Epiphone ES-339 Semi-hollowbody Review

Best value in a semi-hollow guitar

I've had this guitar for around 6 months. It is a very comfortable guitar to play either sitting or standing. Pretty versatile in the tone department, although I always seem to drift into blues mode on the neck pickup. The bridge pickup can get a pretty good snappy tone, and the 2 combined can get some really good rhythm tones. I have to admit, I have not explored all the possibilities… read more with the individual volume and tone knobs and I'm sure to someone more familiar with the Gibson type array of controls the possibilities are endless. If you're thinking of getting into this style of guitar, this is a great place to start.

---

Cancel Comment

Bang for your buck !

I just got this Guitar as a Christmas present and I absolutely love it! I have been looking to trade an older Ibanez solid body, that I've played for a long time and grown tired of, for a new smaller Semi-Hollowbody because I found myself playing my dreadnought with an insertible humbucker instead. I looked at several guitars and found that for the quality and price point, nothing… read more compares. Even though most were more expensive (some 2-3 times), many felt overpriced and mass produced - inferior wood tone, fret feel and cheap feeling notchy tuners. This guitar feels just like a true Les Paul and has more tonal variety. I firmly believe that this is the best value available for it's niche. I can also assure you that you will not find a better price on these Epiphone es339s or their hard-shell cases than Sweetwater.

---

Cancel Comment

This thing is a monster.

Buy this guitar and buy it from Sweetwater because they are the best. It plays as well as the Gibson version and Pelham blue is incredible. The neck has a slight chunk to it which I love. Sounds great in any position through any amp. I may throw filtertrons in it for fun someday but the humbuckers are beautiful. Doesn't sound like anything else. I agree with the reviews that… read more say its a perfect combo of a les paul and a 335. I am not a Les Paul guy, and I originally wanted a grestch jet, but this guitar kept calling me. It definitely is a great smaller semi hollow and is a bit wieghtier than you might expect, but i think that adds to the quality. It is a real treat to play, and I own a bunch of really nice guitars. I tend to pick things that not everyone else has like reverends, g and l, and odball gibsons, so this is defintitely a great unique guitar that I won't trade or sell. The quality will blow you away.

---

Cancel Comment

Excellent guitar-Excellent value

I've had this guitar for about three months. There have been no issues at all. I was impressed initially by the fit and finish. It is truly a beautiful guitar. Once you get familiar with the controls there is a wide variety of tones available. I'm liking the middle position a lot...very crisp. The neck pickup sounds great both clean and overdriven...great blues tones. Haven't used… read more the bridge pickup much, to be honest. The neck is a good size. I have medium size hands and it fits well. I would certainly recommend this guitar to anyone looking for a good looking, sounding and playing guitar. It can cover a range of styles. The overall experience with Sweetwater was unlike any online music store I've experienced. The vintage sunburst finish model was not in stock when I ordered. Gregg Lanning touched base weekly and kept me apprised of any updates. I have since placed more orders with him. I have no reason to deal with anyone else (or any other company). The level of service was outstanding.

---

Cancel Comment

Good customer service and Beautiful guitar!

sooo..I originally purchased a demo Schecter.it loooked nice and had a decent price. when the schecter arrived there was an insane amount of shipping damage on both boxes it had obviously taken a bad beating in shipping. after getting the guitar home and playing it, firt thing i noticed was the neck pickup sounded rough (not sure why) and eventually i found a crack in the neck pocket… read more and generally just wasnt happy with it. after contacting sweetwater and going through the different options i eventually decided to throw in a few extra bucks and get something new. sweetwater paid for shipping the sheceter back which was great.. i eventually settled on the blue es 339 which wasnt currently in stock at the time but i wasnt bothered with waiting for it. .purchased a case because i was weary about shipping it. but they shipped it separate anyway..i was slighly pxssed at first but they packed it way better than the demo and it made it here safe and sound so no harm no foul i guess. all in all glad i decided to go with this guitar Its light years ahead of the schecter as far as tone.. this guitar sounds like a dream when played clean. sounds good all the way around but clean it really shines. and speaking of shine.. the paint job on this guitar is beautiful the pictures just dont do it justice. its so pretty. i had a little trouble at first but sweetwater did everything they could to make it right. so far this guitar is everything i wanted it to be.i might change a little this and that eventually but as a $ giuitar it stands great on its own. and you cant go wrong with sweetwater they really go above and beyond to make sure youre happy

---

Cancel Comment

Excellent Guitar

I just got this Epiphone ES-339 and here are my first impressions: First, I had the neck satinized at Sweetwater with a high quality aftermarket wiring harness installed by the Sweetwater techs. The guitar is pretty light and my first impression was that I'm not sacrificing any tone from it's larger cousin the ES-335. Overall, the fit and finish were perfect and after all that… read more travel, the guitar was only slightly out of tune. The pickups sound very good and it has that great middle position sound that you hear on 335s and that was one thing I was looking for. The tonal variety in all three switch positions is very impressive and that might be due to the custom wiring harness, but the stock pickups sound good. It's kind of a bright guitar, but rolling off the tone takes care of that. It does need a setup and the neck is a little dry, but some lemon oil will fix that. Still, right out of the box, it plays well -- I could gig with it, no problem. I'm going to replace the stock pickups with some Lindy Fralin Pure PAFs and I think that ought to complete this project. I'll say one thing, though: The stock pickups are really good and if you're a player on a budget, you won't need to replace them. For the price -- about 1/5th the price of a Gibson 339 -- you just can't go wrong. Epiphone is putting out a quality product and this guitar is a real keeper. Keep it stock or customize it like me, it's your choice, but either way, you'll like this guitar.

---

Cancel Comment

Great guitar!

Very happy with this guitar - it played perfectly right out of the box, action and intonation set up just right for me. I previously owned an Epi 335 and sold it, a decision I've regretted. I bought the 339 for the smaller body and absolutely love it. Nice snappy sound on the middle position and I'm able to get some nice "chime" out of it for recordings. Maybe a little less… read more "woody" than the 335 but that's not what I was going for. Also, the guitar came in perfect condition and was packaged with care. With less stock available because of the pandemic, getting guitars has been more difficult. I had some very bad experiences with another company that several times sent me old guitars (expensive Gibsons) in bad condition trying to pass them off as new, very frustrating to say the least. Thank you to Sweetwater and to Ashton (my rep) for delivering a quality product.

---

Cancel Comment

339 Perfection

Was looking for a 339 size guitar, have a Gibson ES-335 and a Vintage brand VSA-500, both nice guitars. Read every review I could find on the Epiphone 339, most reviewers raved with only a few negative comments about the frets. Was a little concerned about how good it could be given the price point, but I didn't want to pay for a Gibson. Talked to my long time Sales Engineer… read more Yuval Fuchs's, and enquired about satinizing the neck and getting it PLEK'D. Yuval scored the guitar the day it became available and got the additional services done within (2) days. All that being said, the crew at Sweetwater did a great job, special Thanks to Ben A. It feels better than the Gibson ES that wasn't purchased through Sweetwater. So with the additional services, I have a guitar that's every bit as good, if not better than a Gibson at less than half the cost. Everything else about this guitar was flawless, couldn't find any issues. Special Thanks to Yuval for all his help. Purchased my first guitar from him in 2016 and have purchased a total of (8) guitars through him and have always received prompt responses to my e-mails and Great overall service.

---

Cancel Comment

Awesome guitar

Received my new ES over the a few days ago! After waiting the recommended 24 hours before opening, I couldn't be more pleased! The guitar is absolutely beautiful and plays like a dream! The finish is awesome and the setup was outstanding! All I had to do was tune up, plug in, and enjoy! My sales rep Jordan was extremely healpful in helping me choose the right setup for my type of… read more playing and he was spot on! I will be making future purchases from Sweetwater! Outstanding!

---

Cancel Comment

Great guitar

This is the first guitar that I've received through the mail that didn't some adjustments. The intonation was perfect the action was good and it sounded great. The reason I wanted this model was because of the c shaped neck. These are the new gibson inspired line . Where there going to the traditional neck profiles. All the epiphone models have d shaped slim taper necks.I know the… read more pro model does,personally I think model of guitar dosnt need a slim taper neck.I play a Gibson Les Paul and the neck is a little father on this guitar also the frets are wider. It's super comfortable to play! I don't want to say it but it's more comfortable to me then my les paul,but not by much. The build of the guitar is quality. It's got a really nice finish. I was worried that the neck was going to be super glossy and I was gonna have to sand it down,nope it's really Smooth! Plus it's got Grover tuners,and it stays in tune really well ! So you split the coils, personally I think that's over rated. If you want a es-339 inspired by Gibson,not epiphones idea of a 339 then go with this guitar it's got great tones and also sounds really good unplugged!

---

Cancel Comment

Super helpful!

I knew I wanted the new inspired by es-339. David, the sales rep assisting me, made the purchase experience outstanding and helped me "see" their inventory of cherry 339's enabling me to pick out my specific guitar. Thanks for your great customer service!

---

Cancel Comment

Perfect Fit

First purchase from Sweetwater and could not be more pleased, as it lead to another order shortly after. Purchased this guitar as I was a bit concerned with the size of the ES-335. I'm 5'8 so I opted for the baby version of the two guitars, and it was the correct choice. Guitar showed up immaculate, and on time. All the strings were in tune except the G string was flat, and intonated… read more on point. I had the nut swapped to a Black Tusq, the work was clean. Strings were also changed, and done so properly. After a quick tune up I was floored and it's been a lock ever since. I legitimately could not be happier with the versatility and craftsmanship. Epiphone really did this iconic guitar justice. I don't think I could ever sprint on a Gibby 339, but also don't think I'm settling with this by any means. A quick note on the service. I went back and for with my SE Austin Zachrich and had all questions/concerns addressed quickly and effectively. I was wary purchasing online, but by the end of it I think I owe my man Austin a drink for being a pain in the ***. He handled it like a pro, and for that I am super appreciative. As stated earlier it lead to a quick second purchase with SW and Austin. Couldn't recommend it or him enough. Definitely found where my $ will be spent.

---

Cancel Comment

Epiphone 339 Pelham blue

Beautiful guitar. Great sound, so easy to play. Came in perfect shape. Love how Sweetwater checks out each guitar carefully before sending it. Plugged it in and started play. That's pretty much all I want to do now!

---

Cancel Comment

Epiphone ES-339

Like say thanks.to Jimmy Itela, engineer that went over and beyond helping me out and taken a lot of time working with me..... This Epiphone ES-339 is excellent Guitar for what you pay and yes you can use this guitar for just about any kind of style of music you want to play...... Been reading some reviews about the neck for me i think the neck is just right and feels really comfortable… read more overall looking for a great guitar that can play any style of music that you prefer this is the ES-339 you cannot go wrong by buying this yes and it has a great finish and the pick ups are really good and stays in tune. Thanks again Jimmy, for you great guitar and all your help working with me...... Bob

---

Cancel Comment

Dream Struck

I purchased this guitar to see if I liked the style enough to actually buy a Gibson ES 339. After playing this Epiphone a few weeks I really can't imagine anything playing much better. I play and get caught away in the zone I call Dream Struck. It's simply an Awesome Guitar. That's partly because the team at Sweetwater take such care in setting every guitar up to be the best it… read more can be. I've bought a lot of guitars over the years and so far the ones I purchased from Sweetwater have been perfect, right out of the box.

---

Cancel Comment