Epiphone ES-335 Cherry

Epiphone did a good job of recreating the classic semi-hollow body, but it isn't perfect. To start, it's very heavy. The neck and giant head (while very cool) causes significant "nose dive". I find myself pulling it up way more often then I would like. My second con is the pickups. They are good but break up a little too early for me. But, other than those two things it's an awesome guitar. The features like the binding on the neck, a burst finish, and inlays all over make it beautiful to look at and feel on the hands. You would pay big money for a Gibson with the same level of features. Build quality on mine is fine, binding edges are crisp, frets are level, wiring seems to be assembled well. I'm putting a better set of strings on mine (no idea what comes on it but ... MoreEpiphone did a good job of recreating the classic semi-hollow body, but it isn't perfect. To start, it's very heavy. The neck and giant head (while very cool) causes significant "nose dive". I find myself pulling it up way more often then I would like. My second con is the pickups. They are good but break up a little too early for me. But, other than those two things it's an awesome guitar. The features like the binding on the neck, a burst finish, and inlays all over make it beautiful to look at and feel on the hands. You would pay big money for a Gibson with the same level of features. Build quality on mine is fine, binding edges are crisp, frets are level, wiring seems to be assembled well. I'm putting a better set of strings on mine (no idea what comes on it but I hate it) and smile every time I pick it up.

I previously owned the Epiphone Dot and was pleased with it. After upgrading the pickups and the wiring harness it was a nice guitar. It wasn't a Gibson, but it wasn't bad. However, I was more impressed with the Ibanez line if I went with a 335 copy. But this new "Inspired By Gibson" Epiphone ES-335 kills it in almost every category. I am so happy with this guitar. I'm unsure what Epiphone did with the headstock, but it's not ugly anymore. There's no more cheap plastic "E" on the pickguard and nothing on the truss rod cover. There is an understated elegance to the whole guitar. The finish is nice. It's not nitrocellulose, but it's not overly thick. The neck is a wonderful size for me. It's not slim taper, but it's not as big as the ole Epi dots. My large hands are ... MoreI previously owned the Epiphone Dot and was pleased with it. After upgrading the pickups and the wiring harness it was a nice guitar. It wasn't a Gibson, but it wasn't bad. However, I was more impressed with the Ibanez line if I went with a 335 copy. But this new "Inspired By Gibson" Epiphone ES-335 kills it in almost every category. I am so happy with this guitar. I'm unsure what Epiphone did with the headstock, but it's not ugly anymore. There's no more cheap plastic "E" on the pickguard and nothing on the truss rod cover. There is an understated elegance to the whole guitar. The finish is nice. It's not nitrocellulose, but it's not overly thick. The neck is a wonderful size for me. It's not slim taper, but it's not as big as the ole Epi dots. My large hands are fine with it, and there's no fight to it. The overall fit and finish of the guitar are excellent. The pickups and wiring harness is good just as is. I've played it extensively for several days, and I see no reason to change them. That is a happy discovery. That was a weak point of the old Epi Dots. I know they've gone up in price from the old Epi dots, but I think, dollar for dollar, they are a much better bargain. The tuners feel good, and I love the keystone buttons. The only thing I am changing is the nut. The Nu-Bone, while not plastic is a step down from the regular TUSQ material, and this guitar deserves a bone nut. In summary, this is an excellent guitar. I am so pleased with the purchase, and it's beautiful to look at. It's inspired by Gibson, and it looks like a Gibson. After a good set-up, it plays wonderfully. It is miles ahead of the old Epiphone Dots. It seems that lately, guitar manufacturers change things up every couple of years as a market strategy. I'm still upset with Fender for getting rid of the Baja Telecaster! But this is a change that is fantastic. The reasons for choosing Gibson over Epiphone are getting very small, indeed! As usual, Sweetwater has its act together as a music retailer. If they were a band, they would be the tightest band you've ever heard. I've come to expect this from them over multiple years with multiple purchases, but that doesn't mean it is not very much appreciated. A Tip of the hat to Alex Campos, and a second-to-none shipping department!

The only reason for the 3 star rating is the work it needed. A brand new instrument may need a setup, but it shouldn't need repairs. More details below, but lets start with what was really good.This "Inspired by Gibson" model has some awesome improvements over prior models. The Kalamazoo styled headstock is really nice. It still has the same challenges as the Gibson models, but it has a much more refined look than its predecessors. Same thing with the pick guard. These two improvements provide a far more polished look to the final product. These features may seem small to some, but I appreciate them. The higher grade pots also result in a more professional feel and tone for the player. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I prefer the pickups in this model over ... MoreThe only reason for the 3 star rating is the work it needed. A brand new instrument may need a setup, but it shouldn't need repairs. More details below, but lets start with what was really good.This "Inspired by Gibson" model has some awesome improvements over prior models. The Kalamazoo styled headstock is really nice. It still has the same challenges as the Gibson models, but it has a much more refined look than its predecessors. Same thing with the pick guard. These two improvements provide a far more polished look to the final product. These features may seem small to some, but I appreciate them. The higher grade pots also result in a more professional feel and tone for the player. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I prefer the pickups in this model over the T-Types found in the the Gibson model. They don't have the same note separation or clarity as the T-Type, but they do have a warmer jazzy tone that I prefer, so I'm going to keep the pickups.On the "still not perfect side" of the conversation, many of these will require some additional work to get it in playable condition. Some reviewers have reported that they were perfect right out of the box, so it may be a hit and miss situation, but mine was a bit of a miss. I knew the issues were fixable, so I purchased it anyway. The factory setup was quite poor. There was far too much neck relief and the bridge was way too high. This wasn't a matter of simply not being set up the way I like my guitars. When I picked it up off the display, this one was unplayable. After fixing the relief and action, I found 2 dead frets. Not a buzz because the action was too low, but two completely dead frets (without bending). A fret level and crown was needed. My biggest critique is the fret ends were so sharp that I literally cut my finger on one. That had to be fixed. I had a professional do the fret repars and a full setup. Now, it plays flawlessly. One day I may end up replacing the bridge and tailpiece. They are fairly low quality, but on par with comparable instruments in this class. If you can do these types of repairs yourself or don't mind spending a little extra to have them done by a professional, this is a good value for most players and I would recommend it to my friends.