Incoming NGD: Gibson 339 no-f-hole single bucker monster

[rfurtkamp]

Bit the bullet (credit offer I couldn't refuse and I've paid off the Casino already) on a Gibson 339 studio (no f hole, single bucker, black chrome hardware) in midnight blue.

Stupid expensive compared to what I normally buy but I can pay it off over the next 8-12 months without incident.

Should be here Wednesday, will report when I have it in hand.

Stock image:



Allegedly a stupid hot bucker (which is the only kind I like) and in a color I can approve of.

[doommeow]

I blue gibsons

[kosta]

These are great guitars. Have come close to buying one several times. Let us know what you think!

[Chankgeez]

So, when are you trying out for Blink-182?

[WeHuntKings]

^ I lol'd

I bet that thing will scream.

[rfurtkamp]

So, when are you trying out for Blink-182?

I am actually in Idaho's premier all cripple Blink cover band.

We do polka versions of their songs, with a Foo Fighters song thrown in for good measure.

[Chankgeez]

I'd pay good money to see/hear that.

[rfurtkamp]

Good thing that I can't be bribed in a practical sense - I'd be tempted.

I am now contemplating what sticker that guitar needs if it passes muster.

I have a definite contender in mind that I think will summarize most of my life in one circa 1970 sarcastic joke.

[Chankgeez]

[rfurtkamp]

No Blink was played. Nor hair metal.

It's a bitch of a color to photograph - depending on the light it's black, purple-blue, black-blue, or something blueberry.

But I do have to have the maid dust the pedalboard!



Worst out of box setup I have *ever* seen on a guitar (and I used to handle them for a small shop) from a big name. Intonation was dead on perfect...if you didn't want to use above the 3rd fret on the high E. Burr on high E saddle.

About an hour on the bench fixing and tweaking - that level of bad doesn't happen from a guitar just sitting in a packing container for two years.

That said, seems solid now that I've done Gibson's QC pass for them. Fit and finish even under the truss cover was solid, no bad frets, no sharp edges, even paint. Even the gig bag they tossed in instead of a HSC is actually decent - I'd gig with it if I still did such things. Neck balance is good, overall weight very reasonable.

Bucker is dark yet articulate, it can get stupid loud if you hit it hard but that's what I expected. It *might* be louder than the Fender Atomic, which would be an achievement in passive pickups. Sounds good enough and Gibson-like clean, and goes from drunk to snarling with fuzz in a heartbeat.

And it loves the ebow. Oh, gods, does it love the ebow.

The "Baked Maple" silliness isn't as bad as I thought, even if the fretboard edges look like someone's wood burning project - gives it a brighter attack than RW or Ebony, but isn't the too slick feel of maple. I could live with this on any guitar to be honest - far better than the RW synthetic alternatives they've tried to use over the years.

Was it worth $1150? Not sure.

But I figure $300 of that is the name or more. The $650 Casino is as well built to be fair but the frets aren't quite as well done.

[KaosCill8r]

Yeah what is it about Gibson QC? I have a 2003 Epiphone Dot Flametop Deluxe made in Korea. Near perfect setup out of the box. Around the same time I got it I played a Gibson 335 just to compare and it was meh. Cost over $3000 more than the Epi. Obviously Gibson QC hasn't improved in 12 years.

[goroth]

That is sick!

[Chankgeez]

Yeah, looks great, Furtkamp! (I'm sure that flash doesn't help.)

[culturejam]

Congrats!

[Spiteface]

Amazing how, even as a cartoon Tom Delonge still has one of the most punchable faces I've ever set eyes upon.

Wish I was in the position to be buying a new guitar right now - Thomann still has some of the bigger 335 version of this guitar in stock for just under £700. I may exhume my Epi Dot though, this and a few youtube things I've seen make me want to play that again. I'm also rediscovering the "semi" thanks to the Squier '72 Thinline Tele I got a few months ago...

I seem to recall one of my favourite sounds I discovered of late was my Epi Dot through a Devi Ever Hyperion. It was pretty close to this:

[youtube][/youtube]

Love that DVD when I got it in the TAFH reissue. Corgan sounded better on a 335 than he did a Strat, I must say.