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Neck Profile on ES-339


Tech21

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I am looking to purchase an ES 339 (or possibly an CS 336) and I would like to know which of the 2 neck profiles on offer on the 339 would suit me better.

 

I can’t actually go to my local music shop to do the simple thing and try them both out because I live in New Zealand and I have no music shop anywhere near me who stock Gibson Guitars. I bought all my Guitars in the UK and moved to NZ two years ago.

 

Amongs other guitars I have, the Gibson's and Epiphone that I own are : -

A 2005 Gibson ’61 SG re-issue.

A 1973/4 Gibson SG Standard (dated from the pots, October 1973)

A 2005 Epiphone ES 335 Dot Made in the Peerless factory, Korea.

 

The ’61 SG neck I find to be slightly too slim for my taste.

The ’74 SG is fine but is narrower across the Nut end of the neck than the ’61 Re-Issue.

The Epiphone ES 335 neck is very comfortable.

In all honesty the best feeling guitar neck that I own is on a PRS CU22 (Wide, Fat)

 

So my question is, given the above information, which would be the better profile to go for on a 339... 50’s or 60’s?

I suspect the answer is 50's but does that extra 30 thou really make any difference to the feel of the 60's one?

 

Thanks

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I would choose the 50's neck since you find the '61 too slim.

 

I've played a few 50's neck 339's & they were very comfortable.

 

Not at all like the "baseball bat" reissues - more like a '59 Profile.

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The 60s Slim Taper neck on my CS-356 is smallish in the shoulders compared to many Gibsons but not overly thin (for me) or "flat" in the front-to-back girth -- to my hands, it's just a bit smaller than most '59 LP historics I've encountered, and perfect for me. It's not wide/flat either.

 

The ES-339 30/60 necks I've tried all seemed just a bit chunkier (fron to back) than my CS-356 (hence the ".3 over 60s" origin of the name) -- but they were not real "big" like, say, an R8 or R7.

 

Can't help you with the "50s" necks... they're all too big for me!

 

One caution though: as I understand it, neck profiles are one of the areas where there's a significant amount of hand-work in the shaping/sanding by the Gibson craftsmen... so there's variety even amongst those necks that are spec'd the same.

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