Agile guitars

Agile guitars

Nothing beats an original Les Paul, Telecaster, Stratocaster or PRS-model guitar. I'm sure that most guitarists, when asked, prefer the real deal. Problem is that Gibson's, Fenders and PRS's don't come cheap. For starters on the guitar market, or guitar players with a smaller wallet, there are lot's of alternatives. 

The "big" guitar brands have their budget lines, for example Epiphone for Gibson and Squier for Fender, but more interesting are the "clone" builders. They build the popular guitar models, often for a fraction of the price of the original, and this market is huge, ranging from "cheap" Chinese build guitars to the most expensive handmade custom "clones". One of the guitar brands offering budget guitars is Agile guitars. Agile guitars runs an impressive line of models, with flavours for everyone.

agile guitar

Agile guitars by Rondo Music

Unlike "normal" guitar builders, Agile guitars are build, commissioned by "Rondo Music", a USA (Claremont) based music store, established in 1959. Besides the Les Paul and PRS styled Agile's, Rondo Music also sells SX, Telecaster and Stratocaster shaped guitars. As a result, Agile Guitars aren't sold by other guitar sellers. Rondo Music sells their Agile guitars only through the internet, with a focus on Ebay selling.

Besides Agile guitars, there are lot's of guitar stores who sell a line of guitars, which they have produced under there own name or brand. Agile differences with these "store brands" offering a very extensive line of models and finishes. All major guitar models / clones are in Agile's catalog, from standard factory to custom guitars, and some more. Agile guitars are produced in Korea.

agile guitar

Agile guitars, the AL models

As said, Agile guitars runs a very extensive range of models. One of the most reviewed Agile guitar on the internet is the Les Paul styled AL series. Agile's from these series are considered to compete with the standard Epiphone les Pauls. The luxery Agile AL 3000, top of the line within the Agile AL series, should even compete with entry level Gibson Les Pauls.

This Agile Al 3000 features an ebony fretboard, triple bindings and Alnico pickups. Specifications not to be ashamed of for a 450 USD priced guitar. The entry level Agile AL 2000, priced around 200 USD is also Korean build, and according to different reviews on the internet, offers great value for the money. Within the Agile AL series, there is an almost unlimited choice in colors and finishes, compared to the entry level Epihines and Gibsons.

agile guitar

Agile guitars, the Septor, Interceptor and Intrepid models

Surprisingly, Agile guitars manages to offer 7, 8, 9, 10 and even 12 string guitars for incredible competitive prices. The Intrepid 8 string for example, is available for only 499 USD. More strings, more money.

The Agile Septor, Interceptor and Intrepid guitars all offer more than 6 strings, and like the Agile AL series, lots of colors and finishes can be chosen. All the Agile Septor, Interceptor and Intrepid models are PRS / Strat, modern and radical styled guitars.

agile guitar

Agile guitars, custom shop

Every four or five months a year, Ronde Music opens their Custom Shop for new orders. In the Agile Custom Shop, you can have your guitar build from the ground up to your specifications. Here also, Agile's prices are a fraction of the prices you pay for Custom Shop guitars from the major brands.

Anyway, if you have the time, and you are unknown with Agile guitars, take a look at the Agile guitars on Ebay or at Rondo Music. I'm sure you will, like me, be surprised by the specifications and prices.

agile guitar

Les Paul Slash Appetite

 


slash appetite les paul body and humbuckers

 

Les Paul Slash Appetite

In addition to my post about the Gibson and Epiphone Slash Signature Les Paul, here's another Les Paul, which has been dedicated to former Guns N'Roses lead guitarist "Slash".

This Les Paul is named after the "Appetite for Destruction" album from Guns N'Roses.

Les Paul Slash Appetite, by Gibson, Custom Shop and Epiphone

Both Gibson and doughter Epiphone have the Slash Appetite Les Paul in their collection.  Gibson is the premier brand, but as the price of the Gibson Slash Appetite, as all Gibsons, is fairly high, for the avarage Slash fan and guitar player, the Epiphone Les Paul Slash Appetite is an affordable (but not cheap) alternative.



slash appetite les paul body and neck



slash appetite les paul humbuckers and tailpiece



Next to the Gibson factory built Slash Appetite Les Paul, the Gibson Custom Shop also built 2 series of the Les Paul Slash Appetite, one VOS (Vintage Original Spec.), and one aged serie. The Gibson Slash Appetite, and the Slash Appetite Custom Shop are currently out of production, but can still be found on Ebay and music stores, if you do a good search, for incredible (Custom Shop) prices; Slash is popular, and so are the Slash Les Pauls.

The Epiphone Les Paul Slash Appetite is according to the Gibson / Epiphone website still in production. Due to the limited numbers of Gibson and Epiphone Slash Appetite guitars produced, they are hard to find. 



slash appetite les paul knobs



slash appetite les paul knobs and finish





 Slash Appetite Les Paul, limited numbers produced, no bargains!

Gibson offers exclusivity with the Slash Appetite Les Paul. Like the signature models, Gibson produced the factory and the Custom Shop Slash Appetite LP's in limited numbers.

At first, Gibson set the numbers for the factory Slash Appetite Les Paul at a maximum of 600, but later another run of 600 guitars was done, bringing it to a total of 1200 Slash's Appetite LP's out of the Gibson factory.

The Gibson Custom Shop Slash Les Pauls are more exclusive; the Vos (Vintage Original Spec.) serie Slash Appetite Les Paul is limited to 300 guitars, and the Custom Shop hand aged Slash Appetite Les Pauls are limited to 100 pieces.

To my surprise, Gibson's "budget" doughter Epiphone also limited the amount of Les Paul Slash Appetite's.
Their maximum is set to 3000 guitars. That explains why not only the Gibson Slash Appetite LP's are very hard to find, but also the Epiphone Slash Appetite Les Paul is not available on every corner.



slash appetite les paul headstock

 


slash appetite les paul humbucker

 

Seymour Duncan Slash Alnico II Pro humbucker

Since 2010, Gibson and Epiphone Slash Signature Les Paul's are equiped with the Seymour Duncan Slash Alnico II Pro humbuckers so it's no wonder the Slash Appetite Les Pauls also come with these Seymour Duncan Slash humbuckers, as they produce Slash's lead guitar sound.

The Alnico II Pro humbuckers on the Slash Appetite LP's are "Zebra", black and white styled, without covers. I think they look great on this guitar in combination with the "Appetite Amber" finish of the body.

I'm not a real big fan of a "sunburst" finish, so I prefer the looks of the Slash Appetite above the looks of the Slash Signature guitars.

Somebody wrote on a Les Paul forum that instead of buying a Slash Les Paul, you could as well buy a Standard Les Paul and upgrade the guitar with the Seymour Duncan Slash Alnico Pro II humbuckers to get the same sound, for a fraction of the price. When it's just about the sound, I think he's right. If you not only want the sound, but also the exclusivity, Slash's name need to be on the guitar.



slash appetite les paul finish





slash appetite les paul switch



Les Paul Slash Signature



les paul slash signature body



Les Paul Slash Signature (with Fishman powerbridge)

Again I spotted an electric guitar with an acoustic pickup. This time it's a Les Paul Slash Signature, on which I least expected a piezo pickup. It seems there are more of these guitars than I thought there would be.

As probably everybody knows, Slash, former lead guitarist of Guns N' Roses is addicted to the Gibson Les Paul. Slash is one of the "billbords" for the Gibson Les Paul, so it's no wonder Slash, Gibson, and doughter Epiphone, worked together, to all benefit from the Les Paul Slash Signature models.




Les Paul Slash Signature by Gibson and Epiphone

According to the very informative website slashparadise.com, Slash gave his signature to a total of twelve Les Paul Slash Signature models; three from Gibson USA, five from the Gibson Custom Shop, and four from Gibson's doughter Epiphone.

Their cooperation started in 1990 and is still going on. The (Gibson and Epiphone) Les Paul models are one of the most sold guitars, and I'm sure the Slash Signature gave the Les Paul sales an extra boost.



les paul slash signature full body



Les Paul Slash Signature, Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro II(Slash) and Fishman Powerbridge

As far as I know, all Gibson Les Paul Slash Signature's are equiped with Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro II humbuckers. Since 2010 the Les Paul Slash Signature comes with the Alnico Pro II Slash APH-2 humbuckers, which reproduces the tone of Slash's studio guitar.

What for me makes this guitar particularly insteresting is the fact that the newer built Slash Signatures are also equiped with the Fishman Powerbridge for acoustic Piezo sound.
From the outside the Gibson Les Paul Slash Signature with Fishman Powerbridge can be recognized by the extra switch between the volume and tone knobs, for blending the acoustic and electric sounds.

The combination of a Slash Les Paul with Alnico Pro II humbuckers and an acoustic pickup system like the Fishman Powerbridge seems a bit strange. Hardrock and metal combined with acoustic tones in a Slash Les Paul?

I wonder if potential buyers of the Gibson Les Paul Signature need the acoustic tones of the Fishman Powerbridge, for Slash's hardrock and metal sound, and appreciate this piece of technique in this specific guitar, where it's all about producing the tone and sound of Slash's Les Paul as close as possible. Isn't that the power of a signature model?




les paul slash signature headstock

  


les paul slash signature back



Epiphone Slash Les Paul, with Alnico Pro, without Fishman powerbridge

If, with a smaller wallet, a Slash is wanted, and a piezo is not needed, there is an alternative.

Epiphone also offers a Slash Les Paul "Signature" Standard Plus Top with Alnico Pro humbuckers, but without the Fishman Powerbridge for a fraction of the price of the Gibson Les Paul Slash Signature!



epiphone les paul slash body and neck



Epiphone ES-339 Ultra, video





Epiphone ES-339 Ultra:

Epiphone shows the official demo and the  "getting started with Guitarrig"  video's.



epiphone es-339 ultra

 
In addition to my posts regarding the Epiphone Es-339 Ultra, here and here, these video's, originally from Epiphone, give a good impression about the sounds and (acoustic) electronics of the Es-339 Ultra. I'm aware that the video's are a bit promotional, but I didn't find other video's about the Ultra as informative as the ones below. Still, If you're interested in the Epiphone ES-339 Ultra, they're worth watching

Nick Colionne presenting and playing the ES-339 Ultra

In the first video, jazz guitarist Nick Colionne, who, in his play, combines jazz, R&B, blues and funk, presents the Epiphone ES-339 Ultra, and plays it. He obviously loves the big, warm sounds in this guitar, and the acoustic Shadow Nanomag pickup. For him, the sound of a guitar is more important than the build-in electronics.

 

Register the ES-339 Ultra (and Les Paul Ultra), and downloading, installing and using Guitarrig-4

The Epiphone ES-339 Ultra comes with a free copy of Guitarrig-4 LE. When you follow the instructions in the manual it's not clear where to register the ES-339 Ultra ( and the Les Paul Ultra) and how to download and install the Guitarrig software. In this video Epiphone gives the answers. It took me a while to figure it out myself, and probably lot's of Ultra-owners had the same problems. Good thing Epiphone provided this how-to video.

The controls and electronics on the Les Paul Ultra (and ES-339 Ultra)

This last video is about the electronics and the controls on the Les Paul Ultra. It shows how to blend  the humbuckers and the Shadow Nanomag, how to use the Nanomag controls, how to use the onboard tuner and how to use the dual outputs and USB output. The ES-339 Ultra uses the same technology and controls as the Les Paul Ultra, so you get the picture!

Electric guitars with acoustic pickups



fishman powerbridge on fender deluxe power

Electric guitars with acoustic pickups, an overview.

It's obvious that I'm interested in electric guitars with acoustic pickups like the Epiphone ES-339 Ultra, (the good and the bad), and the Fender Acoustasonic Telecaster.

In this post I present some other electric-acoustic guitars I like, and the acoustic pickup systems which give these electric guitars the possibility to blend electric and acoustic sounds.

Acoustic pickups for electric guitars

lr baggs t-bridge on electric guitar

The most common acoustic (piezo) pickup systems for electric guitars I found, come from LR Baggs, Fishman (both from the USA), Shadow (Germany), and GraphTech (Canada).

shadow nanomag on epiphone les paul ultra

LR Baggs, and Fishman concentrate their activities on acoustic pickups, mostly for acoustic guitars, Shadow also produces humbuckers, and GraphTech focuses on acoustic pickup systems for electric guitars.

graphtech ghost piezo acoustic pickup

Shadow offers the innovative Nanomag, Fishman scores with the Powerbridge, GraphTech invented the Ghost Piezo saddles and LR Baggs hits the scene with the X-Bridge and the T-Bridge. It's a niche market; only a small percentage of the electric guitars have the "extra", acoustic pickup. The Fishman powerbridge and the LR Baggs bridge are probably the most popular ones. Lot's of technical information about these acoustic pickups for electric guitars can be found on the producers websites.

Electric guitars with acoustic pickups

Obviously there are a lot more electric guitars with acoustic pickups than the ones below. These ones give a good view on what's available on the market, within the different price ranges.
Almost all electric guitars with acoustic pickups are also equiped with 5-way switches, pre-amps and dual output jackets; one for connecting the amplifier and one for connecting an acoustic amp or PA, for blending the electric and acoustic sound.

crafter sa(t) with lr baggs acoustic pickup

Crafter SA and SAT

The Crafter SA and SAT are Les Paul styled, semi hollow body archtop guitars. Sides and back from solid wood, and the tops come in different woods and colors. Both the Crafter SA and SAT are equiped with LR Baggs acoustic pickups. The SA also has a Kent Armstrong Lipstick pickup, and the SAT has a Kent Armstrong P90 humbucker. The Crafter SA(T) is fairly priced, around 550 - 600 Euro.

epi ultra III (3) with shadow nanomag

Epiphone Les Paul Ultra III (3)

The Epiphone Les Paul Ultra III (3) is Epiphones's answer to the demand in electric acoustic guitars. The Les Paul Ultra III (3) has 2 Epiphone Probuckers, and for acoustic sounds a Shadow Nanomag is mounted at the end of the fingerboard. The Ultra III (3) has a chromatic tuner onboard, and even a USB connection is available. After registration of the Ultra, Guitarrig software can be downloaded for free. The Epiphone ES-339 Ultra uses the same technology, my review can be found here and here. Pricing of the Epiphone Les Paul Ultra III (3) is around 560 - 630 Euro.



fender telecaster / stratocaster with fishman powerbridge

Fender (Nashville) Deluxe Power Stratocaster and Telecaster

For an acoustic plus, Fender added the Fishman Powerbridge to the Deluxe Power Strat and Tele. The Deluxe Power Telecaster comes with a middle strat pickup, and tele pickups for neck and bridge, the Stratocaster uses strat pickups for the neck, middle and bridge positions. These electric guitars with the Fishman Powerbridge have a five-way switch for blending the electric and acoustic sounds. Available for around 1100 Euro.

Another Fender electric guitar with a Fishman Powerbridge acoustic piezo pickup is the Acoustasonic Telecaster I wrote about, one of my favourites.



godin montreal with lr baggs t-bridge

Godin Montreal

The Godin Montreal is part of the Signature series from guitar builder Godin, located in Montreal, Canada, and they are well know for their new guitar concepts. The Montreal has a carved solid Mahogany body with two f-holes, Jazz Style. Godin was inspired by the Montreal Jazz festival when creating this electric-acoustic guitar. The Montreal blends electric and acoustic sounds by using two Godin Humbuckers and a LR Baggs acoustic bridge and a custom PreAmp. Pricing of the Godin Montreal is around 1600 Euro.

parker fly with graphtech ghost piezo

Parker Guitars (Fly Series)

Guitars build by Parker are something special, as Parker combines woods with modern composites and fibers. Apart from that, most electric Parker guitars are stufed with acoustic technology.

The Parker Fly DeLuxe, MaxxFly, Fly Select and others come in different, modern shapes and colors, and are powered with different humbuckers. What they all have in common is the acoustic technology from the GraphTech Ghost Piezo saddles. Parker guitars don't come cheap.



prs p22 with lr baggs acoustic bridge

PRS   P22 and (singlecut) Hollowbody II

For more than ten years, PRS is using LR Baggs acoustick pickup systems for the PRS Hollowbody II and singlecut Hollowbody II.

In 2012 PRS added the P22 in the program range, their first piezo acoustic pickup equiped solidbody guitar.
The LR Baggs system used in the P22 is the same acoustic pickup system that is used for the longer existing and popular hollowbodies. Only the design of this bridge is smaller than the original LR Baggs used in the hollowbodies, so it fits perfectly in the solidbody. The electric-acoustic guitars from PRS are expensive, starting with prices around 3600 Euro for the P22, and 4300 Euro for the PRS Hollowbody.



gibson les paul with lr baggs piezo pickup

Gibson Les Paul Piezo.

Unfortunately not in production anymore, the Gibson Les Paul Piezo, a Goldtop with EMG (rocking) humbuckers, and a golden LR Baggs piezo bridge. The Les Paul Piezo can still be found in (web)shops.





Gibson Custom Alex Lifeson LP Axcess

Still in production is the Gibson Custom Les Paul Alex Lifeson Axcess with Graphtech Ghost Bridge for authentic acoustic sound, and Floyd Rose vibrato. Humbuckers: Gibson's 496R and 498T. The first 50 guitars were signed by Alex Lifeson.

Les Paul Custom Black Beauty by Gibson and Epiphone

les paul custom black beauty

The ultimate black tie guitar, the '57 Les Paul Custom Black Beauty

With the introduction in '54 of the Les Paul Custom, a luxury version of the Les Paul Standard, was born. Available in black, and with low, smooth frets, it was called "the fretless wonder" or "Black Beauty", the perfect "tuxedo" guitar. At first build by Gibson, and much later for a larger public by Epiphone, Gibson's budget brand. The Black Beauty is one of those guitars with a lot of history and a whole lot of "grandeur". Welcome in the nightclub!

What makes the Les Paul Custom Black Beauty as unique as it is?

les paul custom black beauty 3 humbuckers

The reason that the Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Beauty, and the Epiphone Black Beauty, are different from lot's of other Les Pauls is obviously not the Les Paul model or the black color. The fact that the guitar has 3 golden humbuckers, makes it unique. Even without a closer look, the 3 humbuckers on the Black Beauty catches the eye, as clearly can be seen on the images.

These (PAF) humbuckers, with different number of windings for a unique sound, were introduced in '57, and they put their stamp on the Black Beauty. The earlier Gibson Les Paul Customs, from the introduction in '54, have 2 Alnico-V humbuckers. Widely known though, are the Black Beauties with the 3 golden humbuckers. Epiphone uses for their Black Beauty the much beloved Alnico Classic humbuckers.

les paul custom black beauty

These features make this guitar probably a bit to controversial for some real Les Paul fans. I suppose the looks don't hurt much, but just the fact that the Black Beauty has three instead of the usual two humbuckers is a little to much for Les Paul fanatics. However, from what I read on the forums, the Black Beauty owners speak in lyrious terms about their guitar. For them it is a real Les Paul with a classy extra. It's no wonder that the vintage Les Paul Custom Black Beauties are real collectors items, and for guitar players with a smaller wallet, Epiphone offers a great looking, and sounding, alternative.

50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Custom Black Beauty

For those who don't believe in "more is better", Gibson introduced the 50 th. Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Custom, equiped with 2 BurstBucker pick-ups, image below!  Either way, two or three humbuckers, both types are true Black Beauties.

50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Custom

A view on the Gibson Les Paul Supreme

A view on the Gibson Les Paul Supreme



les paul supreme headstock

The Gibson Les Paul Supreme is within the famous Les Paul series a one of a kind.
The Supreme has all the looks of a classic Les Paul model, but has some features you will never find on an any other Les Paul, that's why it's probably called the Les Paul Supreme.

This special guitar is built by Gibson in, of course, Nashville USA. and what a magnificent work they did! The guitar was showed for the first time at the NAMM in 2003, a major show where music manifacturers present their latest products, in Anaheim, California USA, and the instrument was an instant success. The production was originally set on a maximum of 2003 guitars.The initial limitation of Supreme's produced will be the reason that they are hard to find, and the used ones don't come cheap. For some time now I want to lay my hands on a Les Paul Supreme, I'm on the look-out. Let me tell you why.

The looks and feel of the Gibson Les Paul Supreme

I have always been a huge fan of the flamed maple tops of some  Gibson Les Pauls, but the this one goes beyond the Standards. Not only the top is carved  maple grade AAAA figured, but also the back of the Gibson Supreme, without cavity covers, matches the top, and comes in heritage cherry sunburst or in desert burst, my absolute favorite. The body is hollowed and there are no disturbing holes in the back. This also gives the advantage of a slightly lighter Les Paul than the massive ones.



les paul supreme back

The hardware on the Les Paul Supreme gives you gold. From the humbuckers, Gibson's 490 R and 498 T, to the golden tuners and even the unsuspected golden frets. The Les Paul Supreme is spoiled! Gibson didn't even hesitate to add 7 ply bindings on the top, 5 ply bindings on the headstock and 3 ply bindings on the back to give it a superior finish. Even if you don't play guitar, you want this one hanging on your wall.

les paul supreme back and sides

I never had the pleasure of playing the Les Paul Supreme for a longer period to check out all the sounds and charactaristics, but I had it in my hands at my local guitar dealer. This beauty is  not yet within the reach of my budget, but it will be the next guitar I buy. I have been looking for a second hand (used) Les Paul Supreme on sites like Ebay, but becouse of the looks, this guitar should be in mint condition, so I prefer to by a new one from a authorized dealer, also to be sure not to get a fake / copy. The tone of the Les Paul Supreme is warm and funky, almost like a ES-339, and I love that sound. Prices are around 3000 Euro.

Copies of the Les Paul Supreme (fake Les Paul Supreme)

The Gibson Les Paul Supreme is a very popular, fairly expensive guitar, much in demand, so it's no wonder fake Supreme's are offered. Some of them do have the looks of a real Supreme, for prices you won't believe. For example tradetang.com has a musical instrument, guitar, section where different suppliers offer guitars that are obviously copies of all the major brands like Gibson and Fender. Not only the Les Paul Supreme can be found here but also the Les Paul 1954, 1956, 1957, Goldtops, Vos and many more. Pricing about 250-400 USD. I'm not in any way promoting to buy an imitation, but you get this information from Google; the name comes up, even when you're not looking for a major guitar brand copy, so there must be a demand for these instruments. An earlier Supreme imitation can easily be recognized by the pot cavity covers on the back, which the original Les Paul Supremes don't have. The newer imitations are harder to recognize. Be careful when buying this Gibson on the open market. If you know it's fake, it's not the real deal!

les paul supreme bridge and knobs

How to spot a fake Gibson (Suppreme, Les Paul)

I noticed that a lot of buzz is going on about fakes, copies, or so called counterfeits of the Gibson Supreme. If you are in for a "copy" Supreme, so be it. But if you want a real Gibson Supreme, and willing to pay the price of a real Supreme then, unless you buy from an authorized dealer, you have to know how to recognize a fake Gibson. Always pay attention to the following:

• A real Gibson (Supreme) does not come for 250 - 300 Euro or Dollar. Not new and not second hand. To good to be true? Not True!
• No Gibson is made in China. All Gibsons are made in the USA. Some sellers will admit the guitar is produced in China, admitting the Gibson is a copy, selling for a "copy" price, although "made in USA" is stamped in the back of the headstock. Problem is that most "resellers" (for example on Ebay, or local) don't mention the fact that the guitar is made in China, trying to sell the guitar "for real".
• If possible, check the measurements before buying. The measures of each Gibson can be found on their website.
• The truss rod cover on an original Gibson is bell shaped, with 2 screws. Copies though often have 3 screws. Also, the brand name "Gibson" is never written on the truss rod on a real Gibson.
• Wiring should be neat, streight and metall. If plastic, sloppy, and cavity painted black inside, wrong!
• Most Gibsons come with a case, owners manual and inspection / warranty card. If not, watch out.
• All pearl on the neck should be inlayed.
• Serial numbers are stamped in the back of the headstock, but the numbers of the fakes often don't represent the years of the production of the real Gibsons. If you want to be sure, check the serial numbers at http://www.guitardaterproject.org/default.aspx  ,where information is provided hidden in the serial number of a guitar. Gibson is supported, but also Epiphone, Fender, Yamaha and Ibanez.
• If still not sure you can always contact  the Gibson Customer Service. All the knowledge is there, and they are willing to help you find out whether it's a real Gibson or a fake.

I'm aware of the fact that this is not a complete list. New fakes are being build, and specifications can be changed. If you have more info about spotting a fake Gibson Supreme, please leave a comment so I can update the list! Any way, when in for buying a Gibson Les Paul (Supreme), and one of the above mentioned comes up, be alerted!

les paul supreme body pickups

Epiphone ES-339 Ultra review (the bad)

 Review of the Epiphone ES-339 Ultra

Epiphone ES-339 Ultra built in chromatic tuner

As promised in my previous post, "the good", here is the second part of my review of the Epiphone ES-339 Ultra. It's time for the "bad"!

About 35 years ago I took guitar lessons for some years. At that time I played a classical Yamaha guitar,  nylon strings, and the pieces I played where also classic. Nylon strings and fingerpicking. It's a big step from a classical guitar to an electric guitar, but the semi-hollow body of the ES-339 Ultra still gives me the feeling and the natural sound of an accoustic guitar. Begin january 2012 I bought the guitar at my local guitar dealer.

The bad:

The Cherry-red color on the Epiphone ES-339 Ultra looks great, and overall the laquer finish is excellent. I'm sorry to say that not all of the guitar has the same building quality. The edges on the inside of the f-hole are rough; no sanding here. Further more the first 2 frets on the fingerboard are not polished well. When bending the high "e" and "b"strings they rasp and it all feels a bit sticky, I hope you get my point. Also the battery-lid in the Shadow Nanomag control compartment at the back of the guitar raises about a milimeter above the rest of the panel.

Last but not least, 2 out of 4 volume knobs move very loose when turning, and when all knobs are turned in "0" position they are not outlined.

Didn't I notice these issues when I played and bought the Epiphone ES-339 Ultra? My fault, I was blinded by the looks......

I mostly play the Nanomag in combination with the neck pick-up. After some experimenting with all possible combinations between the Nanomag and both the humbuckers I noiticed that with both pick-ups selected, with the toggle switch in the middle position, the output was weak, and from my hearing, only the neck pick-up takes part in the play. When searching the internet (Google: problems with Epiphone Ultra) I learned that also other (ES-339 and Les Paul) Ultra owners experienced the same problem with the electronics.

Gibson also noticed the problem, and they posted important information for Epiphone Les Paul Ultra III and Ultra 339 owners!
Finally I have problems with installing the Guitarrig software which can be downloaded for free when the Epiphone ES-339 Ultra is purchased, but that's a nice topic for a future review.

Epiphone ES-339 Ultra body

Service:

As a service my guitar dealer offers every buyer a guitar set-up with neck adjustment and new stringing within 6 months after purchasing a (steel string) guitar. About 1 week ago I took the ES-339 Ultra and the printed information from Gibson to the shop. As their repair-staff is not familiar with the Epiphone ES-339 Ultra electronics they offered to send the guitar to the Gibson / Epiphine service center (in Europe), free of charge, and that's todays status. My guitar has left the building.....  I'll keep you posted!

Epiphone ES-339 outputs

Service update 1:

I received an email from the guitar dealer, informing me that my Epiphone ES-339 Ultra came back from the Gibson / Epiphone service center. The guitar has been at the service center for about 1 week. Also they asked me to inform them what kind of strings I wanted my ES-339 Ultra. Normally I would have chosen for D'Addario as I had them in my early years on my acoustic Yamaha (nylon strings, not steel strings), and I have always been content with D'Addario, but I read a lot of good things about the strings from Elixer (more about strings in later posts) so I choose for Elixer '10 strings. The dealer will restring and set-up my ES-339 Ultra.

Epiphone ES-339 Grover tuners

Service update final:

Today I picked up my ES-339 Ultra from the guitar dealer! The guitar has been away for about 2 weeks.

Restringing is done by the dealer, it now is stringed with Elixer. I don't know what strings have originally been on the guitar. The Gibson / Epiphone service center has replaced the neck pick-up, an Epiphone Probucker by Alnico. I had little time to check all functions and electronics, but it appears to me that everything works fine now. Both probuckers can be selected and they now give a firm output. So far so good!

Epiphone ES-339 Ultra review (the good)

epiphone es-339 ultra outputs

Review of the Epiphone ES-339 Ultra

The first guitar I bought, in january 2012, is the Epiphone ES-339 Ultra, in Cherry Red. Lots of research was done, like reading reviews, in order to buy me the most suitable guitar.....:).

As I didn't know what kind of music or styles I was going to play (still don't know), I was looking for a guitar with lots of possibilities. The specifications of the Epiphone ES-339 Ultra, and the fact that the price was within the budget made the choice for me. And.... I fell for the looks and the colour! I got the guitar for 599 Euro at Tonika, Groningen (my hometown), the Netherlands. It's time for a review.                             

The good:

First of all the ES-339 is smaller than the big Epiphone ES-355. Due to all the electronics stuffed in, the guitar only has 1 f-hole. and the electronics can be accessed from the back of the body. The ES-339 is easy to handle and play.

The Epiphone Ultra is equiped with 2 Epiphone (Alnico) probuckers in the neck and bridge, and, surprise, a "Shadow NanoMag" at the end of the fingerboard next to the neck pickup. The body is semi-hollow, and together with the Nanomag the guitar can give a deep warm natural acoustic tone. The 2 probuckers make it possible to play all kinds of music, from metal to rock, blues and jazz. All in all a nice blend between an (semi) acoustic and an electric guitar. Also the Epiphone Ultra has a USB, to connect the guitar to a computer, and use software like Guitarrig. The plate behind the outputs is made of metal, not a cheap kind of plastic plastic.

From Native Instruments the GuitarRig software can be downloaded for free when the ES-339 Ultra is registered at Epiphone, using the registration and download link from the Les Paul Ultra 3, which uses the same electronics and technology. It took me a little time to figure out where to find the serial number you need to register your Epiphone Ultra, it's placed on the inside of the battery lid, next to the panel with the Nanomag controls, at the back of the guitar.

Tuning the ES-339 Ultra is a simple job. A full function chromatic tuner is built into the mounting ring of the bridge probucker. Little colored leds indicates whether the string is "on tune" or not. It works perfect for me.

Extra is the double output, one mono and one stereo, so the humbuckers can be send to the amp and at the same time the nanomag can be send to an acoustic amp or a PA. I use my Fender Mustang I.

An acoustic amp is on my "wishlist", I would love to hear the guitar on 2 amps!
A lot is packed in this guitar, there's lots to play with!

The bad:

It's not only stars and stripes for the Epiphone ES-339 Ultra!

The second part of my review will be about "the bad", the problems and issues I have with the guitar.

epiphone es-339 ultra neck pickup and nanomag

epiphone es-339 ultra bridge

epiphone es-339 ultra head

The Epiphone ES-339 Ultra comes in amazing colors!

Last but not least, to complete the feast, Epiphone decided to offer the ES-339 Ultra not only in the colors red, sunburst and natural, but also in pelham blue. For me, this guitar only looks good in red, and the pelham blue.... far too much for me! Am I getting old?

epiphone es-339 ultra pelham blue