Epiphone Dot (Cherry) Reviews

Ian Robins
from
February 19, 2013Music Background:
Semi-pro musician & home recording enthusiast.

Love the DOT!

i recently received my new Epiphone ES335 DOT from Sweetwater. I had and swapped a Gibson ES335 thirty years ago and always regretted it. This was my "poor man's" choice. What a wonderful surprise! The Epi is a fantastic guitar - beautiful action; sweet tones and immaculately put together and set up. I think its every bit as good as my old Gibson. I also have a '72 Telecaster which I love dearly. The Epiphone will be a great compliment to it. I now have those warm bluesy tones that the Tele lacked. Thanks, Sweetwater for the great set up and prompt delivery. You guys rock!

from
January 8, 2013

Best semi-hollow guitar for the price!

Great guitar, just what I was looking for, beautifull finish and solid construction with a great resonance acoustic body that gives you sweets warm tones. In my opinion this is the best website to buy your instruments. Excellent and fast attention, also the fact that you can see real photos of the gear you are buying is amazing.

Matt
from Atlanta GA
November 29, 2012Music Background:
Working pro for over 40 years

Great, Basic Semi-hollow

I bought it to upgrade and have had it for 3 years. My main guitar is a Clapton Strat. It covers 80% of what I do (blues, roots and boogie). But I needed something for 5 or 6 songs per night to cover B.B., Freddie, early Clapton type tones. Couldn't justify the price of the Gibson 335 for this. Besides, several new ones I played needed work right off the bat. Any guitar I buy gets a new nut right away - solves most or all tuning problems. This Dot was no exception-really needed it. The Dot does exactly what I wanted - gets the semi-hollow humbucker tone I was looking for, great tone and sustain, nice chubby neck - very well done. After upgrading wiring and pickups it's even better. I have about $750 in it total. I might be a little happier with a Gibson 335 but could have 2 or 3 more upgraded Dots for the same price. In fact, I recently bought another Dot to use for slide in open D tuning. Sounds great!

Charles Johnson
from NW Arkansas
June 7, 2012Music Background:
Im a couch Rocker & a BIG thorn in my neighbors side!

Epi Dot

I really like it. It's sounds great. I enjoy playing it off the amp while my wife sleeps. Then plug it in & get nasty after she goes to work! It's large enough to be a lap axe....but works as a good neck hanger.
Can't say enough great things about this piece of wood & wire. Just get one & you'll see how hard it is to put down.
Play the Ole Southern Blues & it'll make the Cats cry & the Dogs howl.

Jay Chely
from Elmira, New York USA
February 7, 2012Music Background:
Studio/Band Musician

Absolutely Perfect

I've been a guitar player for 10 years. I've always played solid body guitar, from SG's to Strat style guitars. I have to say my preference changed when I received the Epiphone Dot. Having never played a semi-hollow guitar before, I never even really thought about it. I was worried that I wouldnt like the sound and that it would lack the punch of my other two favored guitars (A Samik SG, and Yamaha Pacifica). When I plugged in the Epiphone Dot, all i had to do was tune it up and start pickin away. The crew at Sweetwater did a perfect job at setting up my Dot! no adjustments were needed. I play everything from The Black Keys to Crosby, Stills and Nash to Zeppelin to ZZ Top and this guitar can serve all those styles. It can handle heavy distortions and griddy fuzz tones from my fuzz face and the sustain is to die for!! through all the morph changes and distortion levels the Dot keeps it tone without getting noisey or having a load of feedback. It even cleans up to a perfect sounding acoustic when the time comes to do some classic strumming. The neck is nice and wide and easy to get a grip on without any fuss or fighting. An absolutely perfect gutiar for a great price!

Leo Coveris
from Bass Lake,Indiana
September 30, 2011Music Background:
Musician-Guitar & Piano

Epiphone Dot (cherry)

This Eppi-Dot is everything I could want in a guitar.I compare this Ax to an ES-335 Gibson,except for the price difference.The wider neck makes it very playable,the stock eppi humbuckers have a great tone and sound. This guitar is very well built and as for it's looks,it's like a piece of art .

Mike
from n.j.
June 2, 2011Music Background:
musician, guitar teacher

For the price you can't beat it.

I have had the guitar for 2 days and I am very happy with it. I am putting it through a Fender Vibrolux. The tone is fantastic. For $399.00 it is a steal!

Terry Hoffman
from Kansas
February 28, 2011Music Background:
Active Musician

Great Guitar

Just recieved this the other day and, I could not be more satisfied! First of all this guitar is absolutely beautiful, the cherry red color is breathtaking, the feel,look, and, sound is everything you could ask for. I have owned a Gibson ES330,335 and, an older model melody maker. After I got married I didn't think I would gig anymore so I sold them, well after a couple years I realized how much I missed playing music and, I've been on a roll every since. This guitar will give you everything that you will expect form it. I have nothing against the Gibson's at all but, they really have got out of range in price for the average performing musician. I own a Epi Les Paul Plus Top and, an SG 400, no modifications done to either one and, they sound and, play wonderfully! All I ever do is lower the action and maybe a new set of strings and, that's it. I lowered the action on this one and, that is all it needed to play just right. I have played and, owned just about every guitar out there, Started playing Gibson's in the 60's, went to Fender's in the late 70's, but I always remembered that first cherry red 335 that I saw when I was a kid and, dreamed someday of owning one, now I do. I still have my Fender's, a PRS and, several more other really great instruments but, this one will have a special place in my collection.

Rob Parker
from Murfreesboro, TN
February 26, 2010Music Background:
Video Game Music Composer/Solo Artist and Engineer

Worth more money than it's being sold for!

Looks like Epiphone isn't kidding around anymore when it comes to quality. I really think the DOT would do well in a blindfold test with the Gibson counterpart. I really love this guitar for its warmth, nice tone, and surprising flexibility. The only complaint is the "e" on the pickguard kept coming off so I eventually just took it off myself. All it needs now is a bigsby tremelo arm!

Tony
from Adelaide, Aussie
June 22, 2008Music Background:
blues, rock,ballads,I've played in several bands, but mostly with my friends on a friday ight, over a few beers.

Epi ES335 Dot

I have played many guitars in my day(I'm 46yo)however I love my Epiphone ES335 dot the best, It plays better than some of my more expensive guitars.
I hear a lot of people make many hardware mods (pups, volume, tone pots etc. Why?) to these Epihones, I however like the sounds mine gives as per stock (I've not had cause to change any of my hardware, as it works fine, no defects etc.) I suppose it all boils down to what one expects thier guitar to sound like.
Epiphones are not Gibsons, so why would I want it to sound like a Gibson, it however is not short of the Gibson ES335 sound by much.
Many blogers have complained about loose bits and pieces , I have not found this to be the case with my Epi.
It is priced well within the average guiarists budget.
Had I had access to this quality guitar when I was younger it would have saved me a lot of hardship trying to raise the money for a Gibson ES 335 Dot.
As far as I am concerned my Epi is my main tool of trade.
Why would one spend thousands of dollars on a Gibson when you can own a Epi for less than half the cost of the afore mentioned.
As i have mentioned, I have not modified my Epi Es335 dot, I like it the way it is, it plays beautiful through my JTM 45 Marshall amp.
Also I have found the quality of the Epi to be just as good as the Gibson, if not better than some of the Gibson ES335 dots.
I think the Americans are starting to "slip" a bit with thier product quality.
My Epi can be sweet or it can be agressive, I can ballad on it or I can AC/DC on it, it's a very well finished instrument, AND it is considerably more cost effective.
Mine is a blond not a cherry, I find the cherry to be too common, every one seems to own one!
All in all a very nice guitar, no complaints here.
Keep em com'in Epipone.
Ready to play straight out of the box, not like some of my other more expensive guitars, just about all of my more expensive guitars, needed some set up work done on them, not the Epiphone, it was ready to rock and roll right from the start, well almost, I changed the srings to Gibson vintage.
Why pay excesive amounts of money for a Gibson (just because it is made in yanky land?).
I suspect there are those amungst us who like to stand up and say, hey look at me,I've got the real thing!
Well a Epiphone is not a Gibson, so as far as i am concerned I've got the real thing, an Epiphone real thing, not a Gibson.
If Epiphone ES335's were good enough for the Beatles, they sure are more than good enough for me.
All this aside, as I have mentioned, I love my Epiphone, my wife is very jealous, she complains, you never hold me like yo hold that guitar!haha.

Robert Schlotter
from Indiana, USA
February 8, 2013Music Background:
Hobbyist

Awesome Dot

This guitar was absolutely one of my favorites. I traded it in for another guitar from Sweetwater. I am seriously thinking about getting another Dot again. It played really great, had super tone when played through a Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue. I regreat trading this guitar away. Oh well, learn by your mistakes! I would highly recommend this guitar for any type of music from jazz, country, rock, rockabilly, etc... This guitar can handle any type of music.! It is a really good buy at this price listed.

tom paine
from Spokane, WA
January 10, 2013Music Background:
Hobbyist

Exceptional value

This must be one of the best bargains in the guitar world. The guitar is well made and plays very well. It also stays in tune like a much more expensive Gibson 335......It you are looking for a semihollow and cannot afford the price of a new Gibson 335, this is the answer.....

John Innes
from United States
May 30, 2012Music Background:
Hobbyist

Epiphone Dot

Loved my purchase of my Epiphone Dot Cherry. It's the closest thing to a 335 that I could get for half of the price of a 335. My only issue would be I may want to switch out the pickups for Gibson 57's. Other than that it is awesome and plays great! Very easy action.

Erik
from Chicago, Il
January 25, 2011Music Background:
student, hobbyist, solo/band playing.

nice guitar

I have an epiphone dot with the cherry red finish and it looks beautiful and plays pretty well. The stock pickups were decent at best. I swapped them out with gibson 57's in the neck and bridge. Once i did this, the guitar sounds fantastic. It sounds so nice now but the only thing i don't like about the guitar other than the stock pickups is the action on the bridge. I have adjusted it over and over again, and i cannot get it as low as i'd like without it buzzing. Other than this, it is a fantastic value

Dave
from Urbana, IL
November 23, 2007Music Background:
Pro Musician

Very, Very good guitar!!

I have several Epiphone DOTs. While they don't have the luxurious feel of a Gibson 335 or even an Epi Sheraton, for that matter.... they still play very nice and stay in tune just fine. Also they have a great warm tone that I just LOVE!! They sound phat and lush through my all tube Marshall or my Peavey Classic 30. I play classic rock, country, blues, and hard rock and the DOTs work well for any style. At first I was worried about un-controllable feedback with higher gain and volume.. but that's not a problem at all. The DOTs play good, sound great, and look BEAUTIFUL!! And are extremely affordable!! I love 'em!!!

Chris
from Sacremento, CA
April 1, 2004

Love At First Sight

Being an Intermediate guitarist, my old electric was not working anymore. it could not do what i needed it to do for me, and the tone was horrible. i needed a new guitar fast. i went to my local music store, and i tried out a few different guitars, with little success. Then, i tried out the Dot. it was love at first sight. not only did it have a warm, full tone, its playability was better than some of the more expensive models i had tried. it works on any style of music that i play, and i have never had any problem with it. The best part is, it was affordable. this is one of the best guitars you can get for under $1,000. i highly recommend getting one.

Tim White
from Morganton, NC
February 1, 2004

Dot Rocks

30 years ago I owned a Gibson ES 335, and foolish youth that I was I didn't keep it. Last year when I decided to take up guitar playing again I looked for for a 335. Have you priced them lately? Or even a 333? Then I found my Epi Dot. Everything good I recall about my Gibson is present in the Dot. It will sing. It will growl. Wonderful sustain with the set neck and semihollow body. The action is comfortable. A few blemishes in the finish but nothing major. I realize I'm an amateur and perhaps look at things differently than a pro, but I can't imagine anyone not enjoying this immensely playable guitar. When you factor in price you can't go wrong with the Dot.

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