[Epiphone Dot Kudos, Gibson ES 335's over-rated]

I’m glad you found a nice Gibson es 335. I think the key is to be able to play one before you purchase since they can be hit or miss.

The important thing is we found guitars that we can bond with and enjoy.

[Epiphone Dot Kudos, Gibson ES 335's over-rated]

After having owned several Gibson ES-335's (both new and used), I've come to the conclusion that these over-priced, semi--hollow guitars fall way short in quality control. When one pays $3000 plus for a guitar, one would expect the nut and bridge to be spot on. Instead, the nuts are poorly cut and the bridges are poorly designed, especially the G-string intonation. In general, the factory setups of these instruments are downright shitty. Is it too much to ask Gibson to install a compensated nut so the guitar plays in tune over the first 5 frets or so? How about a bridge that's wider front to back so there's more room to allow for correct intonation of the saddles?

My solution to these frustrating problems was to purchase a used 2002 Epiphone Dot Natural finish (excellent condition) with a hard Epiphone case included, that was upgraded by the previous owner. The upgrades included Alnico 5, PAF style humbucker pickups, CTS pots, switches and jack, orange cap capacitors, and a TusqXL nut properly cut.  All upgrades are StewMax components. I replaced the original crappy bridge with a made in Japan Gotoh tune o matic bridge. My total investment for this modded Epi Dot was around$500. This guitar looks , plays and sounds just as good as any Gibby ES 335. 

I understand that some folks like to display the Gibson headstock logo, but for me, I'm proud to own an Epiphone Dot.