Gibson ES 339--thoughts??

Never played a 339 but I have a 333 on loan from my uncle.  Those (semi) hollow-bodies yield some sweet tones indeed but will give you more bottom end than compared to a regular solid body.  Also, they can feedback much quicker.  As far as the 333 I have, its been upgraded with burst buckers and it sings.  Sounds better than my LPs, I think.  Just something about the tone of those semi hollow-bodies that really appeals.  I'm not a clean player, so I couldn't say how well it cleans up depending on your amp but for overdrive and high gain, they will fair well.

I've played a few and there were some quality control issues so I can't give you a really good assessment.  What I can say is that I've owned a few really nice 336's.  You can get them used and they can cover a lot of tonal ground. 

You might want to consider a collings i-35 or the new lc model.  Collings is pricey but, in my opinion, the quality is hard to match.

I've played a cs-336 now for about 6 years and i love it. I've played country, blues, & classic rock with it. sounds great through my super reverb as well as my jcm 800! here is a video of me playing my 336 through a 1982 marshall jcm 800 2204.

http://youtu.be/U9wozmi6TkQ

Have you ever considered a vintage Japanese made Ibanez from the early 80's? A lot of collectors and players would argue that the guitars Ibanez was producing back in the late 70's and early 80's were better made than the Gibson and Fender models that they were copying. The Ibanez guitars in those days were made from start to finish by one luthier, meaning one man, one guitar.  It was not an assembly line procedure like that was already in place at companies like Fender and Gibson. In some cases they made models that Gibson copied. Perfect example is the size of the guitar you seek.  Ibanez was making smaller bodied versions of the ES335 before Gibson was.  The AS 100 made popular by John Scofield is 33 percent smaller than an ES335 and plays really sweet and much more comfortable.   Than they made another model the AM series which is the size of a Les Paul. Gibson copied their idea and started producing the ES339. The high end version of the AM series, the AM 205 goes for around 1700.00 on Ebay. They are real high quality instruments if you can get your hands on one in good shape. Playing a good  hollowbody is a lot of fun even without plugging in. I happen to work with a fellow that currently has over 50 vintage Ibanez guitars from this era.  I recently purchased an AS50 which is the least expensive of the AS series.  What a tone! It was not easy to get George to sell me the guitar.

I think they are great guitars.  I am short... 5'5" so a 335 looks huge on my frame.  Its rather stupid looking.  And I love those guitars.  The 339 is a great alternative. They play great and sound great.  I personally thought maybe the pickups were hotter than the 335 in a guitar center test.  But it might have been 57's against Bustbuckers I am sorry I dont recall. 

I am saving up for a Midtown Custom. Almost there.  I played one the other day and so far its my favorite in the semi hollow designs Gibson is putting out.  Great guitar.