fishflyers's Reviews

Talking about the differences between a far east 339 and a USA version I should also point out that most 339s I run into have the 50s neck profile (though they are reputedly made with the "30/60 slim taper neck" too) and pretty much all of the similar ES/CS-336es have real baseball bats going on (which I prefer, but who could afford one?!) whereas the Chinese and Indonesian guitars always have medium-to-slim C shapes that are more Fender than Gibson... I also doubt the maple used in the construction of the far east epi 339 is the same as the American rock maple in the usa versions. Not inferior, just a different maple species with different density etc. My affordable Japanese 335 is not built 100% accurately, but I like the woods they selected and the little changes in the bracing and stuff... gives it personality. But all these little differences will certainly add up and have an impact on the sound that isn't as easy to alter as changing hardware and electronics out... if you want a budget es-339 that will blow your mind and is built like a USA gibson, the Japanese company Greco pioneered the small-body thinline guitar in their SA series (Gibson actually copied this MIJ cloner when they released the 336 and 339 models, LOL)... I believe Greco's SA-500 is the model that's essentially a 339 (though early examples will have a trapeze tailpiece instead of a stop bar). They are supposedly great guitars like their big brothers that were more direct clones of Gibson products of the time. I have not played a 500 to say for sure, but 700s and 900s are wonderful, so it stands to reason! A used 70s or 80s SA-500 can be had for little more than the cost of a new Epi 339 pro and the stock greco components will outperform an upgraded epi. The Maxon PAF copies that Greco used are utterly mind-blowing for blues, jazz, fusion and classic rock. Expect quality pots, jacks and switches that re better than what Gibson Nashville installs today! Earlier ones will have a nice lacquer finish like a real Gibby, though I have heard that later Grecos got hit with poly. Also, the guitar will have lots of mojo and song dieas and licks will be buried in the wood from years of gigging with other players, versus a new guitar with no stories of its own to tell!