Budget ES-335 . . . i think i like this one !

Re: Budget ES-335 . . . i think i like this one !

Hey - what REALLY matters is what you think about it. I'm not an ES 335 guy. and Since Epiphone can produce good ones for 400 and great ones for 1000, 1300 for a cheap trap tailpiece, and one bucker does NOT impress me.

I think that is a great example of Gibson fail. Who TF wants that? Headbanger ES335 fans? All 3 of them? I'm sure that DF won't feedback through the Marshall mode Four that will likely be played through.

All kinds of fail. Get a black Dot Studio from Epi and do a mag swap. Done for $300.
 
Re: Budget ES-335 . . . i think i like this one !

My 335S kicks my Epiphone Pro to the curb, one pickup or not. And even better after 8 months I did not need a total refret on the Gibson because of the crap fret material.

But hey, Bob's rant sure sounds like he knows what he is talking about.

No feedback issues either. No worse than my Les Paul anyway

You can see a a pic and hear mine over in t&c.
 
Re: Budget ES-335 . . . i think i like this one !

man that thing *looks* all wrong.
Could be awesome.
I will probably never find out cuz like Aceman I feel that guitar is just all types of weird and my gut instinct would be Dot or a more standard ES-335
 
Re: Budget ES-335 . . . i think i like this one !

JeffB said:
My 335S kicks my Epiphone Pro to the curb, one pickup or not. And even better after 8 months I did not need a total refret on the Gibson because of the crap fret material.

But hey, Bob's rant sure sounds like he knows what he is talking about.

No feedback issues either. No worse than my Les Paul anyway

You can see a a pic and hear mine over in t&c.
Click to expand...

Question still remains - why is Gibson making epiphones with such crap fret material when you can buy guitars in the same range with much better frets?

I don't think it should be a gibson vs. epiphone debate... It should be a gibson vs. literally-everybody-else-on-the-face-of-the-earth-who-doesn't-price-gouge-because-they-don't-have-Gibson's-brand-equity debate
 
Re: Budget ES-335 . . . i think i like this one !

Baked maple fretboard on a mahog neck? That seems a little backwards to me.

A padded gig bag for a semi-hollow? Come on. Hollows and semi-hollows go in a hard case, even if the case is made of MDF.
 
Re: Budget ES-335 . . . i think i like this one !

ginormous said:
Baked maple fretboard on a mahog neck? That seems a little backwards to me.

A padded gig bag for a semi-hollow? Come on. Hollows and semi-hollows go in a hard case, even if the case is made of MDF.
Click to expand...


Can't really expect a deluxe hard shell case from Gibson for $1400.00 you know ;)
 
Re: Budget ES-335 . . . i think i like this one !

^thats sarcasm, right?
Because for 1300 you get a hard case with an Am Std strat.... (Apples and oranges, I know. Just a comparison)
And you also 3 pickups.... And more knobs..... For 1400, you could do so much better.
 
Re: Budget ES-335 . . . i think i like this one !

I can't answer any questions for Epiphone. Cheap junk, and I can go piece by piece hardware, wood, and construction wise and the only thing they have in common is shape.

For me, the 335 Studio is misnamed. They should have named it Jr. As it is in the same class as a Les Paul or SG junior. (Or any number of EVH Franken wannabes from kramer, charvel, etc)...a No frills one pickup rock guitar.

That said, my Boss informed me this morning I will be out of work for the next two months, so I may need to sell the damned thing anyway :(
 
Re: Budget ES-335 . . . i think i like this one !

I actually think the Dirty Finger pickup is the main draw here. Isn't his kind of a re-do of the Tom DeLonge Signature guitar they did with the racing stripe a few years ago?

Having three 335s and a couple of clones, and keeping in mind that I LIKE Gibsons--this is a bad bet, in my book. I would tell anyone looking for a new budget 335 to go with the Ibanez Artstar and Artcore models. I have an older MIK Artstar AS-120, and it is a very, very nice guitar. Next bet would probably be the Epi Rivieras and Sheratons.

With a little more money, the Ibanez Schofield model, aka AS-200, is top notch, but you could probably buy a used Gibson for the price of one of these; ditto for the Yamaha SA-2200--great guitars. I know VOX is making a semi-hollow--haven't played one yet. The Guild Starfires are very nice. And if you don't necessarily have to have the 335 shape, well, there are semi-hollows all over the place--from Gretsch, G&L, PRS, and a host of others.

And a used 335--even a nice one--isn't THAT much more than this. Yeah, a used guitar won't get you a warranty, but it should get you a nice hard case, and a guitar to treasure for a lifetime.

No, for that much money there are much better choices out there. The stripped-down look will be appealing to many, but I think you'll get more guitar from some of the other brands I've mentioned.

Bill
 
Re: Budget ES-335 . . . i think i like this one !

JeffB said:
I can't answer any questions for Epiphone. Cheap junk, and I can go piece by piece hardware, wood, and construction wise and the only thing they have in common is shape....That said, my Boss informed me this morning I will be out of work for the next two months, so I may need to sell the damned thing anyway :(
Click to expand...

Not a little bitter are you? Look down on imports, but the average player isn't going to (and often can't) drop $1,200+ for a 335, so Gibsons are out of the question for them.
 
Re: Budget ES-335 . . . i think i like this one !

Not concerned with the average player or great players or sucky players, or rich ones or poor ones. Rick.

Speaking for my own taste and my wallet.

Bitter. Yup. I do get bitter when I spend 4 bills on a brand new guitar (not including the pickups I put in it), and 8 months later the frets are dented, grooved, and pitted across the entire neck due to crappy soft fret material. Around these parts, a fretjob is a $300 job minimum. Which is more than the guitar is worth 3 hours after I got it home.

I could then put another $300 in for a new nut, rewire, bridge and tailpiece, tuners, to put it in the same ballpark hardware-wise, and still not have a guitar actually made of maple and mahogany,nor constructed in the same manner as the Gibson is or some of the higher end imports like Bill mentioned.

If you or anyone else wants to spend their cash on a guitar like that, you will get no beef from me. Its not MY money to spend. But I sure will complain when it's MY money.
 
Re: Budget ES-335 . . . i think i like this one !

JeffB said:
Bitter. Yup. I do get bitter when I spend 4 bills on a brand new guitar (not including the pickups I put in it), and 8 months later the frets are dented, grooved, and pitted across the entire neck due to crappy soft fret material.
Click to expand...

Not a common complaint for a very common brand of guitar.
 
Re: Budget ES-335 . . . i think i like this one !

We never established whether your claim was true or not to begin with.
 
Re: Budget ES-335 . . . i think i like this one !

Here's various shots of frets up to around the twelfth. Above the twelfth, the dips are of course progressively smaller, but the camera cannot seem to capture them as bad as they are. Now the guitar is unplayable in aeveral spots because the strings are dead on the fret, or chords will not intonate.

This guitar had a professional crown and polish, and fret ends done when I purchased it as the frets out of the box were unplayable.

View attachment 56733View attachment 56734View attachment 56735View attachment 56736View attachment 56737View attachment 56738View attachment 56739View attachment 56740
 
Re: Budget ES-335 . . . i think i like this one !

Epiphone quality right there.

On a serious note, I AM rough on frets. But my import Fenders never looked like this after 8 months.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

The Dali
Epi IBG 335 - brand new...
Replies
6
Views
474
The Dali
The Dali
SirJackdeFuzz II
How do i transform my Epi Casino ?
Replies
9
Views
504
SirJackdeFuzz II
SirJackdeFuzz II
JohnnyGuitarCA
2 questions about pickups for ES-335 type guitars in a hard rock context
2
Replies
20
Views
1K
nienturi
nienturi
P
Does Seymour Duncan make something like the Monty Guitars Full Monty (GT500) pickups?
Replies
1
Views
400
freefrog
freefrog
JohnnyGuitarCA
Duncan Full Shred SH-2n in the neck, DiMarzio FRED in the bridge. Volume mismatch?
Replies
3
Views
371
Mr. B
Mr. B
Back
Top