Epiphone Les Paul ES 339 P90 Pro vs. Not P90

[moshei24]

If I'm looking for a guitar that has a clean, bright, acoustic sound, am I better off going with the P90, or the regular humbucker version?

Making my first hollow-body electric purchase!

Thanks in advance!!

[ChrisN]

Originally Posted by moshei24

If I'm looking for a guitar that has a clean, bright, acoustic sound, am I better off going with the P90, or the regular humbucker version?

Making my first hollow-body electric purchase!

Thanks in advance!!

1. You're making your first SEMI-hollow body electric purchase. The 339 has a center block, so is not considered fully hollow. If you want a fully hollow epiphone in 339 size, you get the Casino Coupe - comes with P90s.

2. P90 v humbucker is purely a personal preference. Joe Bonamassa has a vid discussing this:



3. You can get the guitar you want and easily change the P90s to humbuckers, or mini humbuckers (my preference). I think the P90s or mini humbuckers are more likely to get you a clean bright sound. In your place, I'd get the epiphone I wanted (339 Pro or Coupe) and experiment with pickup choices - very reasonable cost for the experience.

4. I just got a Gibson es 390, which is like the Casino Coupe ($460) except it came with mini humbuckers. If I couldn't have bought that, I might have gotten the Coupe and swapped the P90s for mini humbuckers.

5. If I couldn't make it work with epiphone for some reason, I'd look next to Ibanez's smaller semi-hollows AM153 ($1k) or AM93 ($600) (both made in China). I'd also look at the Comins GCS-1 and Fret-King Elise John Ethridge (there's one for sale now here on AGF that looks fine), of D'Angelico Excel SS - these 3 are made in SKorea. If I wanted to kick it up a few notches, I'd get an Ibanez AM 205 or AM200 - they're made in Japan, but easily $2k.

[roylor4]

When I think clean, bright tones I think single coil pups.

If this is the voice you are looking for I would steer you towards a Strat or Tele type, quite honestly.

[moshei24]

Originally Posted by roylor4

When I think clean, bright tones I think single coil pups.

If this is the voice you are looking for I would steer you towards a Strat or Tele type, quite honestly.

Any specific guitar suggestions?

[moon]

Originally Posted by moshei24

If I'm looking for a guitar that has a clean, bright, acoustic sound, am I better off going with the P90, or the regular humbucker version?

First priority: a clean bright amp Matchless might be right up your street, for example.

Single coils are a bit brighter and more dynamic than humbuckers but lower-wind, vintage-style humbuckers can have some great clean sounds too.

[roylor4]

Originally Posted by moshei24

Any specific guitar suggestions?

Budget? ....

[moshei24]

Originally Posted by roylor4

Budget? ....

$500 somewhere around there

[rob2966]

I own a lovely Gibson ES339 with humbuckers. However, I would not describe it as clean/bright. It definitely can get a nice warm/jazzy type of clean though. Of course, amp selection can make a huge difference too. I play through a clean tube amp, which means if I really dig in I get a bit of grit happening...I like that. However, if you play through something like a Roland JC-120, it will stay clean no matter what.

I think you really need to give these a good listen through your setup (or something equivalent). In general, I never use the phrase clean & bright to describe any Gibson, including acoustics . Gibson's to me tend to have a warmer tone. Fender is definitely the place to go for bright electrics. A Strat through a Twin Reverb could probably cut glass . If you like the more P90 style but want a bit brighter you can get P90 equipped Teles.

However, I obviously understand the appeal of the ES339 so if that gets you your sound, go for it.

Later
Rob

PS - The obvious solution is to do what I ended up doing, buy the ES339 AND the Strat . The correct answer is always "More guitars" .

[rob2966]

Originally Posted by moshei24

Any specific guitar suggestions?

The Fender Modern Player Thinline Deluxe might work for you. I have never played it so you would want to give it a try in person. Tele w P90, $500.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guita...lectric-guitar

Later
Rob

[roylor4]

Originally Posted by moshei24

$500 somewhere around there

G&L ASAT TRIBUTES (Tele style), G&L Bluesboy (Tele style w/a HB at the neck), G&L S500 or Tribute (strat style) and the Classic Vibe Fender Strat and Tele. All these are featured as SDOTD on a regular basis on MF. Just 2 days ago the Tele G&L was 299. A LOT of guitar for the money.

Moon is quite correct though. How ANY guitar will sound is very dependent on both the GUITAR and the AMP. A low-wattage tube amp (5 watts give or take) can only give very clean tones at lower volumes. Higher wattage tube amps give more clean head room.

Bob Womack (a regular here on AGF) has written a pretty in depth article on guitars and the tones they produce. You may want to PM him or do a search for the article.

Humbuckers are warmer and thicker in tone. Single coils are brighter w/more chime. P90's are closer to SC's but have more grind.

The amp cannot be discounted as a huge contributor to tone. With the right amp, you can get fairly clean tones, even from a HB equipped guitar. Do you have a guitar amp already?

The Epiphone Pro guitars get good reviews too, but if you want clean tones I think you should do some investigating first. The difference in tone between a HB and a SC is pretty dramatic.

[RoyBoy]

The Epiphone ES 339 ($400) comes with split coil humbuckers. If you split the bridge pickup and mix it with the neck, you can get a great shimmer (but still clean). Teles and strats are bright and have their own distinct voices, lots of character, but I wouldn't describe them as acoustic sounding. Gretsch also makes guitars with a very clear, well defined string tone, definitely their own sound. The amp makes a huge difference regardless of the guitar you use. Be prepared to spend some money chasing a good tone.

[FrankHudson]

"clean bright acoustic sound" - what you say you're aiming for, is subject to interpretation.

I have a recent model Epi 339 with the P90s and an Epi 335 Pro (humbuckers, but with a coil split option when up pull up on the vol. knobs).

Both are slightly higher output pickups than average. The 339 with P90s is a bit more dynamic however, turn the volume down a bit and play gently and the timbre is sweeter, turn it up and dig in and they growl.

The Epi 335 Pro has a bit more acoustic resonance in the larger body when you're playing clean at lower volumes. The split coil option lowers the gain. The sound of the pickups in single coil mode is valid, but not a characterful to me as the 339 with P90s.

I love a Telecaster for clean bright tones myself, and some have mentioned options there already. If you want clean and bright and acoustic resonance and not necessarily creamy sustain and high-gain rock playing, have you thought about a Gretsch Electromatic hollowbody? A bit higher in price at regular street prices, but occasional Musician Friend deals on the line bring them down to the $500 range.