Help I’ve got Gas…

Dan0h

Dan0h

Well-known member
Ok dudes. Major GAS attack. Been YouTube rabbit hole’ing 335’s. Ever since seeing Omer Fedi shred a vintage Gibson 335 at Norms shop I have been obsessed with them. The Epiphones are dirt cheap too and getting very good reviews. Who’s got one. What’s the good and bad. Also like the Ibanez version. I wish I had the extra to grab a Gibson American made but at 5x the cost these Epi’s are looking mighty tasty. Should I just get over it and keep enjoying my Jazzmaster or should I succumb to GAS attack.
 
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Been there man, I feel your bloating.......:)

I've had a number of semi-hollows over the years trying to scratch that 335 itch, but none of have until I got my Eastman.

I really like all the Eastman electrics, superb build quality and top notch components. What I wound up with is not strictly speaking a 335 style.. The Eastman TM185MX is really more an analog to the Collings I35. (Carved solid maple top and carved mahogany body). I also like the slightly smaller 15" body as opposed to the 16" 335 style. And it was about 1/4 the cost of the Collings and about 1/2 the cost of a real Gibson ES335.

My "ideal" 335 would either be a Custom Shop model or a clean "player grade" 60's vintage. I have yet to bring myself to drop the coin for either.

In the meantime, I'd take a look at the Eastman 386 or 486 series for a killer out of the box 335 type guitar. Or for a little less money the Epiphone Dot's are a pretty good platform to tinker with some upgrades. The Ibanez Artcore series are solid guitars but the necks are a little thin for my tastes.
 
I have been there and continue to peruse the interwebs to buy one. I have an Ibanez artcore that is a phenomenal instrument and for the 300 buck i paid it was a steal. It sounds great and plays better than the few gibsons i have had and played. If and when i want to upgrade it will be an Eastman, played a few at a store and was blown away by the build quality and sound. We live in this great age where you can get incredible guitar for 500 bucks!
 
You guys have come through! I think I’m going to find a couple art cores and epi 335s to get my hands on and see what asks to go home with me. I keep hearing how great sub $600 guitars are and just have such a mental block against them. Gotta git get my hands on them. Might take my strat as a trade and should walk away with a few bucks. 👍🏼
 
I've also got an older Epiphone Sheraton II (335 style.)
Nice guitar, but not for me.

All I can say is the thing is HUGE and the pickups are DARK.
Big fat neck and a massive top that makes me look like I'm playing a 30" frying pan, but it's a beautiful instrument and the price was right, so I still have it for now.. Hoping to eventually sell it off to some massive person with giant hands.

Have you seen the slightly smaller 339 body?
 
dawson said:
I've also got an older Epiphone Sheraton II (335 style.)
Nice guitar, but not for me.

All I can say is the thing is HUGE and the pickups are DARK.
Big fat neck and a massive top that makes me look like I'm playing a 30" frying pan, but it's a beautiful instrument and the price was right, so I still have it for now.. Hoping to eventually sell it off to some massive person with giant hands.

Have you seen the slightly smaller 339 body?
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I have only seen them I have not played one. Over the last year my playing style has morphed from big muff grunge to clean with break up when digging in. My Jazzmaster is perfect. But as with pedals I would like to have guitar options too. And I haven’t been able to love my strat anymore so going to sell it. I’m digging the sound I’m hearing coming from the 335s. I really just need to visit a couple good shops with lots of options to pluck on and see what works for me. Or find out that my JM already covers what I’m looking for.
 
Dan0h said:
I have only seen them I have not played one. Over the last year my playing style has morphed from big muff grunge to clean with break up when digging in. My Jazzmaster is perfect. But as with pedals I would like to have guitar options too. And I haven’t been able to love my strat anymore so going to sell it. I’m digging the sound I’m hearing coming from the 335s. I really just need to visit a couple good shops with lots of options to pluck on and see what works for me. Or find out that my JM already covers what I’m looking for.
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P90s is where the magics at. That is all
 
I forgot about the 339. I’ve been eyeballing it for a while. Also along the same lines I tried an American made Harmony Comet which is a similar size/vibe. I gotta say it sounded amazing through the Fender Super Reverb I tried it with and the price is just right. Beautiful instrument. If anything, the body may be a bit too small for my taste (I’m 6’1”).

91E3CE3D-AC9B-46B8-B8DB-869931E2AD5B.jpeg
 
Dan0h said:
I have only seen them I have not played one. Over the last year my playing style has morphed from big muff grunge to clean with break up when digging in. My Jazzmaster is perfect. But as with pedals I would like to have guitar options too. And I haven’t been able to love my strat anymore so going to sell it. I’m digging the sound I’m hearing coming from the 335s. I really just need to visit a couple good shops with lots of options to pluck on and see what works for me. Or find out that my JM already covers what I’m looking for.
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I'm just realizing that since you're into the Jazzmaster shape, which is another really big guitar to my standards, maybe the 335 won't be too big for you like it is for many. (I'm 5'11" and skinny like I spend my food budget on gear)
 
Harry Klippton said:
For me, a jazzmaster is like "how can we make a strat more uncomfortable?"
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Well, my first guitar was a Yamaha strat' copy, so they can't really feel weird to me.

I like my Squire Bass-VI a lot. I may be wrong, but I think it's the same body as a Jazzmaster, just with a longer scale-length which evens out the proportions for me. Even so, in order to reach all the notes comfortably, I have to hike it up with a really short strap.. but, anyhow, DanOh want to talk about hollow bodies today..
 
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Harry Klippton said:
For me, a jazzmaster is like "how can we make a strat more uncomfortable?"
Click to expand...
My first guitar was also a Strat copy and I find it to be the most comfortable… but I also own a Serus and I find that really comfortable too so maybe it’s me. What I can’t deal with is really large body acoustics or semi.
 
Dan0h said:
I keep coming back to look at this one and I can’t believe you sold it. Lol. I’ve done the same thing selling things and then Wanting them again.
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I think I stopped selling gear in 2012 after I sold my beloved Godin Multiac with nylon strings… :’(
 
I've kind of wanted one since my old private teacher picked up an early 70s walnut 335 back in the 90s. He's been gigging the absolute shit out of that thing exclusively for a quarter century now. Most of what I remember of those lessons was drooling over that gibbey.

Some of you west coast jam band types may have seen him they're going by SPOT (Scott Pemberton O Theory) these days. Screenshot_20220526-133421_Chrome.jpg

I try to talk up the ibanez semihollow whenever they come up. I've played several of the 335 type and owned a black artcore f hole talman for a while. For the price, they're really hard to beat or at least they we're back then (2005 ish). Comfy neck to me and it did scratch my 335 itch a little. I got it at cost for like 100 bucks, it was the nicest playing guitar of that price point in the store I was teaching at. It wasn't my favorite aesthetically (wished it was the solid/lipstick model) but I kept picking it up every day until I had money to burn.
It's definitely a dangerous thing to be paid in cash for your services while standing next to a guitar wall. The only reason I no longer have it is that a friend was in need. svlykbsaqumkd3guhrym.jpg

Not a nearly sexy as my first electric. 1980 Ibanez studio.

lf.jpeg
 
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Dan0h said:
I keep coming back to look at this one and I can’t believe you sold it. Lol. I’ve done the same thing selling things and then Wanting them again.
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Honestly I hadn't even thought of it in forever til I found that pic for this thread. The guy I sold it to was buying it so he could keep his Sheraton at home since the prices on them were creeping up. That was maybe 4 years ago? It was a very nice looking and playing guitar
 
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