I finally had a chance to try out one of these new ES-339's from Gibson.
I am a fan of 335's so I thought this might be an interesting option for people who like the 335 tone but are looking for a smaller instrument.

The ES-339 has great tone, very close to a 335. I couldn't resist playing some Steely Dan tunes on it :-) I played various tunes on it over about 30 minutes and could hardly put it down. My only nits where that the nut slots weren't cut quite wide enough and the tuning machines appear to be kind of cheap (vintage style tuners supposedly). But wow, the sustain and tone of this guitar is right on par with a great 335. It also has this new Nashville tone circuit that's supposed to preserve the high frequencies even at lower volumes. It seems to give the guitar a nice snap.

All in all it seems to be a great guitar. But like all of the more recent Gibsons you should really check the guitar over for defects before buying anything.

Maybe one day ....

-- Jim