Help! 4 bad ES 339 in a row??

[ldweber51]

Greetings, I might be picky but when one pays nearly $2000 for a new guitar it should be nice.

 

ES 339 #1 - I drove 180 miles, round trip, to GC to pickup a new ES 339 in red. When i got to the store, it had a bad spot, 50 cent size, on the back of the body where the stain pooled. It also had several nicks from handling. I did not pruchase it.

 

ES 339 #2 - They offered me a sunburst. The first thing i noticed was the pickguard had nasty 1\2" jagged saw marks about every inch around the outer edge. They took the pickguard off the red one to swap. I deciced to take it home. Then I noticed the other problems. Little cracks (16)on the neck binding where the frets are. The bridge mounting screws were not centered with the pickups & stop bar, which caused the strings to be slightly off. I could not get intonation on the B & high E strings. The spacing just did not look right. Tuner nuts were loose too. I drove 180 miles, round trip, to return it. They ordered a replacement which was shipped to me.

 

ES 339 #3 - It arrived in a Gibson box, but the case was floating around in it. I opened the case & there were small splinters of wood & saw dust everywhere. I could not believe my eyes. First look, they drilled the truss rod hole off so the cover was crooked. The rosewood neck was just terrible. file marks, nasty black patches of what looks like tar. Tried lighter fluid, would not cut it. Looked like a shiny ebony neck. Unplayable, my fingers would get black & the neck would get so sticky, I had to wipe it off every few minutes. I drove 180 miles, round trip, to return it and check out anothe ES 339 at a different GC.

 

ES 339 #4 - This one also had the little cracks (7)on the neck binding where the frets are. On the head stock, they spliced in a section of wood, about 3\4" on the right & left. So the headstock has 3 different shades of stain.

 

I've waited a long time to buy a ES Custom shop guitar. I've never had such bad luck before with any new guitars I have purchases. I don't know if I can try a ES 339 #5... Thanking you in advance, Larry...

 

P.S. I apologize for the length.

[Enmitygauged]

Greetings, I might be picky but when one pays nearly $2000 for a new guitar it should be nice.

 

ES 339 #1 - I drove 180 miles, round trip, to GC to pickup a new ES 339 in red. When i got to the store, it had a bad spot, 50 cent size, on the back of the body where the stain pooled. It also had several nicks from handling. I did not pruchase it.

 

ES 339 #2 - They offered me a sunburst. The first thing i noticed was the pickguard had nasty 1\2" jagged saw marks about every inch around the outer edge. They took the pickguard off the red one to swap. I deciced to take it home. Then I noticed the other problems. Little cracks (16)on the neck binding where the frets are. The bridge mounting screws were not centered with the pickups & stop bar, which caused the strings to be slightly off. I could not get intonation on the B & high E strings. The spacing just did not look right. Tuner nuts were loose too. I drove 180 miles, round trip, to return it. They ordered a replacement which was shipped to me.

 

ES 339 #3 - It arrived in a Gibson box, but the case was floating around in it. I opened the case & there were small splinters of wood & saw dust everywhere. I could not believe my eyes. First look, they drilled the truss rod hole off so the cover was crooked. The rosewood neck was just terrible. file marks, nasty black patches of what looks like tar. Tried lighter fluid, would not cut it. Looked like a shiny ebony neck. Unplayable, my fingers would get black & the neck would get so sticky, I had to wipe it off every few minutes. I drove 180 miles, round trip, to return it and check out anothe ES 339 at a different GC.

 

ES 339 #4 - This one also had the little cracks (7)on the neck binding where the frets are. On the head stock, they spliced in a section of wood, about 3\4" on the right & left. So the headstock has 3 different shades of stain.

 

I've waited a long time to buy a ES Custom shop guitar. I've never had such bad luck before with any new guitars I have purchases. I don't know if I can try a ES 339 #5... Thanking you in advance, Larry...

 

P.S. I apologize for the length.

 

Man your experience sounds horrendous. I tried one yesterday in store that was a standard Custom from Nashville that was amazing. I then tried a proper custom shop edition 339 from the same plant. to me there was no difference in sound or quality yes one had a fancier colour and 3 stripe binding but otherwise even with different wood block they were the same guitar.

 

Maybe try a different dealer I have noticed most people seem to complain about the quality of Gibsons from GC more than anywhere else and Im in Australia where we dont have GC.

[BigKahune]

.

Sorry to read about your frustrating attempts to land a keeper. The following is just my take on it. I realize everyone has to be in their own comfort zone and tolerances.

 

The issues you mention on #4 are possibly a bit picky.

 

Gibson makes all it's headstocks with "wings" - extra width added by laminating extra wood on the headstock edges (see the pic). This is normal, you just can't see it on solid color (painted) guitars.

 

Fret end problems are going to occur after the guitar leaves the factory due to temperature and humidity issues. If theses are hairline cracks (not open with metal protruding). I would consider it a minor cosmetic flaw and it wouldn't bother me.

 

My priorities would be major flaws it's out. Then sound and playability - if that is good I would likely forgive minor cosmetic issues.

 

You might try an online retailer you can talk to about the guitar they are shipping - Wildwood Guitars, Sweetwater, or Fullers Guitars, among others - so you can avoid these issues. I wish you the best.

 

Gibson headstocks always have wings -

 

[ldweber51]

Man your experience sounds horrendous. I tried one yesterday in store that was a standard Custom from Nashville that was amazing. I then tried a proper custom shop edition 339 from the same plant. to me there was no difference in sound or quality yes one had a fancier colour and 3 stripe binding but otherwise even with different wood block they were the same guitar.

 

Maybe try a different dealer I have noticed most people seem to complain about the quality of Gibsons from GC more than anywhere else and Im in Australia where we dont have GC.

 

 

I think GC recycles returned guitars instead of returning them to Gibson.

Thanks for your reply. Larry...

[ldweber51]

.

Sorry to read about your frustrating attempts to land a keeper. The following is just my take on it. I realize everyone has to be in their own comfort zone and tolerances.

 

The issues you mention on #4 are possibly a bit picky.

 

Gibson makes all it's headstocks with "wings" - extra width added by laminating extra wood on the headstock edges (see the pic). This is normal, you just can't see it on solid color (painted) guitars.

 

Fret end problems are going to occur after the guitar leaves the factory due to temperature and humidity issues. If theses are hairline cracks (not open with metal protruding). I would consider it a minor cosmetic flaw and it wouldn't bother me.

 

My priorities would be major flaws it's out. Then sound and playability - if that is good I would likely forgive minor cosmetic issues.

 

You might try an online retailer you can talk to about the guitar they are shipping - Wildwood Guitars, Sweetwater, or Fullers Guitars, among others - so you can avoid these issues. I wish you the best.

 

Gibson headstocks always have wings -

 

 

 

Hello, none of the splits have the frets showing. I haven't had a gibson with the style neck binding on this guitar. One doesn't expect seeing that on a new guitar but I can understand the humidity & temp issues. Thanks for your reply, Larry...

[sheraton]

Greetings, I might be picky but when one pays nearly $2000 for a new guitar it should be nice.

 

ES 339 #1 - I drove 180 miles, round trip, to GC to pickup a new ES 339 in red. When i got to the store, it had a bad spot, 50 cent size, on the back of the body where the stain pooled. It also had several nicks from handling. I did not pruchase it.

 

ES 339 #2 - They offered me a sunburst. The first thing i noticed was the pickguard had nasty 1\2" jagged saw marks about every inch around the outer edge. They took the pickguard off the red one to swap. I deciced to take it home. Then I noticed the other problems. Little cracks (16)on the neck binding where the frets are. The bridge mounting screws were not centered with the pickups & stop bar, which caused the strings to be slightly off. I could not get intonation on the B & high E strings. The spacing just did not look right. Tuner nuts were loose too. I drove 180 miles, round trip, to return it. They ordered a replacement which was shipped to me.

 

ES 339 #3 - It arrived in a Gibson box, but the case was floating around in it. I opened the case & there were small splinters of wood & saw dust everywhere. I could not believe my eyes. First look, they drilled the truss rod hole off so the cover was crooked. The rosewood neck was just terrible. file marks, nasty black patches of what looks like tar. Tried lighter fluid, would not cut it. Looked like a shiny ebony neck. Unplayable, my fingers would get black & the neck would get so sticky, I had to wipe it off every few minutes. I drove 180 miles, round trip, to return it and check out anothe ES 339 at a different GC.

 

ES 339 #4 - This one also had the little cracks (7)on the neck binding where the frets are. On the head stock, they spliced in a section of wood, about 3\4" on the right & left. So the headstock has 3 different shades of stain.

 

I've waited a long time to buy a ES Custom shop guitar. I've never had such bad luck before with any new guitars I have purchases. I don't know if I can try a ES 339 #5... Thanking you in advance, Larry...

 

P.S. I apologize for the length.

 

 

I understand completely. I get the vibe that Gibson has Quality Assurance issues.

[Rich W]

I spent several days choosing between nine 339s in two different stores here in Vancouver. I was surprised that there was such variability in tone, and particularly when unplugged. None of the 339s I played were perfect. Some, for example, had bridges that were loose, or tilted toward the neck, or had saddles notched incorrectly.

 

The heads of the guitar departments in both stores admitted that the quality of the Gibsons they’ve been seeing lately has gone down. I decided to buy the 339 with the best tone, and then replace the problematic bridge and sloppy tuning keys with TonePros. The person who installed the pickups also didn’t take the time to line them up straight before screwing them, but there’s not much I can about that.

 

I knew about Gibson quality issues beforehand and expected that I would have to do some upgrades. So I’m not disappointed. Based on this experience, however, I would not recommend buying a 339 (or any semi-hollow) sight-unseen. There’s too much variability in tone ... some sound dead and some really sing out when strummed acoustically.

[GuitarBuilder]

I don't think Gibson is by any means perfect, but your problem is Guitar Center! I used to go there to check out guitars, but noticed that virtually every guitar they have in store has defects on it. They've tried to sell me "new" guitars that were clearly returned and/or damaged. At my local store, they just don't care!

 

I learned my lesson and went with Sweetwater; they stand behind the product. I bought 3 Les Pauls from them and they were all perfect! As mentioned, Wildwood is equally reputable.

[badbluesplayer]

If it were me, I would call Musician's Friend Private Reserve. The guitars are stored properly and your purchase will be handled by one guy. They will check out their stock and find you a good one and send you pix.

 

Guitar Center has a bad reputation. The cracks at the fret ends are because the guitar wasn't stored properly.

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/search/search.jsp?sB=r&question=es339

 

I've bought like 4 or 5 axes from Musician's Friend and they're great.

[LerxstLee]

Many would be aware of Gibsons' of the '70s and '80s with the #2 on the back of the headstock indicating it was a factory second.

You never see that anymore. Factory seconds must get passed right through quality control, or lack of in many cases, and sold for

what you would expect to be a new guitar without issues. Those days are long gone. Sure some dealers have better integrity than

others , yet I have seen my fair share of quality issues at super dealers, online dealers, and box stores. I won't give names

but I received a guitar from one of the dealers that had been named in a previous post that had a bridge pickup that was not

centered, with an ill fitted pickguard, as well as two pieces of binding on the high e string side of the fretboard, yes , from

the custom shop it was too difficult to use one whole piece of binding , did they have a few scraps and tossed it on the side you

"would'nt notice"? I was probably just picky, I mean when you pay over $3k for a guitar I personally expect quality.

I see posts claiming you are picky if you find some small "problems", well sorry , that guitar went back and I lost shipping cash,

to try out a guitar that was touted as being "in hand description" a great guitar.

I have some great Gibsons that I truley love and will not leave my hands. Yet, over the past five years or so, I have seen more and more

guitars that should have never been worthy of the good old Gibson name. Yet, this is todays gibson company.

I don't believe any dealer is to blame for any factory issues, aside from a few showroom scratches, now complaining about showroom issues

perhaps could be called picky.

 

/cheers

[ldweber51]

Many would be aware of Gibsons' of the '70s and '80s with the #2 on the back of the headstock indicating it was a factory second.

You never see that anymore. Factory seconds must get passed right through quality control, or lack of in many cases, and sold for

what you would expect to be a new guitar without issues. Those days are long gone. Sure some dealers have better integrity than

others , yet I have seen my fair share of quality issues at super dealers, online dealers, and box stores. I won't give names

but I received a guitar from one of the dealers that had been named in a previous post that had a bridge pickup that was not

centered, with an ill fitted pickguard, as well as two pieces of binding on the high e string side of the fretboard, yes , from

the custom shop it was too difficult to use one whole piece of binding , did they have a few scraps and tossed it on the side you

"would'nt notice"? I was probably just picky, I mean when you pay over $3k for a guitar I personally expect quality.

I see posts claiming you are picky if you find some small "problems", well sorry , that guitar went back and I lost shipping cash,

to try out a guitar that was touted as being "in hand description" a great guitar.

I have some great Gibsons that I truley love and will not leave my hands. Yet, over the past five years or so, I have seen more and more

guitars that should have never been worthy of the good old Gibson name. Yet, this is todays gibson company.

I don't believe any dealer is to blame for any factory issues, aside from a few showroom scratches, now complaining about showroom issues

perhaps could be called picky.

 

/cheers

 

Thanks for your reply LerxstLee, i have to agree. My last gibson was from the old gibson company. I'm sure getting losing faith in the new gibson. It's a shame, who will buy gibsons 20 years from now if they keep putting out high price low quality guitars? Larry...

[ldweber51]

If it were me, I would call Musician's Friend Private Reserve. The guitars are stored properly and your purchase will be handled by one guy. They will check out their stock and find you a good one and send you pix.

 

Guitar Center has a bad reputation. The cracks at the fret ends are because the guitar wasn't stored properly.

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/search/search.jsp?sB=r&question=es339

 

I've bought like 4 or 5 axes from Musician's Friend and they're great.

 

Thanks for your reply badbluesplayer. That's a great idea. I'll contact them. Maybe there is hope. I may actually get a ES 339 that I can just enjoy playing. Boy that would be nice!! Larry...

[ldweber51]

I don't think Gibson is by any means perfect, but your problem is Guitar Center! I used to go there to check out guitars, but noticed that virtually every guitar they have in store has defects on it. They've tried to sell me "new" guitars that were clearly returned and/or damaged. At my local store, they just don't care!

 

I learned my lesson and went with Sweetwater; they stand behind the product. I bought 3 Les Pauls from them and they were all perfect! As mentioned, Wildwood is equally reputable.

 

 

Thanks for your reply GuitarBuilder. I'm afraid that GC is no longer concerned about the customer, just about making a sell. I've used Sweetwater in the past, a great online store. Unfortunately, the ES 339 is not available from them :( Otherwise, i would not mess with GC!! Larry...

[ldweber51]

I spent several days choosing between nine 339s in two different stores here in Vancouver. I was surprised that there was such variability in tone, and particularly when unplugged. None of the 339s I played were perfect. Some, for example, had bridges that were loose, or tilted toward the neck, or had saddles notched incorrectly.

 

The heads of the guitar departments in both stores admitted that the quality of the Gibsons they’ve been seeing lately has gone down. I decided to buy the 339 with the best tone, and then replace the problematic bridge and sloppy tuning keys with TonePros. The person who installed the pickups also didn’t take the time to line them up straight before screwing them, but there’s not much I can about that.

 

I knew about Gibson quality issues beforehand and expected that I would have to do some upgrades. So I’m not disappointed. Based on this experience, however, I would not recommend buying a 339 (or any semi-hollow) sight-unseen. There’s too much variability in tone ... some sound dead and some really sing out when strummed acoustically.

 

 

Thanks Rich for your reply. I guess i'm not surprised anymore what comes out of GC. I also notice the difference between tone on the 4 I had tried out. It made no sense to me why, same hardware, should all sound the same. Larry...

[ldweber51]

I understand completely. I get the vibe that Gibson has Quality Assurance issues.

 

 

Thanks sheraton for your reply. I think my days of shopping at GC is ending. It's a shame because most of the sales staff try hard. They have no control on what comes from the manufactures and I'm sure sure management tells them to recycle the returned items. Someone will come along & accept the blem (2nd) items. Larry...

[bobouz]

I think my days of shopping at GC is ending. It's a shame because most of the sales staff try hard. They have no control on what comes from the manufactures and I'm sure sure management tells them to recycle the returned items. Someone will come along & accept the blem (2nd) items. Larry...

It's all a crap shoot at GC, but at least you can try them in hand vs an internet purchase, and the return policy is completely straightforward. In 2009, I had the choice of four 339s between two stores. A red one stood out tonewise, and indeed there was a lot of variation. The cosmetics on this one were perfect, the asking price was still $1799 at that time, plus an additional 15% discount. It came home with me & is a lovely keeper. Another winner GC purchase was a TV yellow '07 LP faded double-cut with P90s, in it's unopened box for $485. Still have that one, too. Nine times out of ten you might walk into a GC and see nothing but thrashed out stuff, but just maybe on the tenth visit you get extremely lucky. Regarding the little finish cracks you mentioned on the neck binding at the fret ends, MF recently had a bunch of 330s for sale with the same issue. They sold these as "B" grade used instruments, with a significantly deep discount. I have purchased two B grade instruments from them at major discounts, and was surprised to find that they were in virtually mint condition. So you might keep an eye on their used 339 stock. Hope you find a winner in the end.

[rocketman]

Did you try calling Gibson customer service? I think they owe you an explanation. You can blame GC to a point but Gibson also needs to know about this. My 339 only has a few file marks here and there. Other than that it's perfect.

 

There are only two guitar manufacturers that I would buy without playing them first: Taylor and PRS. I waited 9 months for my PRS but it was worth it. Absolutely flawless. But then again any guitar over 2 grand should be flawless.

 

BTW, I'm lucky becuase the famous House of Guitars is only an hour from me. I get great service and deals from them.

[charlie brown]

Although I have seen a few, in shops, that had "issues"(a couple of them, quite serious),

even a couple of "Custom Shop" models...but, the vast majority of Gibson's I've seen, and

ALL that I've purchased, have been of great quality. Maybe, I've been lucky? I don't know.

I've heard even my dealer say, some of what they get, is not acceptable, and they send it

right back, to Gibson. So, most of the lack luster quality one's, have been in Guitar Center's.

I don't know, if they start out, that way, but with all the people that "test" guitars, in

their stock, I'm sure most get some kind of "play ware," if nothing else. I never buy (guitars)

from them...only pedals, or other accessories, now and then...things my preferred dealer doesn't

stock, etc.

 

CB

[shaky town]

Also, I think that Guitar Center and Musician's Friend are owned by the same people. I received gear from both GC & MF from Ups, and the return address for both companies in Kansas City was the exact same. No wonder it's easy for them to price match.

I ordered a 339 from GC this past March, took 4 weeks, and the guitar was perfect, and I just love it, very special.

[zigzag]

There are only two guitar manufacturers that I would buy without playing them first: Taylor and PRS.

 

Add Carvin. And (unless you buy in-stock) your flawless, custom built guitar will get to you in around 6 weeks for half the price of a Gibson. IMHO, Carvin is a much higher quality build. One could argue that their pickups aren't as good, but that is a matter of personal taste. If you don't like them, you can always replace them and still save money. I can't wait for their first hollow body.

 

BTW, Id. I feel your pain. I had a similar problem at GC when I got my first ES-335.

[EvanPC]

I'm sorry to say that I've seen some of this too, on the models I've had in my hands. I still want a 339, but am a little perturbed by what I've seen so far. I believe only one of the 4 I've tried was sound in construction and finish. My only issue with it was that it had to wrong neck profile for me!

 

With the others, I unfortunately noticed some cosmetic and functional flaws I could not look past.

 

The scenario in the OP is pretty much my worst nightmare. I realize that's overly dramatic, but the thought of waiting and waiting for a guitar to ship, and the find only that you don't want it and are required to drive 180 miles to do so is terrible!

 

Good luck on finding a keeper.

[ldweber51]

Also, I think that Guitar Center and Musician's Friend are owned by the same people. I received gear from both GC & MF from Ups, and the return address for both companies in Kansas City was the exact same. No wonder it's easy for them to price match.

I ordered a 339 from GC this past March, took 4 weeks, and the guitar was perfect, and I just love it, very special.

 

 

Hell0 Shacky Town,

 

The final outcome of this big mess? GC offered me a Memphis ES335 Dot for what i paid for the ES339. I took the deal....

 

Thanks for your reply. I do believe they are the same company too. Larry...

[ldweber51]

Add Carvin. And (unless you buy in-stock) your flawless, custom built guitar will get to you in around 6 weeks for half the price of a Gibson. IMHO, Carvin is a much higher quality build. One could argue that their pickups aren't as good, but that is a matter of personal taste. If you don't like them, you can always replace them and still save money. I can't wait for their first hollow body.

 

BTW, Id. I feel your pain. I had a similar problem at GC when I got my first ES-335.

 

 

 

The final outcome of this big mess? GC offered me a Memphis ES335 Dot for what i paid for the ES339. I took the deal....

 

Thanks for your reply ZigZag. I've heard good things about Carver. My brother loves his & keeps telling me.... buy a Carver!!

[ldweber51]

I'm sorry to say that I've seen some of this too, on the models I've had in my hands. I still want a 339, but am a little perturbed by what I've seen so far. I believe only one of the 4 I've tried was sound in construction and finish. My only issue with it was that it had to wrong neck profile for me!

 

With the others, I unfortunately noticed some cosmetic and functional flaws I could not look past.

 

The scenario in the OP is pretty much my worst nightmare. I realize that's overly dramatic, but the thought of waiting and waiting for a guitar to ship, and the find only that you don't want it and are required to drive 180 miles to do so is terrible!

 

Good luck on finding a keeper.

[ldweber51]

I'm sorry to say that I've seen some of this too, on the models I've had in my hands. I still want a 339, but am a little perturbed by what I've seen so far. I believe only one of the 4 I've tried was sound in construction and finish. My only issue with it was that it had to wrong neck profile for me!

 

With the others, I unfortunately noticed some cosmetic and functional flaws I could not look past.

 

The scenario in the OP is pretty much my worst nightmare. I realize that's overly dramatic, but the thought of waiting and waiting for a guitar to ship, and the find only that you don't want it and are required to drive 180 miles to do so is terrible!

 

Good luck on finding a keeper.

 

 

Thanks for your reply EvanPC!

 

The final outcome of this big mess? GC offered me a Memphis ES335 Dot for what i paid for the ES339. I took the deal....