Murph Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 Just askin'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matiac Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 Nope. Gibson Memphis has the reigns now, according to their product page...howzat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanHenry Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 I never did understand the Custom shop logo on the 339's because they've always been made at Memphis on the same line as the 335's as far as I can tell. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 Man, this would have gone 3 pages a few years, ago...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Man, this would have gone 3 pages a few years, ago...... I think it did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 I think it did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookieman15061 Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I'm positive the epiphone 339s still are. 😏 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketman Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Where's Tim when you need him??? I miss him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 I'm positive the epiphone 339s still are. I had a Casino with bigsby that had that "Epiphone Custom Shop" logo on it. Never knew exactly what that was supposed to mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maller Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 I had an early ES-339, liked it a lot. Ended up selling it. Now, thinking about getting another one. The original ones were from Gibson Custom. Not sure if I should look for one of those or a new one (Memphis). How do the newer ones compare to the original ones? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darling67 Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 No, they're not Custom Shop—not all of them. Some are Gibson USA. I have an Epiphone ES-339 P90 Pro... and it's one of my favorite guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 . AFAIK, Gibson USA (Nashville) uses a different serial number formula - Memphis serial formula is still YDDDYRRR, and the Memphis line has a separate web page from Gibson USA. Memphis likes to throw that Custom Shop moniker on a lot of guitars. Custom Shop guitars usually have a serial beginning with CS. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle Posted January 25, 2016 Share Posted January 25, 2016 My es335 from 2009 has a certificate that said "gibson Custom" but no where on the guitar is there anything else stating "custom. Also has a gibson custom case with charcoal/black interior. Never got that whole thing. Are the 339s "really custom shop"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maller Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 So, do I look for an earlier one from 'Custom Shop', or get a newer one? Similar quality? Features? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Man, this would have gone 3 pages a few years, ago...... But then it would've gotten ugly and someone would've gotten banned.... ahhhh the good ol' days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maller Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 So, do I look for an earlier one from 'Custom Shop', or get a newer one? Similar quality? Features? The current ones sell new for approx $2700. The original ones were about $1G cheaper. On the resell market, they're still around $1500 to $2000. Are the new ones better ($1G better)? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 . Custom Shop guitars usually have a serial beginning with CS. My 2007 pictured above has a CS7**** serial #. And the Custom Shop logo in the picture. And a Custom Shop letter of authenticity. And a Custom Shop Case. 2007 was the first year of the ES-339. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 My 2007 pictured above has a CS7**** serial #. And the Custom Shop logo in the picture. And a Custom Shop letter of authenticity. And a Custom Shop Case. 2007 was the first year of the ES-339. Mine is a 2009, with all the same stuff: CS serial number, CS logo, COA, Gibson Custom case. Personally, I don't think the CS glitter means much of anything. To my knowledge, it's been a Memphis assembly line product from day one. The original thought may have been to produce it as a limited run product & throw the CS moniker on it, but it then sold notably well & became a staple item in the Memphis lineup. Btw, I paid $1529 for my brand new ES-339 in 2009. It originally retailed for $1799, and it was priced at a 15% discount. Shortly after my purchase, the 339 received it's first price hike to $1999. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Plains Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 This Custom Shop vs. "Custom Shop" debate is still going on? LOL Yes, they have all the Custom Shop decals and paperwork, they are made in Memphis, Gibson only has one Custom Shop in Nashville, make of it what you will. That was then. I couldn't care less where Gibson is making what now and if it's Custom Shop or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maller Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 This Custom Shop vs. "Custom Shop" debate is still going on? LOL Yes, they have all the Custom Shop decals and paperwork, they are made in Memphis, Gibson only has one Custom Shop in Nashville, make of it what you will. That was then. I couldn't care less where Gibson is making what now and if it's Custom Shop or not. Yes, good point. Sorry, I've been out of the loop for a while. So, am I better off going with an earlier ES339 or one of the newer ones? The newer ones are approx $2700. I can get an earlier one for <$2k. How does the quality compare? Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 But then it would've gotten ugly and someone would've gotten banned.... ahhhh the good ol' days. Yeah...molotov cocktails, people gettin' all butt-hurt over every little thing. Ban, ban, ban, ban, ban. I sure miss those days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 FENNRX!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Plains Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 So, am I better off going with an earlier ES339 or one of the newer ones? The newer ones are approx $2700. I can get an earlier one for <$2k. How does the quality compare? The only way I can really answer this is with more questions. Why generalize? How can anyone really compare older vs newer quality when the quality level from one guitar to the very next one built on the assembly line on the same day can vary drastically? Good years / bad years. To me, this is more of an indicator that the buyer can't discern a good from bad guitar themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 So, am I better off going with an earlier ES339 or one of the newer ones? The newer ones are approx $2700. I can get an earlier one for <$2k. How does the quality compare? Try to play & compare a number of 339s to establish a baseline of what you're after, based on your own criteria. Tonally, they truly can be all over the map. Then beyond tone, neck profile and fretwork will impact playability, and again there can be very significant differences from one guitar to the next. When I bought my 339 in '09, I was able to compare three of them side by side, and one clearly stood out by a mile. Virtually every time I've had the opportunity to do a similar comparison, one guitar stands out - sometimes in tone, sometimes in playability, and sometimes in both key areas. Enjoy the hunt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maller Posted February 6, 2016 Share Posted February 6, 2016 Yes, I understand the need to try different ones in order to find the right one. But, earlier ones are a bit more difficult to track down. So, before I do that - are the current ones similar in build and quality as the early (07-10) ones? I ask, because the price on new ones is almost $1G more than the retail price on the older ones. Any good reason to focus on a new one, if I can get an 08/09 in great shape for about $1800? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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