DADDEO Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Hi everybody. Long time no speak. I'm getting very exited by the arrival of the new 339's as I've played a Gibby 339 and it was delicious. I probably won't get chance to play one till the guitar show at B'ham's Bingley Hall in Feb. so I'm wondering what kind of quality do Epiphone put into their new ranges. Have they " rushed " into these guitars, leading to problems down the line, or are they pretty hot now. It doesn't seem that long ago that Gibson brought the originals out. Jim. p.s. I wish I'd seen Alan H's gits for sale earlier. Two lucky buggers out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar dog Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 I am very happy with my Pro. Fit and finish are excellent, the set up needed a little tweeking - nothing major. Electroncs are good, coil tap gives it more of a P90 tone than a twangy Fender tone. Overall it compares favorably to the Gibson. Can't give you any help on the Ultra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 The Epi 339s seem to be very popular..............Good quality and all......... Some have had probs with the 339 Ultra; Those users seem to have resolved the issues............ As soon as it goes on sale ($100.00 of the current "street" price, I'll get one as well ).................... Epiphone continues to move forward with good and high quality guitar models, like this one......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianh Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 The Pelham Blue unit I received is a keeper so far and I really like the board, body size, and Nanomag: The VSB unit developed neck problems within the first week and had to go back: (It was pretty, but had other problems too.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DADDEO Posted January 19, 2012 Author Share Posted January 19, 2012 The Pelham Blue unit I received is a keeper so far and I really like the board, body size, and Nanomag: The VSB unit developed neck problems within the first week and had to go back: (It was pretty, but had other problems too.) Geez that is one scary photo, but the Pelham Blue is too sexy for words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceman6937 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 My pro is pretty sweet: http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h326/Iceman6937/es339004-1.jpg http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h326/Iceman6937/es339001.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DADDEO Posted January 19, 2012 Author Share Posted January 19, 2012 My pro is pretty sweet: http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h326/Iceman6937/es339004-1.jpg http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h326/Iceman6937/es339001.jpg Nice. There's something about a the way a 339 sits on your lap and tucks under your arm that feels soooooo good. mmmmmmmmmmmm. needs a pearly plate though. MMMMMMMMMM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceman6937 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Nice. There's something about a the way a 339 sits on your lap and tucks under your arm that feels soooooo good. mmmmmmmmmmmm. needs a pearly plate though. MMMMMMMMMM You mean pearl scratchplate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DADDEO Posted January 20, 2012 Author Share Posted January 20, 2012 Yeah. I was getting kinda exited and scratchplate is a long word to type when the jiggy's getting busy. p.s. does this make me a pearly plate pervert or just plain sick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porknblue Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 I took delivery of the Pelham Blue Ultra Thursday night. UPS left it out in the snow at the Basement door. Brought it in and let it warm up all night and started playing with it Friday. Everytime the bridge pup was touched it let out a nasty buzzing sound. Did it when the selector switch was in Treble and mid positions (whenever the bridge pup was active). Called customer service at Musicians Friend and explained my problem. The guitar was one of the used ones that was listed on their website and sold for $695.13. When the customer service rep, Alissa, found this out she put me on hold while she talked to someone higher up the ladder. When she came back on she asked me if I wanted a refund or replacement. Well, the guitar is cool, looks great, sounds great, feels great and is an imaculate, Level 1 instrument. I want a replacement! She puts me on hold again and when she comes back she tells me that there are no more Level 1, used 339s in Pelham Blue in the inventory. Would it be alright if they sent me a brand new one with no change in the price I paid? Guess what I said... "That would be fine", I said. Alissa e-mailed me a UPS shipping label and I printed it out, packed up the guitar and drove the 2.5 miles to the nearest UPS Store and sent it on it's way. (Friday was trash day. Good thing I didn't carry the outer shipping box down to the end of the driveway for the trashman). When I last checked the UPS Tracking status of the guitar, it has left Hodgkins, IL with a scheduled deleivery date to MF of 24 January. I should have the new one by the end of the week. To make a long story short, great guitar and even greater customer service from MF. My hat is off to Alissa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar dog Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I took delivery of the Pelham Blue Ultra Thursday night. UPS left it out in the snow at the Basement door. Brought it in and let it warm up all night and started playing with it Friday. Everytime the bridge pup was touched it let out a nasty buzzing sound. Did it when the selector switch was in Treble and mid positions (whenever the bridge pup was active). Called customer service at Musicians Friend and explained my problem. The guitar was one of the used ones that was listed on their website and sold for $695.13. When the customer service rep, Alissa, found this out she put me on hold while she talked to someone higher up the ladder. When she came back on she asked me if I wanted a refund or replacement. Well, the guitar is cool, looks great, sounds great, feels great and is an imaculate, Level 1 instrument. I want a replacement! She puts me on hold again and when she comes back she tells me that there are no more Level 1, used 339s in Pelham Blue in the inventory. Would it be alright if they sent me a brand new one with no change in the price I paid? Guess what I said... "That would be fine", I said. Alissa e-mailed me a UPS shipping label and I printed it out, packed up the guitar and drove the 2.5 miles to the nearest UPS Store and sent it on it's way. (Friday was trash day. Good thing I didn't carry the outer shipping box down to the end of the driveway for the trashman). When I last checked the UPS Tracking status of the guitar, it has left Hodgkins, IL with a scheduled deleivery date to MF of 24 January. I should have the new one by the end of the week. To make a long story short, great guitar and even greater customer service from MF. My hat is off to Alissa. Great service from MF - That's good to know, my 339 came from them too. I'm a pack rat - I still have the shipping box just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newchamp Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 My first ultra 339 had the same buzzing problem when touching the bridge pickup, I sent it back. I would be interested if the the one you got used was the one I sent back 3 weeks ago? I got my replacement one today appears to be a used one. The box had been opened and re-taped, The tuner on the bridge pickup was missing the bezel and button to turn on and off. I didn't even plug it in to see if it had the buzz like the first. Now there are no replacements in stock and I have to wait until June to get another. I wish you the best of luck on your next one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porknblue Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 The new one arrived today. It was sitting outside the door on the basement level in pretty much the same place. (Must be the same UPS driver). It was standing up this time and most of the snow has melted. Anyway, this one had all the "Box Candy" as opposed to the first one. I've got the Epi bumper sticker (not included the first time), generic owner's manual, Epi poster, allen wrench (not included first time), USB cable (not included first time), Ultra 339 Controls supplement (not included first time) and the Ultra-III USB Driver and Set-Up Instructions (not included first time). This guitar also has the clear plastic overlay on the pickguard that is overprinted with the control descriptions. This one does not have the problem with the hum when touching the bridge pup. This one is in much greater need of a good set-up as opposed to the first. I am now a very happey camper and my hat is off to Musicians Friend and Alissa at customer service. It's not every day you get a brand new guitar at a used price, my first time, but it is refreshing to see a company make the choice to put the customer first. Sorry to hear about Newchamp's problems. Sounds like it could have been the same guitar. Certainly the same characteristics and fault. I did not write the serial # down before I sent it back. Maybe that would be a smart thing for us to do in the future, create an unofficial "GuitarFax" on these things, hey? Like I said, I'm pleased with the result. This weekend I'll spend some time with it and get it dialed in. Think it's going to be a fun ride! I'll get some picts posted later on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Welcome to the forums, great bunch of geet geeks around here, I hope you like the place. Glad to hear the replacement was in better shape PB, hope it's a keeper for you, enjoy and HNGD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexygibson Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 The local joint here has recently acquired 2 339 Pros. I have played them both and wasn't impressed with the workmanship; sloppy fretwork, badly cut nuts, and just overall below average workmanship. I was so unimpressed that I didn't bother running either thru a amp. That being said, some guys are happy with theirs so I would suggest not ordering online and playing before you buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santanu Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 I love to buy a 339 someday... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwhi2001 Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 If those Pelham Blue ones get into the UK I'm going to have to get one. I might even break the habit of a lifetime and pay list price. I had a secondhand Sherry but soon sold it because the body was too big for me; I sold my trans black Alleykat too, and that was simply a mistake. I know there have been some quality glitches, but I get the impression that Epi hardware and pickup quality is closing the gap with Gibsons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newchamp Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 @ Porknblue It must have been a different guitar unless the "box candy" was removed when it was inspected at the return center because I sent it back with everything. I love the "Guitarfax" idea. I just got a refund on my order. I just think for the $800 street price, before any discounts, the quality should be as good or better than the $500 street price from "F". I know making a semi hollow is more labor intensive than a solid body and I dont think the Dots or Sheraton IIs have as many issues. It is probably a new technology and tooling issues with this new build for Epiphone. I think I will wait to see if they can iron it all out before I try again, maybe a year or so. Best of luck to all and thanks for everyone taking their time to post and share their experiences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwhi2001 Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 YES! Richtone Music say they have 2 Pelham Blue Ultras in stock in UK! I just pressed the button on one, so there's one more going. They are charging £599, and the going rate for all the other colours is £549. It's not often I pay that much for a guitar that isn't a USA Gibson. In fact, I've paid less for several Gibsons secondhand. I was reluctant, but the offer of interest-free credit means I pay for it over a year. Now I'm just hoping it doesn't have any issues when it arrives.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Now I'm just hoping it doesn't have any issues when it arrives.... Good for you mate, crossing fingers for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DADDEO Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 It would seem the question I raised about quality wasn't unfounded. I'm glad that everyone got decent 339's in the end, but I think it's gonna be a serious case of try before you buy before a case of OMIGODITSGORGEOUS takes over. Buyers beware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwalin Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Does anyone have both a late chinese DOT and the 339? I played a DOT over the weekend and loved the neck, but would like the 339's smaller body. How similar are they? The website seems to suggest they are the same profile and all....but what does it feel like in the hands? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DADDEO Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 They're just smaller. When your'e playing seated your arm isn't as high up as it would be on a 335. There's a lot less guitar under your armpit, if you know what I mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwalin Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 I'm asking about the feel of the neck width and back profile. I like the feel of the DOT neck, but haven't yet held a 339. But, the link below might have just confused me.....it's new..... http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/epiphone-limited-edition-es-335-pro-electric-guitar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newlife15 Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 The 339 is very comfortable. The neck is like s 60's neck and is real nice..... Difficult to put down :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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