colimodio Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 I'm thinking about getting the Epi Elitist '63 ES-335 Dot in Cherry red (US$1,300 @MF) to replace my Dot Cherry (US$399- selling!) w/ Gibson '57 Classic and Classic Plus(US$250-selling!) I would appreciate very much the reply from everybody to my questions: 1) Is the Epi Elitist 335 Dot kerfed inside like a Gibson 335? 2) Where is it made? at which facility , in China? or somewhere else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Svet Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 All Elitist's are made in Japan with the solid body types being manufactured in the Fujigen plant and the arch tops at the Terada location. As far as buying a new Cherry version from MF well I am sorry to tell you that you're SOL. They have not been made in Cherry in a couple of years so you can have any color you like as long as it's natural. You may find some used ones on Ebay from time to time or with a little research you might luck out and find a dealer that has one in stock. Svet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Yeah, dude, although they show a pic of a cherry ES-335 you'll note in the description it's (natural). But don't despair; this guitar is so amazing the colour is really irrelevant, and, they look pretty danged awesome in natural. There was a thread about the kerfing before and if memory serves the Elitist is constructed differently from the Gibson... it seems someone was upset about the lack of kerfing. I'm not near mine right now so I can't answer the question myself. BTW if you're not sure about this, I can only say go for it. I had the Dot too and although it's a good guitar it pales in comparison to the Elitist. Once I found out what the Elitist ES-335 was about I couldn't get rid of my Dot fast enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tulsaslim Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 See my other post. These are made at the Terada plant in Japan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 The Elitist is kerfed, just like a Gibson. Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Svet Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Oh and I'm sure it must have the kerfling as my other Hollow Body Elitists all have it. I sold off my Elitist Dot because I found a Gibson ES 335 that I "Had" to have. My Casino, Sheraton, Byrdland and Broadway all have it so it's a safe bet the Dot does too. Svet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tulsaslim Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Svet, that elitist Sheraton looks real sweet. Although they're not cheap, and there's about 6 other guitars I want real bad, I do believe an elitist Sheraton is gonna be the next one I buy. Anything that looks that good & has the quality of an elitist is something I've got to have...... BTW, although the elitist dot is only available in Natural (my favorite) you might have noticed that the natural Gibson 335's are 300 bucks more than the other finishes. Believe me, you won't regret having a natural. As far as the elitist dots go, I could never bring myself to buy a Gibson 335 as long as the elitists are available. I've compared them side-to-side many times and cannot see enough disparity between them to justify paying twice as much for the Gib. To me (and I'm sure many will want to argue), the 335 doesn't sound or play one iota better than the elitist. I suspect those who have never owned a 335-style guitar don't realize just how versatile they are. They are quite capable to handle any style of music south of thrash metal and do it extremely well. And to me, the 335-style guitars have the most perfect guitar tone you can get. In my playing days I played Les Pauls primarily because they're built like battleships and are virtually indestructable but in my heart I will always be a 335 man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 What he said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Svet Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Hi TulsaSlim, I think you would love the Sheraton! The price is higher than the Dot but it really sounds, feels and plays very differently! I actually purchased my Sheraton brand new from my local dealer for $1200! They've since stocked another one and it's sticker reads 1599 just like MF. I find this surprising because their prices are usually much lower than MF's across the board. I really preferred it to the Elitist Dot that I had. It's hard to say which is my favorite as it changes depending on what I'm playing that day. I don’t have a problem with this as I interpret it to mean they are all bringing me great joy! It's a win win situation! I concur with your assessment and furthermore agree with RotcanX/Spuds.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Well, at least the Elitist Sheraton is a 'true' Sheraton, with the mini humbuckers, so it stands to reason that it will be different in sound than the ES-335. I always felt that the regular MIK Sheraton II was too close in flavour to the Dot (same basic construction, same pickups) to be really worth the extra money although I will admit that even the MIK Sheraton II is one gorgeous piece of eye candy. Interestingly enough, the original US Sheratons eventually came to have full-size humbuckers in them also, and yet even though these are recognized as being superior in tone, it's the mini-humbucker equipped Sheratons that are more sought after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colimodio Posted March 6, 2008 Author Share Posted March 6, 2008 Thanks everybody, for your informative replies. Now i know more about 335 elitists than before. Svet, ..Gosh what a beautiful collection you have! That red elitist 335...!!! Wow..!! Wow!!! Double-Wolf-Wow!!! Thanks for making me real hungry for one. i've posted about my dissapointment with Gibson Faded ES-335 finish, rough fretts, bubbles in the laminated top and back. But that could have been the local dealer's fault in the stock he carried. GC, for one, didn't have a climate controled booth....the store is air conditioned...welll...But they had my Dot for $399 and i still have it. I will not buy a 335 unless the Historics come down some Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Interestingly enough, the original US Sheratons eventually came to have full-size humbuckers in them also, and yet even though these are recognized as being superior in tone, it's the mini-humbucker equipped Sheratons that are more sought after. Please tell me when the USA/Kalamazoo Sheratons ever had full sized humbuckers in them as stock pick ups. No, it never happened. No Gibson-made Epiphone Sheraton or any Epiphone ever had full-sized humbuckers. The later Matsumoku Sheratons had full-sized humbuckers and the even later Korean Sheratons had full-sized hummers in them but no American-made Sheraton or any other USA-made Epiphone ever did. But as I stated in my Vintage Riviera post, I really think the minis add a sonic dimension that you can't achieve with a full-sized humbucker. For years I considered routing out my '65 Riviera for the full-sized jobbies but I'm kinda glad I never did. Something else...there was NEVER a 1963 "Dot" ES-335 so what exactly is Epiphone saying here with this model? ...and Al's your uncle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Well' date=' at least the Elitist Sheraton is a 'true' Sheraton, with the mini humbuckers, so it stands to reason that it will be different in sound than the ES-335. I always felt that the regular MIK Sheraton II was too close in flavour to the Dot (same basic construction, same pickups) to be really worth the extra money although I will admit that even the MIK Sheraton II is one gorgeous piece of eye candy. Interestingly enough, the original US Sheratons eventually came to have full-size humbuckers in them also, and yet even though these are recognized as being superior in tone, it's the mini-humbucker equipped Sheratons that are more sought after.[/quote'] Please tell me when the USA/Kalamazoo Sheratons ever had full sized humbuckers in them as stock pick ups. No, it never happened. No Gibson-made Epiphone Sheraton or any Kalamazoo Epiphone (those weird early 90's USA Epiphone Super Strats that were made in Nashville may have had full-sized humbuckers though) ever had full-sized humbuckers. The later Matsumoku Sheratons had full-sized humbuckers and the even later Korean Sheratons had full-sized hummers in them but no American-made Sheraton or any other USA-made Epiphone ever did. But as I stated in my Vintage Riviera post, I really think the minis add a sonic dimension that you can't achieve with a full-sized humbucker. For years I considered routing out my '65 Riviera for the full-sized jobbies but I'm kinda glad I never did. Something else...there was NEVER a 1963 "Dot" ES-335 so what exactly is Epiphone saying here with this model? ...and Al's your uncle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Love the "Plain Top" Elitist, Svet! I (personally) have never cared for the "figured" tops, on 335's. I like them on Les Pauls, but have always preferred "plain tops" on "thin line," or even full size archtops, for some reason. "Cleaner," maybe? But, that's just MY preference, and not meant to demean anyone else's choices. Both are nice looking! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Please tell me when the USA/Kalamazoo Sheratons ever had full sized humbuckers in them as stock pick ups. No' date=' it never happened. No Gibson-made Epiphone Sheraton or any Kalamazoo Epiphone (those weird early 90's USA Epiphone Super Strats that were made in Nashville may have had full-sized humbuckers though) ever had full-sized humbuckers. The later Matsumoku Sheratons had full-sized humbuckers and the even later Korean Sheratons had full-sized hummers in them but no American-made Sheraton or any other USA-made Epiphone ever did. But as I stated in my Vintage Riviera post, I really think the minis add a sonic dimension that you can't achieve with a full-sized humbucker. For years I considered routing out my '65 Riviera for the full-sized jobbies but I'm kinda glad I never did. ...and Al's your uncle [/quote'] Al, as usual, you are correct. I read an article on the web about this and confused 'Gibson parts' to mean full size HBs; actually, he was referring to the Gibson mini-humbuckers as opposed to the original 'NY' pickups... these being the more desirable option. My apologies for any confusion and thanks for setting the record straight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Al' date=' as usual, you are correct. I read an article on the web about this and confused 'Gibson parts' to mean full size HBs; actually, he was referring to the Gibson mini-humbuckers as opposed to the original 'NY' pickups... these being the more desirable option. My apologies for any confusion and thanks for setting the record straight.[/quote'] The New York pickups were low output single coils and while they have a great vintage vibe to them, they don't work all that great for modern rock or electric blues (though a lot of blues guys used those old Epiphones). Not bad for rockabilly/swing jazz/roots rock/old country in like a Zephyr Deluxe which has a kind of an old ES-175 (with P-90s in it) vibe to it but the mini humbuckers blow them away for everything else. The old New York pickups can also be kind of noisy and hummy (is that even a word? ). Of late the Gibson minis have won my heart over but I'm still not crazy about the way they sound in an LP Deluxe (the idea of a humbucker with a bit of extended treble response in a Les Paul sounds great in theory but in reality...well...)...in the Riviera the Mini hummers are a whole 'nuther story...and I do give you a lot more credit for your knowledge than that obviously confused statement so no worries there. ...and Al's your uncle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Something else...there was NEVER a 1963 "Dot" ES-335 so what exactly is Epiphone saying here with this model? ...and Al's your uncle OK, so it doesn't have the small block markers. They were sort of chintzy looking anyway. Let's be charitable and say they named it the '63 Dot because 1963 is the year the (then) recently moified body contours and arches (which have remained the same, roughly, ever since) became widely available. Before 1963 ish, ES 335s has more pronounced arches on the ears, which were also wider. I believe the lower bought was somewhat wider, too. OK, so maybe adopting that rational is a stretch. It would be nice if Epiphone marketers were more cognizant and/or respectful of thier company's history. They could have just as easily have called it a '61 or '62 and no one would have called foul (though you would have found SOME reason). Someone probably made a typo when they issued the order to make the things, and the error got repeated over and over, LOL. The cynical way to look at is that they deliberately used 1963 because it's such a potent date in rock history, and they wanted to associate their product with that. The Elitist Dot is a GREAT guitar, by the way. On the subject of pick ups, I just got "Pickups, Windings, and Magnets...And The Guitar Became Electric" by Mario Milan. Very interesting and seemingly comprehensive overview of pick up development and manufacuring, and analysis of why various models (and their varients) sound the way they do. You and Spud and Jerry and some others (you know who you are) might enjoy it, if you haven't read it already. Aslo, Version 3 of the Dan Erlwine repair guide is MUCH improved. And the original was great to begin with. Amazon has both of these. Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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