New Guitar Day. 335 woot

[Dan0h]

After many months of going back and forth between the $$$$ Gibson and the $ Epiphone I decided I would start off with the Epiphone and if I loved it maybe save a little over the next couple years to get a Gibby.

Haven’t spent much time yet with it but it sure is pretty. Plays nice. Lots of sonic exploriing coming up.

 

[MichaelW]

I'm pretty darn impressed with the Epiphones lately. I grubbed a Riviera last time I was in a guitar store....almost came home with me.
I just got an email from Sweetwater that the Casino Coupe I've been eying is back in stock.
And I've also been looking at the 59 Les Pauls.....sigh......

 

[Deperduci]

recall finding a YT vid from 3 years ago, UK shop tested some epiphone and squier budget models, the cost savings came from minor stuff like barely doing, if at all a fret job, no filler puttying of the wood.. only 2 in stead of 4~5 coats of paint, chintz p-ups we're already used to swapping out. from the looks of that beauty, maybe getting a set of regular gibson hb's or a pair of demarzio's and you won't 'need' another.. wanting is diff animal

 

[SillyOctpuss]

I'm pretty darn impressed with the Epiphones lately. I grubbed a Riviera last time I was in a guitar store....almost came home with me.
I just got an email from Sweetwater that the Casino Coupe I've been eying is back in stock.
And I've also been looking at the 59 Les Pauls.....sigh......

A riviera is very hard to beat

 

[PapaBear]

After many months of going back and forth between the $$$$ Gibson and the $ Epiphone I decided I would start off with the Epiphone and if I loved it maybe save a little over the next couple years to get a Gibby.

Haven’t spent much time yet with it but it sure is pretty. Plays nice. Lots of sonic exploriing coming up.
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I picked one of those up on a SDOTD a few months back, I was very impressed for the price difference

 

[SillyOctpuss]

I picked one of those up on a SDOTD a few months back, I was very impressed for the price difference

Was that the gold sparkle one Barry? Did you ever post pics? In a random thread I saw you posted a link to the original guitar but it couldn't be viewed in the UK. I do loves me a gold sparkle guitar.

 

[HamishR]

After Strats the guitar model I have owned the most is probably the 335. I've had a few! I also had two Matsumoku Epiphone Sheratons at one time in the 80s - they were amazing guitars. Right now I have the best of all the 335s I've owned - a 2018 VOS '59 style 335 in vintage sunburst. I like it better than even the '65 I had, which was my first.

I'm really impressed with the beautiful Epiphone 335s I see in the stores at the moment. For the price they are probably better value than most Gibsons. But if you get the right Gibson they can be remarkable. Mine is pretty much my dream 335. The pickups from Gibson are perfect - clear and crisp but warm and fat too. The balance between neck and bridge is perfect. There is something about the neck pickup on a 335 which I love more than in any other guitar. I've played more expensive 335 style guitars than my 335 (Collings, for example) but the Gibson wins out for character, feel and playability.

I don't know if I'd pay the asking for a new current 335. They are great guitars but man are they expensive. The Epiphones are looking better and better.

 

[Dan0h]

I'm pretty darn impressed with the Epiphones lately. I grubbed a Riviera last time I was in a guitar store....almost came home with me.
I just got an email from Sweetwater that the Casino Coupe I've been eying is back in stock.
And I've also been looking at the 59 Les Pauls.....sigh......

After Strats the guitar model I have owned the most is probably the 335. I've had a few! I also had two Matsumoku Epiphone Sheratons at one time in the 80s - they were amazing guitars. Right now I have the best of all the 335s I've owned - a 2018 VOS '59 style 335 in vintage sunburst. I like it better than even the '65 I had, which was my first.

I'm really impressed with the beautiful Epiphone 335s I see in the stores at the moment. For the price they are probably better value than most Gibsons. But if you get the right Gibson they can be remarkable. Mine is pretty much my dream 335. The pickups from Gibson are perfect - clear and crisp but warm and fat too. The balance between neck and bridge is perfect. There is something about the neck pickup on a 335 which I love more than in any other guitar. I've played more expensive 335 style guitars than my 335 (Collings, for example) but the Gibson wins out for character, feel and playability.

I don't know if I'd pay the asking for a new current 335. They are great guitars but man are they expensive. The Epiphones are looking better and better.

This is awesome and a great confirmation that I took the right path in my beginning 335 journey. Your story echos a lot of what I dug up reading posts and watching videos.

Bottom line for me to part with the level of cash Gibson 335s demand I would have to play multiples of them until the magic one lit up in my hands. For just over $500 (guitar month at Sweetwater phone deal) I am ok with rolling the dice and taking a chance online. It has not disappointed at all. Last night I adjusted the pickup height as the neck was way too low and it came alive instantly. The action is ever so slightly lower than I prefer so today I will bump it up a mm or so.

My first response, again only having spent and hour or two with it, is epic value. The pick ups are alive bright but not brittle, wonderful midrange and the low end is pretty damn awesome not the muddy boom I had seen on some of the reviews. This thing with nobles pedal is something out of this world. I had pretty much written off nobles with my strat and Jazzmaster but with this 335 it’s on another planet. This has made me realize that a lot of the pedals I’ve built and not liked will probably be amazing with humbuckers.

This thing is loud too, haven’t had humbuckers since I was a teen. I love my Jazzmaster but the output on this 335 is solidly higher. I plan on re-stringing it soon and will measure the pickups but I’m guessing they are closer to 8k where my Jazzmaster seems like 5-6k.

Anyway, I’m a happy camper. The only other guitar I own that isn’t American made is my Conklin (Korea) and I love that bass so even though I really want a US Gibson the price is really insane. I know the level of work that goes into them and value the time it takes but also feel like a good $1000-$1500 of the price is just name brand premium. If the Gibson was $2000 I probably would have pulled the trigger. But at $3499 and up I am going try the China made version first. Excited to explore the sounds hiding in this guitar.

 

[HamishR]

Well I know I was lucky but I got my 335 online. I think one factor which worked in my favour was that in 2018 Gibson made an effort to make the 335 lighter in weight, and that encouraged me to get that particular guitar. It's just under 8lbs which is light for a 335 and man does it sound good. It sounds like you made exactly the right decision. Who knows what the future will bring? You might wait years until you find the "right" Gibson. In the meantime think of all the fun you will have on the guitar you have now.