ES 335 Vs ES 339 Gibson Guitar: Difference & Which is Better?

Guitar as a musical instrument has become popular and Gibson knows what kind of guitar they need to produce to satisfy all ranges of players. The best thing about this brand is that they invent models suitable and affordable like ES 335 and ES 339.

Both these ES-styled guitars are semi-hollow-bodied & masterful at giving you an amazing experience. But between ES 335 Vs ES 339, there are some significant differences. You might think of them as twins just with different colors, but no. They have some major differences indeed.

The Major Differences in Quick:

The first difference that you will notice is in their appearance. ES 335, being an old model, possesses a kind of bulky shape. But ES 339 is rather a finer version of 335 and has a very compact shape. Besides that, 335 sounds perfectly clean and 339 sounds more vintage. They differ in the construction of pickups as well.

Apart from these major dissimilarities, we have many more to enlighten you with. As Gibson’s best ES-styled guitars, they have many features same yet different from each other. A compact comparison table between ES 335 and ES 339 settles a lot of confusion in your head.

Comparison Table:

Gibson ES 335 Guitar & ES 339 Guitar Reviews:

Gibson guitars are absolutely perfect and their ES-categorized guitars are great and very much different from each other. Good thing that you will get variations and can choose one according to your choice. As ES guitars are more or less different from each other, ES 335 and ES 339 are no different at all. They also have distinct features that are worth a share.

ES 335 Guitars – Brief Overview:

Gibson’s ES 335 guitars are really great because of their reliable sound quality. These guitars are the first ES guitars with semi-hollow bodies and Gibson will never stop producing them. However, ES 335 guitars are awkwardly big sometimes.

These guitars provide very interesting sound quality. With a clear and bright tone, it sounds close to a Les Paul but not so much. You can play jazz, blues, and even rock with these ES 335 guitars. The semi-hollow body also adds a hollowed sound to the original tone and makes the sound more beautiful to hear.

Most importantly, the pickup of the guitar is also great in structure. With calibrated T-type pickup humbuckers these ES 335 guitars are oriented. Even though an ES 335 guitar is big, they are not that heavy and rather lightweight. But because of their unordinary size, they sit on your lap awkwardly.

Things We Liked About / Pros:

• A versatile semi-hollow-bodied guitar with a top-notch structure
• The lightweight feature of the guitar increases its portability
• The amazing sound quality will allow playing different music genres including jazz, blues, and rock at a time
• This guitar assures great reliability as singers from old ages had confirmed the efficiency of the guitar.

Things We Didn’t Like About / Cons:

• The bulky shape can make you uncomfortable in places

Gibson ES 339 Guitars – Brief Overview:

The ES 339 models are the latter production of Gibson guitars. These guitars know how to produce the real vintage tone of Gibson guitars. Besides, their body size contributes to the sound quality and enhances it to a great extent. In tone, this ES 339 model comes close to similarities with Les Paul.

However, in appearance, an ES 339 guitar is legit impressive. No awkwardness, rather the body size is better, improved, compact, and has the touch of ergonomic material. Besides, you will see the touch of modern culture in this model.

From strings to battery condition, you will get an updated version than its older models. Besides, the pickup of the ES 339 guitars don’t know how to compromise. An alnico 2-based magnetic feature makes the pickups more favorable to the musicians.

However, there are differences within this ES 339 model too. Some guitars have thick necks and some have thin ones. Likewise, some guitars have sports 57 Classic+ humbuckers, and some have Burstbuckers pickups.

Things We Liked About / Pros:

• Comes in an extraordinarily compact size with a body style made of ergonomic materials
• The well-organized wires will not let the guitar fail at its peak time
• The vintage sound with the semi-hollow effect and treble-friendliness make the ES 339 model a top-notch one
• You can get different variations in the structure and pickup construction within the same model

Things We Didn’t Like About / Cons:

• The sound is a bit brighter than the other ES models of the Gibson brand
• The neck part might a little heavier than the guitar

Differences Between ES 335 Vs ES 339 Gibson Guitar:

This ES model is Gibson’s one of the best creations so far. Their gradual development and launching of different models of ES semi-hollow body guitars are legit impressive. Models like ES 335 and ES 339 are quite different from each other. Like their similarities, they have a great number of dissimilarities too. Let’s see the features where they differ from each other.

1) Body Size –

First thing first, Gibson’s first model of ES style is 335 and the size of this guitar is pretty abnormal and awkwardly big. The size is not suitable for many players, but still, the demand for this guitar is crazy. On the other hand, ES 339 comes with a better appearance.

The ergonomic feature, small size, and compactness are praiseworthy. It also looks modern which the ES 335 model lacks.

2) Sound Quality –

There are many controversies regarding the sound quality of both ES 335 guitars and ES 339 guitars. But many players agreed with the fact that ES 339 sounds more like Les Paul than ES 335 does. Also, there is not any terrible difference between these two ES models.

But many players have opinionated that ES 339 is brighter to some extent than ES 335 guitars. Apart from that, the former is known for its vintage quality in the tone and the latter is known for its cleaner tone. Also, both provide a semi-hollow vibe in the tone which is great.

3) Pickup Quality –

You will get pickup connected with both ES 335 and ES 339 guitars. But they are not the same pickup. The former carries humbucker of Caliberated T-Type. On the other hand, the latter comes with an alnico magnetic field. With an alnico 2 magnetic area, the pickup is more reliable.

4) Popularity –

If we want to judge these two models by seeing their popularity, then ES 335 wins over ES 339. It is because Gibson launched the first ES 335 model in 1958, and still this model is intact. Besides, many famous musicians have adopted this model as their best choice.

Compared to this popularity, ES 339 is very new and has not yet gained solid fame like the former one. That’s why it is still a debated model.

5) Versatility

ES 339 Vs ES 335 have versatility though in different aspects. The former can produce diversity in the tone that allows it to play for blues, jazz, and other many rock music genres. However, ES 339 has a different feature in the construction.

For example, they come with either with heavy neck or with a lighter neck. So, you can buy according to your desire.

Price –

An ES 335 guitar is always more pricey than an ES 339 guitar. Earlier they were cheaper but with time the latter one gets cheaper.

So, which Guitar you should buy?

You can buy both ES models as both the 335 and 339 Gibson models are up to the mark. They have a common semi-hollow vibe. Apart from that, you can see the comfort before and choose if you need the big ES 335 one or the small ES 339 one.

FAQs –

Question 1: Is the ES-339 a good guitar?

Answer: The ES 339 is very much an efficient guitar. It comes with ergonomic features and provides you with immense comfort. Besides, it gives off semi-hollow vibes too.

Question 2: Which Gibson ES is the best?

Answer: Almost all the ES models of the Gibson brand are good. An ES-styled guitar comes with semi-hollow body construction. Basically, the first ES 335 is still considered the best Gibson ES guitar for its authentic sound quality.

Question 3: Which is bigger 335 or 339?

Answer: The first ES-styled guitar 335 comes in a bigger size. Because sound and tone was the main concern at that time, size was less of a concern then. Nevertheless, the awkwardly big ES 335 guitar is still the best. And later on, Gibson launched the compact ES 339 model with almost the same feature as the former one.

Last Updated on December 12, 2022 by Perry Garner