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Introducing the Beast
by Dave Carpenter. In early 2007, I took an extended vacation. Upon my return (and much to my surprise) the folks at Gibson had built a new ES prototype; the ES-339. As production began, I traveled to Memphis to play and test the guitars as each was built. When I arrived at the factory the place was all a buzz with excitement about their new “Gentle Beast.” Both prototypes I played were balanced perfectly. Gibson craftsmen were excited and pleased about successfully capturing the true essence of ES sound, the warmth and openness of “Memphis Tone” configuration wiring (this is the first production guitar crafted by Gibson Custom Shop to utilize the Memphis tone circuit), and the great feel of the Slender Player’s Profile (30 over 60) neck. Calling the visit exciting is an understatement. I absolutely loved being in the middle of the excitement and positive energy. Each guitar was so much fun to play. All were extremely well balanced, and all possessed the ES essence, energy, and soulful moan I hoped they would. The new guitar is approximately 14.2 inches wide (an excellent reduction in dimensions from the normal 16 inch wide ES double cutaways) and loosely, a 25% dimensional reduction. Using a proven approach with Les Paul solid body guitars, the new ES hangs like an old friend and is immediately comfortable. As someone who loves to play solid body guitars, this newest addition to the ES family really fits into my “Guitar Comfort Zone”. This axe is meant to rock anywhere, anytime, whether in clubs, arenas, and even in hotel rooms, or at home on the couch. Because of the acoustic vibe and essence this is a true songwriting tool. Like my favorite vintage ES 335s, when you crank this up, it’s a beast! With the classic ES resonance, feel and performance and with reduced dimensions that focus the clean sound and sparkle, and as pissed as anything I’ve ever seen with the amp cranked up. Simply stated, it is commanding! Most other solid bodies obviously don’t have the acoustic essence that an ES semi hollow (or semi solid as Adrian Ingram sometimes refers to this type of construction in his book about the 335. I recommend Adrian’s books if you haven’t read them. (They are all good.)) I want that elusive tone, acoustic essence and sting that only comes from an ES. Seemingly others do also, if there are three guitar players jamming and only one 339, three guitar players will be fighting for playing time. Heroes and Legends When you see a guitar player slinging an ES series beauty, strap yourself in because this performer is serious and this guitar provides all the muscle h e needs to blow you away. Wimps need not apply! For me, an ES series guitar always meant I’m going to experience something special in the music, whether live or recorded; whether it was Eric, Freddie or my own local guitar hero Steve Hickman. Going way back before I played guitar, even before my teenage years I had images of the Electric-Spanish (ES) series guitars imprinted on my mind by the Beatles (I was about 10), and other great international artists. Many local players favored ES series guitars, like my friend Ron, a musical prodigy who played an Epiphone Riviera, as well as Bill Owens, Gary Lane, and certainly the incomparable Steve Hickman and his big red ES 335. I compare my buddy Steve to Dan Toler (during the Greg Allman band era; “I’m no angel” from “Just Before the Bullets Fly”). Even as a kid, Steve was a gifted guitar player and was “plucked” out of our little town before he completed high school to tour with a band called Apple Jack. Before Steve left town, we’d all go see Steve perform anywhere, anytime; he was our hero. Steve was from the town across the river Kennewick, WA, and being without wheels we’d walk across the bridge over the Columbia River from Pasco, WA, to watch and listen to the magic. I wish my words could do justice to Steve, and the wonderful sounds he made on his big red guitar. When the stage lights hit Steve and the band, everything paled in comparison to that wonderful guitar, and thrust Steve Hickman into the limelight. That guitar was truly a presence on stage, and on a couple of occasions, people actually stopped dancing just to watch Steve and to listen to the magic. Awesome, I mean truly inspiring. You could hear every sweet, dynamic note. When Steve soloed on blues classics like Smoke Stack Lightning, notes would sing out with a sweet sting that would literally engulf your senses, while the driving growl of the low notes would energize your soul and make you jump. Steve’s guitar was a straight up catalog example of a ’65 ES without modification. Steve was the first guitarist I’d seen playing mono through two amplifiers (dissimilar amplifiers at that). He ran his guitar into input #1, of channel 2 (tremolo channel) of a Showman Amp with a JBL D-130. Then connected an Ampeg 212 guitar amplifier, using input #2 of channel #2 (tremolo channel) of a Showman. When Steve turned up his red ES guitar the Showman was able to really deliver the punch and the muscle of that semi-hollow while the Ampeg, which was easily driven into its nonlinear amplification curve, was providing superb distortion tones with compression and complex dynamic harmonic colorations. Yet when Steve rolled back the volume control, the highs would sparkle and clean tones were to die for. With this simple, well-designed set up, centered around this fabulous ES series guitar, Steve delivered a diversity of unforgettable tone and expression, concert after concert, I still use as a standard today. I bought my first ES 335 for our high school rock, jazz choir, and stage bands. Our high school band director was so impressed with the sound of my guitar played through an old brown Vibrolux amp, he allowed us to include “Soul Sacrifice” and other contemporary tunes in our performances. I would crank it up and step out front and let the big red guitar establish it’s presence on stage. Pretty cool high school stage band director huh! I’ve been collecting great guitars since high school, and ES series guitars have always been a part of my modest collection. My favorites are the semi hollow ES guitars because they produce enough acoustic sound to preclude the need for an amp when song-writing or simply practicing riffs. But when plugged in, you get powerful, rich, bold and versatile sound that motivates players and audiences alike. I am moved by the clean tones at low volumes, and excited by the fiery tones of the ES when the amp is turned way up, and the ES guitar is snarling. Most ES series semi hollow guitars have a 16 inch (or >) body. I always wanted a reduced dimension ES semi hollow (maple center block, spruce contour braces etc.) guitar, in hopes that this would lessen the energy dissipation, increase the focus, and change the ratio of the fundamental and higher overtone characteristics. A working analogy would be; the way a Martin O-18 sounds different than a Martin OOO-18 does. I recently recorded some videos with guitar wizard Carl Tosten ( http://www.carltosten.com/ check it out!), known primarily for his great acoustic guitar works. Carl played a family of Martin 18 series guitars a OOO-18, OO-18 and a O-18. What we witnessed when Carl played the Martin 18 family guitars in succession, is that as the guitar body dimensions are reduced the guitar gains exciting musical overtones and tightens the bass response. The inverse is true for volume since the diaphragm (top) size has a direct effect. Bigger is louder. We also witnessed a cool phenomenon: Because of construction, design and material similarities of all 3, these guitars exhibited a consistent Martin (“ Mahogany Ought series”) quality of sound. The continuing pursuit of a reduced dimension semi hollow guitar capable of delivering the bold tonal response, while remaining a practical stage, studio and players guitar, has resulted in the ES 339. I truly believe only Gibson could build bring this concept to fruition and produce such a guitar. I approached Gibson with the concept of utilizing the ES 140 body dimensions add a maple center block, spruce contour braces etc. just like a 335, next add a Gibson ’59 RI neck, stop bar, abr1, humbucking pickups etc. In 2005, I worked with my eldest son Jason to prepare a visual concept of such a guitar to reinforce the vision. In Summary I’ve played the prototype non-stop since receiving it from Gibson, and it’s rapidly become my new best old friend. It hangs perfectly, and fits me like a glove. The ability to play in a variety of work and lifestyle activities allows me to recapture that subtle touch a player needs to make the most of the lively and energetic semi hollow design. I’m energized and motivated by all of those cool little extra things an ES guitar does for my playing. Way too cool! This guitar is now a must to have around! While I favor the Gibson Custom ’59 Profile neck (I have several on order), I’ve also been playing and enjoying the smaller neck because it allows me to do different things (including thumb wrap-arounds). I will eventually own both. Why do I play it so much? In short; it has Classic ES nuances, tone, and fire when played through my 1958 Tweed Deluxe amplifier, a great feel to the neck, the electronic controls are nice with full tone when full up, smooth volume reduction as you turn down while retaining it’s sparkle, light-weight, and perfect balance. No compromises! In recent years, I’d grown used to playing solid body guitars (mainly Les Pauls, and Fender Strats and Teles) while sitting at my desk or on the couch. These guitars feel and hang similarly, weigh somewhere between 7.8 – 9.0 lbs., and create a highly desirable intimacy and comfort level for players. The gentle beast fits into this group perfectly (the weight on this new axe is about like a Chambered Les Paul). Put it this way: If stranded on a desert island with only one guitar, this hard-working little beauty would be my choice! The new Gibson ES-339 is a “Gentle Beast” and I believe, the next Icon guitar. Maybe gentle isn’t the right word. How about “Fearsome Beauty,” or the “Tasmanian Devil,” maybe “The Gladiator,” or even “Thor’s Hammer.” Nah, all those titles sound a bit cliché, maybe even cheesy. The ES 339 is best described as; “A hard-working journeyman’s guitar.” Finally, I think that Gibson got it right. I think that bringing this guitar to the market at this time shows Gibson’s awareness of guitar enthusiasts’ high level of understanding. These new guitars are built using the same quality materials and the same superb craftsmanship as the current ES 335 dot models. Why play this guitar? Why not!