Epiphone Dot Studio

Another tone and volume knob would be nice.

The pick ups on a clean channel sound dirty when strumming a chord at high volume... this is the only thing I do not like about these pick ups. As far as on a gain channel, they are made for rockin hard...

Since set-up and action is all a matter of preference, I set the guitar up with .010 gauge strings when I got it and the nice thing about this guitar is it stays in tune. The finish is perfect on the one I got. Dot inlays would be nice, but they are not needed. I get around the scale just fine without em. I also like the 50's style neck profile. If it is suppose to be a 60's slim taper, it's awful big for it.

After a few minor adjustments to the stop bar and setting the inntonation, this guitar is gig worthy. It is solid as any $500 guitar and costs less then half.

Only called to give them my serial number to find out where it was made.

Been playing guitar for 20 years and have owned just about everything in the Gibson USA line and USA Fender. Now that I have little ones, my days of buying $1000+ guitars are over. If this guitar was stolen I would definetly miss it, and would buy another Epi arch top of some kind. I love how this guitar sounds in the lead position with a little gain. It is nice clean, at lower volumes. High volumes the pups are dirty sounding. Almost like you have a little gain on. What I like the best is the quality of this guitar for the price. I paid $179 for a used worn brown one and it was in mint condition like whoever owned it, didnt touch it much less play it for 4 hours a day like myself. Overall, this is a phenomenal guitar for the money. You would have a hard time beating it with another guitar in this price range. These guitars are Chinese made. Not Korean made.

set neck
22 fret
open humbuckers
centre block
semi acoustic
side dot inlay (none on fretboard)
stop tailpiece
tune-o-matic bridge
generic kluson(?) tuners

i like a very old fashioned rockabilly sound with warmth and sustain.
i prefer open over closed humbuckers and this guitar has the shimmer i like. bite when needed and flow also when needed.

a ringing sound that i prefer. even though i like the epiphone broadway sound there just isn't enough natural sustain so i'd have to use a pedal.

i used to have a 1962 maton starline semi. it has been reissued by maton at a (wait for it) staggering $8,000.00!! i paid 1,200 for mine and it was an original issue with gold bigsby hardware. the maton was my second favourite.

my first favourite had no name. an associate told me it was a 'saturn' 335 copy. it had zebra humbuckers and was the most awesome sound i have ever heard. i still have home recordings of it and it howled (especially when matched up with my ross r-30 comp/sus pedal). i threw the pedal and the guitar away and gave up music for 10 years after burning out getting gigs in melbourne with my original songs.

i'm kicking myself for that now but i'll tell you something... the dot studio (or nosebreakers as i call the black ones..tell you why in a minute) are the closest i've heard to my old saturn.

i don't own one yet and i am going to buy one soon and every time i go into a shop to test one i end up spending 2 to 3 hours on it and get kicked out of the shop (i don't really but you can tell that's what's on their minds by closing time).

they grow on you like a very pleasant rash.

the neck is thick. you have to like that to apprciate the guitar.
for me it is a plus as i have big hands with squashy fingers.
i am fussy with guitars and their actions.
i have an odd set of chords i use regularly and they are a pain on a thin neck. one reason i sold the maton was that the neck was too thin so it was hard to make and fiddle with chords in a hurry and the base of the headstock was always in the way. i use a b that is 2nd string on first fret and last two strings on first fret. i move the finger up to the thick e for an f. great sound but your hand tends to ball up on the nut.

the dot studio has plenty of room without being too spacious. i find the action sleek on every one i've played and it feels like it really wants to be held.

i would prefer the dot inlays on the fretboard, especially for lead picking past the 12th fret where the side dots are hard to see (if they're even there) as i HATE not having a reference point. but i'm sure i could get used to it. i haven't had a lot of bother playing my songs in the shops.

the one real downer is that there is no epiphone or bigsby tremolo option. this guitar is SCREAMING for it. you have to get a kit and put it on later. not something i'm looking forward to but i have to do it as it's vital in some of my songs (especially the lead for 'in heaven everything is fine' by david lynch from the movie 'eraserhead'...i have my own special cover).

but on the up side of that you can buy the guitar for as little as $499.00 here in australia or up to $750.00 depending.

HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA - can this guitar stand live playing ROFL!!!

allow me to explain.
remember a little earlier i said i call this guitar the 'nosebreaker'??
are you starting to form an idea of how that happened yet???

if not, i shall enlighten you.
i was carrying a black dot studio and a natural dot to the back of a certain melbourne music store when i slipped on some brick steps.

the black dot studio was on top. as i was falling, like any good muso, i was doing whatever i could to keep the guitars from being damaged but i had as much hope as being mistaken for kate moss as i was in mid air and making an enemy of gravity.

the black beastie fell face first in the middle of the step making a fulcrum. down came my knee on the back and my face and head made a resounding 'crack' sound as the rear of the neck of the gat hit me in the face with the full force of 18 stone of my own body weight.

my nose was smashed flat and i thought "oooh, that was a bit rough" when i looked down and noticed my nose was spurting out blood like a fire hydrant. luckily i had had broken noses before so i knew i wasn't dying or anything and the owner rushed over with a towel. in 2 months my nose was right as rain but the thing that impressed the hell out of me was that this guitar was the guitar equivalent of a peavey MKIV bass amp (you could throw one off a building and it would still work, they're as strong as superman and not afraid of kryptonite).

now i've seen a few guitars come to grief in my time as i've been playing for 35 years and i know that if you want an axe that's meaner than godzilla then the 'nosebreaker' is the one for you .. maybe i should call it 'guitarzilla' heheheh

no idea. ain't boughted me little self one yets.

the thing i like about the DS over and above is that you and i and lots of poor people (aka musicians) can actually afford one.
sure it would be nice to have a real 335 (though i'd de-solder the bucker covers as i reckon opens are warmer).

hey! how about a gretsch white falcon? single or double cutaway, i'm not fussed. with TV jones pickups and the bigsby in gold....yeah right! 6,000 for a korean and god knows what for a U.S. of A one.

you can get something that doesn't run too far away from a gretschy kinda feel for under half a large. a workhorse that can take the pubs and clubs and festivals and you don't have to be drinking a gallon of nerve tonic for every time you lift it out of the case and pay a body organ's worth of premium for insurance for.

i say three cheers to eppie for giving us the volkswagon of semis. everybody can afford one (unless you live in a cardboard box and eat beetles for dinner).

it may not be a rolls royce but i'd prefer the good ol' griswald family truckster any day.

try one out.

it won't bite...it'll growl a lot though LOL

It's a Hollowbody ES-335 clone, basically. Mine is the Discontinued White finish, and it's flawless despite being second-hand. Simple wiring, two Alnico V humbuckers and a 22 fret neck. Black hardware and a very nice black binding which adds a nice touch to the finish.

I got mine from Ebay for ??200 and the seller included an Epiphone Hard case. Not bad!

I play a bit of everything. for example, in a playing session i'll go from Rage Against the Machine to At The Drive-In, then onto some Jeff Buckley, Then drop-tune for some Reuben and Alexisonfire, Tune back up for some Joe Satriani followed by a bit of Metallica, and then finish the day with some Incubus and some Foo Fighters, and maybe a bit of City & Colour. When writing, i'll write either chordy Buckley-esque stuff or a mix of genred works cause i'm not too fussed about where i draw my influences from.

The Guitar literally does everything! It stays in tune even when i go from E to C standard. It has lush cleans and really draws the tone from the body and rings out. The Distorted sound only seeks to impress, with sustain to the hilt and tonality to match. The simple electronics means a flick of the switch draws you from excellent rhythm tone to thick sustainy leads which can be manipulated easily. it is a blistering guitar for the money!

Naturally, as a studio guitar, it's going to be stripped of some features. However, it's a very clean guitar! The action and intonation needed doing after a change of strings but nothing too high-maintenance.

It seems like a sturdy guitar but only time will tell. it came to me fully functioning and it's a solid piece of work. I took the bridge apart and put it back together and it is all good...The finish could wear down but at this time i don't know.

I always gig with a back-up (cause you never know with a live show), but if i had to, i feel this would hold up on it's own!

Never used Epi Customer Service.

I've been a bassist for 4 years and a guitarist for 1 1/2 years. My rig with Guitar is as follows:-

Epi Dot > Morley Pro II Wah > Big Muff > Behringer Bass Chorus > Behringer ultra Phase Shifter > Behringer Digi Delay > Boss TU-2 > EHX #1 Echo Digi Delay > Peavey Solo Bandit 150w w/RC-2 FX-loop'd

I really love the tones from this guitar. In White, it looks amazing and i think of it were lost or stolen i'd cry and then replace it. I think the only thing putting off some people is the neck which is more rounded than most but i personally like that, and with the tonality of this beast it'd be easy to make accomodation for it. for a studio model, it's comprehensive and easy to use. For the money, it is crazy value. just get one and you won't regret it.

Alnico V Plus stick pickups, semi-hollow 335 body, all around maple. Simplified controls; one volume, one tone, and of course, the three way toggle switch. Set neck. Stopbar tailpiece, 24-3/4" scale, 1-17/25" nut width. Mine is black. This guitar is really modest on the features. Kinda heavy though.

I play just about anything, and this guitar has no let me down. Obviously, since it's a 335, it's great for blues and jazz, so I'm not going to focus on those two. I have played metal with it was good. Country, also good. Folk rock, classic rock, alternative....the truth is, this guitar can do it ALL. It's VERY versatile. And that's just with the stock pick-ups. However, the bass is boomy and the bridge doesn't have much bite...enough...but it can use more. I run her through a Boss ME-50 pedal and a 10 watt Marshall (this what I use the most because it's for home practice). I have run it through a Roland Clean Jazz Chorus, and a Fender amp. The Alnicos were too much for the Fender.

The action is just right (on mine anyways), but it can be very easily adjusted. The only flaw was the jack. A common issue with most guitars. I was able to get mine fixed for under $40 bucks (apparently jack work is more expensive for 335s).

I've had this guitar for about 5 years now. Never given me any problems (after I got the jack fixed). It's solid. I don't even use a backup or anything. This is my standard, it's really all you need.

This is a good guitar. I like it because it has simplified features ( I really don't like messing with knobs much). The black finish is the most expensive running at $299 new. But the real beauty of the guitar is that it sounds more expensive than it really is. This guitar is the best deal I have seen out there. It's also a good guitar to invest in. I'm planning to get a '57 for the neck and a Duncan Alnico II Pro for the bridge. That's all that I would really change about this guitar. Also, if you have good pedals and a good amp, you're set. You can sound like a million dollars. Overall, I recommended, whether you're just starting or you want a simplified 335.

it's a worn brown sunburst made nov 2007 in china qingdao plant. 22 frets, plywood top and back. two knobs. matte like finish, grover style tuners. tune-o-matic bridge. always wanted to try a semi-hollow body. this one was bought off e bay as a u-fix it for $85 plus $40 shipping. it had all the parts, but the headstock was broken off. after another $40 for glue and clamps, it was ready to string up.

it's a good sound for oldie rock, blues, and jazz i suppose. it get's woofy or jangly depending on how you use the switch and knobs. it's got a lot of sustain. unplugged it's great as well. i use 11-50 string guages, and it stays in tune about as well as any guitar. all of mine need tuning after about three songs anyway. i like the way the body hangs in just the right place.

my big surprise came when, after the headstock repair, the frets were all level, the neck was straight, and it was easy to get the action low and fast. the worn finish is perfect for me. i play in a sixties rock cover band on tuesdays, a rock/punk band sometimes, and a reggae/rock band occasionally. i don't have to worry about anything but playing. the output of the pups seems even, yet a little soft.

this is an all around good beater. you can't really hurt it, and i assume the more you personalize it with accidental dings, dents, and scratches, you'll love it even more. it's easy to wipe down, and looks like it will last for a while. i won't be upgrading it or anything, it is what it is. i love being able to get up to all the high notes.

most everthing can be fixed with stuff from radio shack or stu-mac. i doubt if epiphone would honor any warranty since i bought it broken. however, i know i'm the first one to play it because the frets are immaculate.

been dabbling in music for about 29 years. i've had my share of instruments and will probably go through more. i'm trying to only collect one of each style now and i like the bargain potential of the you fix it types. nothing about a guitar is hard to fix with some patients and the right tools. i've smashed a few in my time, now i like to fix them instead.

Plywood bodied semi-hollow with a no-frills stained satin finish. Basic features, has only one volume and one tone control. Has stoptail and tunamatic bridge. Enclosed Grover-type tuners. Rosewood fingerboard has typical Gibson-type profile and medium-jumbo frets.

The sound is very muddy and imbalanced. I'm using a Hartke GT60C combo and the overwound pickups tend to bring out the overdrive too much - can't get a clean sound. Note: I replaced the pickups with GFS Mean 90s, which made this guitar sound wonderful - considering how inexpensive they were ($38 each retail), I see no reason why the stock pickups should be of such low quality.

The factory setup was so-so but plays well after some minor adjustments. The bridge pickup was a bit high and sounded better after lowering it a bit. The wires show through the F hole. The fingerboard is a bit rough in places and there are some finish problems on the top - BUT it is a B-stock guitar

This guitar is solid and I would be comfortable gigging with it. From other Epiphones I've seen, I suspect the pots, switch and jack will have to be replaced before long with higher-quality components.

I did ask Epiphone customer service if the visible wiring would be fixed under warranty - they said "no", but at least they promptly answered my email. Has a lifetime warranty.

I've been playing over 40 years, although this is my first electric since the 70s. It was given to me as a gift from my son, who knew how much I liked semi-hollow guitars but it probably wouldn't have been my first choice. That being said, the guitar has good action and stays in tune well and after I replaced the pickups with GFS Mean 90s, this guitar sings! After the pickup upgrade, this guitar cost under $300, a bargain in anybody's eyes. If lost or stolen, it might be difficult to get the same bang-for-the-buck with any other guitar.

Its white, I like the lack of features, the pots switch and jack are pretty crap though, mine went all crunchy after about six months plus the usual jack input twisting round until the wire comes off. Be prepared for repairs after a year

Im using it with a vox valvetone 15. Its a good solid sound, errs towards the thick side in distortion but thats the sound I was after, its fairly flexible and being a hollow body has a good clean tone. As has been said you'd probaly want to change at least one of the pick ups, id get the rest of the electronics done at the same time. Still, bloody ace for the money!

I bought it from JOHN BOOTS, HYTHE, UK. Its a Great place and set the guitar up well, looking at others experiences it shows the benifit of buying from a real music shop rather than a warehouse, other wise youll need to budget an initial set up but then thats pretty standard. There was a tiny bit of overspill from the neck paint onto the rosewood but it came of easily with some T-cut.

The guitar is pretty reliable to be honest just as previously mentioned be prepared to change the pots, for such a cheap guitar its not a big suprise though and id rather the money had gone on the 'acoustics' rather than pots since there not hard to change.

Ive been playing for 3 years and read music at uni (sax is my prime instrument) for the money its amazing, good tone, good build minus the electronics, looks great and it shits over other guitars at the same price. I just wish I could afford a 'real' one.

Same as all others; mine is in black. Initially I thought it would be restricting only having the two controls but in a live situation it can actually be advantageous not having so many knobs to worry about.

I have replaced the humbuckers with a set of Bareknuckle Mississippi Queen P90s, which are wonderful, so the sound it makes now isn't really relevant to the review. I wasn't very impressed with the stock pickups, finding them very soupy and too thick for my style, but then again this is what I find with nearly all humbuckers, so you may find they aren't too bad if you're a soup fan.

The factory set-up was terrible. Action was unimpressively high, the jack socket rotated loosely and it felt like a cheap guitar. For some reason I persisted with it and spent ??50 or so having it properly set up. The luthier levelled the fretboard, fixed a rather poorly soldered bit of electrics (and at the same time replaced the pickups with the P90s as stated earlier).

The difference was like night and day. Apart from the obvious improvement in sound from the pickups, it plays and feels like a far more expensive guitar.

Due to the solid centre section this is surprisingly heavy and could hold its own in a fight. As this is a budget guitar all the hardware fripperies have been stripped down anyway, so there is little to worry about there. I would depend on it, and although I would never play live without a backup, this doesn't mean that I have doubts about its reliability. This is, of course, after the pro set-up I had done.

Can't comment here.

I've been playing now for 35 years and have over 30 guitars, including several other semi-acoustics. For the money (including the set up cost) I think this is a very good guitar and compares very favourably to the other semi-acoustics I have. I like the basic, stripped-down quality. In this sense it reminds me of the Gibson Les Paul Studios; an instrument to be played rather than posed with. It's just a shame that the sloppy state it arrived in (mine, at least) from the factory might well deter potential buyers.

I was shopping for a guitar for the near future so I went to Guitar Center. As soon as I walked in the door this baby was calling me!

It was so different from the other guitars I had to pick it up and play it!

OK enough of the jabbering!

FINISH: Brown wood stain with no clear coat or polish.

BODY: Semi Hollow Body 335 style with two F-holes

BODY MATERIAL: Laminated Maple

TOP MATERIAL: Laminated Maple

BRIDGE: Black Stop Tailpiece with Tune O Matic Bridge

TUNERS: Grover Rotomatic

NECK: Set with Body and made of Maple

SCALE: 24.75"

FINGERBOARD: Rosewood "Not Oil Treated" "Not Sealed"

FRETS: 22

CONTROLS: Volume / Tone / Straight 3-Way Switch

PICK UPS: Alnico Classic @ Neck / HOT Alnico Classic @ Bridge

ELECTRONICS: Passive

WORKMANSHIP: KOREA

ASSEMBLY: USA

Thought it would go well for what I needed sound wise, except I found my style is too eclectic for it's Alnico Classic Humbuckers.

MY MUSIC STYLE: Rock, Goth, Rockabilly, Industrial Rock

EQUIPMENT USED: DigiTech Grunge, Behringer Ultra-G DI Box, Behringer Digital Reverb, Behringer Digital Multi-Effects

NOISE: This guitar is fairly noisy. You are at times unable to determine certain chords depending on setting.

Noisiest Setting: Neck

Clearest Setting: Bridge

RICHNESS AND WARMTH: At the neck this guitar is somewhat weak with tuned down low end notation. Sounds decent when tuned in E and is warm when using standard strings.

TUNED DOWN TO: A

GAUGE OF STRING: 10 - 60

BRIGHTNESS: This guitar is way too bright as the high note strings override lower end notes when using Bridge. Mids are almost undefined.

HARMONIZATION CAPABILITY: Harmonizing is weak

EFFECTS COMPATIBILITY: Works great with Chorus / Reverb / Delay / Vintage Distortion

LIKES: She does great blues leads and sounds moderate to good in clean mode. Also she sounds beautiful when not plugged in. The Semi Hollow Body brings out enough acoustics to hear strings clearly and moderately loud. "Not as loud as a full acoustic, slightly quieter and not as deep."

DISLIKES: Can get sloppy at times with heavier riffs and does not have a very long sustain due to the stock humbuckers.

FACTORY SETUP: Terrible! The strings were rattling all over the place! Also the Volume and Tone knobs were hanging on to dear life they were so loose! The quality control person must have been on a coffee break.
Then came back and placed the Pass Inspection sticker on the back of the head.

PICK UP ADJUSTMENT: Fine

TOP AND BRIDGE SETUP: Did good job could not find any flaws in placement.

FLAWS: 3-Way Switch is crap! It cuts out every once in a while when switching from bridge to neck.

Will this guitar withstand live playing?

I think it could. I have accidentally banged her a few times during recording sessions. Also I have been pretty hard on her when playing heavy riffs (not abusively).

Does the hardware seem like it will last?

The Humbuckers will last. The switch and electronics suck! They should be replaced.

Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off with lots of playing?

This guitar is like 501 Levis Jeans. The more you use her the better she looks. Not that she isn't perfect the way she is. This is a guitar made to have character!

Are the strap buttons solid?

YES

Can you depend on it?

I couldn't say it would be with stock parts. I suggest upgrading for high end parts, I did! You will not be disappointed! This beauty just needs a little TLC.

Would you use it on a gig without a backup?

Not with stock hardware. She can with upgraded hardware though.

I have done all the work myself. If you can build a Skill Level 3 Model Car Kit then you can work on a "passive circuit" guitar with basic knowledge of wiring and soldering.

I Purchased the guitar at Guitar Center and they are great there. They are fairly to well knowledgeable and are not going to try and sell you the most expensive product. They are actually interested in what is going to work best for you.

How long have you been playing?

13 years

Is there something you wish you had asked before buying this guitar?

No, I knew what I was getting myself into. I was planning on upgrades from the beginning. THIS GUITAR ROCKS WITH HIGH END REPLACEMENT PARTS!!!!!!!!!

If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?

I would do it all over again! This guitar is beautiful and when you take care of her and give upgrades she will be a loyal companion. She is worth every penny I have spent on her!


What do you love about it? What do you hate? What is your favorite feature?

Didn't we already go through this?

Did you compare it to other guitars?

Yes


Which ones?

Epiphone Les Paul Special II

Why did you choose this one?

This baby has nothing that screams, "Look At Me! I am so cool! Check out all my fancy gadgets!"

This is a true guitar to grow a bond to.

Anything else you'd like to share?

Like I mentioned over and over.

This guitar needs a little TLC and some decent hardware upgrades. By doing this, you will have an extremely reliable and great sounding instrument!

lame pickups. surprisingly good satin finish. surprisingly well built.

no noise. recording clean sounds just as good as a 335. excellent tone and resonance. tsingtao's epiphone factory does surprisingly good work

the most surprising thing about this guitar is the action. it came from the store set up perfectly. there is literally zero buzz on any of the frets. never seen that on a guitar before. controls are solid, but could see the toggle switch going south eventually. tuners are surprisingly good quality, hold very well despite being of chinese manufacture. the main problem is the painted on binding. it looks good, but the paint is all messed up on the f-holes, and the stain they put on the neck is messed up at the joint with the body.

seems very reliable, at $250, this was definitely worth the money

if lost or stolen, would definitely get another one. best cheap guitar ever. if it was a $500 guitar, it would be borderline, but at $250 it's definitely worth it.

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.

n/a

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)

n/a

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.

Mine is an 04' i think, i replaced the controls with two coil-tapping pots and i put in a gibson dirty fingers in the bridge, and a seymour duncan sh-1 '59. With the dirty fingers alone, or blended with the sh-1 this guitar sounds like no other. I mainly use it as backup and as an "experiment" guitar, but ive been using instead of my tricked out es-335.

I play through a mesa triple recto and a marshall jimi hendrix head, the mesa drives two mesa 4x12s and the marshall drives two mesa 2x12s, for a distinct sound. I like to use a little bit of flange on the mesa and the shure wireless i use gives me all the compression i need.

It was nice out of the factory with some "fur" aroung the soundholes

its so durable i love it and i would use it without a backup, were it not for all my added on parts.

never dealt with them