Ron OBrien Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 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. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 I bought a new Vintage Sunburst Gibson ES335 in 2014.. The Guitar was flawless.. It plays & sounds beautiful... I have several other Gibsons & all are works of Art... I have also owned many Epiphones. Including a Natural Dot.. It was a beauty too.. It was a Pro model & sounded great! I've been very happy with Epiphone & Gibson.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron OBrien Posted September 7, 2020 Author Share Posted September 7, 2020 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOSTVENTURE Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 As far as the 335 is concerned: I'm not sure that many people would agree with "over-rated", however "over-priced", as with many Gibsons, is certainly debatable. The same goes for all Custom Shop models, as far as my experience is concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 14 hours ago, LOSTVENTURE said: I'm not sure that many people would agree with "over-rated", however "over-priced", as with many Gibsons, is certainly debatable. This. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 (edited) Nuts on new Gibson are things that need to be addressed once purchased. and.. I've bought enough of them new to know.... it's not just Gibson, it's the same with many other builders. to be fair, every player will need something slightly different than the next. IMHO, it's just a setup issue anyway, and should be fine once properly addressed. Edited September 8, 2020 by kidblast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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