in the country. I couldn't get a hard case for it from Gibson, but have bought a Gibson hard case for an ES-339, which is only a gnat's different in one measurement. I'm just waiting on delivery from the States. The thing is, the ES-139 is nowhere on the Gibson website, apart fro being mentioned in this forum thread, and having contacted Gibson, they won't say how many they made, how many they exported, or even if they have discontinued the model. I suspect the answers to those questions are "not many", very few", and "Yes -but we're not telling you". This may be good news for collectors of rare guitars in the future, but it's bad news for anyone who is expecting either to buy one or to buy a pukka hard case for it. They just aren't going to be made. Why won't Gibson own up and admit they've made something which is unpopular (despite the fact that I and several others love the guitar) and have discontinued it? Gibson doesn't quote production numbers. When they make an exclusive, they still own all the production rights. So they won't ever say that they've stopped making something, even if it seems to be discontinued. I think that's one of the reasons they shy away from giving out production info. Not sure though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ondergard Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 I bought a genuine brand new Gibson case, designed for an ES-339, since my ES-139 didn't have a case made for it. I then adapted it by taking out the padding around the inside of the case, using a very sharp craft knife to cut away the glue, then carefully lifted the pink fluffy fur padding from the case (leaving the fur on the bottom of the case in place, of course), re-contoured the relevant parts of the foam (taking care to do it from the back of the foam, so the interior of the padding was undisturbed) to fit the ES-139, using another craft knife, cut the polysterene blocks in half which were acting as a strap pin recess to give a little extra room in the case, then re-attached the foam padding all the way round using Evo-Stik "Serious Glue", and left it to dry for twenty four hours before carefully clipping away any stray blobs of glue in the fur lining and actually taking a vacuum cleaner to the inside to vacuum up any stray bits of polystyrene or fur. It's a great result, the guitar is safe and snug, and it's a genuine Gibson guitar in a genuine Gibson case: it took me, from start to finish, less than an hour to do (not allowing for drying time), and it cost me (even with import taxes and postage from Texas to the UK) less than half what I was quoted to have a case custom built. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CR9 Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 The shop I bought the ES-139 from in October - which is in the UK, of course - says on its website that it is exclusively importing the ES-139, and that I bought one of only sixteen in the country. I couldn't get a hard case for it from Gibson, but have bought a Gibson hard case for an ES-339, which is only a gnat's different in one measurement. I'm just waiting on delivery from the States. The thing is, the ES-139 is nowhere on the Gibson website, apart fro being mentioned in this forum thread, and having contacted Gibson, they won't say how many they made, how many they exported, or even if they have discontinued the model. I suspect the answers to those questions are "not many", very few", and "Yes -but we're not telling you". This may be good news for collectors of rare guitars in the future, but it's bad news for anyone who is expecting either to buy one or to buy a pukka hard case for it. They just aren't going to be made. Why won't Gibson own up and admit they've made something which is unpopular (despite the fact that I and several others love the guitar) and have discontinued it? Gibson will not post details on a guitar that is an exclusive for one or several dealers. In a way, it is not fair to other dealers that cannot get the guitar. Although you can not find information about a guitar, it does not mean it is discontinued. It usually means that dealers have not ordered the guitar. There are several models that are still available but no dealers ordered any recently. They will not give production numbers on most guitars even if they are on the web site. Usually the only time there are production totals is because of a limited number that is going to be made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idorky Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 the ES-139 is very fun to play, the quality chinese padded gig bag was almost the deal breaker for me, but, for the price i paid, i cannot complain, i ordered a quality chinese epiphone ES-339/359 hard shell case for sub 100's landed, and the ES-139 fits snugly without any mods. no movement on the axe, the interior is nicely padded and the top closes with no additional downward force. over all it's a good buy if the marque outside the case is not an issue for you. i'm sure the ES-139 will go back on sale (sub 1k), and when she does, don't let the padded case be the deal breaker. happy playing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaverton Duck Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Is this a semi hollow? How does the body size compare to a LP? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjmwrx Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Is this a semi hollow? How does the body size compare to a LP? Yes it is Semi-hollow. The size is slightly larger than an Les Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle mud Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 The size is a little bigger than a les paul but close in shape. I bought an epiphone ES339 hard case for mine which fits fine. I was informed by Gibson via email that the ES 139 is no longer in production. I'm glad I got mine. It's one of the best sounding Gibson's I've ever owned. The set up was horrible, and the fit and finish was only acceptable. After some set up it plays awesome, with a rounded profile neck, somewhere between a '60 and '59. Very comfortable. Amazing tone, simple design, 7lbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ondergard Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I was informed by Gibson via email that the ES 139 is no longer in production. Really? They told you that? I asked a question as to whether or not they were going to produce a hard case specifically designed for an ES 139, and how many they had produced, and they wouldn't tell me even that. I also asked whether they had stopped producing it, since it is mentioned nowhere on their website, and they wouldn't say, citing "commercial confidentiality". How did you get them to admit that? When were they discontinued? Have I no got something rare (bearing in mind I have one of the only sixteen ES 139's imported into England?)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle mud Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 I was told by Gibson that the es-139 has been discontinued. They had a lot of fit and finish problems and many were returned. There are still plenty available on ebay where musicians friend and music123 are re-selling the returns. These guitars sound fantastic and unique, I wish the build quality were better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfletcher67 Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 That must be why I was able to pick up the sunburst one the other day at the Bham GC for $899.00! I see what they mean by finish issues, but the guitar sounds and plays so great I almost don't care. It doesn't have near as many finish issues as a recent Eastman T386 I had, and it was in the same price range. Too bad they've discontinued them. So far mine's sounding excellent. As long as I don't break out a magnifying glass and look at the binding around the fret ends I should be happy with this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dakarider1 Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 That must be why I was able to pick up the sunburst one the other day at the Bham GC for $899.00! I see what they mean by finish issues, but the guitar sounds and plays so great I almost don't care. It doesn't have near as many finish issues as a recent Eastman T386 I had, and it was in the same price range. Too bad they've discontinued them. So far mine's sounding excellent. As long as I don't break out a magnifying glass and look at the binding around the fret ends I should be happy with this one. Kudos! I just bought one as well - in Ebony. I was in Guitar Center trying out a few guitars and just didn't want to spend the $ for a ES-339, not right now anyway. I have a Les Paul Goldtop with P-90's, but I wanted a semi-hollow. I was checking out some of the Epiphones and almost bought a Epi Dot which was marked down. The guy there had me check out this obscure guitar he had marked down for $899, the ES-139. I'm like, what the heck is this thing. Looks like a Les Paul, but a little bigger. Semi hollow but no f-holes? Huh. Sat down with it on the Blues Jr I was playing these other guitars on. I was like Whoa, the ES-139 sounded very nice. A very strong but smooth sound and could definitely tell was a semi hollow guitar. This guitar did have a couple of minor flaws, on the back of neck to the guitar the seem is a little rough there and it had some tiny scratches on front from people playing it. We were able to buff those out fairly well. Overall it looks very nice. The size and feel of this guitar is exactly what a guitar should be. But the sound is what sold me. I think it compliments my Les Paul well. Two electric guitars, but very different. For me though getting the ES-139 was like a wondrous discovery. Something I didn't really know about before. It was the right guitar in the right place at the right time. It did have a couple stings that didn't sound quite right so I restrung it and it plays very well. The setup on it is fantastic, nice low action and no fretting out or buzzing. Overall I'm very happy to have a great sounding, great playing real Gibson semi-hollow guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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