I have added an Epiphone ES-339 to the collection for the warmer tones for some of the Kim Pollard’s ballads. Of course, it would be nice to have the Gibson version, but the Epiphone is actually about 75% Gibson for about 25% of the price. It uses the?Alnico Classic PRO pickups (ProBuckers). You can check out a comparison of the Epiphone and Gibson pickups in the ProBucker Challenge video.
I am very happy with the ES-339, particularly with the added feature of coil-tapping on both pickups. Pulling out the volume knob switches the pickup to a single coil, giving it the thinner and brighter sound of a single coil guitar (such as a Telecaster). Maybe there is a Gibson archtop somewhere in my future, but for now, I am really enjoying the Epi.