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ES-355 Bonamassa Standard Outfit


LongMan

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Did it again, could not resist on this one:

 

ES-355_Bonamassa_zpslghavqon.jpg

 

ES-355 Joe Bonamassa Standard Outfit. What a great instrument! Epiphone did nail it with this one, I tip my hat to the product designer who did the specs for this guitar.

 

This guitar feels just right from bottom to top:

• Craftsmanship, fretwork and finish are flawless.

• Setup was spot-on right out of the case, I guess the dealership did a good job on inspection.

• Every detail gives the impression of quality: From the 18:1 ratio Grover tuning machines that work smoothly like a hot knife in butter, over the NuBone nut, down to the Switchcraft pickup selector and the Bigsby B70 with Vibramate string spoiler (very appreciated!). Just look at details like the pickguard mount or the imperial bridge.

• The ProBucker-2+3 pickups sound great, backed up by the Mallory 150 condensers on the tone pots.

• The neck is described as 60s slim taper D profile. Well, not that much compared with other Gibsons and Epiphones that are specified as 60s slim taper. The neck of the Bonamassa ES-355 is a lot beefier than a Gibson Custom Shop ES-345, even more than the beefed up 60/30 profile of my ES-359. It feels more rounded in the middle section, not as fat as my 1955 inspired Les Paul Custom, but significantly thicker than any slim taper I saw on other guitars. Said the other way around: I like beefy necks, and I certainly love the neck of this Bonamassa ES-355!

 

To be honest, this is the first chinese Epiphone where I'm not tempted to change any parts. Everything is just as it should be.

 

Is it expensive? Well, it is not cheap obviously, but worth every single penny from my point of view. And no, it is not a rebadged Epiphone ES-355 that was released a couple of years ago. There are some significant differences: This one has 3-ply top and back, while the old one was 5-ply. This one has a mahogany neck, while the old one was maple. This one has an ebony fretboard, while the old one was rosewood. The ProBucker pickups are a big step up from my point of view. From my impression this guitar is able to close the gap between Epiphone standard models and the Gibson U.S.A bottom line.

 

To end a long story short: I love this guitar, and I strongly recommend to get your hands on one!

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This Gibson ES copy can be interesting with a stopbar .

 

Na, it just stays true to the original:

 

ES5516VEBG1_MAIN_HERO_01.jpg

 

Btw. that one, compared to the Epiphone price tag, adds $4000 to the bill for a famous headstock, a can of nitro finish and a "Richlite" fingerboard (instead genuine ebony). Really? I don't know lad...

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Na, it just stays true to the original:

 

ES5516VEBG1_MAIN_HERO_01.jpg

 

Btw. that one, compared to the Epiphone price tag, adds $4000 to the bill for a famous headstock, a can of nitro finish and a "Richlite" fingerboard (instead genuine ebony). Really? I don't know lad...

 

Ignore the resident troll, he comes and goes talking the same rubbish, with no insight or response.

 

Congratulations on the guitar, nice to hear a good review, I hadn't heard anything about them since the announcement. I have the Joe B firebird 1, it's a phenomenal guitar for the money, not into the blokes music at all but the details and specs he appears to want attached to his sig guitars deserves credit.

Enjoy

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Did it again, could not resist on this one:

 

ES-355_Bonamassa_zpslghavqon.jpg

 

ES-355 Joe Bonamassa Standard Outfit. What a great instrument! Epiphone did nail it with this one, I tip my hat to the product designer who did the specs for this guitar.

 

This guitar feels just right from bottom to top:

• Craftsmanship, fretwork and finish are flawless.

• Setup was spot-on right out of the case, I guess the dealership did a good job on inspection.

• Every detail gives the impression of quality: From the 18:1 ratio Grover tuning machines that work smoothly like a hot knife in butter, over the NuBone nut, down to the Switchcraft pickup selector and the Bigsby B70 with Vibramate string spoiler (very appreciated!). Just look at details like the pickguard mount or the imperial bridge.

• The ProBucker-2+3 pickups sound great, backed up by the Mallory 150 condensers on the tone pots.

• The neck is described as 60s slim taper D profile. Well, not that much compared with other Gibsons and Epiphones that are specified as 60s slim taper. The neck of the Bonamassa ES-355 is a lot beefier than a Gibson Custom Shop ES-345, even more than the beefed up 60/30 profile of my ES-359. It feels more rounded in the middle section, not as fat as my 1955 inspired Les Paul Custom, but significantly thicker than any slim taper I saw on other guitars. Said the other way around: I like beefy necks, and I certainly love the neck of this Bonamassa ES-355!

 

To be honest, this is the first chinese Epiphone where I'm not tempted to change any parts. Everything is just as it should be.

 

Is it expensive? Well, it is not cheap obviously, but worth every single penny from my point of view. And no, it is not a rebadged Epiphone ES-355 that was released a couple of years ago. There are some significant differences: This one has 3-ply top and back, while the old one was 5-ply. This one has a mahogany neck, while the old one was maple. This one has an ebony fretboard, while the old one was rosewood. The ProBucker pickups are a big step up from my point of view. From my impression this guitar is able to close the gap between Epiphone standard models and the Gibson U.S.A bottom line.

 

To end a long story short: I love this guitar, and I strongly recommend to get your hands on one!

 

Really elegant looking 355 variant... [thumbup]

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