Epiphone Dot Studio

This is my second review on the same instrument after a few experimental changes. So if you want a review on a stock instrument go to maybe the next review or so. My last comment was back in 8-12-2004 (OMW). The guitar sounded great stock but I was looking for a more round or fatter sound than what the stock open coil pickups could offer. I could get it with some extra EQ but that became a litte taxing after a while. So for that matter I changed the neck pickup to a "Stewart McDonalds Overwound Humbucker" ( great pickup ) and the bridge pickup to "Seymour Duncans Invader" pickup. The Stu-mac pickup is gold in color so I changed the pickup rings to cream color and the pickup switch to amber to match the gold pickup against the black guitar. I have dark gold color knobs and I have a coil-tap for both pickups on the tone push-pull knob. This low cost guitar now sounds like at least $3,000 now. It's a beast that needs to be tamed.

Sounds great, like a vintage Gibson 335 but with a little more flexibility in tone and power. Very warm but not muddy. Very reminicent to seventies "Carlos Santana", "Dicky Betts", and "Eric Johnsons" ES335 tone. Almost the perfect guitar for me only lacking the extra volume and tone control which would be great on this guitar. Great for jazz or rock.

Pretty cool after shop set-up. Needed truss rod adjustment.

Looks good. Havent had it long enough for wear and tear.

never needed it.

Playing for 38 years. If it were stolen I'd be hurt but I would buy another one and have the same work done. I may buy another any way and keep it stock because it's a great sounding instrument. It sounds very different than the original stock guitar now. So I dont have the guitar that I bought originally. I'm missing that airy tone that I had before. Check out my old review and see the comparisons.

2005 Alpine White Dot Studio. All features as the previous reviews.

Surprisingly better than expected. The Alnico V pickups are powerful and after a professional setup, I decided not to replace them with some Seymour Duncan SH1-59's.

The guitar was in great shape but was in dire need of a proper setup. The switch is loose but decided to keep it as is. I thought the guitar was crap until the setup was complete. He adjusted the neck, tightened the tuners, corrected the nut, fixed the action, replaced the strings, adjusted the bridge and saddle and WOW!! Instant perfection! He set the intonation and now the guitar literally sings! Definitely worth the investment. The coal turned out to be a diamond after all.

Seems sturdy and is heavier than I thought for a low cost hollowbody. I was given the top of the line hardshell guitar case. It's the one for the Elite models. Very nice.

No comment other than they should fire all their QA's for passing these guitars in terrible shape.

Before the setup, I hated this thing. It only made me a firm believer in how bad Epiphones are. However, after the setup, it was an incredible transformation. This thing is a swan! I love the way it plays now and the pickups are better sounding than expected. Not bad for the money I paid and I would put this up with any 335 model.

Features, such as they are, have been fairly well covered by previous posts. I purchased my black Dot Studio (ironically, there are no dots) after a protracted search for a thin hollowbody or semi-hollowbody. Looked at a mid-60s 330, and just about every Gibson 335-style guitar in current production. Sitting in my local Guitar Center after an hour or so of not-too-satisfactory trial and inspection, I looked over at a truly hideous reddish looking 335-style guitar with the classic long Epiphone headstock. Sitting beneath this garish instrument were a half-dozen cardboard boxes.

I grabbed the tomato-red job and played a bit, unamplified,looked it over closely. Except for the color scheme -- red with black binding -- it looked well made and well designed. The "Epiphone" headstock inlay looks exactly -- and I mean exactly -- like the inlay on my 1964 Texan.

After playing all the guitars in the carboard boxes -- I was struck by the remarkable consistency of setup from one to the next -- I selected a black one, plugged it in and heard the trademark semihollow sound. To convince myself that the seductive price of the Epiphone wasn't warping my objectivity, I compared it on the spot with two Gibsons, one priced at $1,500 and one at around $2,000. Admittedly, the Epiphone was a little darker, but the pickups sounded fine and, more important, the guitar played great. Inviting and inspiring.

Played it last night through... hmmm. Luxury Drive, TS808, Line6 Delay Modeler, got instant Blusbreaker/Cream, even heavy rock sounds. Did "Smoke on the Water" for laughs and got the most convincing Blackmore tone (think "Lazy" in addition to "SOTW"), which is natural considering he often used a 335 back then.

The first thing I do when I buy a guitar is take it home, tape off the neck and give the frets a good professional dressing. Thing is, I've been playing this guitar for 6 months and just haven't gotten around to it. It just doesn't need it. Finish is remarkable, certainly equal -- if not superior -- to the Gibsons I was auditioning. I know that the pickups, pots and hardware are cheap, as they have to be in a guitar that retails for under $300, but it sounds and plays so well as it is that I just haven't been tempted (or annoyed enough) to change anything.

Everything seems solid -- even the laminated construction would argue for greater durability. I do intend to purchase another one, and have been haunting GC looking for one on sale. Not so much to have as a backup, but to swap out pickups, pots, switches, add a synth pickup, etc. I play this guitar punishingly hard and I haven't so much as broken a string on it yet. Solid.

Haven't dealt with them. Sent in my warranty card but can't remember the details.

Playing about 35 years, mostly Fenders -- Tele Paisley and Custom, assorted Strats -- but a lot of oddballs as well: Godin nylon string synth guitar, 70s Framus SG, a bunch of 80s Ibanez guitars. Amps are an early 90s Blues Deluxe, Reverend Hellhound, Carvin Belair, SF Champ, a 20-year-old Roland JC120, a new Vox of some kind.

If it were stolen, would I buy it again? I'd like to have one in every color -- except tomato. So, yes, I'd definitely get another one.

To sum up -- if you're looking for a "335-style" guitar, whatever your budget, make sure you sit down with this spare, unassuming, but nicely appointed axe. Beyond dollar-for-dollar comparisons, the Epiphone Dot Studio is a worthy instrument on its own terms.

A low end 335. Two pickups, one 3 way selector, 1 tone/1 vol. Solid color (mine is white) with "binding". Medium Jumbo frets, TOM style bridge. Simple and effective, coil-splitting would have been nice.

For a sub-$300 guitar, it actually sounds pretty good. Very clean, distorts nicely. Works fine for blues, rocks, and heavier sounding stuff. However, the pickups will feedback at higher volumes. They should have been potted. However, since my Gibson ES-333 does the same thing (only not as easily), this is a flaw with this particular model, it's just a mistake not to pot pickups on any hollobody.

Crap, Crap, Crap! The "Fit & Finish" is horrible, even for a sub-$300 guitar. While the white finish with black trim and hardware looks awesome, it's poorly done. The "binding" is painted on, and the black binding is oversprayed onto the white body. There is white paint over spray on the rosewood fret board. Spots and "orange peel" on the inner edges of the F-holes. The fret board itself is very poorly finished... it looks like it was "leveled" with a low quality cheese grater. There is a lump of clear finish in the bass side of the edge of the neck at the 14th fret. Worst of all, the nut is very poorly done. It's about 1/16th of an inch too short on each side of the slot, and its cut too low, which causes fret buzz when trying to set the action down to a comfortable height.

It feels solidly built, just not enough "attention to detail" as described in the "fit & finish" section. Stays in tune well. Would gig with it, as a backup, once I get the feedback issue resolved.

No clue, haven't tried Epiphone for customer support. However the customer support in Guitar Center was awesome.

For the $$, it's OK. It's cheap enough that I'll do the work needed on it myself, and not worry about destroying an "expensive" guitar. It gives me a platform to experiment on. It looks awesome, and feels nice, and the sound is good for a guitar of this price.

Been playing sporadically (once or twice a year) for 20+ years, got "serious" about it 3 years ago. Primarily a "Fender guy", I have several "odd ball Fenders" like a '90's Fender Heartfield Talon, a '90's Fender Japan Strat XII, an Acoustic-Electric Tele (not a Telecoustic!), a Pro-Tone hollowbody Tele, and some of the newer set neck Fenders (an FMT Tele, and a matched pair of the Scorpion Tele and Strat) and several cool parts-o-casters that I built from eBay parts. I also have a Gibson ES-333. I play through Fender amps (Cyber Deluxe, a '90's 112 Deluxe Plus, and a Hot Rod Deville). I also use a Behringer V-Amp2 for effects, a Behringer EuroRack UB2442FX-Pro mixing board, and a Fostex MR8 digitsl recorder.

Chinese made Epiphone Dot Studio. Solid gloss black finish which also runs up the back of the neck. A very basic guitar-no pickguard, one volume and one tone knob.

The sound on this guitar is surprisingly bright, but I'll tell you why in the next section.

The guitar was not set-up well when it arrived-there was buzzing at the third fret. I took the guitar to my old high school buddy's guitar shop and he did a complete set-up which included a new set of Ernie Ball #10, adjusted the action, and most importantly replaced the "jerky" factory pickups with a pair of GFS Hot Nashville Filtertron pickups. Now we have a guitar!! I play it through a 65' Deluxe Reverb with a Danelectro Fab Tone set @British Stack and LOOK OUT!!!! You will get a wicked British "Bluesbreaker" tone. So actually I give the guitar a 7 as it arrived, but now it's a 10

I won't go crazy here. Features aren't important in this case. It's just a guitar with volume/tone controls. What more do you need or expect for a $200 guitar?

The pups are decent. They break up too early for my tastes. I'll be installing some Benedetto B6's soon. I have to admit that they sound better then any pup Epi was using a few years ago on their cheaper models. I play it thru my stereo Goldtone or Peavey Classic and it sounds good. Nice vintage tone. It'll be a decent jazz/blues guitar once I upgrade the pickups.

Here's where I was amazed. Mine is a factory 2nd. I can't find a blem on it, and it's Alpine White. Any blem should jump out like an elephant in a monkey cage. The fret work is perfect. Finish is perfect. The intonation was damn near perfect. Action was fine, I don't really judge action because everyone has their own preferences. The neck feels great and plays nicely. On the downside, the bridge is cheap and one look at the saddles tells me it's gonna be sawing some strings. I'd have to say it's a better guitar right out of the box then my ES-135, which had many, many flaws.

There's no reason you couldn't use this for live work. I'm sure it'll last for years without a problem.

I've been playing for 35 years now. This is the cheapest guitar I've bought since I was a kid. It's also the best bang for my buck I've had in years. I sort of gambled on this. I've heard that Epi and others were making much better guitars these days in the under $500 range. I wanted an inexpensive jazz guitar for fun. With a little investment this will do just fine. I'm giving this axe a 9, not because it compares to any of my $2,000 plus guitars, but because for the money you can't beat it.

2004 Alpine White Dot Studio made in China. All the features are covered. The only reason I got this guitar was because of the color; I wanted a 335 style in white. Pickups are junky, in fact they're one of the worst things about the guitar, not much clarity or gain. They'll be replaced soon, hopefully with PAF 57's or Duncan's. Tuners are supposedly Grover's....that's what two people have told me so fair. They told me the same kind they use on most of the other Epiphone semi-hollow's. Sure....? The simplicity of this guitar is a good thing though, not much to break down.

I play overdriven post-alternative rock I guess you could say. I bit of neo-punk, bit of the "other" genre that you can't really define. Using it with a Traynor YCV50 tube amp. Doesn't sound great to my ears, drummer likes it better than my Godin LGSP90 though. Pups aren't noisy and it doesn't sound too cheap. It just doesn't sound great by any means. With a pickup replacement I'm sure I'll give this a 8.5/9.0. The replacement is necessary though, especially for the bridge pup. I'll give it a "7" because this guitar was inexpensive.

Decent action, actually really low come to think of it. Guitar has flaws though, the neck lamination looks like it's kind of chipping. F-holes are covered in goop (i.e. the paint). Tuners were loose and got rid of those strings right away....9's??? What were they thinking. This guitar plays goooooood though. Better than my Godin and Yamaha. Plays better than a $400 guitar should, way better....fast, tight and great response.

Who knows....seems alright was shipped across Canada twice before it got to me and didn't fall apart. Would I gig without a backup....hahah....no.

No idea. Heard bad things about Epiphone's customer service though.

I love the color. This axe looks unreal to my eye's. Wanted a white semi-hollow and my only other choice was a Jay Turser which I couldn't find. Plays great actually, not the biggest fan of the painted neck. There is not dot inlay fret markers though. Surprisingly this doesn't bug or affect me too much. As soon as I replace the pickups this guitar would be a "9" I'm sure. Played a couple artcores and a OE30 which I liked this guitar better than. It was much better than the OE30 imo.

Why isn't this listed under "DOT Studio"?

ES 335 style archtop semi-hollow body made in China, probably 2004. Ice Blue (more like periwinkle, but that's OK too) with black stripes that I've seen described as "binding": what cards! Two humbuckers ("Vintage Alnico"), 3-way p/u selector switch, ONE volume control (like a Strat, it's closer to your general picking area) and ONE tone control. Laminate maple body and top. Stop tail piece. 22 frets on 24 3/4" scale. Grover style tuners. No case, paperwork or anything else: just the guitar on CLEARANCE. A very cool feature is that the jack is on the lower side and not on front WITH black hardware to match the rest of the black hardware; that's attention to detail!

I was checking into Artcore guitars, but was looking for a deal. I one an Epi Sheraton II (converted to a poor man's White Falcon), so there certanily was built-in familiarity with Epi archtops.

I'm judging this based on what it is, not how much (or actually, how little) I paid for it, in the bang-for-the-buck category.

I bought this because it was BLUE--hilarious; I bet the sales staff couldn't wait to get the commision on this shmoe--as I replaced the guitar player for a band marketed to the three-feet-and-under crowd (kids!) where I'm the "blue jellybean." I've been afraid to play this through my Top Hat Club Royale 212 or my Matchless Lightning '15 112, thinking I'd have to invest in pickups, which is likely, but the stock pups are completely serviceable, and not unreasonably noisy for humbuckers, through my Vox Pathfinder. The comments below on the tone control are true: maybe "1" to "5" is workable, but above "5" still sounds like "5". The good news is that it doesn't muddy up too badly when rolling back the volume knob. I've used a compression pedal and tried treble booster--which does eliminate the "dark" tones. For this gig I may dig out the old Boss CE chorus Ensemble for a little flava.

For an inexpensive guitar, it isn't particularly bright, like cheap guitars can get. The sound is full enough for my purposes, but it's likely that I won't be opening it up on my bigger amps like I do the Sheraton (TV Jones pups). Acoustically it's loud enough to practice with a home stereo, say, but my hollowbodies (T-400 and Casino) were louder when not plugged into and amp.

(I have Kinmans in my Strat & Parker Nitefly and a nifty '79 SG with stock pups that are killer, so I have a pretty good idea to qualify tone.)

The intonation was dead-on: what a surprise on a cheap, Chinese hollowbody! I had to take the demo-quality, gooed up strings (probably 009's) and slap on some EB 010's, adjust the bridge and trussrod, tweak the pickups' heights to taste and >PRESTO!< a completely gig-able guitar. The tuners with the first string change seemed a little dodgy, but it was likely the strings weren't stretched enough. Since many of the gigs for this band are outdoors, the jury's still out as to how well it will hold up to humidity/temperature changes, but I have high hopes.

The fretwire seems finished really well and all the hardware (in black chrome) is clean. The black stripes around the body (instead of binding) is mostly straight, though maybe somebody's arm got bumped during the "intricate' work at the neck joint; nobody will notice, though.

I'm sure the Dot Studio will handle the rigors of the road (or, um, playground). probaly even manage being knocked off its stand by wound up kiddies. I like the strap buttons, so I may not need to get straplocks. The tuners are hefty for a guitar in this price range, but I may consider adding Sperzels like I have on most of my other guitars. These shows are relentless, so I have to have a backup as there won't be time to change strings should I break one.

I've e-mailed Epiphone a few times about the other Epis I;ve owned (the Sheraton and Casino, a couple of Les Pauls), but had never received a response. That said, I have never had issues with the guitars themselves as i was seeking information on upgrading parts, dating per serial number, etc.

This guitar was a problem-solving guitar: get one in blue on the cheap ASAP. It's about $150-$200 less than other new models I looked at and I shouldn't get too much grief for spending so little for a sporty little number. I would highly recommend this as an excellent first guitar.

I've been playing 31 years (I was in 6th grade when I started... really!) and want to continue to get a return on the investment in my tinitus. I generally buy gear for how it sounds or plays (this being a notable exception). I'm a Class A EL84 freak with beefy jangle in my tones and major hero worship for Brian May, beatles, U2, etc., so a semihollowbody usually doesn't hit my radar. The shape and the color seems very kid-friendly.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy this model again, should I end up giving it away to some deranged soccer mom whose 4-year-old would die without it. or donating it to the Queen Jellybean upon my retirement.

2004 perhaps, 22 frets, 335 style, laminated maple body, maple neck/rosewood board, 2 alnico 5 humbuckers, (?linear?) volume, tone, TOM/STP, poor tuners, 24.75" scale. Color is TOMATO w/ black body bind(paint)ing. Think Warhol(a). I absolute love and hate the color, but the black hardware makes it attractive. I'm having a grilled cheese colored pickguard made.

Accessories? It came w/ strings and the receipt. I asked about a free case. The guy said no, and asked me if I wanted to buy a hard case for $100. After I slapped him, he sold me a less-than-padded windbreaker/gig bag for $10.

Will be used for unplugged practice while traveling. Plugged-in sounds good'ish, 335-like'ish considering cost. Not especially noisy. Bright sounding, like maple, but also has good mids and bottom. Wish for 2 vol/2 tone, I may add them myself. I may add a couple of boutique pickups, but then I'd have to care if it was stolen.

This is why I bought this guitar. Of all of the Epiphones (and Gib$ons too) that I've tried, this had the best nut setup (slightly wider spacing on the higher strings) and most even/level frets/neck that I've ever seen on a pedestrian guitar (and MANY not so pedestrian). I put wide (1 3/4" to 1 7/8") replacement necks on most bolt guitars that I buy anyway, so the neck work is paramount to me. The pickups were adjusted fine, the soup was evenly applied. Very minor finish flaws, if you can see them, you're way too close for my comfort.

Robustness? I don't play live, and being over 50, don't tend to jump around that much. We'll see if it will it last (and not rust).

Their web site is less than optimum. It ain't broke yet, so I give a 5 because I'm hopeful.

Been playing for about 4 years (this time, the late 60's were a while ago).

If stolen or lost (would ANYONE really steal a tomato colored guitar?), sure, at the same price and setup. If maliciously destroyed due to color, I'd understand.

I love the price and setup. I haven't learned to hate it yet (soup's up!).

I returned to the Mayfield GC 'cuz I knew that they had about 20 decent guitars on clearance (for all of Jan 2005) and I was back in Cleveland that week on business. I tried SG's (I really wanted to like the Gib$on Platinum SG), Jimmy Vaughn Strat, Lite Ash Strats, etc., and none were impressive. As I was walking out the door, I glanced over at this one (it was right in front of the front door, I ignored it earlier 'cuz it was just an ugly cheap Epi) and saw the nut and neck setup. Further inspection sealed this minor deal.

Have a Fender Am Dlx S-1 SSS Strat, MIM Nash Power Tele, Stu Hamm II bass, Squier P-Bass Special ($50 new - GC), Carvin AE185 and 6 string walnut active bass, Godin xtLG?, Parker P-38, MPC Electra 340 (best LP style I've ever heard), Valley Arts Tele, Ibanez 540 Ghostrider, Variax 500, Kramer XB-9 aluminum neck active stereo bass. I've owned about 20 others over the past 4 years (rediscovering the toys of my youth). Have 4 Warmoth projects currently in the oven.

Amps are Fender Bassman 100, Cyber Deluxe, Acoustisonic Pro, and some Crate bass amp that I lent to someone(?).

Effects are GT-6, ME-50, VG-88, and various discrete pedals.

2004, Made in China. Laminated maple top and body. Rosewood Fingerboard. 2 Vintage Alnico Pick-ups. 24.75" scale. All black hardware, Stopbar Tailpiece. A little short on features - one volume, one tone, and a 3-way pick-up selector switch. Mine came a nice glossy black. The features and the finish keeps it simple yet elegant.

Great Sound! I play rock and some jazz and it fits perfectly. I've been alternating between Marshall and Roland Amps and am very happy with the results from both. Distortion is good, but clean the sound is excellent - rich and full.

Mine came beautifully finished and set-up. Perhaps keeping it simple helps. Mine is all black and looks pretty darn elegant.

I've only had it for a few weeks, but, it seems exceptionally well built and promises to hold up well.

I've dealth with Epiphone/Gibson in the past and they were terrific. I had an issue trying to identify an SG Model and they were very helpful. (Great guitar too - turns out they had built it as a custom model for a dealer contest that ended up not happening.) At any rate they went out of their way to help.

I love this guitar. It's simple and straight forward. While it may be considered a little shy on features by some, it has a beautiful sound. I find it rather Zen like. This guitar does everything I want and does it very well. I wouldn't mind an additional volume and tone control, but, considering the price, this guitar is one of the best deals out there.