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ES-339...59 Neck...for Me...the Right Choice!


jbear

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After considerable deliberation, several trips to local stores, and a call to Gibson...I chose the the 59 neck profile over the 30/60. I couldn't find one to play, and I didn't care for the 30/60 compared to some of the fatter necks out there (the 137 in particular). Since I had a choice , I just sort of crossed my fingers, picked, and hoped that the 59 wouldn't be too fat. That's risky with a guitar like this, but...

Anyway, it showed up today and I absolutely love the neck. It is fat but feels just right. I absolutely feel more resonance to the guitar through this neck than I felt with the 30/60's. I haven't gotten to play it a great deal yet, but I play a lot of guitars of all types so I've become pretty sensitive to the idiosyncrasies of these things (for better or worse).

I fence-sat for quite a while between neck profiles, as well as 137, 335, or 339 This one is truly a beauty, and it really does produce a range of quality tones. I think what I really am digging is how defined the 57's sound in this body. There is no mud at all and rolling off the tone gives a great jazzy 335 neck sound.

So...I was hoping for a guitar that would do the Robben Ford/Carlton tone as well as the clean-ish Kurt Rosenwinkel tone, and this does them dead-on and a lot more. Awesome guitar...not exactly news, but...it's new to me.

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Congrats on the 339. I love both necks on the 339 but the 59 feels best for me too. I have had several 339's and both profiles. The 339 is a excellent guitar and a real bargain in my opinion. The 339 I have now is probably the best guitar I have owned including the Historics I have had.

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Anyone who's not sure that this guitar will fill the 335 shoes should really try to find one to try...in my opinion.

The one on the right is still for sale (I think) and the seller was a great guy to deal with.

http://forums.birdsandmoons.com/forum/showthread.php?t=90867

Never met the seller and have no affiliation, but...I'd buy this one too...if I was irresponsible.

 

quote name='BigKahune' timestamp='1330106285' post='1131576']

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Glad to read you're satisfied with you choices.

 

The 339 is a great guitar. Congrats. . B)

 

 

How about posting a couple pics?

 

 

.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Congratulations on your 339! I got mine a few days ago (with the 30/60 neck) and totally love this guitar. I haven't explored the overdriven tones much yet because I'm having so much fun with the clean sounds, particularly the neck pickup.

 

I've been fortunate and have had a lot of fine guitars over the years but I have to say that this 339 is probably the most inspiring. I find that when I'm not comfortable with a guitar's tone I tend to overplay, trying to force something to happen. With this Gibson I'm more inclined to hang onto notes longer because they sound so rich.

 

The finishing on mine is not perfect, some sloppy wood stain marks on the binding where the neck meets the pickup. I'm normally quite particular about these sorts of things but in this case the instrument plays so well that I'll forgive the oversight.

 

I think the neck contributes to tone and could imagine the 50's extra bulk being a good thing. For me the really chunky necks tend to give me a cramp though so the 30/60 is perfect.

post-41720-008084400 1332000586_thumb.jpg

post-41720-043894800 1332000593_thumb.jpg

post-41720-083516000 1332000603_thumb.jpg

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The finishing on mine is not perfect, some sloppy wood stain marks on the binding where the neck meets the pickup. I'm normally quite particular about these sorts of things but in this case the instrument plays so well that I'll forgive the oversight.

Andreas, I would forgive a few oversights on that guitar, too. What a stunningly beautiful top!

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I went with the 30/60, but I like the feel of both necks.

 

I wanted the chunkier neck initially but, out of about ten 339s I was comparing, the one I chose really outshone the rest of them tone-wise.

 

Unplugged, this one guitar resonated significantly more than the rest, had a better acoustic tone, and the difference was also noticeable when powered up.

 

It was tough deciding between neck feel and tone, but I went for the latter.

 

It's worked out nicely because my #1 is a Les Paul has something close to a 30/60 neck and so, in terms of the neck, the 339 is pretty much interchangeable with it.

 

I really like the combination of the '57 classics and the semi-hollow body.

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Guest cedric889

Congratulations on your 339! I got mine a few days ago (with the 30/60 neck) and totally love this guitar. I haven't explored the overdriven tones much yet because I'm having so much fun with the clean sounds, particularly the neck pickup.

 

I've been fortunate and have had a lot of fine guitars over the years but I have to say that this 339 is probably the most inspiring. I find that when I'm not comfortable with a guitar's tone I tend to overplay, trying to force something to happen. With this Gibson I'm more inclined to hang onto notes longer because they sound so rich.

 

The finishing on mine is not perfect, some sloppy wood stain marks on the binding where the neck meets the pickup. I'm normally quite particular about these sorts of things but in this case the instrument plays so well that I'll forgive the oversight.

 

I think the neck contributes to tone and could imagine the 50's extra bulk being a good thing. For me the really chunky necks tend to give me a cramp though so the 30/60 is perfect.

thank youg.gif

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