Epiphone ES 339 opinions?

[ChrisN]

The neck profile under discussion is Epiphone's "Slim Taper D" that Epiphone asserts is similar to a desirable profile used on '60s Gibsons:

"The "1960's" SlimTaper is a comfortable "D" shaped neck that was used and made famous on many 1960's era, Kalamazoo-made guitars from Gibson and Epiphone."

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by ChrisN

The neck profile under discussion is Epiphone's "Slim Taper D" that Epiphone asserts is similar to a desirable profile used on '60s Gibsons:

"The "1960's" SlimTaper is a comfortable "D" shaped neck that was used and made famous on many 1960's era, Kalamazoo-made guitars from Gibson and Epiphone."

Speaking as the owner of an Epi 339 Ultra, if I had it to do all over again I'd spring for one of the current Gibson Studio versions in a heartbeat; although the pickups are every bit as good as the '57 Classics that came in my first-generation '61 SG Reissue, the fit/finish are not up to the standard set by the Korean-made Epi semis of the '90s/early-2K's (paint smears on the side of the headstock, under-finish gap at the neck/body joint), much less Gibson Memphis. In addition, aside from the fact that the neck is a cheeky, chunky hard-D profile that, in spite of Epiphone's assertions, bears absolutely no resemblance whatsoever to the sleek Gibson '60s Slim Taper it claims to emulate - I needed to invest in a pro fret-level/setup job (along with my own tweaking) to get it to a playable state; simply put, between the initial cost of the instrument/case (the latter sold separately), the post-sale work, and the time involved to bring it even close to playable condition (while it sounds great for lead work, extended rhythm playing causes major left-hand issues) I would've been better off investing in a far-better guitar from the get-go. FWIW not all late-model Epis have this issue - I've played Broadways and ES-175 Premiums that play better than their modest prices would suggest, and the Elitist (nee Elite) instruments are in a class of their own - but as a whole I've grown very disillusioned with the MIC lineup...

[ChrisN]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Speaking as the owner of an Epi 339 Ultra, if I had it to do all over again I'd spring for one of the current Gibson Studio versions in a heartbeat; although the pickups are every bit as good as the '57 Classics that came in my first-generation '61 SG Reissue, the fit/finish are not up to the standard set by the Korean-made Epi semis of the '90s/early-2K's (paint smears on the side of the headstock, under-finish gap at the neck/body joint), much less Gibson Memphis. In addition, aside from the fact that the neck is a cheeky, chunky hard-D profile that, in spite of Epiphone's assertions, bears absolutely no resemblance whatsoever to the sleek Gibson '60s Slim Taper it claims to emulate - I needed to invest in a pro fret-level/setup job (along with my own tweaking) to get it to a playable state; simply put, between the initial cost of the instrument/case (the latter sold separately), the post-sale work, and the time involved to bring it even close to playable condition (while it sounds great for lead work, extended rhythm playing causes major left-hand issues) I would've been better off investing in a far-better guitar from the get-go. FWIW not all late-model Epis have this issue - I've played Broadways and ES-175 Premiums that play better than their modest prices would suggest, and the Elitist (nee Elite) instruments are in a class of their own - but as a whole I've grown very disillusioned with the MIC lineup...

Steve's advice comes from much greater experience than mine, so go with his. I sure wish I'd come up with "cheeky, chunky hard-D profile." That's exactly what it is. I toyed with the idea of taking down the treble shoulder, but decided it against it as it still wouldn't give me enough depth on that partial "C" to make it worthwhile. I'm living with it and for the puttering I do, it's fine (I don't do extended rhythm, or anything else )

I wondered about the "bears no resemblance" until I got my hands on a true 60s Slim Taper neck, but I now understand. Not sure why Epiphone does that, but it might be an Asian guitar factory thing, as (and Roy can weigh in, since he has one) my G&L Ascari GT90 (Tribute made in Indonesia) seems to have the very same profile, despite different company/factory/country from Epi. The factory may ask Epi/G&L "so what kind of neck profile are you speccing for these," and Epi/G&L may say "follow your muse, do what you usually do, just make it cheap."