Epiphone Dot Studio

update to the Dot Studio... Now i have 3. but thats not the update. I have purchased each one at a different outlet, so i think i can safely say this... the bodies are rough to the touch, unfinished to the eyes... that is what initially promted me to take it off the wall and see what it could do. My 1st was athe reddish color, some call it tomatoe red, I took some very fine steel wool and linseed oil. real pour it on. gave the wood a good scrub down with the steel wool.. nice and smooth, then the shock came after I wipep most of the excess oil. Took a drill with a buffing wheel (very soft) and proceeded to hopefully get rid of most oif the linseed oil and to my amazement the wood became a beautiful almost crimson color complete with shine. The maple is ripe for some oil and buffing,when i say buffing, I mean serious buffing, maybe e few hours on each all totalled. If you don't you will have a finish that with pick up fingerprints and all, if you put in a little time here and there, the reward is beautiful natural would shine.. the brown dot, is especially handsome, looks almost like violin finish (almost) but most importantly, this did wonders for the feel of the neck (backside) smooth like a bowling alley. My first dot studio had rough fret pieces, almost unfinished, took a dry piece of steel wool with a little more bite and have done all 3. If you not looking to pretty up this dot studio I will say that all 3 drank up the oil, dry wood not good in the long term. also, all 3 had the wiring harness that had a stickum square to stay up and out of sight, eventually all three stickums let go, a little super glue and thats that.

AL 3 guitars stock sounded pretty much the same, each tune-o-matic had the slide on the high "e" string all the way forward... I changed the tune-o-mtic with one of the many I collected over time and not only could i adjust intonation perectly, was bad before, I use many weird tunings and couldn't find a happy medium with the stock one... since I put a chrome tune-o-matic on the dot I went all the way and put a chrome stop bar. This reminded me for every action there is a reaction... preface I like the stock sound, left one comopletly stoxck accept for a bath and a buff. This change but a nice bite and attack is cleaner. (my amp is an epiphne blues 30 in the Class A output mode" There is a noticible difference between the stock guitar and the one with the change, no big surprise but the difference is much more noticacble then I thought it would be. Finally my "violin finish dot" I had an old Gretsch tailpiece from a very old Gretsch acoustic, longer then most, well made. I changed the tune-o-matic to chrome, added the tailpiece, (used the bottom hole for the strap button after enlarging it slightly) not this is a huge chnge, I finger pick and this is buy far the best of all my many high end guitars for what I'm after, good string spacing, good neck size, good fret size, and when I thump a string for a bass line a fat but not muddy sound. As for the holes where the stop bar was.. doesn't bother me, in fact they look like they belong. I have an lite casino (big deal) I prefer this maple dot by a mile, seems to have more range (the one with the trapeze) This pickups are great, for my taste, but very string sensative., plus i have only played and gigged through the 30.. can't know what these sound like through other amps obviously. Mayebe this information is trite, but for a guy like me who has been around the block a few times, these guitars have put the zip and fun back into my pickin and a slidin. I re-strung each one with 10's De Addario's (can't spell to gud) stock strins were tired sounding.

spoke on the finsih up top... stock, "what finsish" but thats not bad, a nice funky looking organic look. I'm not 100% sold on the stock tune-o-matic because there is not much room to raom for intonation with especially the higher strings., however the one I left stock is fine, just thats its at the end of the travel.

I neverr really know how to answer this... all my guitars have suffered some small 'accidents' over the years, these are lightweight guitars, the wood behind the nut seems a little thin ( to be pick)I wouldn't go to fat with strings or use these guitars for snow shoes. I have already depended on the ;violin".. only take it, have use it busking in the sun.

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I'm no luthier, maybe could be if had the tools, all my guitars have my little mods here and there, up through some fairly major 'steam and straighten" but these epi's are low end money big bag guitars left stock and are especially appeasing when a modificcation such as a trapeze etc is done. I don't think I'll ever change out the pups. i swear in there own way they can rival any. This last comment really doesn't add up to a hill of beans, I never had a guitar that so many gawked at. i think epiphone has found its stride, hard to believe I paid under $500 FOR THE bLUES 30 AND PRACTICALLY NOTHING FOR 2 OF THE THREE GUITARS

If this ain't a bluesy looking feeling noise box I don't know what is. "studio model" to my minds its another way of sying cut corners but try to have a decent product. This guitar is a good example of big bang for the buck. Other reviewers covered the parts and pieces etc.

There aare may reviews that the powers to be posted.. over the last 4-5 years that i have owned a pc, my choice in guitars have become less bux more happy. First guitar in 63, (Gibson) with a tube super beatle, I have had the highly sort after these days, however I have parted with my good high end friends because instead of mojo they had high quality and made pretty sounds. I am so steeped into the blues, have so much in the way of rare footage, be it Maxwell Street with Robert Nighthawk, Lowell Fulsom, obscure names to some but you would reognize many tunes that were the skeleton of tofdays rock. The one part of the puzzle was i couldn't quite get the raunch. One African American blues dude came up to me in a gin mill where i opened and siad,"You got the black chops but you ain't got the raunch" Now where I once had an American Strat I have a Squire, that what I said, had a 335, now have this epi version and so on. back to the epi "studio" it feels as good as any guitar I have travelled the neck with. Thge pickups are generic plus a bit better, for me perfect. This guitar is for slide and picking, ahve to domsome almost blue grass speed with a slide danglin off my little finger.. no proble. I could change all the black hard ware, I have 43 years of parts but like it as it is, looks great against the dull reddish satinish finish. if You are a blues man, the guitar seems to have all the vredentials for being a great Hound Dog Taylor ax with maybe 1 hooter pickup. Fred McDowell. Doesn't have great bite but with a few tweaks on the amp its bite is enough to reak the skin. There is nothing I do not like about the guitar which was under 300 bux. I think it gets looked at more then my other guitars has a nice vibe to it. Plays great with slide and finger picking, sounds great for my catalog and I couodn't be happier for early electric blues.

I set thge guitar up because i reaise d the strings. I usually use 10's which is a little light for slide but gives a nice slippery sound, so ahd to raise and re do intonation.. no biggie. I'm looking st it now, it needs a cleaning, I busk sometimes) but the guitar is no worse tyen what I have seem on higher end guitars, maybe because there isn't much to this one to complain about. Action is great for my style, you slide/pickers will understand, can worry the strings with the slide and thump some bass without losing pitch. My rating is for a low end guitar.. strike that .. its for any guitar

When i busk, sometimes to stay out of the cops way, I find my self in the sun, guitar has been no problem with temp change, no more then You would expect, maybe less. All feels good then I look at it while I'm down-tuning and I remember this is an economy guitar but forget when I'm playing because its created the illusion I'm better then I am.. carry with a gig bag, its taken a spill of my back when I was on my bike with no apparent efeect (in the gig bag)

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I give this guitar a 275, because thats what I paid for it. It feels good to get the sound I want, the feel I want and the vibe i want for little money. When i gig inside i use a Blues 30 epi in the class position, one Celstion 80 and one green back in parallel. Outside I make noise with a little "cube" from Roland.

The main feature is the lack of features. How do you rate that?

I play jazz using a Roland Cube 60. Even with only one volume and one tone knob this is still an extremely versatile guitar. It is good for anything. For jazz, however, I do recommend to replace the pickups with something less "hot". Most PAF style pickups with a lower output will do fine (you probably don't want to install original Gibsons PUs in a guitar this price). If you don't want to replace the pickups and still want a jazzier sound screw the PUs down a good bit. Not a pure vintage Gibson ES-335 sound of course but it gets closer to it than many other low-priced ES-335 clones. Considering what I paid for this guitar I can only give it a 10.

Tuners, pickup switch and pots are not of the highest quality but I have seen worse. The neck and frets on mine are perfect, not one high fret, low action.

I don't trust the toggle switch but other than that there is not much that can break.

no idea

I have been playing for 25 years and have seen quite a lot of guitars. I bought this guitar because I saw it for only 169 Euro and having read all the positive reviews I could not resist. I haven't been disappointed. I can't say that I like the ice-blue colour of mine a lot but it is a good guitar. Inexpensive, plays comfortably, sounds nice. What more can you expect?

Most of the spex have already been posted. This one's in worn vintage burst finish, with a nut width of 1.688", 12" fretboard radius, .885" depth at the first fret (yep, nice 'n' chunky), .095" x .045" frets, guitar weighs in at 7lbs 9ozs. It's got all the features I want or need.

Supplied with a pair of AlNiCo humbuckers, the tone can easily be tweaked for most any style of music. I like the sound of these pups quite a bit.

Frets required leveling (as do most stock guitars, even the expen$ive one$). No other issues or concerns.

After a fret level and crown, this DS is totally ready for stage or studio, as is stock.

Don't know or care.

Been playing fretted instruments since '55 and I'm a fretted instrument guitar tech/luthier. I get to mess with *LOTS* of guitars on a weekly if not daily basis and I'm a champion of cheap guitars. A number of online vendors such as MF are selling the Dot Studio for between $200 and $300 brand new ... blems can be had for as cheap as $150. With a bit of tweaking and little to no dollar$, the Dot Studio can be made into a real class act pro guitar - a good 335 for cheap. There's a list of things about acquiring guitars and my pecking order goes like this - build, playability, tone, aesthetics, cost (well, usually cost last). This is my 4th or 5th DS, and for the most part they're all keepers. These dayze, most ANY stock guitar will need at least some setup work and maybe a fret level and crown. Considering the good build quality and playability that can be achieved (great neck!), this is as fine a 335 clone as you can get. For those that require separate pup vol and tone knobs, look to the Washburn HB32 or the standard Epi Dot. Now, FWIW, though it was NOT required, and just because I could do it, I did make mods to my DS - Schaller vintage tulip tuners, vintage bone nut, full fret level and crown, Gibson pups - Classic '57 for the neck and a 498T for the bridge, Schaller nickel Nashville bridge and nickel stop tail, CTS pots, Panasonic 3-way, Switchcraft jack, 11-48 roundwounds. Rock on ...

I bought an Epiphone Dot Studio at Guitar Center, CT about 4 months ago. It is in worn brown finish, all mahogany neck and body, black binding and a rather refreshing headstock logo (I hate how some Epiphone Les Paul's headstocks look. So ugly!).

The hardware it came with can be called crap, although it's not the worst you can buy. The nut is plastic, just begging for string hitches, and the tuners slip a lot. What I would recommend is retrofitting the whole thing, like I did. Get a graph tech nut and string saver tune o matic saddles; they are cheap and do WONDERS for this guitar. Also, you're better off buying new tuners, preferably locking ones (Planet Waves has locking ones for cheaper than Schaller or Sperzel) so the thing stays in tune. Once this is done, however, this guitar is really hard to put down.

As you probably know, it only has one volume and one tone knob, but the tone knob is actually responsive! This is unheard of in a guitar of this price. It doesn't have many features, but for about 300 bucks, this guitar is packing more vibe than ANY guitar in the price range, guaranteed.

Well, the pickups leave something to be desired. They DO let the natural airiness and woodiness of the cavernous body come through the amp, but they are rather thin and weak sounding. Now, for this price, these pickups are fantastic, and for the beginner player, they will do just fine. However, they don't pack quite enough punch for anything too heavy, and the clean tone doesn't get clean enough for anything too clean (forget it, jazz cats. it doesn't get smoky enough).

Solution? Replace the pickups! I put Seymour Duncan Phat Cats into the guitar, and combined with the new hardware and locking tuners, this guitar is just as good as it's Gibson cousin. It takes a little bit of effort, but you can get this thing to sound absolutely stunning. And for so little cash, who minds the extra effort?

The action was a little high at the factory, but nothing too annoying. I put on a fresh pack of strings and had no problems. I will say this, though; the bridge pickup was a little low, and I had to adjust it to make its output as loud as the neck. Also, the tone knob comes loose every once in a while, due to sloppy circuitry and placement of the tone pot. However, this is to be expected. Simple adjustments will fix this, but since the only access to the wiring harness is through the f-holes of the guitar, it's not fun.

As far as the finish goes, it was flawless, save for a wonky-shaped f-hole on the left side of the guitar. The binding was straight and clean, and everything looked nice.

The thing used to break strings like crazy, but since I replaced the nut, it's a lot better. Seeing how it is so cheap, I don't expect it to last very long. I think if you are a bedroom rocker and don't gig with it and take care of it, it will last a really long time. However, I gig often and I always bring a back up, because I never know if something on the Dot Studio will break. It's more of a mental thing than a physical thing; do you really want your gig to depend on a 300 dollar guitar?

Never had to deal with Epiphone, although I don't expect them to help out much anyway.

I've been playing for 4 years, and I play indie. I've had this guitar for about 4 months and I'm happy with it overall. It takes some modifications and some effort, but you can get this thing to sound just as good as the Gibson ES-333, if you really try.

It's also awesome for beginner players, and I couldn't think of a better guitar to recommend to someone who is just starting out.

Bare bones ES 335 style Epiphone.
2 humbuckers 1 vol 1 tone 3 way selector switch
Rosewood gingerboard

I give this a 5 because there isnt a ton of features but for me that is a very good thing. I am not looking for bells and whistles to add to my guitar.

I play slaezy rock n roll with elements of punk and pop (a la Backyard Babies). This guitar runs into a Sennheiser EW 172 wireless, Planet Waves Strobe Tuner, Custom Audio Electronics Boost, MXR Phase 90 into a custom made 100watt Soldano head into Dave Avatar 4x12 cab. Yes a Soldano can make anything sound good but this thing does sound great throu anything. I am highly impressed with how goood it sounds. This was only 200 bucks!!!

Factory setup sucked. Action was high and intonation was terribly off but it didnt take long to fix it. The neck was perfect so that made things very easy. The pickup heighth was a good standard setup but I always tailor that to my own taste.

I havent owned this long enought to determine its durability. At 200 bucks I dont expect to play it for a decade if it handles my touring schedule for 1 year I will consider it very worthwhile.

No opiinion here.

I have been playing for 15 years and a year ago bought a GMP Pawnshop Classic with a chambered body and have since gotten more and more interested in the 335 style. I had been playing the non studio model epiphone dot in the stores and was watching ebay for a good deal. I wound up recieving this studio for christmas and thought i would give a spin at band rehearsal to see how it was. I was truly impressed. It is no GMP but it also doesnt have a $3500 price tag!! At my last show I put the GMP on the stand as the backup and used the dot studio. I was thoroughly and I mean thoroughly pleased. I can easily see me buying another one very soon. This is a great guitar for the money.

the aestetics of this guitar are wonderful. it really looks like a more expensive guitar. It is pretty much all mahagony, except for the fingerboard. not a lot of "features", but that is not a bad thing. 1 volume, 1 tone, 1 pick up selector.
Fret markers are not on the fingerboard, but on the side of the neck.

i play jazz and rock. i bought this guitar for use in jazz settings with a drummer and for playing in rock bands. Im running through a tech21 amp and the guitar sounds good for use in the rock settings when used with distortion or OD. The clean sounds leaves a lot to be desired. The sound to me has excessive mid-range. It is not a rich sound at all.

the set up from the factory was OK. Action was relatively high and the intonation was off.

the second gig i took it to, the input jack fell into the body. fortunately this awesome guy from the band Carousal Rogues let me use his...

currently i use a strat and an Ibanez PM100. i used to have an epi sheraton. i dont know why i got rid of it. that was a good guitar, this is not. Aside from "breaking down" on its second gig, the sound is just so uninspiring. you really get what you pay for. This guitar has been relegated to use for one song in one band where i have to tune the guitar down a half step.

a minor gripe i have is that it does not sit well with a strap. the position of the strap and the weight distibution make the headstock end want to sink towards the ground. yeah, its minor, but it can really affect your technique when you have to support the guitar with your left hand.

Alnico V pickups are excellent.
I give this guitar a 10 because it has so FEW features.

My tastes lean towards Vintage/Alt Rock.
So far have played it through a 50's Gibson GA-20 (Tweed Deluxe ripoff).

This Guitar sounds GREAT. Perfect compliment to my LP Deluxe. Everyone tends to play with their Volume and Tone all the way up all the time. DON'T.
Learn to use the knobs. They are there for a reason. You can get a huge variety of sounds out of this guitar.

I have the worn Brown finish and I LOVE the unfinished Neck. New Glossy guitars always feel sticky to me.
The Strings were too light for my taste but intonation was very close (String length was off on one string). String heighth was perfect. Pickup Selector is a bit noisy but is cleaning up with use. Everything else is perfect.

This finish is made to wear out. Construction feels solid. I have owned many Epi guitars (maybe 20?) and have toured extensively with them and they have all held up well and held tuning from night to night.

Artist support at Epi/Gibson is great.

I am a professional musician.

My main guitar is a '73 Les Paul Deluxe with a Bigsby through a 50's Gibson GA-20 (Tweed Deluxe knock-off), 60's Ampeg Jet, 60's Ampeg B15, 50's Gretsch Electromatic, heavily Modded Fender Champ

Pedals used most often are Tube Screamer, Matchless Hotbox, (original) Electro Harmonix Big Muff Deluxe, Memory Man, Electric Mistress, DynaComp, Vox Wah

I compared it to higher end Epi and Gibson and Ibanez guitars. It held up to the Epi and Gibsons and made the Ibanez guitars sound BROKEN.

Would definitely buy another one
I love the minimalist finish and lack of cheap looking glitz.

All you need and nothing you don't.

Sounds pretty good clean, no major complaints. At high gain levels it also sounds pretty good. Keep in mind that this is a $300.00 msrp guitar - for the price it does very well in the tone department. Not tinny or fuzzy with any pickup selection and has a distinctively bluesey rock and roll sound.

Waddaya want for 300 clams? Sure it has flaws but this ain't no PRS here - it is an inexpensive workable guitar for both the casual home enthusiast and the more experienced "gigger". I have noted that even the more expensive "name" guitars often need to be set up to play well. I was pleasantly surprised that mine plays so well. The Alpine White finish is very nice - good contrast with the black hardware - the "tux" model is pleasant to look at and listen to.

I have some concern about the jack - a bit dodgy feeling when you plug your cable in, probably has something to do with the plastic jack and jack plate. It seems to be able to take a few knocks without going to hell. As with any other equipment, you can only depend on it if you trouble yourself to keep it tightened up and cared for.

No experience with this.

I'd have to say that it is a good investment for those who want a guitar that plays well and are on a budget. What else can you expect from an inexpensive ax like this one. I couldn't feel any less confident, nor would I feel any insecurity, on stage with this guitar.

Overall I would say that this is a good guitar at a great price.

Just the usual, although this one is a matt finish cherry colour with black hardware. Love the minimalist look, no flashy bling type knobs and crap. It's almost like a piece of artwork it's so clean and simple.

I play this through a Peavey modelling amp, and although I'm not a pro, I do lean towards the jazzy side, and have no complains about the sounds out of this guitar...everything from the screams to the growls to mellow when you want them. More than happy with just the two knobs and a selector sw. I mean how much crap does a guy need getting in the way and hanging off his guitar?

Finish quality is very good. no runs, cracks, rough edges etc, no stain bleeding at joints etc. Hardware finish is A1, and electrics are spot on. A buddy of mine just spent 2 grand on a Gibson es137 custom and has to replace the nut because the high e is too close to the edge of the fret board It also needed to be intonated, and have the neck adjusted. I had a chance to play it right after he bought it, and noticed cracking at the neck joint, a loose vari-tone switch, high action, a buzzing d string, and a neck you couldn't slide your hand down because the frets aren't dressed and are sharp all over!!! I'll stick with my Dot thanks. It has a clean (no tacky bling inlays) smooth as silk neck and I haven't had to touch the thing other than to wipe the dust off before I play it. Haven't even changed the strings!

Nope...I don't gig....wouldn't want to inflict that kind of pain on anyone:-) I do have a tendancy to take very good care of things though, and I expect this guitar to last as long as I keep enjoying it. If it doesn't...who cares at 300.00, I'll just go buy another one!

No issues at all. Unless it was something very major I wouldn't bother anyhow.

Buying a 2000.00 guitar like my friend? Why? Because of the name, and it says made in the U.S.A.? I'm no expert by any stretch, but I have been playing and have owned various guitars over the past 40 years. Don't get caught up by the bling factor! Shiny is not always a sign of quality, nor is the name apparently. Pick it up...if it feels good, and sounds good, buy it!
Love this guitar. It's been a while since I had a guitar I couldn't walk past without feeling the urge to pick it up. It has a neck and fretboard that is hard to keep the hands off. I'd buy another in a heartbeat.