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Epiphone ES-335 Dot £279
Very possibly the best electric guitar under £300
Mick Taylor, Fri 17 Jul 2009, 11:00 am UTC
Epiphone's 'plenty of guitar for sensible money' philosophy means you can get your hands on a well-constructed, professional instrument without selling your vital organs for medical research. And the thinline semi-acoustic range is no exception.
Near the beginning of that range is 'The Dot', based on the timeless and legendary Gibson ES-335.
Build quality
Pulling the Dot from its box, you're greeted with a solid and weighty feeling guitar that points reassuringly towards good, sturdy construction. In this respect, the term semi-acoustic is a slight misnomer, as it is, in fact, semi-solid.
"The cost cutting measures are the right ones, as they affect neither the playability or sound to any great extent"
When Ted McCarty designed the Gibson ES-335 back in 1958, he included a solid piece of mahogany through the centre section, just wider than the pickups and surrounds, to improve sustain and help eliminate feedback. This feature has been retained on Gibson and Epiphone thinline semis to this day, although in this case it's made of maple.
While we're on the subject, this is the one constructional area of the Dot that obviously reveals its budget constraints. The arched, inside-back doesn't marry exactly with the straight, solid block, revealing small gaps along its entire length.
If you want to know why a Gibson ES-335 costs over a grand more, you'll find some clues by looking here. Instead of plinking the block straight on top of the back, a Gibson's arched back is filled with thin strips of wood, then planed flat. That said, it doesn't affect the external appearance, and it isn't audibly detrimental to the sound of this Epi.
The cream, plastic edgebinding is neat, looking suitably 'yellowed' and authentic against the vintage sunburst finish. The cleanly applied finish is flat and consistent, save for some lacquer build on the inner edges of the f-holes. These areas would benefit from more careful finishing, yet bear in mind that this guitar costs less than £400, not £1400-plus.
To these eyes, vintage sunburst isn't the most attractive option, as it appears slightly abrupt where the dark brown turns to black. If you fancy something different, Epiphone also offers heritage cherry sunburst, cherry, ebony and natural as options. The Dot's fixed neck is finished in vintage sunburst, too, perhaps disguising the fact that it's made of maple.
The joint certainly looks and feels solid enough to withstand years of faithful service, as does the scarfed joint under the first and second fret securing the headstock. In this case, Epiphone opts for the thinner, elongated design and scripted logo, all adding to the Dot's charming vintage character.
If you're still wondering why it's called the Dot, look at the rosewood fingerboard. In between the 22, well finished, medium frets lies the primary reason why vintage Dot-neck 335s are worth so much more than their block-inlayed brethren.
Until now, modern Epis such as the Casino, Sheraton and Supernova only came with block inlays. It's all a matter of taste, but we love the simplicity and function that dots breathe over the guitars they adorn.
The hardware is chrome plated, which won't tarnish as nicely as nickel, but again, its down to cost. There are two Epiphone design, Korean humbuckers, a tune-o-matic bridge and stop tailpiece and a set of modern-looking machineheads.
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User comments (4)
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I am a novice gutar player, 2 yrs. exp. I brought my guitar teacher with me to Guitar center in Albany NY. The Dot was on my list of possibles. I spoted this 'like new' Dot in cherry finish. My teacher said " I had one just like that, and liked it alot". Well, I have owned it for about a year now, and am very happy with it. It is much easier to play then my accoustic, and the looks are stellar!! When ever I bring it out to play with friends thay all drool over it's looks. Just as all the reviews say, with the pick-up combos, you can play mellow, or play the bridge pick-up for really nice screaming rock, with nice sustain. Hope this is helpful, and I am sure anyone who buys one will agree with me when I say for the money, you can't go wrong!- Alex
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A great guitar for a great price. Testing all others in this or slightly higher price range, this was the guitar that kept standing out and kept me coming back to in multiple comparisons. Initially it was not what I was looking for but as stated, I kept coming back to this guitar. With a professional setup (from the factory, it still was not bad, but not "mine") and a bone nut added, I am extremely pleased with this investment. Strings originally were 10's but changed to 11's and wow... a tone monster even unplugged. It is a players guitar and easily modified, should you choose to do so. I can see years from now stripping the guitar to bare wood and applying the nitrocellulose to it just for the fun of it. Not a big investment so why not play around with it? This finish on it now could stop bullets (beautiful VS Burst) and I just have to hear what this guitar would say stripped down. With a Vox VT15, any tone and sound is possible, but I like to stay in the clean and slightly distorted areas. It's a 60's thing if you know what I mean. The neck fits an average sized hand really well, sort of a cross between a 50's bat and a 60's slim tapered neck, just wide enough to bend strings to what ever comes to mind. Mine is the Deluxe model, meaning it has gold grovers (surprise!) that keep it in tune, stamped custom shop, and a flamed top vs. the standard maple top look and a vintage sunburst finish - gorgeous to look at every time I open the case. Sustain is more than acceptable and surprising to say the least. All controls are tight and dependable, no loose switches or knobs of the past. It's weight is great, not to heavy and not to light, especially for a big body guitar that you get used to in just a few minutes. I could go on and on, but it is sitting beside me in it's stand just staring at me. I have to stop writing and pick it up, you know how it is...
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A great guitar for a great price. Testing all others in this or slightly higher price range, this was the guitar that kept standing out and kept me coming back to in multiple comparisons. Initially it was not what I was looking for but as stated, I kept coming back to this guitar. With a professional setup (from the factory, it still was not bad, but not "mine") and a bone nut added, I am extremely pleased with this investment. Strings originally were 10's but changed to 11's and wow... a tone monster even unplugged. It is a players guitar and easily modified, should you choose to do so. I can see years from now stripping the guitar to bare wood and applying the nitrocellulose to it just for the fun of it. Not a big investment so why not play around with it? This finish on it now could stop bullets (beautiful VS Burst) and I just have to hear what this guitar would say stripped down. With a Vox VT15, any tone and sound is possible, but I like to stay in the clean and slightly distorted areas. It's a 60's thing if you know what I mean. The neck fits an average sized hand really well, sort of a cross between a 50's bat and a 60's slim tapered neck, just wide enough to bend strings to what ever comes to mind. Mine is the Deluxe model, meaning it has gold grovers (surprise!) that keep it in tune, stamped custom shop, and a flamed top vs. the standard maple top look and a vintage sunburst finish - gorgeous to look at every time I open the case. Sustain is more than acceptable and surprising to say the least. All controls are tight and dependable, no loose switches or knobs of the past. It's weight is great, not to heavy and not to light, especially for a big body guitar that you get used to in just a few minutes. I could go on and on, but it is sitting beside me in it's stand just staring at me. I have to stop writing and pick it up, you know how it is...
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I am throwing this review in here even though my Epiphone is actually a Sheridan Deluxe, which is another 335 design Epiphone. The guitar is semi-hollow bodied with the same tone woods (maple top and center, rosewood fingerboard etc,), 2 humbucker pick-ups (Classic 57's in this case), Tune-O-Matic bridge with stop tail piece, although it is adorned with binding around everything (including the f-holes), gold hardware, block inlays and mother of pearl inlay in the headstock. I will not compare price with the dot, but sound and playability will be very similar.
There are so many sounds you can get from a guitar with this body/pick-up configuration that you will be hard pressed to find less than half a dozen that you will always want to use. Mellow jazz type stuff with the neck pick-up or the middle setting are so beautiful and rich. Chiming pop or with amp reverb surf style are easily attainable in middle or bridge settings. Blues, from subdued to gritty Chicago or Bluesbreakers style and on to filthy hard edged Texas or Moore styles when using both pick-ups and blending to taste with the individual volume and tone controls. If you stick to the bridge pick up you will be in Rock mode and loving every minute of it. This is such a versatile guitar. Deep sonorous tones or bright edgy biting electric tones are quickly and intuitively dialed in with pick-up selection and adjusting the volume and tone controls for either pick-up.
The enjoyment does not stop at the wealth of tones you will get as the playability is just simply outstanding. Now some may not care for the larger body but believe me when I say that it is not an issue as within 5 minutes of strapping one over your shoulder, the size becomes a non factor. It is still only as heavy as most smaller bodied solid electric. The headstock weight however is heavier and so it tends to drop the neck down if you take your hand off. The neck is silky smooth and lightning quick to play. String bending if almost too easy, with the 24.75 scale, and upper register fret work is trouble free. I absolutely love playing this guitar, particularly for blues and jazzier leads on some ballad style songs.
I hope this is helpful. I have a friend who has a Epi 335 Dot and quite frankly there is not much difference, if any, between my Sheridan or his Dot for playability and sound. His was more cost friendly, mine more showy and ornate. My pick-ups are a little more powerful but the tonality is almost spot on with each other. The feel of the necks are identical. -- Colin
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MusicRadar rating
Pros
Well-built and cool-looking. Versatile with very usable tones.
Cons
It's not a 'real' Gibson.
Verdict
If you fancy a no-nonsense semi with more than a whiff of background and expertise, cast your eyes in Epiphone's direction. The Dot is a gem.
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All MusicRadar’s reviews are by independent product specialists, who are not aligned to any gear manufacturer or retailer. Our experts also write for renowned magazines such as Guitarist, Total Guitar, Computer Music, Future Music and Rhythm. All are part of Future PLC, the biggest publisher of music making magazines in the world.
Specification Show
ES-335 Dot
- Price:
- £279
- Country of Origin:
- Korea
- Available Controls:
- 2 x Tone, 2 x Volume, 3-way Pickup Selector
- Bridge:
- tune-o-matic with stop tailpiece
- Fingerboard Material:
- Rosewood
- Guitar Body Material:
- Maple Laminate
- Neck Finish:
- Maple
- No. of Frets:
- 22
- Pickup:
- 2 x Epiphone design humbuckers
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alleycat1
4 days ago.
User rating 5 of 5