I may have found a 335 that fits my budget

[BillyGibson]

It's a 2009 Triburst with a flame VSB top and classic 57's.

 

The price is $2,000. I would need to make a trade to justify it to my wife

I would trade my newly acquired MIK Sheraton II.

 

Is the difference in tone worth it at 5 times what the Sheraton cost me?

 

The difference for my Traditional Plus was worth it at twice the cost of

the upgraded Epi LP's that are going for a grand now. But $2K vs. $400

has me wondering?

 

Thanks.

[Versatile]

If you are playing in a band then you need the 335

 

If not the Epi is great for the price....

 

V

 

[bobouz]

BG - If the cash-out-of-pocket amount will be significantly under $2000 after the trade of your Sheraton, then I'd say go for it. Trading up is a great way to get into the guitar you want. I've done many guitar + cash deals over the years, and have never looked back after a single one. If the deal moves you in the direction of a potential keeper, you're most likely doing the right thing. Hope it all works out!

[BillyGibson]

Thanks Guys.

 

Bobouz - This is the Sheraton I bought after you introduced me to G-base. It's

actually a fantastic guitar. I wouldn't just give it away either if I made a

trade. I searched long an hard for it and feel it's a keeper. I'm mostly interested

in how the 335 neck would feel compared to the Sheraton. I like a bigger neck and the

Sheration's five piece is fairly chunky. The 335 is a 60's. I've never held one of those,

so I would have to see.

 

Versatile - that's a good point. I get together with friends and play for our

own amusement. But that's it. One Gibson may be enough for me with my LP.

 

The 335 is at GC, but it's 50 miles from where I live, so it would take up the

better half of a Saturday going there. I can normally run at lunch to one that's

near work and be back in an hour. I'm still cleaning up trees and doing yard work

from the storms that came through last month. Time is a bit tight right now on

the weekends.

 

I've got some pondering to do. Thanks.

[glider]

Thanks Guys.

 

Bobouz - This is the Sheraton I bought after you introduced me to G-base. It's

actually a fantastic guitar. I wouldn't just give it away either if I made a

trade. I searched long an hard for it and feel it's a keeper. I'm mostly interested

in how the 335 neck would feel compared to the Sheraton. I like a bigger neck and the

Sheration's five piece is fairly chunky. The 335 is a 60's. I've never held one of those,

so I would have to see.

 

Versatile - that's a good point. I get together with friends and play for our

own amusement. But that's it. One Gibson may be enough for me with my LP.

 

The 335 is at GC, but it's 50 miles from where I live, so it would take up the

better half of a Saturday going there. I can normally run at lunch to one that's

near work and be back in an hour. I'm still cleaning up trees and doing yard work

from the storms that came through last month. Time is a bit tight right now on

the weekends.

 

I've got some pondering to do. Thanks.

 

i recently acquired a gibbie es 333... close enough to a 335 for me... the thing sings!!!.. its got a 60's neck profile and i love it...it didn't feel much different to the neck on my old MIJ epi sheraton... i didnt look back after i sold the sheraton to fund to the es 333.. currently in the process of dressing up the 333 now... nickel pickup covers,,, top-hat knobs and a pickguard....if you really want a 335 deep down inside, the sheraton will never satisfy that need.. do it

[bobouz]

Billy - There certainly can be a fair amount of variation in 335 necks. I'd say my '06 335 is sort of 'D' shaped, and is somewhat chunkier than a typical '60s profile. I usually lean more towards slimmer necks, but this one turned out to be quite comfortable. Even if the store says the one you're considering has a '60s neck, it remains a generalization which serves to provide a frame of reference. The only way you'll know for sure is to play it & directly compare it to your Sheraton. If you don't end up buying this particular 335, you'll still have gained some useful information for down the road. Happy hunting!

[Brian Cecil]

I bought an Epi MIK Sheraton new in 2005, then an Ibanez AS103 new in 2007. Both guitars are first-rate, especially after I spent a week fine-tuning the Sheraton's setup and trying out a variety of strings on it. I bought a new flame top Gibson 335 natural in 2010 because I still wanted a Gibson 335. I'm not selling any of the other 335 clones, because they are valued guitars to me. But I use the Gibson when I want the unqualified best.

The neck radius is much flatter on the Epi than it is on the 335. The Ibanez and the 335 are much more alike in terms of neck feel than they are to the Epi. From a guy who's owned Strats, Teles, and various Rickenbackers for years, the Epi's neck feels like arriving in the Promised Land whenever I play it. I've never felt that way about the 335's neck.

[BillyGibson]

Thanks again for the feed back, guys.

 

One of my friends who has a strong buying relationship going

with one of the other area's GC store's manager asked him to

call over there and see what the best deal that store's manager

would do, if I were to take the trip out there. Just trying to

save some time...

 

He said, he's only had the guitar 10 days and waits 90 days

to budge on price. And he said, he would give me $250 to $300

for my Sheraton. Not sure how long the other store went on

the 335, maybe $1,200? Somebody will buy it for $2K, so I don't

fault them for holding out.

 

Looks like it wasn't meant to be.

[lpdeluxe]

I guess I'm a little late to the party, but I'll add my virtual $.02 worth: a couple of years ago I traded for a Sheraton II. I'd always thought they were excellent "bang for the buck" guitars and I had previously owned an Epi Bluegrass resonator that was nicely made, even if it didn't have a sound that excited me. In any case, I really liked the Epiphone neck, and the look (after I took off the pickguard and changed out the pickup rings and knobs). It didn't have much of a sound, so I swapped in a pair of Seymour Duncans. In passing, that was major surgery and very tedious to do, since everything has to go in and out through the treble f-hole, which, on my Samick-built SII, was too small for conventional pots. After I finally got it done, it still didn't sound like much, and I stumbled upon a 335 for $1750. As soon as I picked up the Gibson, I knew I had to have it. Two years later, and it is now my sole electric guitar. My Les Paul and SG are gone, and so is the Epiphone.

 

An objective comparison between the Epiphone and the Gibson: the Sheraton was made of lower-quality wood with visible flaws (no surprise, there) while the 335 has lightly figured, unmarred timber. The neck and headstock inlays are fancier on the Epiphone, but there was noticeable filler around the "vine" inlays. The 13-year-old (at that time) pots and switch were noisy (I replaced them with better quality parts when I rewired it) on the Epi, while the 5-year younger 335 has zero issues. Of course, the Sheraton has the 5-piece maple neck, while the Gibson uses a single piece of nice mahogany. The pickguard on the Epiphone was flimsy and poorly mounted, while that on the Gibson is solid and, in my opinion, much more attractive. Other things like the hard shell case are more robust than the Epiphone equivalent (the case on it was starting to come apart inside).

 

Subjectively, I couldn't bond with the Sheraton. It didn't have a sound I liked, and it had some odd omissions such as the lack of side markers above the 12th fret (although the wood joints were a useful guide). It felt lighter and not as sturdy as the 335. The Gibson, on the other hand, is exactly what I wanted in appearance, feel, ergonomics and sound. In other words, the Epiphone didn't seem to be worth the roughly $400 (considering my time, trade-in, and parts) I had in it; the Gibson was a bargain.

 

Pics:

 

[BillyGibson]

We're in our busy time at work, and can't make time

to get out at lunch. But, ater this week is over, I've

got to go play one.

 

I know, once I do, there will be no turning back. That's

what happend with my Les Paul. I was buying and trading

too many Epi's, then was handed a Les Paul at GC when I

was shopping for an Amp in 2010. Within three months

I bought my first Gibson LP from them of course. I think

they knew what they were doing.

 

I traded an Epi for it and later sold another Epi and it

became my only electric and I had no need for another, until

I wanted a semi-hollow. A Dot Deluxe and Casino have gone through

my hands and didn't do it for me. The Sheraton is fine and I consider

it (the MIK 5 piece neck) top of the line. It's a 2006 and was pretty

much unplayed. The stickers were still on the p/u's. So quality wise,

it's top notch.

 

I've not given up looking though

[lpdeluxe]

I bought mine off craigslist for San Antonio. I was planning a quick trip to Austin and decided to look for a 335. I had recently sold a '63 Chet Atkins Country Gent for a bit over $3K, so I wasn't afraid of spending a little money. In the event, the 335 was so perfect that I didn't haggle -- I just handed over the asking price, which was a pretty good deal anyway. So keep looking. They are out there, if you are persistent. Of course, I ended up driving 310 one way to get it, but in Texas we're used to distances. I hate to sound like a snob, but it really is better than any Epiphone I've seen. As I mentioned, once I got it I sold my other electrics (a Les Paul and a Bigsby-equipped SG) because this one does it for me.

[PP_CS336]

It's a 2009 Triburst with a flame VSB top and classic 57's.

 

The price is $2,000. I would need to make a trade to justify it to my wife

I would trade my newly acquired MIK Sheraton II.

 

Is the difference in tone worth it at 5 times what the Sheraton cost me?

 

The difference for my Traditional Plus was worth it at twice the cost of

the upgraded Epi LP's that are going for a grand now. But $2K vs. $400

has me wondering?

 

Thanks.

 

Believe me, it will be worth every cent. I have a CS-336 (once had an ES-335) and those '57 humbuckers make the guitar sound like a dream.

The other fact is over the years your ES-335 will appreciate it value, where the Sheraton won't. Make the upgrade, you won't regret it. And making

the trade to justify it to you wife, well let's just say she's letting go for the better guitar, even though it'll cost you some more money, so I

think that says a lot about her.