RunSandHourglass Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Hello. I'm new to the Gibson forums, and I have a question that I figured would be best answered here. I currently own an ebony Les Paul Studio and a natural Explorer '76 reissue, and am in the market for another guitar, and am looking for a different tone to add to my arsenal. I have recently taken particular interest in the ES-339 but have been told that it will have the same tone as my LP, possibly just slightly more mellow. In this case, I'm not sure if it would be a good buy if it would simply be a slight variation on the tone of my LP. I was wondering if I could get some insight - is the tone of the ES-339 similar to a Les Paul Studio, and if I'm looking for a different sound, would it be a wise buy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobv Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Definitely a different tone than a Les Paul, and definitely a wise buy. I just had the torture of comparing my ES-339 with a neighbor's '69 Les Paul Custom that I borrowed for a week or so - love them both, of course. The Les Paul has much more punch and bass and, well, you know what they sound like. The ES-339 has much more character to the sound - almost like adding an acoustic quality (which I guess techinically is what's going on there in the hollow wings of the body). The 339 has more attack and more hollow resonance to the sound, without the weighty heft behind it. I can't promise that the 339 sounds like a 335 but it's certainly much more on that end of the spectrum as opposed to a solidbody. If at all possibly play them before buying because the neck profile is not what you'd expect from the description - the fifties neck isn't really fat and the 30/60 isn't really flat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FennRx Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 i would buy the 335. the 339 is a nice axe, but i wish i had gone for the 335. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RudyH Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 RunSandHourGlass: I tried the ES-339 because it was touted as being very similar to the ES-335 in sound. I did not get that impression at all when comparing multiple copies of each side-by-side at a store. It was a night-and-day difference to me. I think you should try it out before making any decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunSandHourglass Posted November 17, 2008 Author Share Posted November 17, 2008 Thanks for all the feedback. I do aim to play one before I make any purchases. I just wanted some opinions. I would certainly buy the 335 if I had enough money, but they are very expensive guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 With all respect, I did play both, and prefered the 339. I liked the slightly smaller body, and loved the sound. If anything, to me it's a touch "tighter" , maybe "punchier". It's been gigging weekly since Sept 13th and it's the only guitar I use. Indeed. Play them. Murph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarJunkie Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 I bought one back in january and in that time, it's pretty much become my "go to" guitar as well. I have Les Pauls, SGs, and an Explorer and I find the 339 to be a great all-round guitar, but it's not really lacking in any of the departments. It's got a great punch for playing dirty, it sounds great clean because of the hollow body aspect, and the combination of those two characters makes it great for in between bluesy stuff. I owned a 335 many years ago and have tried some out recently, and I'd love to own one as well, but if it had to be one or the other I'd go with the 339. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hall Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 Play a 335 before you decide! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don. Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 you should NOT buy one. That way, there's a better chance there will be one for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunSandHourglass Posted December 7, 2008 Author Share Posted December 7, 2008 Well, just wanted to update and say that I picked up an ES-339 in Antique Red with the '59 neck. What an amazing guitar. I played both a 335 and 339, and the 339 was far more comfortable to me, and had an equally lovely tone/feel. Initially I had wanted to get it in the antique burst but I really didn't want to pass up the only 339 they had in store because it was so flawless, and I like to play the actual guitar I'm going to buy before I get it. I'm very happy with the purchase. Thanks for the advice, all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarJunkie Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Congratulations, and welcome to the (always expanding) club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Plains Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Congrats on the new guitar! If you hadn't bought it, I would have said they're a great deal because you're getting a Custom Shop guitar for under $2,000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don. Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobv Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Congrats and welcome. Please post pictures because I'm not sure what a red one looks like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volt Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Congrats! The ES-339 is a lot of guitar for the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 Welcome to the club. Murph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esch Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 I for one far prefer my 339 to my 335 which I recently sold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 Congrats! The ES-339 is a lot of guitar for the money. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzGtr Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 No! What guitar would you purchase if you had the money? That's the guitar you should buy. Be patient, it really pays off in the long run unless you're 95 years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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