Gibson CS Posted February 24, 2012 Posted February 24, 2012 Attention Ultra-III and Ultra-339 Owners! It has come to our attention that a small percentage of “Les Paul Ultra-III” and “Ultra-339” guitars have entered the market equipped with pickups that were incorrectly produced causing them to be “out of phase.” This issue is observable with the toggle switch in the middle position. With both pickups selected (middle toggle position) the output will be weak with a mid range emphasis. In the other toggle positions the output will be normal. Additionally, sometimes other related symptoms can occur as well that resemble improper electronic grounding. Great measures were taken to ensure guitars equipped with these pickups did not enter the market place. Unfortunately, our efforts were not entirely successful. However, we do believe that the numbers are very limited with the majority of them being Ultra-339’s. As always, we stand behind our products 100% with our Limited Lifetime Warranty and will repair or replace any guitars found to have this issue. We work tirelessly to provide you with the highest quality guitars available and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you believe your “Les Paul Ultra-III” or “Ultra-339” has this problem do not attempt to repair it yourself. Please contact the authorized Epiphone retailer where you purchased the guitar and arrange for a repair/replacement immediately. If you have any questions or concerns or need further assistance, please feel free to contact our Customer Service department. GIBSON CUSTOMER SERVICE EMAIL: http://www2.gibson.com/Gibson/Talk-2-Us.aspx PHONE: In the USA: 1-800-4GIBSON (1-800-444-2766) In Europe: 00+8004GIBSON1 (00+800-444-2766-1) Thank you for your continued support. Epiphone 6 Quote
brianh Posted February 26, 2012 Posted February 26, 2012 OK, I called Musician's Fiend today to see about getting the hum in my Pelham Blue Ultra 339 repaired and they said that they don't repair anything, that I would have to work with Gibson about it. I also asked if I could return it and they said no, that Gibson had not informed them of any special return option for the Ultras. They said my options were to take it to a local authorized repair station or talk to Gibson directly about a replacement. The rep I talked to said there wasn't anyone higher up I could talk to about the issue so I got his manager "Sterling" on the phone. He said that because it was beyond the exchange period, it was a Gibson warranty issue and there was nothing he could do. Now what? Quote
DADDEO Posted February 27, 2012 Posted February 27, 2012 That sucks brian. Typical big dealer stuffing the little guy. There should be a recall to fix this problem if you want it done but that would be too expensive for Gibson/Epiphone I suppose. 1 Quote
upsidedown club Posted February 27, 2012 Posted February 27, 2012 call gibson support number listed in the thread ? Quote
brianh Posted February 27, 2012 Posted February 27, 2012 call gibson support number listed in the thread ? Hard to do on a Sunday. I sent them an e-mail hopefully they'll respond.. I'd actually rather keep the guit and fix it myself, but they specifically said not to. Quote
upsidedown club Posted February 27, 2012 Posted February 27, 2012 good luck on that, I think you could console yourself by playing that beauitiful gift guitar in the meantime Quote
Gibson CS Posted February 27, 2012 Author Posted February 27, 2012 Hard to do on a Sunday. I sent them an e-mail hopefully they'll respond.. I'd actually rather keep the guit and fix it myself, but they specifically said not to. PM sent. Also, feel free to call on Sundays, we're here! Quote
brianh Posted February 27, 2012 Posted February 27, 2012 PM sent. Also, feel free to call on Sundays, we're here! Did not know that, good deal. EDIT: Gibson CS called with an RMA, and the guitar is now packed up and ready for a trip to Nashville to get the pickup hum sorted. Tough to let her go, but I'd rather see her handled by Gibson than a local shop who may or may not know what to do. Quote
fretter Posted February 29, 2012 Posted February 29, 2012 Attention Ultra-III and Ultra-339 Owners! It has come to our attention that a small percentage of “Les Paul Ultra-III” and “Ultra-339” guitars have entered the market equipped with pickups that were incorrectly produced causing them to be “out of phase.” This issue is observable with the toggle switch in the middle position. With both pickups selected (middle toggle position) the output will be weak with a mid range emphasis. In the other toggle positions the output will be normal. Additionally, sometimes other related symptoms can occur as well that resemble improper electronic grounding. Great measures were taken to ensure guitars equipped with these pickups did not enter the market place. Unfortunately, our efforts were not entirely successful. However, we do believe that the numbers are very limited with the majority of them being Ultra-339’s. As always, we stand behind our products 100% with our Limited Lifetime Warranty and will repair or replace any guitars found to have this issue. We work tirelessly to provide you with the highest quality guitars available and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you believe your “Les Paul Ultra-III” or “Ultra-339” has this problem do not attempt to repair it yourself. Please contact the authorized Epiphone retailer where you purchased the guitar and arrange for a repair/replacement immediately. If you have any questions or concerns or need further assistance, please feel free to contact our Customer Service department. GIBSON CUSTOMER SERVICE EMAIL: http://www2.gibson.com/Gibson/Talk-2-Us.aspx PHONE: In the USA: 1-800-4GIBSON (1-800-444-2766) In Europe: 00+8004GIBSON1 (00+800-444-2766-1) Thank you for your continued support. Epiphone I just wanted say thanks to Gibson/Epiphone Customer Service for addressing this forum and offering solutions. While I have no major problems with my LP Ultra, I'm very impressed that you took the time read and respond to problems that have been discussed here. Many other companies that offer forums don't pay any attention let alone respond. I guess this is why my "next guitar" seems to always be an Epiphone and will eventually be another Gibson. I have bought 6 Epiphones and 1 Gibson in the last 6 months and because of the way you do listen to the customer, I'm going to buy more. 1 Quote
brianh Posted March 7, 2012 Posted March 7, 2012 I'm happy to report that my Ultra 399 came back today, only 9 days after I sent it out. Arrived in perfect condition, very professionally packaged too. The repair tag says: - p/u's are out of phase - neck pickup incorrectly polarized - straighten neck - reassemble/restring and adjust - replace p/u's Elsewhere on the tag it says they just replaced the neck pickup, I assume because you can't actually change the polarity of one pickup in an out-of-phase pair of humbuckers. In any case, all's well that ends well, glad to have her back and ready for action. Thanks Gibson for making this a fast and relatively painless warranty repair. PS, I just plugged her in and she's dead quiet, no hum, and no drop in output in the middle switch position. Maybe it's just the new strings they put on, but I'd swear it's also louder and more articulate as well. Probably just my imagination. 1 Quote
fretter Posted March 7, 2012 Posted March 7, 2012 I'm happy to report that my Ultra 399 came back today, only 9 days after I sent it out. Arrived in perfect condition, very professionally packaged too. The repair tag says: - p/u's are out of phase - neck pickup incorrectly polarized - straighten neck - reassemble/restring and adjust - replace p/u's Elsewhere on the tag it says they just replaced the neck pickup, I assume because you can't actually change the polarity of one pickup in an out-of-phase pair of humbuckers. In any case, all's well that ends well, glad to have her back and ready for action. Thanks Gibson for making this a fast and relatively painless warranty repair. PS, I just plugged her in and she's dead quiet, no hum, and no drop in output in the middle switch position. Maybe it's just the new strings they put on, but I'd swear it's also louder and more articulate as well. Probably just my imagination. Great that you got such good service in relatively short time too! Dang, now you got me thinking I need to make something up about my guitar and get the treatment you got. Quote
AlanH Posted April 18, 2012 Posted April 18, 2012 10:00 on this clip explains it all perfectly.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwsDJoMJJls "........if I could just reverse the polarity" They obviously have a super energy reverse polarizer in Nashville too! Quote
ashbrookemusic Posted April 30, 2012 Posted April 30, 2012 I have my ultra 3 into the warranty shop just for this reason.. I can take a wire and touch the pickup cover to the bridge and it kills the pickup like a kill switch... An alot of buzzing when you touch the pickup by its self... Hope to have Epiphone provide great warranty service for this bad pickup problem.. Thanks guys. Quote
ashbrookemusic Posted May 2, 2012 Posted May 2, 2012 Just heard that the replacement pick up is on back order till next month ... Really? I have to wait that long? Quote
1998StandardSG Posted June 5, 2012 Posted June 5, 2012 10:00 on this clip explains it all perfectly.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwsDJoMJJls "........if I could just reverse the polarity" They obviously have a super energy reverse polarizer in Nashville too! GET UP ROCK!!! CAUSE MICKY LOVES YA!!! haha I didn't know that Burgess Merideth was the Penguin. But now that I really see he last name spelled out, I am going to have to photoshop something so that his name resembles Megadeth hahahaha Quote
BoSoxBiker Posted July 2, 2012 Posted July 2, 2012 Could this have an affect on the USB functionality as well? I get inconsistent, intermittent variable rates of static or distortion through the USB/Guitar Rig functionality. It sounds like some sort of interference. It does have a pattern like quaity at times. Here are the basic bits of information. Two computers - same issue Both computers Win-7 64-bit Both using ASIO4ALL as instructed. One is using a more recent driver. different USB cables different speakers and headphones. variable positions including pickup selector and the push button switch different houses (not same electrical "units", in other words) different Guitar Rig patches, amps, etc. same issue present with amplitude. Different batteries. As you can see, I've tried quite a few things and am at a total loss. I called the support line and they told me to call some dude in South Carolina and then bring it into the guitar store across the street from where I bought it for service. Quote
ashbrookemusic Posted July 6, 2012 Posted July 6, 2012 Attention Ultra-III and Ultra-339 Owners! It has come to our attention that a small percentage of “Les Paul Ultra-III” and “Ultra-339” guitars have entered the market equipped with pickups that were incorrectly produced causing them to be “out of phase.” This issue is observable with the toggle switch in the middle position. With both pickups selected (middle toggle position) the output will be weak with a mid range emphasis. In the other toggle positions the output will be normal. Additionally, sometimes other related symptoms can occur as well that resemble improper electronic grounding. Great measures were taken to ensure guitars equipped with these pickups did not enter the market place. Unfortunately, our efforts were not entirely successful. However, we do believe that the numbers are very limited with the majority of them being Ultra-339’s. As always, we stand behind our products 100% with our Limited Lifetime Warranty and will repair or replace any guitars found to have this issue. We work tirelessly to provide you with the highest quality guitars available and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you believe your “Les Paul Ultra-III” or “Ultra-339” has this problem do not attempt to repair it yourself. Please contact the authorized Epiphone retailer where you purchased the guitar and arrange for a repair/replacement immediately. If you have any questions or concerns or need further assistance, please feel free to contact our Customer Service department. GIBSON CUSTOMER SERVICE EMAIL: http://www2.gibson.com/Gibson/Talk-2-Us.aspx PHONE: In the USA: 1-800-4GIBSON (1-800-444-2766) In Europe: 00+8004GIBSON1 (00+800-444-2766-1) Thank you for your continued support. Epiphone Ok ... Sent my ultra 3 to you guys... Do your magic :-) One thing to add ... Man I miss it .. Quote
Memphis Soul Posted August 2, 2012 Posted August 2, 2012 Was there a list of serial numbers associated with these issues? Quote
LarryLarry Posted September 25, 2012 Posted September 25, 2012 The bad news is my original post seems to be gone! (can someone tell me why?) The good news is that I'm told I'll be getting a replacement pickup in the mail! Cool! Quote
LarryLarry Posted October 9, 2012 Posted October 9, 2012 Can one of you that owns an Ultra 339 or Les Paul Ultra III measure the DC resistance of the NanoMag for us? Just pull the cavity cover, unplug the 1/8" mini-jack and measure it directly to get the true resistance of just the NanoMag. Mine is not working and I'm 99% sure I damaged the NanoMag and not the electronics. THANKS IN ADAVANCE! Quote
Mnc Posted October 10, 2012 Posted October 10, 2012 It's hard to believe a replacement picjup is not available now, a month seems unreasonable. I've had very good customer service from Gibson in the past,( it was a while ago regarding my LP Classic, but they were very responsive and cured the situation quickly. It was a case problem, the guitar was pefect. I'd request a replacement guitar. Quote
GalacticaActual Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 Hello all! This is my first post. After watching and reading many reviews online about this guitar (the Ultra-339), I decided that this is going to be my first real guitar purchase. It seems to have everything that I could want or need in the foreseeable future. I am just really worried about the QC issue with this particular model. I went ahead and ordered it based on the apparent sincerity of Gibson's customer service, and because some users don't have these problems at all, and those who sent it back to Gibson have had success. Hopefully mine will arrive free of defects. I can't wait until it arrives! Quote
sledge57 Posted February 29, 2016 Posted February 29, 2016 Don't have one of these but I wonder if I should contact them about the wonky Bigsby on my Blak and Blu? Haven't tried to correct it yet, but it's really stiff and unusable. I did get the softer spring that Reverend sells for the Bigsby but haven't installed it yet. Really wish I got the one with the Trapeze tailpiece instead of the Bigsby. Back to your regularly scheduled topic......... Quote
LPS1976 Posted March 2, 2016 Posted March 2, 2016 Don't have one of these but I wonder if I should contact them about the wonky Bigsby on my Blak and Blu? Haven't tried to correct it yet, but it's really stiff and unusable. I did get the softer spring that Reverend sells for the Bigsby but haven't installed it yet. Really wish I got the one with the Trapeze tailpiece instead of the Bigsby. Back to your regularly scheduled topic......... what's stiff? the arm or spring? Quote
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