Epiphone ES-335 Semi-hollowbody - Cherry Review

With a professional set and fret level

The quality and sound is there but, for $ they can't take the time to do the fine touches as more expensive models. Thought I would take a chance and see if I could get a $ guitar to play as well or close to higher priced model. After a full setup and fret leveling it's a beautiful playing and sounding instrument.

---

Cancel Comment

Great guitar!

I have several American made guitars, including a 2020 Gibson Les Paul Standard 60's. Gibson has stepped up their game and that is a great guitar! All guitars require a good setup to get them playing where you want them. That said, this guitar did require some setup work, but was surprisingly less far off than my Gibson was when I received it. The intonation was very close, and… read more the action was right at factory spec. I did have to do some work on the nut, which I also had to do on the Gibson. I think it's pretty well known that they cut the nut slots a little high at the factory. Some of this might boil down to Sweetwater's 55 point inspection delivering a product closer to factory spec. Either way, it's a great guitar that sounds, plays, and feels great and makes you want to play more! That's what it's all about in the end!

---

Cancel Comment

Better than expected!

I can't say how this compares to a Gibson 335 because I don't own one but I can say the initial quality of this guitar compares favorably with my PRS SE guitars. I wasn't expecting a lot from the pickups and I debated ordering a set of Duncans when I ordered this guitar but I'm thankful I waited because they sound great. They have this mellow vintage vibe to them with just a little… read more extra heat. I kind of halfway expected the finish on the guitar to laid on too THICK like some other Asian made guitars but this one doesn't seem that way at all. It's almost like the people building this guitar were intent on building a beautiful musical instrument instead of just following a set of steps at the daily grind, I hope that makes sense. If I had to nitpick I would say the only thing I could be disappointed in is the truss rod cover screws are all screwed in at an angle instead of straight into the neck, like I said that's just a nitpick. If you're on the fence just buy one...from Sweetwater of course.

---

Cancel Comment

Great Gibson Vibe!

When I first started playing I thought I had wasted my money. I dialed in the tone and volume and became quite pleased. I did not like the strings. I put on a set of Gibson strings and now I have a perfect instrument.

---

Cancel Comment

Close to the real thing

Just received mine yesterday, and after having plenty of time to play it, I can definitely say this guitar is awesome in every way. Epiphone has REALLY stepped it up this time around with their inspired by Gibson range. Like I'd imagine most people, I'm not a professional touring musician so I can't justify spending 3k or more on the real deal as great as they might be. I have been… read more lucky enough to play a few though, and I have to say that this Epiphone version is as close as it gets without costing a fortune. The finish and fretwork on mine are better than any other Epiphone I've owned. The styling and the hardware are very high quality and have a nice vintage vibe. I love the old vintage tuners. Through my deluxe reverb amp, the pickups really sing. I definitely feel like Epiphone has improved their probucker pickups. No need for all the push pull trickery. Lastly, probably my favorite feature on the guitar is the neck. I was never a fan of Epiphones slim taper neck. I've even stayed away from specific models just for that reason, but this rounded c neck is perfect. Not too fat, not too thin, it's right in the sweet spot. Overall I'm highly impressed with this guitar. If you've ever wanted a nice budget semi hollow guitar, this is the only way to go. As usual my experience buying this guitar through sweetwater was amazing. Shout out to my sales engineer Jimmy Hart who hooked me up. These guitars hadn't arrived yet, so I preordered one. Within a couple days Jimmy reached out and let me know they had some in stock and promptly sent one out. 2 days later I received it in perfect condition, and it was even in tune. Where else can you get this kind of service?

---

Cancel Comment