Members gdsmithtx Posted February 28, 2015 Members Share Posted February 28, 2015 I love many things about my Dot, except for the fact that it's too big to play for long while sitting ... and I play 95% of the time sitting down. Enter the Epiphone ES-339, the Dot/335's smaller, more technologically-advanced little brother: It just arrived via FedEx late this afternoon so I haven't had time to do much with it, but so far I'm pretty impressed. The serial number says it's an August 2014 guitar from the Qingdao plant. I was fully prepared to be disappointed in the pickups and want to change them from the get-go, but now I'm not so sure. I haven't had a chance to run it through its paces with my amps yet, but in the low volume messing about I've done this evening, it sounds pretty damned good. I'll be able to crank it up some tomorrow and get a better impression, but a few height adjustments may keep these pickups in the guitar for a while at least. The worst thing that can be said about them is that they lack depth or character; they're clear and sweet in a somewhat sterile way. Replacement pickups are still a possibility. The finish is flawless, a beautiful, deep layer of transparent cherry red enhancing a gorgeously figured body. It's very comfortable, light and resonant, with a slim D-shaped neck. It came with the thinner strings slightly too low to really dig in, but after an adjustment or two, I can see this being one of those guitars that you just can't keep out of your hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thatsbunk Posted February 28, 2015 Members Share Posted February 28, 2015 HNGD! I picked up one used last summer (the 339 pro with the split humbuckers) & It's my favorite right now. Love the neck, the body size & the pickups (don't have any plans on changing them). Very versatile guitar... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Buttcrust Posted February 28, 2015 Members Share Posted February 28, 2015 Ha, I'm sitting here this morning plunking away on mine (natural finish). Yep, sitting here thinking to myself how nice this smaller sized guitar is. Cool guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bucksstudent Posted February 28, 2015 Members Share Posted February 28, 2015 Hmm... I love my Casino Coupe, but I'm not fond of most hollow and semi-hollow guitars. Basically, the feedback turns me off, and until the Casino Coupe (which shares the same body style/size as the 339), the larger body style wasn't comfortable for me. I've gone through several acoustics because larger bodies tend to make my arm tingle and cut off circulation. However, I'm considering getting a 339 sometime this year. It seems perfect for me and should be different enough from my Les Paul to warrant having another humbucker based guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gdsmithtx Posted February 28, 2015 Author Members Share Posted February 28, 2015 Hmm... I love my Casino Coupe' date=' but I'm not fond of most hollow and semi-hollow guitars. Basically, the feedback turns me off, and until the Casino Coupe (which shares the same body style/size as the 339), the larger body style wasn't comfortable for me. I've gone through several acoustics because larger bodies tend to make my arm tingle and cut off circulation. However, I'm considering getting a 339 sometime this year. It seems perfect for me and should be different enough from my Les Paul to warrant having another humbucker based guitar.[/quote'] If it makes any difference, they have a P90 version of the Epi 339 Pro. In fact, Musicians Friend has the Natural, Sunburst and Ebony versions on sale for $329 right now at that link, $70 off their normal price. [edit] Duh. The Casino Coupe has dogear P90s, so you may not be looking for another smallbodied P90 semi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gdsmithtx Posted February 28, 2015 Author Members Share Posted February 28, 2015 Ha' date=' I'm sitting here this morning plunking away on mine (natural finish). Yep, sitting here thinking to myself how nice this smaller sized guitar is. Cool guitar.[/quote'] So what adjustments have you made to yours? When I take it in for a full setup, I'll probably have the nut replaced with Tusq. And I just ordered a set of amber LP style speed knobs for it because I love the way they look on a semi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Steve2112 Posted February 28, 2015 Members Share Posted February 28, 2015 Hmm... I love my Casino Coupe' date=' but I'm not fond of most hollow and semi-hollow guitars. Basically, the feedback turns me off, and until the Casino Coupe (which shares the same body style/size as the 339), the larger body style wasn't comfortable for me. I've gone through several acoustics because larger bodies tend to make my arm tingle and cut off circulation. However, I'm considering getting a 339 sometime this year. It seems perfect for me and should be different enough from my Les Paul to warrant having another humbucker based guitar.[/quote'] How loud and how much distortion are you using that feedback is such a problem? What kind of guitars were you using that caused problematic feedback? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted February 28, 2015 Members Share Posted February 28, 2015 Congratulations. Happy New Guitar Day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bucksstudent Posted February 28, 2015 Members Share Posted February 28, 2015 How loud and how much distortion are you using that feedback is such a problem? What kind of guitars were you using that caused problematic feedback? *Rubs forehead* This again. Semi-hollow and hollowbody guitars are known for feeding back. That's one of the reasons why there are solidbody guitars. If I listed every single hollow or semi-hollow and every single distortion box or amp I've owned, I feel like I'd be explaining why butter melts if you leave it in the sun. I don't mean to come off as rude or brash, but it's not the most uncommon thing. Anyway, gdsmith, I would be into the regular humbucker version of the 339. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Steve2112 Posted February 28, 2015 Members Share Posted February 28, 2015 *Rubs forehead* This again. Semi-hollow and hollowbody guitars are known for feeding back. That's one of the reasons why there are solidbody guitars. If I listed every single hollow or semi-hollow and every single distortion box or amp I've owned, I feel like I'd be explaining why butter melts if you leave it in the sun. I don't mean to come off as rude or brash, but it's not the most uncommon thing. Anyway, gdsmith, I would be into the regular humbucker version of the 339. Really? What do you mean "this again"? I asked you to fill me in a little bit on your hollow guitars and you go on about distortions and amps? Come on. You could have easily stated which hollows you owned and played, along with some minimal amp setting information in the time and space of your rant. You wanna talk facts? LOTS of people use hollows in loud and mid to high distortion levels without too much problem, although admittedly most people liek them for lower volume distortion uses.. I myself used an Ibanex Artcore Af103 in a VERY loud art rock band with little trouble. One night I did think i was going to blow the top off as I could literally feel the pressure concussion coming from the F holes. Most users find the natural feedback very useful and pleasing. I was interested in which guitars and your settings you had so much trouble with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Buttcrust Posted February 28, 2015 Members Share Posted February 28, 2015 On this particular one, only a string change and I took the plastic stickers off of the pickup covers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bucksstudent Posted February 28, 2015 Members Share Posted February 28, 2015 What rant? Do you read everything as if someone is yelling? I'm not sure why you think I'm angry. I haven't called you any names, insulted your intelligence, or anything of that nature. I certainly haven't typed anything in caps as you have, which comes off as yelling. In my experience, semi-hollows and hollows feedback even in lower gain settings depending on volume, where the guitar is positioned, and EQ. I've owned over fifty guitars and many different distortion pedals, so it's kind of a pain to recall each experience because there are so many. The most disappointing was my Rickenbacker 360, which once got so bad it set off my house alarm. My solidbodies never feedback like that. We all have different experiences and opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thatsbunk Posted February 28, 2015 Members Share Posted February 28, 2015 FWIW, I have no problems with feedback on my 339... I don't play any real high gain stuff though. Never had any experience with 335 style guitars (larger chambers so more prone to feedback maybe?) or Casinos which are full hollow. I have an Artcore AF-75 which is full hollow & a bear to control the feedback on though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bucksstudent Posted February 28, 2015 Members Share Posted February 28, 2015 FWIW, I have no problems with feedback on my 339... I don't play any real high gain stuff though. Never had any experience with 335 style guitars (larger chambers so more prone to feedback maybe?) or Casinos which are full hollow. I have an Artcore AF-75 which is full hollow & a bear to control the feedback on though... My Casino Coupe is alright if I have my noise suppressor on, but the noisy P-90s don't exactly help. Single coils will feedback in a hollowbody a lot worse than humbuckers. The Artcore I owned feedbacked like crazy, but in a good way because it sounded warm and low. The high pitched wailing I could do without. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted March 1, 2015 Members Share Posted March 1, 2015 Enter the Epiphone ES-339, the Dot/335's smaller, more technologically-advanced little brother: It just arrived via FedEx late this afternoon so I haven't had time to do much with it, but so far I'm pretty impressed. The serial number says it's an August 2014 guitar from the Qingdao plant. I was fully prepared to be disappointed in the pickups and want to change them from the get-go, but now I'm not so sure. I haven't had a chance to run it through its paces with my amps yet, but in the low volume messing about I've done this evening, it sounds pretty damned good. I'll be able to crank it up some tomorrow and get a better impression, but a few height adjustments may keep these pickups in the guitar for a while at least. The worst thing that can be said about them is that they lack depth or character; they're clear and sweet in a somewhat sterile way. Replacement pickups are still a possibility. It came with the thinner strings slightly too low to really dig in, but after an adjustment or two, I can see this being one of those guitars that you just can't keep out of your hands. Congrats on your new guitar. I picked up a Gibson ES-339 when they first came out. They were more reasonably priced back then so I was able to get one for a hair over 1400. But I bought one for the same reason you did. I have an older ES-335 but I also neglect it because I also do most of my playing sitting down, and I don't like the bulkiness of the larger semi- and hollow bodied guitars. I also like that the 339 does indeed sound somewhere between a Les Paul and a 335. Regarding the pickups, it does seem that Epi pickups are a bit better these days, so it is worth some head scratchin before automatically swapping them out. One of my favorite stock Epi pickups is on a 2006 Korina V in the bridge position. Usually Vs sound a bit sharp from the bridge, lacking some meat under them, and that "muddy" characteristic of that Epi pickup actually gives the guitar more body from the bridge. I also think that the Epi pickups usually sound fine with some overdrive or distortion. It's like when you say "sterile", well people also say the same thing about EMG 81s, but with some drive dialed in, they come alive. The last time I upgraded pickups on an Epi, I really wished I hadn't bothered. The tone was maybe a bit better, but not like night and day. That was on a LP Ultra III. It has their version of BB Pros in it, and they were pretty decent sounding. What I do these days with import pickups that sound a bit bland is to raise the pole pieces a bit (on one side), and then lower the pickup to compensate for raising the pole pieces. That creates a bit of an uneven coil output which gives it a bit more single-coil-ish vibe. But since yours has coil split, you'd have to figure out which side is active when split. If it's the pole piece side, I'd still try my trick, but if it's the covered side, then that might mess up your coil split sounds by lowering that coil. I do wish I had coil split on my 339, that's a nice feature to have. I finally got a Gibson with coil splitting when I bought a 2014 LP Classic and it is a nice feature. The '57s in that guitar still have plenty of character when split. I used to think that I'd need more of a higher output humbucker to get good split tones, but it works well enough on that guitar. Anyway, enjoy. That P-90 version you posted looked tempting to me. I've got a couple semi-hollows with P-90s and a Casino, but once again, they are all on the bulkier side. But I'm trying to cut back on collecting wood these days, I'm still way past maximum density and need to work on developing my skills at disposition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gdsmithtx Posted March 1, 2015 Author Members Share Posted March 1, 2015 Regarding the pickups, it does seem that Epi pickups are a bit better these days, so it is worth some head scratchin before automatically swapping them out. One of my favorite stock Epi pickups is on a 2006 Korina V in the bridge position. Usually Vs sound a bit sharp from the bridge, lacking some meat under them, and that "muddy" characteristic of that Epi pickup actually gives the guitar more body from the bridge. I also think that the Epi pickups usually sound fine with some overdrive or distortion. It's like when you say "sterile", well people also say the same thing about EMG 81s, but with some drive dialed in, they come alive. The last time I upgraded pickups on an Epi, I really wished I hadn't bothered. The tone was maybe a bit better, but not like night and day. That was on a LP Ultra III. It has their version of BB Pros in it, and they were pretty decent sounding. What I do these days with import pickups that sound a bit bland is to raise the pole pieces a bit (on one side), and then lower the pickup to compensate for raising the pole pieces. That creates a bit of an uneven coil output which gives it a bit more single-coil-ish vibe. But since yours has coil split, you'd have to figure out which side is active when split. If it's the pole piece side, I'd still try my trick, but if it's the covered side, then that might mess up your coil split sounds by lowering that coil. I do wish I had coil split on my 339, that's a nice feature to have. I finally got a Gibson with coil splitting when I bought a 2014 LP Classic and it is a nice feature. The '57s in that guitar still have plenty of character when split. I used to think that I'd need more of a higher output humbucker to get good split tones, but it works well enough on that guitar. Thanks. I haven't had a chance to adjust the pickups today; I'll do it tomorrow. But if I do end up replacing them, a set of 57 Classics are on the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted March 1, 2015 Members Share Posted March 1, 2015 I'm more of a 335 kinda guy but I appreciate that it doesn't work as well for some folks. Semi-Hollows are the bomb though, I'd never go back to a floating bridge full hollow. Just not a Jazzer I guess. Congrats on the cool guitar gdsmith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted March 1, 2015 Members Share Posted March 1, 2015 Thanks. I haven't had a chance to adjust the pickups today; I'll do it tomorrow. But if I do end up replacing them, a set of 57 Classics are on the list. That would be my choice too as long as I found some 4 conductor versions. I bought a 2014 LP Classic with a '57 neck and Super '57 bridge p'up and they both sound quite good in the split modes. I thought that being a PAF style, that they might sound a bit anemic in the split mode, but nope, they sound quite good and useful. But in a 339, I'd probably want the Classic version all around. But of course that depends on your playing style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members knotty Posted March 1, 2015 Members Share Posted March 1, 2015 I would post boobs but it wont let me post using photobuckey links. Bloody dump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Steve2112 Posted March 1, 2015 Members Share Posted March 1, 2015 What rant? Do you read everything as if someone is yelling? I'm not sure why you think I'm angry. I haven't called you any names, insulted your intelligence, or anything of that nature. I certainly haven't typed anything in caps as you have, which comes off as yelling. In my experience, semi-hollows and hollows feedback even in lower gain settings depending on volume, where the guitar is positioned, and EQ. I've owned over fifty guitars and many different distortion pedals, so it's kind of a pain to recall each experience because there are so many. The most disappointing was my Rickenbacker 360, which once got so bad it set off my house alarm. My solidbodies never feedback like that. We all have different experiences and opinions. Well with your opening statement there "this again" you remember that right? Then you went on for a paragraph talking about NOT what I asked you. We can certainly have opinions...of course. Despite what you have heard, opinions CAN be wrong. Your statement "Semi-hollow and hollowbody guitars are known for feeding back." is just right enough that it's hard to argue. But it's also VASTLY misleading. There are tons of players out there using hollow body guitars on stage with little or no problem. I am one of them. The great majority of their feedback is the good kind. In fact...hollow bodies are becoming EVER more popular even with traditionally shaped guitars like Gibson LP's ( and Tele's) and PRS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bucksstudent Posted March 2, 2015 Members Share Posted March 2, 2015 Well with your opening statement there "this again" you remember that right? Then you went on for a paragraph talking about NOT what I asked you. We can certainly have opinions...of course. Despite what you have heard, opinions CAN be wrong. Your statement "Semi-hollow and hollowbody guitars are known for feeding back." is just right enough that it's hard to argue. But it's also VASTLY misleading. There are tons of players out there using hollow body guitars on stage with little or no problem. I am one of them. The great majority of their feedback is the good kind. In fact...hollow bodies are becoming EVER more popular even with traditionally shaped guitars like Gibson LP's ( and Tele's) and PRS. Are you okay? Do you need a hug? Muffins? I left my muffins in the other thread. We can bake cookies. Cookies sound good? Yeah? Why don't you sit down in the recliner and I'll make you a batch of cookies, dude. Then we can watch some TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Steve2112 Posted March 2, 2015 Members Share Posted March 2, 2015 Are you okay? Do you need a hug? Muffins? I left my muffins in the other thread. We can bake cookies. Cookies sound good? Yeah? Why don't you sit down in the recliner and I'll make you a batch of cookies, dude. Then we can watch some TV. I assure you I am fine. Because I assert that hollow bodies are used with great success and becoming more and more popular of late disagrees with your "they are unusable because of feedback at any volume and distortion" means I am mad? LOL...do you suffer from Dunning Kruening or some other mumbo jumbo? It's okay if you do. We still like you and value your presence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Steve2112 Posted March 2, 2015 Members Share Posted March 2, 2015 I would post boobs but it wont let me post using photobuckey links. Bloody dump. The new H-C is very forgiving of tech-challenged folk. Link no longer needed. Just drop and drag. Copy and paste. Shows us teh boobies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FormerlyBassred Posted March 2, 2015 Members Share Posted March 2, 2015 Bucks, Can we just do a group hug? From what I recall the Casino Coupe is a true hollow body, while the 339 is a semi-hollow (has a wood block in the middle that holds the pickups) - this will lead to more of a tendency for the Casino Coupe to feed back when conditions are right (and not the happy kind of feedback). Plus the dogears will whine a bit. The pickups in the 339 are mounted to a solid block, preventing a lot of the feedback that plagues hollows. As you know - I can tell from your experience with hollows/semi-hollows - that is part of what drove Les Paul to build 'The Log' guitar with a block in the middle, thus leading him to design the famous solid body guitar he is so well known for. I love the 339 - if I were in need of any more guitars I'd jump on one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members knotty Posted March 2, 2015 Members Share Posted March 2, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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