Epiphone Ultra-339 guitar – computer-friendly

Epiphone Ultra-339 guitar, Vintage Sunburst colour

One of the grand old guitar brands, Epiphone, has put a little digital trickery into its new Ultra-339.

The Ultra-339 guitar is a slimmed-down version of Ephiphone’s ES-series, and is a semi-hollow bodied instrument, rather than the solid body of the ES.



It’s a nice looking guitar, yes, but what I like about this instrument is the in-built smarts. The Ultra-339 has two pickup systems, the Epiphone ProBucker-2 in the neck position, and a ProBucker-3 in the bridge. These work in concert with the three inputs. The Stereo input picks up both the ProBuckers, with the second using an additional cable you can send the Probuckers to one amp, and the NanoMag system embedded within the second ProBucker to a second amp or PA system.

The third input is a USB port, allowing you to plug the Epiphone Ultra-339 into a computer, recording directly, or using an effects package to alter the guitar’s sound. LEDs on the pickup indicate which system is active.

Also using LEDs is an inbuilt chromatic tuning system. Turn it on, and eleven LEDs indicate whether the note is sharp, flat or in-tune.

The Epiphone Ultra-339 is available in three colours, Vintage Sunburst, Cherry and Natural. Originally priced at around the US$1300 mark, you can now buy the Epiphone Ultra-339 online for US$799.