Hollows: Artcore, Dot, ???

[wanmei1]

Re: Hollows: Artcore, Dot, ???

As far as mahogany vs maple Dots, all it means to me is that I'll to use warmer PU's or magnets in the maple, nothing I'd lose sleep over. If you don't tweak your electronics it could be an issue. 335's seem to be a relatively warm design in a variety of woods.

In my experience a maple necked Dot cannot be made to sound like a mahogany necked guitar regardless of what you do to it.

You can make it darker via pots, caps, and pups but you can't overcome the tone the neck wood imparts to the point where it sounds like a mahogany neck.

An extreme example perhaps but you can't make an alder Strat sound like a mahogany LP regardless of what you do to it.

Too much of the tone of a 335 style guitar lies in the neck.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Hollows: Artcore, Dot, ???

I've gotten two Dot Deluxes on eBay, excellent condition, one for $249, the other for $215. Flame top & gold hardware. Can't beat it. Why get a Studio?

a few reasons:

a) 335 for minumum $
b) easy to find and put "hands on" vs internet luck of the draw on feel/sound
c) different aesthetics

Just pointing to the bottom of the range. My first choice would be a sweet used Sheraton!

 

[blueman335]

Re: Hollows: Artcore, Dot, ???

My first choice would be a sweet used Sheraton!

I do like my black Sheraton, but if you want a 335 with a flame top, Dot Deluxes are the way to go. Pretty much the same materials as a Sheraton, but with a one-piece neck, versus a laminated one for the Sheraton. Some DD's even have block inlays. Have you seen a wine-red flame top Dot Deluxe? Hard to pass up a used one for $250.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Hollows: Artcore, Dot, ???

Hey now! Wine red, gold hardware, $250....stop twisting my arm!

I'm generally not a fan of flame in 335's - but that's me. And for 250 I 'might' be willing to get it unplayed. But I rarely buy without touching.

 

[baritone]

Re: Hollows: Artcore, Dot, ???

Before I bought my Artcore, I compared a bunch of different hollow and semi-hollow guitars at different stores. I tried out some Epiphones, Gibsons (new and vintage), and Gretches (US and import). For my needs, the Ibanez Artcore was the best. Compared to Epiphones, the Artcores have better wood and unplugged tone and neater craftsmanship, but the Epiphones had nicer hardware. The Gibsons I played were stunning, but the differences did not account for the $4-$10k difference (to me, at least). Although craftsmanship and playability of the US Gretches were tops, and the import Gretches were close, I don't find them to be aesthetically pleasing. If I went for one of those, I would totally alter it to make it look more like an Artcore.