Product: El Maya ES-335 Copy
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted
04/15/2007
at
08:37pm
by
FredT
Features
:
9
This is a rare El Maya copy of the Gibson ES-335. It was made in Korea sometime before 1976, when I bought it from a small guitar shop.
It has a beautiful thin neck that allows you to play fast and slippery. Rosewood, of course.
22 Frets. The usual double volumen and tone controls, with a three way pickup selector. I have no idea what brand of pickups are in there, but they sound great.
I have kept it for 30+ years. For some reason I never could part with it. It plays very nicely, and the pickups have mellowed through the years, and now they sound great.
Sound
:
9
I play mostly blues, and it is the perfect guitar for it. It has a mellow, full sound like the ES-335 that Clapton plays on his "From the Cradle" album. It roars.
I use a small Marshall Valvestate fed by a Digitech RP3.
It can sound bright or thick, depending on the settings.
The neck is the main attraction, though. It has a fairly thin neck that allows for fast fret work. It fits perfectly in the hand.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
9
For a Korean knock off, these guitars were extraordinarily well made. They seem to have been trying to make an entrance into the American market, and they spared no expense in terms of wood and materials. The guitars were inexpensive not because they were cheaply made, but because they used (at the time) relatively low cost labor. The wood sounds great, they appear to have used well seasoned stuff that resonates well.
Reliability/Durability
:
9
I've dropped the guitar numerous times, but nothing ever happened. It's almost as if it were made to be dropped.
The only complaint I have is the tuners could have been a better quality. They are not top notch. But the rest of the guitar makes up for it by far. And, I could have easily changed to better tuners for a very small amount of money. I suppose if they were really bad, I would have.
The finish is still pristine after 30 some years, a rich, deep wine-red color that is visually still great to look at.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
The company is no longer in business.
Overall Rating
:
9
I have been playing on and off for 35 years. I have had a Fender Strat, which could not hold a candle to this guitar, and more recently a Gibson Les Paul. The Les Paul is like a battleship, and the El Maya is like a greyhound. I found I preferred to play the El Maya, since the neck was much more user friendly. And the 30 year old tone was magnificent. Rich, throaty tones.
If this were stolen or lost, I would pay $3,000 to get it back.
