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M Elise
Published on 12/07/08 at 20:52
Mine looked exactly like the one in the above picture and was made sometime in the 90s I believe. This is a Gibson semi-hollow body 335 type. The guitar has a block of wood that runs inside it. I don't know where these are made but I doubt its the US because of the price/quality ratio. Epiphone still makes them as of 2008.
UTILIZATION
This is a very nice guitar. The build quality of the neck and body and paint quality seems exceptional for the price range. The guitar is really solid. The guitar is way more solid than the cheap Epiphone Dot which also purports to be a 335 wanna be. The bridges and pickups tend to loose their shiny plating over time. The pickups and electronics are of lower quality than the rest of the guitar. The guitar is easy to play and keep in tune etc. I don't know if any of the shortcomings have been improved in newer models or not.
SOUNDS
I was first attracted to this guitar because of its super duper deep phat sound. This is by far the biggest sounding 335 type guitar I have ever played (but I have never played a real Gibson 335). In fact its the biggest sounding guitar I've ever played with the exception of a true wide bodied jazz guitar with thick strings. Its weak link is the pickups which are passable but sound a little muddled and tinny to me. The buzz on this guitar is that if you buy it stock and replace the electronics and replace the pickups with quality ones like on a real 335 or similar you end up with an absolute monster guitar; the quality of which matches a Gibson 335 at a fraction of the cost.
OVERALL OPINION
This guitar is good stock but from what I've read has serious potential as a great instrument. I sold mine eventually before doing the for-mentioned mod because I simply had too many guitars and this one just didn't feel like me. But there is nothing wrong with this guitar. If you want a great Gibson 335 sound this is probably the way to get it without spending a fortune. And these guitars are easy to find used.
UTILIZATION
This is a very nice guitar. The build quality of the neck and body and paint quality seems exceptional for the price range. The guitar is really solid. The guitar is way more solid than the cheap Epiphone Dot which also purports to be a 335 wanna be. The bridges and pickups tend to loose their shiny plating over time. The pickups and electronics are of lower quality than the rest of the guitar. The guitar is easy to play and keep in tune etc. I don't know if any of the shortcomings have been improved in newer models or not.
SOUNDS
I was first attracted to this guitar because of its super duper deep phat sound. This is by far the biggest sounding 335 type guitar I have ever played (but I have never played a real Gibson 335). In fact its the biggest sounding guitar I've ever played with the exception of a true wide bodied jazz guitar with thick strings. Its weak link is the pickups which are passable but sound a little muddled and tinny to me. The buzz on this guitar is that if you buy it stock and replace the electronics and replace the pickups with quality ones like on a real 335 or similar you end up with an absolute monster guitar; the quality of which matches a Gibson 335 at a fraction of the cost.
OVERALL OPINION
This guitar is good stock but from what I've read has serious potential as a great instrument. I sold mine eventually before doing the for-mentioned mod because I simply had too many guitars and this one just didn't feel like me. But there is nothing wrong with this guitar. If you want a great Gibson 335 sound this is probably the way to get it without spending a fortune. And these guitars are easy to find used.