Epiphone ES-335 Semi-hollowbody Electric Guitar - Cherry Reviews

I own guitars ten times this price.
This Bad Boy punches way above weight.

If you're looking for a great player guitar
Look no further

I've always wanted a cherry red ES-335. It plays and sounds great. This is a great instrument for the price!

Loved it right out of the box. The color is great. Fit and finish great.
All you need to do do is string it with your favorite brand and you're off.
The pickups sound really great.
This is a ES guitar for real.

This Epiphone ES 335 is so nicely balanced and so well finished. I used to have Epiphones about 10-12 years ago and while they were good, I always knew they couldn't come close to the real thing. I'm not saying that this guitar would rival a Gibson ES 335, but I will tell you that for 1/5 the price, I have been hugely impressed and am so glad I made this purchase. The body finish is absolutely beautiful, even aged like an older Gibson, and the neck is absolutely perfect to play. The humbuckers also sound great with a bit of overdrive on my tube amps. If you have $ to burn, then go ahead and buy the Gibson, but if you're like most of us who have mortgages and car payments and such, rest assured you may very well appreciate this guitar as much as me.

My first (and apprehensive) online order of a musical instrument far exceeded the low-bar expectation I set. It arrived quickly and in pristine condition. Impressive packaging and equally notable customer service follow-up just added to the satisfaction. Obviously the 55-point inspection is for real. As far as the ES-335 goes, I've already expressed my love affair to Epiphone when I registered it. I feel like I got a steal. Sure, you need to set it up (nut lube, pickup and bridge heights, string choice etc.) as for any new guitar. But, it's a gem and I've played it for hours every day since it arrived. I can't believe I got an ES-335, with the range of sounds and the playing comfort for which it's known, and at a fraction of the price. But, here I want to review Sweetwater. Great company! Great staff! I went on to order other items like amps, a looper, cords and strings because I just want to give them the business. Check it out! (p.s. I went with FedEx signature delivery on all the above, maybe that helped to)

I own this new Epiphone ES-335 (Inspired by Gibson), a Gibson ES-335, and an Epiphone ES-335 Pro Limited Edition. This current model is the most Gibson-like EVER. On the outside, there are only 4 differences with the Epi compared to the Gibson... the name on the headstock, the 3 screw truss rod cover, the tuners say "Epiphone Deluxe" instead of "Gibson Deluxe", and no metal pointers on the knobs. The C shape neck profile is identical. (The Pro model has a slim taper profile.) To me, this Epi feels and plays exactly the same as my Gibson. Even though the finger board is Indian Laurel instead of rosewood, mine look and feel virtually the same. Fit and finish are top notch. Plays and sounds fantastic. In a blind sound test, I cannot tell the difference between the two.
If you have ever wanted an ES-335 but didn't want to go into debt to get a genuine Gibson, this is THE ONE to get! There has never been a better 355 from Epiphone.
Over the past few years, Epiphone has really stepped up their game. These Inspired by Gibson models are the best they have ever made.

I previously owned the Epiphone Dot and was pleased with it. After upgrading the pickups and the wiring harness it was a nice guitar. It wasn't a Gibson, but it wasn't bad. However, I was more impressed with the Ibanez line if I went with a 335 copy. But this new "Inspired By Gibson" Epiphone ES-335 kills it in almost every category. I am so happy with this guitar. I'm unsure what Epiphone did with the headstock, but it's not ugly anymore. There's no more cheap plastic "E" on the pickguard and nothing on the truss rod cover. There is an understated elegance to the whole guitar. The finish is nice. It's not nitrocellulose, but it's not overly thick. The neck is a wonderful size for me. It's not slim taper, but it's not as big as the ole Epi dots. My large hands are fine with it, and there's no fight to it. The overall fit and finish of the guitar are excellent.

The pickups and wiring harness is good just as is. I've played it extensively for several days, and I see no reason to change them. That is a happy discovery. That was a weak point of the old Epi Dots. I know they've gone up in price from the old Epi dots, but I think, dollar for dollar, they are a much better bargain. The tuners feel good, and I love the keystone buttons. The only thing I am changing is the nut. The Nu-Bone, while not plastic is a step down from the regular TUSQ material, and this guitar deserves a bone nut.

In summary, this is an excellent guitar. I am so pleased with the purchase, and it's beautiful to look at. It's inspired by Gibson, and it looks like a Gibson. After a good set-up, it plays wonderfully. It is miles ahead of the old Epiphone Dots. It seems that lately, guitar manufacturers change things up every couple of years as a market strategy. I'm still upset with Fender for getting rid of the Baja Telecaster! But this is a change that is fantastic. The reasons for choosing Gibson over Epiphone are getting very small, indeed! As usual, Sweetwater has its act together as a music retailer. If they were a band, they would be the tightest band you've ever heard. I've come to expect this from them over multiple years with multiple purchases, but that doesn't mean it is not very much appreciated. A Tip of the hat to Alex Campos, and a second-to-none shipping department!

Epiphone Gibson Inspired ES335? Yes! After playing one of these I was impressed and I'm hard to impress. At 65, I've been playing for approx. 57 years, playing semi-pro for about 30 years. No, I didn't play Epi's on stage but this baby I would if I still was. Needs a setup upon receiving, of course. From harmony to PRS, they all need tweaking. Bottom line, if you are looking for a 335 style, go play one of these. I really don't think you'll find a better playing and looking axe without buying the big brother for a couple thousand more. What's more, I had a neck issue with the first one I ordered and my Sweet Water Sales Engineer came through and sent me another before I even sent the other one back to them. What other music company does this. Check it out and order through Sweet Water if you want complete protection and satisfaction.

Thrilled with this guitar. Like most I have several guitars of various makes including Gibson, Guild and Gretsch, but this guitar can hold its own against them given the price difference. Tried to purchase this one months ago and it was sold out and was told it would be months before more arrived. They finally did and I jumped on it. The ones they got in went pretty fast too and I can see why. Great sound, tone, and ease of playi9ng. Other than changing the strings this guitar was setup great and required no adjustments. Always happy with my Sweetwater purchases.

I have played several hollow body guitars, never owned one, was never happy with the overall sound and feel of the overly expensive models. I played this one down at Sweetwater and I knew literally in 3 seconds this guitar was incredibly well made and had great tone and neck feel. Incredibly versatile guitar as well, across many playing styles and genres of music. DO NOT overthink this one, just buy it, you will love it. Thank you to all the fine folks at Sweetwater, for providing outstanding service to us, If your within a 3 hour drive, I highly recommend the trip, very well worth the time.

This guitar sounds so good! It's so much fun! I love it! I am a beginner and it is so beautiful and really easy to play!

The quality and sound is there but, for $ they can't take the time to do the fine touches as more expensive models.

Thought I would take a chance and see if I could get a $ guitar to play as well or close to higher priced model. After a full setup and fret leveling it's a beautiful playing and sounding instrument.

I have several American made guitars, including a 2020 Gibson Les Paul Standard 60's. Gibson has stepped up their game and that is a great guitar! All guitars require a good setup to get them playing where you want them. That said, this guitar did require some setup work, but was surprisingly less far off than my Gibson was when I received it. The intonation was very close, and the action was right at factory spec. I did have to do some work on the nut, which I also had to do on the Gibson. I think it's pretty well known that they cut the nut slots a little high at the factory. Some of this might boil down to Sweetwater's 55 point inspection delivering a product closer to factory spec. Either way, it's a great guitar that sounds, plays, and feels great and makes you want to play more! That's what it's all about in the end!

I can't say how this compares to a Gibson 335 because I don't own one but I can say the initial quality of this guitar compares favorably with my PRS SE guitars. I wasn't expecting a lot from the pickups and I debated ordering a set of Duncans when I ordered this guitar but I'm thankful I waited because they sound great. They have this mellow vintage vibe to them with just a little extra heat. I kind of halfway expected the finish on the guitar to laid on too THICK like some other Asian made guitars but this one doesn't seem that way at all. It's almost like the people building this guitar were intent on building a beautiful musical instrument instead of just following a set of steps at the daily grind, I hope that makes sense. If I had to nitpick I would say the only thing I could be disappointed in is the truss rod cover screws are all screwed in at an angle instead of straight into the neck, like I said that's just a nitpick. If you're on the fence just buy one...from Sweetwater of course.

When I first started playing I thought I had wasted my money. I dialed in the tone and volume and became quite pleased. I did not like the strings. I put on a set of Gibson strings and now I have a perfect instrument.

i own mostly us made guitars. ive had a memphis 335 (64) among others. this guitar is astounding. incredible sustain and the pickups don't need to be swapped. at all, they are 57 classic clones. guitar is on the bright side but the quality is there not just the parts but the build. ive never had an epiphone that i didn't want to put down until now.

I have for some time wanted to try out a 335, but I was very reluctant to shell out for a Gibson. At the same time, I wasn't all that open to buying an Epiphone. Then, I saw a number of YouTube videos featuring "shootouts" between Epiphones and Gibsons. In almost every instance, the verdict was that whatever difference in quality there was between two brands, it did not come close to justifying the difference in price. Later, I went to a music store and did my own comparison. The salesperson, knowingly, asked me, "So, can you see a $2,000 difference?" Of course I couldn't. They felt pretty much the same, they played pretty much the same and they sounded very much the same. But I wasn't crazy about the look of the Epi 335 - the headstock and the pickguard turned me off. Granted, this is not a good reason to reject a guitar, but we all are influenced to some degree by looks. Then, the "Inspired by Gibson" line came out, and the new 335s looked almost exactly like their Gibson counterparts. I was ready to jump in. The guitar I received is solidly built, plays very well and has excellent sustain. The hardware is really good (though I do prefer Grover tuners). The pickups are very good, even if I think they could be a tad more articulate. I had to redo the setup: The action was way too high and the intonation was sharp. But, with that done, I'm willing to use the guitar for any purpose. And I've scratched my itch for a 335 - for about 20% of the Gibson price. On that basis, I have to give it five stars.

I have never written a review of product that I have received up until now. I've been a player for over 50 years and I have quite a few vintage guitars.

About mid December I received my new Epiphone ES-335 from you. The guitar was packaged very well and and arrived when it was scheduled.

Once I unpacked it and started checking the instrument out I was completely blown away. No high frets. No dead spots and the guitar intonation is amazing. The strings that came with the guitar sucked but that was somewhat expected. Strings were replaced that day and all I can say was that I was completely blown away by this guitar. Not a single flaw in the finish. The neck is amazing and the pickups are a total surprise. Tone is great. The ability to get close to the Gibson ES 335 sound is just a few minor tweaks with the tone controls (amp & guitar). Crank it up and add distortion and you have a guitar that screams. Epiphone has really stepped up.

Overall I couldn't be happier.

Thank you Tim and crew at Sweetwater. You guys have been great

Frank

This guitar is a thing of beauty. Perfect neck, amazing sustain, beautiful pickups. I have never played a Gibson ES-335, and now I never need to. I am more than satisfied with my Epiphone!

Just received mine yesterday, and after having plenty of time to play it, I can definitely say this guitar is awesome in every way. Epiphone has REALLY stepped it up this time around with their inspired by Gibson range. Like I'd imagine most people, I'm not a professional touring musician so I can't justify spending 3k or more on the real deal as great as they might be. I have been lucky enough to play a few though, and I have to say that this Epiphone version is as close as it gets without costing a fortune. The finish and fretwork on mine are better than any other Epiphone I've owned. The styling and the hardware are very high quality and have a nice vintage vibe. I love the old vintage tuners. Through my deluxe reverb amp, the pickups really sing. I definitely feel like Epiphone has improved their probucker pickups. No need for all the push pull trickery. Lastly, probably my favorite feature on the guitar is the neck. I was never a fan of Epiphones slim taper neck. I've even stayed away from specific models just for that reason, but this rounded c neck is perfect. Not too fat, not too thin, it's right in the sweet spot. Overall I'm highly impressed with this guitar. If you've ever wanted a nice budget semi hollow guitar, this is the only way to go. As usual my experience buying this guitar through sweetwater was amazing. Shout out to my sales engineer Jimmy Hart who hooked me up. These guitars hadn't arrived yet, so I preordered one. Within a couple days Jimmy reached out and let me know they had some in stock and promptly sent one out. 2 days later I received it in perfect condition, and it was even in tune. Where else can you get this kind of service?

It's exactly what I expect from a $ Epiphone. Solid construction, nice hardware, etc. I did spend a couple of hours with a Fret Guru fret end dressing file, working on the frets. I don't like sharp bevels on the ends, so I rounded them down to feel more Gibson-y. Some people won't have a problem with that. Sounds great. The CTS pots are a nice addition. The finish is gorgeous.
I'll never be one of those people saying "Oh, it's as good as a Gibson for a tenth of the price!" But it's more than good enough for what you pay.

I have recently been looking for a semi-hollow body to round out my stable. After incessant internet searches and YouTube shootouts, this simple, understated Epiphone came on the radar. I had honestly dismissed it initially based on Epiphone's long history of (and my direct experience with), shall we say, sketchy quality. And it is made in China, which is candidly a little hard for me to accept. And...I recently transformed my collection of practically museum-quality instruments into their inexpensive counterparts. USA-made masterpieces from various builders were sold and replaced by their MIM and Indonesian cousins. My guitars are now practical tools to me (I lead a worship ministry and play weekly), and, spoiler alert, they AND THIS, are remarkable. You see, not long ago I sold my Gibson Custom '61 ES-335 as part of my gear transformation as a slide into an early semi-retirement. When I opened up the "box" for this one, adjusted the truss rod slightly (it was actually loose), and dropped the bridge a bit, I was astounded at what I heard and felt. I immediately felt like a fool for spending SEVEN TIMES on a "real" 335. Is a Gibson Custom better? Yes, but not even three or four times as good as this much less seven times.

Right out of the box, the guitar resonates like an acoustic guitar. It is LOUD and has sustain forever. Save for an unfortunate blem underneath the paint on the headstock (1/2 point off for that), the build is otherwise perfect. I mean perfect. Even the fretwork is wonderful. And the components? Fantastic. The tuning machines are as smooth as butter and hold tune. And the pickups? There will be no replacing these. Just the slightest manipulation of the volume and tone controls reveals so many tonal possibilities. I plugged this thing in after my minor setup adjustments and just played for hours. It is truly inspiring. Even the finish, while not the nitro we would all love to have, feels excellent. It doesn't have the cheap, almost sticky feel that poly finishes usually have.

I cannot say enough about how wonderful this guitar is. I used to be a real gear snob, and I am feeling foolish now. The quality of these foreign-made guitars is truly astounding and gives virtually anyone access to an instrument that is inspiring and will grow with them.

I am very impressed with the quality build of this guitar. I had heard some negatives regarding fit and finish on some Epiphone guitars in the past so I was a little concerned on what I would be getting without handling and playing first. The fit is finish is flawless.

In addition, the set up was very good. Very low action which I like. I did get a little fret buzz on E and A strings. Did a minor adjustment but will wait a week or so and do a proper set up. I am sure that I have plenty of space to raise bridge (maybe change relief) to get rid of buzz and still have excellent action.

The guitar plays very well. I was a little concerned about the size since I mostly play my Strat or Tele and this is much bigger. It is not uncomfortable to play even though much larger than what I am accustomed to.

Overall this is an excellent value. Very nice guitar especially for the price.

It's a budget import ES style for under $... so I wasn't expecting too much. Setup was not so good, as the action was way high 8/64" at the 12th fret, but the relief wasn't too far off. After a few tweaks to the setup it's much better.
The good:
Fit & finish are good
Nut is cut well
Hardware is decent
The not-so good:
I don't find the pickups to be very inspiring.
Bridge position tone knob fell off in the box during shipping. Had to pry the shaft a little to get it to stay on.
Not very deep or pronounced sounding unplugged.
Overall, it's not bad for the cost. However, it's definitely not on par with a US made Gibson counterparts (not that I expected it to be).

Very nice guitar for the money plays well sounds very nice but they really need to put some good tuners on this axe the ones they install are just JUNK to say the lease!! Come on Epiphone stop using cheap tuners on your ES-335 guitars the early guitars had Grovers on them much better I for one don't mind spending a little more money for better tuners! Other than that, I love this guitar.