Levander Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Trying to decide between an ES 339 PRO and an Ultra 339... Really interested in hearing any reactions to any of the points/questions I type in below... 1.) How does the built-in tuner on the Ultra 339 work? What I'm guessing is when you push the button to activate it, it doesn't actually move the tuner knobs. But it somehow modifies the pickups so that however your guitar is actually tuned, the signals the pickups generate somehow sound like they're in tune.. Or is it like one of those tuners you can buy to set on your leg, your play a string, the tuner on your leg tells you what note you just played, and you can modify the tuner on the headstock accordingly... The difference with the Ultra 339 being the tuner is actually stuck on your guitar so that it's with you whenever you got your guitar. 2.) Somewhere on this forum I saw that you can buy that tuner that comes with the Ultra 339 separately. Can buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B005SUXM0C/ How hard is that thing to install in an ES 339 PRO? Are there instructions anywhere that I can read to get an idea of how hard it is? I've never messed with anything like changing the nut or pickups or anything like that on an electric guitar. Although kind of similar, I have built my own computers, installing the motherboard, CPU, RAM, etc.. 3.) Amps like the Line6 Spider that have a tuner in the amp. Is the builtin tuner on the Ultra 339 basically the same thing as that tuner? So if you have a Spider amp, the Ultra 339's tuner becomes much less useful? 4.) The Piezo pickup.. Not sure if I want or not. I am thinking about pairing a Peavey Vypyr with an Ultra 339. And the Peavey Vypyr is supposed to not only be a electric guitar amp, but also an acoustic guitar amp and a bass amp. No one reading this has paired an Ultra 339 with a Peavey Vypyr have they? How'd it sound? Or, has anyone done any similar pairing? 5.) The USB port. I haven't messed with recording anything. I'm not good enough to worry about recording stuff. I've really just gotten to the point where I've played enough I'm sure I'll stick with it, making spending some money worthwhile. But in the next year or so, it'd be nice that if I want to record that way, not to want to have to go buy another guitar for it. They have external things that can convert your electric guitars output into USB, but no idea if they'd work as well as Epiphone's integrated port on the Ultra 339. The integrated port would definitely be more convenient... 6.) Because of all the gizmos on the Ultra 339 it only has one f-hole, whereas the ES 339 PRO has two f-holes. How does that affect the tone? Especially when unplugged. I noodle a lot, especially like when I'm learning a new song on Youtube. I'll be watching the video and just getting the finger movements down with the guitar unplugged. Basically, I'm not sure if the Ultra 339 is worth the extra cash for my situation/tastes. The ES 339 PRO is $450. The Ultra 339 is $800. Now if the tuner works the way I'm guessing it does in 1.) above, I definitely want that. But if I can buy it separately and install it for $50, that brings the price of the ES 339 PRO up to $500. So we got a $300 difference between the two. Is the USB port and the Piezo pickup worth $300? I've got the money, but it wouldn't hurt at all to be a little more frugal about it and save the money. I wouldn't have money saved to begin with if I weren't frugal about it. To me, it'd definitely be worth $300 if it saves me from really wanting to buy another guitar in the next couple of years because of a USB port or a piezo pickup.. And I definitely would play with the piezo pickup some when I first get it. But there's no way of knowing if it'd save me from wanting to buy another guitar in the next couple of years because I really want some feature I didn't get with the ES 339 PRO... Anyway, that's what I'm wrestling with. Any reactions to any of the points or questions I made, I'm definitely interested in hearing. Thanks guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barcham Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 The Shadow pickup is not the same as a piezo pickup. It is a different technology all together. The tuner is just what it says, a tuner. You select the string you want to tune and it will tell you if you are in tune or not. If not, you turn your tuning key in the appropriate direction to tune your guitar just like with any other tuner. It does not tune the guitar for you like a mini-tune unit will do. I would not go anywhere near a Spider amp. I have found them to be one of the most artificial sounding amps on the market. If you want a modelling amp, go with either a Peavey Vypyr or a Fender Mustang. Or for something a little more upscale, one of the new Blackstar ID:15 or 30 amps which have great tube emulations built in. I used to have an Ultra II with the nanomag pickup and it was incredible when paired with a true acoustic amplifier. Less so when connected to an electric guitar amp or using the acoustic simulation setting on my Micro-cube. I would suggest using a dedicated acoustic amp to get the best out of any Ultra with the nanomag. The acoustic setting on a Cube or the new Vypyr amps will not give you the best results at all. As for plugging your guitar to a computer via USB, you can pick up the Rocksmith game and use the cable that comes with it to connect your guitar to your computer. No need for a dedicated port in your guitar and you get a great game and practice tool to boot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levander Posted August 11, 2014 Author Share Posted August 11, 2014 The Shadow pickup is not the same as a piezo pickup. It is a different technology all together. Okay, thanks. The tuner is just what it says, a tuner. You select the string you want to tune and it will tell you if you are in tune or not. If not, you turn your tuning key in the appropriate direction to tune your guitar just like with any other tuner. It does not tune the guitar for you like a mini-tune unit will do. Okay, thanks. Since posting I've been doing more online googling. What you said here verifies what I'm now thinking it does. But I'm actually now less interested in auto-tuning. I was thinking an auto-tuner would keep my guitar in tune much more often. And as a beginner, that would help train my ears. But the feedback I'm getting is that no, tuning your guitar yourself trains your ears better. I would not go anywhere near a Spider amp. I have found them to be one of the most artificial sounding amps on the market. Lol, I love how varied the opinions on the Internet are. But yeah, I had about decided on a Peavey Vypyr anyway. If you want a modelling amp, go with either a Peavey Vypyr or a Fender Mustang. Or for something a little more upscale, one of the new Blackstar ID:15 or 30 amps which have great tube emulations built in. Have you been playing with these things long enough to know anything about the Peavey Transformer? That was Peavey's solid state modelling amp precursor to their original Vypyr. I've got a good offer I can buy one for. But I haven't found much info on them. You search YouTube and you get two demo videos of the thing. I think they sound horrible in both of those demos. But those YouTube videos are very dependent on the person making the video. I used to have an Ultra II with the nanomag pickup and it was incredible when paired with a true acoustic amplifier. Less so when connected to an electric guitar amp or using the acoustic simulation setting on my Micro-cube. I would suggest using a dedicated acoustic amp to get the best out of any Ultra with the nanomag. The acoustic setting on a Cube or the new Vypyr amps will not give you the best results at all. But I'm a beginner just looking for a laboratory to play with sounds. I figure later I'll spend real money. And my laboratory I'm making now is just to get a better idea of where I want to go. I'll get better at guitar and be more familiar (in a rough sense) of where I want to go when I do spend real money. You have any idea whether or not the acoustic modelling on a Vypyr VIP would be good enough for those purposes? I'm sure it works in a functional sense, but I do want good enough tones that will motivate me to keep playing. The better my guitar sounds, that will be motivation to play more. As for plugging your guitar to a computer via USB, you can pick up the Rocksmith game and use the cable that comes with it to connect your guitar to your computer. No need for a dedicated port in your guitar and you get a great game and practice tool to boot. Beautiful. That is a wonderful tip. Don't need a USB cable. Now that I've learned more about the gizmos on the Ultra 339, I'm actually less interested in it. The Nanomag pickup, I can buy that separately later if I want to. But I'd probably save the $170 and put it towards a real acoustic. The tuner I've found you can buy a $30 clip on tuner for your guitar that will do the same thing. The USB port, I don't need. I can just use a cable from the Rocksmith game if I get to the point where I want to record that way. But I do wonder if Epiphone has integrated their USB port "better" somehow than using the the Rocksmith cable... Like maybe a true USB cable is less susceptible to interference or something. I'm still interested in the ES 339 PRO though. Either a Ibanez AM73B or an Epiphone ES 339 PRO. Probably the Epiphone. But I need to go to the guitar store and test them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barcham Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 I had an original Vypyr 30 with the Sanpera II pedal and it was a fantastic amp. As far as I am concerned, the best modelling amp on the market. Unfortunately I had to sell it for financial reasons. I haven't tried the new Vypyr series but would expect it to be a fine modelling amp as well. The acoustic simulation setting should be fine to use until you get around to buying a proper acoustic guitar. No matter how good a simulator may be, there is no substitute for a genuine acoustic guitar that you can just pick up and play with no need for amplification. I think the 339 PRO would be a fine choice but don't ignore the new Casino Coupe, a smaller version of the venerable Casino that is equipped with P90 pickups which will give a totally different sound compared to a humbucker guitar. I think it's around the same size as the 339 but is a true hollow body as opposed to a semi-hollow like the 339 PRO. Worth checking out, in my opinion! I don't think there is really any difference is using a cable like the one with Rocksmith or a genuine on board USB port on a guitar. Both send a digital signal that is decoded by the computer software. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levander Posted August 12, 2014 Author Share Posted August 12, 2014 I had an original Vypyr 30 with the Sanpera II pedal and it was a fantastic amp. As far as I am concerned, the best modelling amp on the market. Unfortunately I had to sell it for financial reasons. I haven't tried the new Vypyr series but would expect it to be a fine modelling amp as well. The acoustic simulation setting should be fine to use until you get around to buying a proper acoustic guitar. No matter how good a simulator may be, there is no substitute for a genuine acoustic guitar that you can just pick up and play with no need for amplification. Now that I'm not interested in the Ultra 339, my guitar won't have any kind of acoustic pickup on it. So the Vypyr VIP becomes less interesting to me. That's the only Vypyr That Peavey currently has in production. But the Vyper Pro 100 is just about to come out. It's just a guitar amp, no other instruments. But 100 watts is way too much for me. Before long, surely they'll do a Vypyr Pro that has less than 100 watts and will cost less. I think I'm just gonna wait for that for now. Use a crummy old Crate 112 that I've had for years but never used until now. I hope it still works. I can't test it because ai don't have any electric guitars here. I think the 339 PRO would be a fine choice but don't ignore the new Casino Coupe, a smaller version of the venerable Casino that is equipped with P90 pickups which will give a totally different sound compared to a humbucker guitar. I think it's around the same size as the 339 but is a true hollow body as opposed to a semi-hollow like the 339 PRO. Worth checking out, in my opinion! Very worth checking out! It's weird what a Gibson fan I am. I don't do it intentionally. But listening to that guitar on YouTube, that's one of the few I've just been like, "wow!!". And I've heard other hollow bodies. The Casino Coupe makes the notes sound like they're blooming, where as they sound like they have a sharper edge on the 339's I think. John Lenon played an Epiphone Casino at the rooftop concert that The Beatles had in '68 or '69. And I swear the Casino Coupe YouTube demo video I was watching reminded me deeply of some of the tones I heard off Lennon's guitar watching that rooftop concert YouTube video last week. That could just be psychological, because I knew the guitar Lennon was playing was an Epiphone Casino model (from before Gibson bought Epiphone and then later made them their low cost brand I believe). It was originally a Vintage Sunburst finish. George had gotten one also. But they both had the finishes sanded down to their natural color by a professional. Lennon was supposed to have said they did that because it improved the tone of the guitar... George I think was playing a Strat at the rooftop concert. The video didn't have a good picture of his guitar. So typical of George in the Beatles that they didn't get a great shot of him during the rooftop concert. One of the greatest songwriters of all time and The Beatles rarely used him. Because they already had two of the greatest songwriters of all time. What did they need a third for? Anyway, it might have been psychological, but when I heard the tones that reminded me of some of the licks Lennon played that I really liked, it was just like "wow!!" And I really wasn't thinking about the rooftop concert before that. Don't know if I'll get an ES 339 PRO or a Casino Coupe yet. Probably have to go to the store and try them both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 Now that I'm not interested in the Ultra 339, my guitar won't have any kind of acoustic pickup on it. So the Vypyr VIP becomes less interesting to me. That's the only Vypyr That Peavey currently has in production. But the Vyper Pro 100 is just about to come out. It's just a guitar amp, no other instruments. But 100 watts is way too much for me. Before long, surely they'll do a Vypyr Pro that has less than 100 watts and will cost less. I think I'm just gonna wait for that for now. Use a crummy old Crate 112 that I've had for years but never used until now. I hope it still works. I can't test it because ai don't have any electric guitars here. Very worth checking out! It's weird what a Gibson fan I am. I don't do it intentionally. But listening to that guitar on YouTube, that's one of the few I've just been like, "wow!!". And I've heard other hollow bodies. The Casino Coupe makes the notes sound like they're blooming, where as they sound like they have a sharper edge on the 339's I think. John Lenon played an Epiphone Casino at the rooftop concert that The Beatles had in '68 or '69. And I swear the Casino Coupe YouTube demo video I was watching reminded me deeply of some of the tones I heard off Lennon's guitar watching that rooftop concert YouTube video last week. That could just be psychological, because I knew the guitar Lennon was playing was an Epiphone Casino model (from before Gibson bought Epiphone and then later made them their low cost brand I believe). It was originally a Vintage Sunburst finish. George had gotten one also. But they both had the finishes sanded down to their natural color by a professional. Lennon was supposed to have said they did that because it improved the tone of the guitar... George I think was playing a Strat at the rooftop concert. The video didn't have a good picture of his guitar. So typical of George in the Beatles that they didn't get a great shot of him during the rooftop concert. One of the greatest songwriters of all time and The Beatles rarely used him. Because they already had two of the greatest songwriters of all time. What did they need a third for? Anyway, it might have been psychological, but when I heard the tones that reminded me of some of the licks Lennon played that I really liked, it was just like "wow!!" And I really wasn't thinking about the rooftop concert before that. Don't know if I'll get an ES 339 PRO or a Casino Coupe yet. Probably have to go to the store and try them both. Just a few fact corrections, here: Gibson bought out Epiphone, in 1957! Lennon's Casino was a 1965! George was playing his all Rosewood Telecaster, that Fender gifted him, on the Rooftop Concert, in London's Saville Row, atop Apple Headquarters at that time! It took place January 30, 1969! http://www.fenderrocks.com/historic-fenders-george-harrisons-rosewood-telecaster/ Gibson shipped Epiphone overseas, in 1970. So, ALL Epiphone models were made, right along side Gibson guitars, at the Kalamazoo, Michigan USA factories, from 1957 through 1969! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobF_ Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 I had an Ultra-339 ... It was cool, but the extras weren't worth it to me. I ended up just playing the regular pups, never used the USB port. The tuner was handy. I played it less and less until I finally traded it away on something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barcham Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 Levander, the acoustic simulation settings on amps such as the Vypyr VIP or Roland Cube are not really meant to be used with an acoustic guitar or an acoustic pickup on an electric. They are designed to make your regular electric guitar pickups sound similar to an acoustic guitar. You can actually think of the acoustic sim setting as a replacement for a piezo or shadow pickup on a guitar. Obviously it is not as good as a true acoustic pickup or a real acoustic guitar, but it can be a nice addition to an amp for home use. If you were to have a guitar with an acoustic pickup, or an acoustic guitar, there is no replacement for a true acoustic amplifier such as a Crate CA-30 like I used to use or other dedicated acoustic guitar amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobF_ Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 On the subject of Ac Sim, if I may, the BOSS GT-001 Ac Sim is the best I've heard yet. Far better than the nano pup on the U339. Far better than any other FX-type sim I've ever heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levander Posted August 12, 2014 Author Share Posted August 12, 2014 Just a few fact corrections, here: Thank you Charlie, that was interesting... I hate being fascinated with celebrity and steer far clear of it usually. But I can't help it with The Beatles! Thank for clearing that stuff up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levander Posted August 12, 2014 Author Share Posted August 12, 2014 Levander, the acoustic simulation settings on amps such as the Vypyr VIP or Roland Cube are not really meant to be used with an acoustic guitar or an acoustic pickup on an electric. I have no idea what the Roland Cube does. But the Vypyr VIP is designed so you can plug an electric, acoustic, or bass into it. People on the Peavey forums are lukewarm to this functionality though. I asked about it over there and one guy said it sounds good with his VIP 2, but if he did it over again he'd buy a VIP 3. The next guy said it doesn't matter which VIP you buy, the speaker just isn't designed right to be a good bass amp. Something about it not being sealed... My guess from reading is it works "good enough" for some purposes. It seems like most of them skipped the Vypyr VIP because they're not interested in this bit which is a main piece of functionality on the amp. They stuck with their original Vypyrs and are anxiously awaiting the Vypyr PRO which is either out now in a channel or two here or there or about to come out. I've seen something's about the release, but never bothered to nail it down. It also does what you're talking about, where it can make a guitar sound like a baritone or an acoustic or whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barcham Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 Like I said, I used to have a Vypyr 30 with a Sanpera II pedal along with a Ultra II. My Ultra II nanomag pickup played through my Vypyr or my Micro Cube in acoustic sim mode, did not compare with it being played through my Crate dedicated acoustic amp. Everything is different when comparing an electric guitar amp to an acoustic guitar amp. Different equalisation, different cabinet design and totally different speaker design. An amp like the Vypyr VIP is meant mainly for home use and not as a replacement for a dedicated acoustic or bass amp. It's just meant to do the job for practice or just to goof around. I also had an Ovation Celebrity acoustic and never thought of plugging it to either my Vypyr or Cube amps. For home use, small amps are plentiful and not expensive. Much better to have the right amp for the right guitar. When it comes to electrics such as the Ultra series with dual outputs, it is always best to connect them to two separate amps or if gigging with one, to connect the acoustic pickup directly to the PA system, that is the only way to really get the best out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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