Epiphone Dot

Beutifull cherry color. Made in Korea. I bought it here en Mexico, hard case included. 6,850 MXP this is like 680 USD.
My dream was own an arch top guitar, now I have it, but my new dream now is a p-90s arch top guitar. This is an expensive hobbie, you can spend thousands of dollars and you still want more!
Very pretty from the outside...

I like the sound of the hollow body, and the sound through the 4102 JCM 900 is like the warm coffee an cream sunday morning. Of course this sound after changeing the 57' humbucker epiphone bridge stock pickup which had a very weak bass sound. Great trebly end but lack of that warmth humbucker sound. And the E string had a very weak sound in comparison with the the first three strings.
I changed this bickup by a 490T gibson, and know this it produces an awesome humbucker hollow body sound. The price of this pick up was like 100 USD.

This guitar is an imitation of an 1,300 USD hollow body but with a less of the half price, son don't expect a 1,300 USD guitar quality.
It seems like if it fells from my hand will get broken in pieces.
My first guitar was an epiphone "strat" style, and the freets had a very low quality in comparison with my fender tele. I bought the dot like 4 months ago and it hasn't shown wear on the freets until today.
The switch stoped working between the first three weeks and I had to change it too. Because of the reputation of the epiphone guitars I knew that sooner or later I'd have to change the switch. The potentiometers seems to be fine but I may change them too for othres of higher quality. The head machinery is excelent, no problem with that, either with the input jack until now.
I think the hard case is made from carton but is the less thing i care.

The problems above are what I have in this 4 months I don't know what is gonna be the next, but you can't expect more af a guitar from this quality.

I haven't deal with them. In a third's world country it's hard to keep contact with suppliers abroad.

I won't buy another of these guitars. I'll always be looking for a better guitar until I get my rickenbacker when i'm 45 years old.
As I said my first guitar was an epiphone "strar" style, I sold it to buy a mexican Telecaster which is my baby. My first amp was a shitty peavey, then the VS30 marshall, then the VS100 marshall and now the JCM900 combo. And now I want the fender bassbraker or the tonemaster.
I also own the boss TU2 tunner, CS2 sustainer, DD3 delay, CH1 chorus, a procorat, the fulltone soulbender (awsome), the ibanez tubescramer and the dunlop wah.

The important thing for me about this guitar is the fact it is archtop, with a solid lump in the centre to give it the strength and sustain of a solidbody, but with hollowed out sides to give great resonance. Mine is (I think) Korean, but I don't think that's important. I wish it had one of the fancy tailpieces, like on the other Epi archtops, but it doesn't. Tone and volume controls for EACH pickup are neat, too

I try to play 50's Chicago Blues, which suits the guitar perfectly. My amps are both crappy, but it still sounds very sweet thru them. The sound is about 5 times thicker than some solidbodies I've played (eg a Telecaster)

The thing is finished OK. A magnifying glass would show errors, but I'm not looking for them. The Cherry colour is gorgeous (but the blue is nice, too). The 3 way switch is pretty crappy

I am happy with everything about it so far

n/a

I've been playing for about 12 yrs. I own a semi acoustic, a dobro, a bass, a banjo, and this dot. The dot is the best, and I would definitely replace it if it got stolen. I compared it with solidbody guitars before buying, but nothing suited so well

PS: it plays John Lee Hooker stuff spot on

Purchased 30-days ago, made in Korea. Comes with 22 frets, rosewood fretboard and laminated tops. Two-tone, Two-volume and new Humbucker pickups, dipped in paraffin wax. Selected the ebony finish.

I am a rank-beginner, so the sound has more to do with my playing than the guitar. From my perspective I find the sound to match my expectations for a clean, smooth hollow-body tone in the style of BB King. I am working my way through the learning process of how to apply the bridge and neck pickups along with the tone/volume controls. What I can say is the slightest change is noticable so I am able to get immediate feedback on the effects. Very pleased with the sounds coming out of this instrument.

Purchased from 'The Guitar Factory'. Disappointed in that it was not set-up. Had to spend another $35.00 to have it intoned. The fit is great, but the finish is not perfect. Blemishes along the back neck and joining points on the sides. Mostly discoloration nothing to do with weak joints. So the fit is great, but the finish is less than perfect. Compared to other models in this price range the neck fully attaches to the body, with a seamless fit. Not sure what I should expect for a $349 guitar so I'll just score this a 7 based mostly on the weak finish. The fit and action are great!

Rock solid hardware, chrome finish, all good stuff. Nothing cheap on this guitar. Noticed that the volume/tone knobs are skewed a bit, but otherwise they fit fine. Since having it intoned I've found the guitar to hold tune much better and respond more easily to my fingering exercises.

Not contacted.

I've been playing less than 6 months. This is the first guitar I've owned. Had gone into guitar center and picked up a Jay Turser, Johnson (Mandalay Music) and Oscar Schmidt. The Epiphone by far is built better and beefier. If you are a beginner looking for a great entry guitar that will hold up and carry you into the intermediate stage than look no further.

I bought my DOT just a month ago ,so it's a 2002 korean model in Sunburst finish. I specifically wanted a semi-acoustic at a reasonable price and the DOT came as the ONLY option on the market that fits my budget for a new guitar.
A couple of years ago i sold my cherry Hofner/es 335 style semiacustic wich must have been the dumbest move i made in my entire life, ever since doomed to a sleepy half - life state, until i finally examined the marked for a replacement for that guitar ( wich by the way became an collectors item for the guy who owns the guitarshop from were i bought the DOT. It now hangs on the wall behind the counter) :(
Conscious of the fact that a new guitar breathes anything but soul I decided that i probably am able to live with it, despite the non-quality feeling of knobs, switches and the 3 way selector wich gave in after 8 hours of playing ( Must be a new record).
Yeah, and strings are buzzing at the frets, the nut adds not wanted harmonics for my taste and the overall impression that this guitar needs careful nursing more often then i want, never left my mind. But still : It's a semiacoustic sunburst and thats enough for me to start the romance.

Rich and mellow sound. It doesent really need effects to sound musical, just play like you would with a spanish guitar and it has the basic expression that a guitar SHOULD have. Wire it to your effectrack and it can sound just like anything your taste. The advantage of an hollow body lies in the making of harmonics that are just not possible for a i.e. telecaster. How does it sound to other Semi`s ? I would say that the DOT in that respect certainly , in sensitive hands , can deliever the same texture as a full classic orchestra. There is only Gretsch (Lots and lots of $k) comparable to the richness of sound.
Naturally the Amp is crucial, and now we are talking good old fashioned valves. As anything you plug in a "miracle - simulation" box that could mimick the texture of every very very expensive amp : You are most likely to be gravely disappointed at your miracle Pod, if you compare it to real life. Good Valveamps are not that much more expensive as these overpriced pieces of S%@T !

I would say : Not at all tuned and set up from factory and it shouldent either. There you have the next option : To learn how you do it yourself. The Finish flaws of the DOT are universal : just about anything but the tuners are from the junkyard, so replacing the parts after some time (In the very near future :) is inevitable. What you basically have is a Body,neck and fingerboard that are pretty good at creating harmonics that resemble to the original es 335, and as that a strong competitor in the Semi - acoustic guitar universe.

Action number one : be prepared to spend 10 $ to replace the totally unreliable 3.way switch, you could by the way just wait a day more or so to let the shop replace it right away. DON`T wait with this one !
Action number two : Replace the volume and tone pots AND the Knobs.The simple reason is that the 500k pots have more musical impact and you gain in volume-control too. The knobs are ugly and unreadable. Prepare to spend 4Xpots and knobs (At least 50$)
Action number three : If strings are buzzing, learn how to fix it yourself, there are inumerous numbers of self-help books in that subject.
If you do that you would have a playable guitar. Any other replacement is purely of academic interest, but these subjects are discussed further on this page down.

This is a new natural finish Dot, sent from the Nashville Gibson/Epiphone office... also came with a hardshell case. Standard in every way, and it came with a cool little cable in the case's storage compartment.

This guitar sounds lovely... snarl and bite when I want it, soft and mellow. It handles attack really well: you can cruise along softly, but hit the strings a little harder and it roars nicely. I don't think I'll bother changing the pickups, they seem fine.

This is where you realize that the guitar is a little chintzy... the f-holes were painted a little sloppy; the headstock "epiphone" inlay is not so great, with the dot on the "i" in the wrong place. The little E on the pickguard was sloppily glued on, etc., but this is minor stuff: I'm a working guitar player and they always end up battered after a few shows, so I don't really care about detail stuff. I just looked at the new Gibson 335's in the shop and the fretboard inlays are shit. This is still a very handsome guitar, especially from about 8 feet away. The factory intonation was bad, I took it in to be fixed.

Seems sturdy... I just took it on a three week UK tour, with shows every night, and it seemed to hold up fine. The tuning seemed to stay quite a bit more than my Telecaster, and the selector switch is pretty low quality, but I'm not too worried about it. I bought it originally as a backup, but ended up using it as my primary guitar.

I've dealt with the Nashville office some, and they seem quite friendly. I paid "artist pricing" so I don't think they would care to do much customer support, but hopefully I won't have to ever find out.

I'm extremely pleased with this guitar... it's solid, well made, and sounds great... I don't play blues or jazz, I play hard R&B/Punk/Garage, through an AC30 or Twin, LOUD, and it performs wonderfully... very Eddie Phillips, with really controllable feedback. I don't think I'd want a real 335 anyway to tour with... mid-price guitars cause less stress and worry... if they get broken, buy a new one. A well made workhorse.... I can't wait to try it out in the studio.

As stated in other reviews, although I was disappointed that you can't control the volume of each pickup/tone independently when in the 'both' setting to give a 'mixed' sound, but this is a small quibble.
Not supplied with any helpful instructions, unlike my Fender.

Exactly what I was after. I wanted a rhythm guitar sound that would sound sligthly angry when clean & then distort well, and this is perfect (I particularly like the sound on New Order's Crystal).
Very good through my Fender Champ 12 (which has a mid-boost that makes the sound super-humbucker), less so through a POD 2.2. POD is handier as a pre-amp.
I prefer the neck sound (very rich) and combined sound: the bridge pickup is a bit treble-y but sounded better when I raised it closer to the strings.
But it's the sound I bought the guitar for, and it's exactly what I'm after. The humbuckers sound fine.
I did replace the nut at the shop (on advice of earlier reviewers - thanks fellas) so can't comment if this helped or not.

Unamplified sound is pleasant too - enough to hear clearly.

Action is fine: intonation was nearly right anyway. May have it professionally set up once it's played in.
Raising bridge pu helped.
I wasn't mad keen on the colour initially (prefer sunburst) but the cherry has grown on me enormously: feels like a slightly brash friend, and the Dot sunburst was a bit naff.

The pu switch does feel flimsy, suspect will need replacing, but everything else seems fine.

I'd been thinking about getting a 2nd hand Gibson 335 for ~ 1500GBP, and on a course in Cardiff wandered into this shop and saw they had a cherry Dot reduced to #385.
I went in every night after work, read the reviews on this site (thanks again all) and finally bought it (and a hard case for 50 quid).
Very pleased with it since, and my collection is now complete (also have a Fender Strat Plus Deluxe and Epi electro-accoustic).
The shop was very helpful as they happily pointed out the flaws in the more expensive/pretty Epi's (eg gold hardware covering comes off) and to get this for under #400 made it a must-buy.
I'd strongly recommend it, plus a Fender valve amp, to anyone. (And the Peavey Bandit I tested it on in the store sounded great too.)
Happy plucking to y'all.

2002 korean made. Laminated maple, natural finish. 2 Humbucker, 2 vol, 2 tone, 3-way switch, stop/tune-o-matic bridge. Typical 335 clone.

While this guitar is not "perfect", I really like the sound. I play mostly rock/blues, with a little jazz. I play through a Fender stage 160. I find the sound to be full and rich. However, try out as many as you can BEFORE you buy...they all sound different. I tried the Dot, and Ibanez side by side and the Dot kicked the more expensive Ibanez's butt. I've played mine next to a Gibson 335, and the sound is pretty close, not quite as rich not as much texture. It does everything I want it to...I like it better than my American Fender!

Set-up was actually pretty good...for a lower end guitar. Action was good. WARNING...Epiphone make the worst 3-way pick-up select switches in the world!!! If it works when you buy it, just wait...It will break!!! I knew this going in, so I didn't mind that it didn't work when I bought it. I got the store to throw in a new switch and I wired it up when I got home. The dot has all no-name parts, they work good but not great. Finish is GREAT!

I've been looking at the Dot for some time, and finally got one. I did not expect it to be perfect, but to my suprise it was much better than I thought it would be. It feels and plays like a much more expensive guitar. Its well worth the money. I plan to switch out the pu's and electronics as well as the nut and tuners...by then it should be top notch!!! If it were lost or stolen I would be very pissed and would replace it without a thought.

'99 Korean. 22 frets. Original factory parts and electronics.
Used model.

Overly trebly. Horribly metallic.

Factory setups are poor. After professional setup, this guitar still had several places among the fretboard which caused buzzing and inconsistent intonation was apparent.

The fit looks passable from far away, but once you get up close you realize its some dime store shellac on that thing.

Volume and Tone knobs are obviously from the 5 cent store. What they call 'humbuckers' are no doubt bargain basement. They sound it, too.

This guitar feels about as solid as brittle twig.

It has the worst tuners I have ever experienced in a guitar.

Customer Support does not exist for companies with over 20 customers.

DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THE GIBSON ASSOCIATION WITH THIS BRAND OF GUITAR. The cost of the materials and the workmanship put into this guitar and marketed by any other name would fetch half as much as it does with this insignia. Gibson and Epiphone are two entirely different companies.

Anyone who has ever played a Les Paul will pick up this guitar and put down in under 3 minutes. Why? Simply put, the guitar is cheaply built and sounds like trash.

2002 Korean Epiphone Dot. 22 frets blah blah blah. Ebony finish. Standard epi hardware.

From the time i picked the Dot up at the store I fell in love with it. I play alternative (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Mudhoney, weezer), punk(real 70's punk), and some oldies(Beatles, Hendrix, etc.). This instrument has the look and sound for all these styles. I tried it out through a Fender Hot Rod Deville 410, which i will soon be purchasing, along with numerous other amps. It sounded great with all of these. Somehow I was able to coax my shitty crate practice amp to sound exactly like Red House by Jimi. The humbuckers are a little underpowered for the instrument. My plan is to fix this one up for a straight rock sound. I am going to put a DiMarzio SuperDistortion in the bridge and a DiMarzio Paf PRO in the neck. I think this will give me the sound I want. Eventually I want to puchase another dot (cherry this time) and set it up like a 335. I will put in some Gibson '57 classics.

Action was great when I bought it. However the was some low E buzz, but i don't mind it. Finish is, well, black. Looks fine to me. It is now starting to get some marks from the pick and from me not taking care of it. The only problem I have experienced with this guitar is the toggle switch. Sometimes it doesn't want to switch to the bridge pickup. I only have to move it back and forth a few times then it is fixed for a while. I plan on having the switch changed to a gibson along with the nut.

Don't be stupid, put on straplocks. It has withstood my beating for a few months now and it still is the same. Wouldn't gig without a backup but I don't think this would fail on me.

???

Great guitar overall. One of the best deals you can find.

New Cherry DOT with fabulous grain. I won't repeat the rest as it has already been said... Has all that is required!

This is my second DOT. I had a Gibson 335 but had to sell it as I couldn't justify having so much money in a laminated guitar when the DOT is virtually the same. I sold my first DOT and bought the 335. It was an awesome guitar but really not much more other than binding on the neck over the DOT.

The sound that this thing can produce is phenomenal. Very sweet. I don't think the pickups are bad at all and see no need to change them. I have had a Gibson 335 and this thing equals it in tone without a doubt. These are worth every penny. I bought mine at a local store after trying out many. I could have bought it less over the internet but I wanted to make sure what I was getting as far as tone goes because like all guitars by all manufactures, they do vary in tone. I love the tone this one has without the bump in the wallet. Don't fall for the snob factor and think that you are playing an inferior guitar. I have been there and realize that these DOTS are killer.

This thing didn't need any tweaking at all. The action is superb. The finish has zero flaws. Yes the nut and hardware is cheaper than its Gibson cousin but not $2000 cheaper by any means. The frets aren't very tall which makes for a very fast neck but will need replacing sooner then those of the Gibson. No biggie. I really don't like Gibsons square frets anyway. The neck is fabulous. I like it better then the 335 neck. The Cherry is georgeous. 10's all the way here...

No problems here...

Contacted them in the past and they responded quickly to my questions.

Playing for many, many years. I currently own a Les Paul Standard DC, the orginal ones which sound and look better than the new ones. It blows away any other hard body electric that I put it up against. Other gibson LP's, PRS's, etc. Also own a Fender AMS Strat. Yummm... Dumped some high end PRS's, Historic LP's, 335 and many more high dollar guitars. I love the sound and playability of the 335/DOTS. I like the finger board without binding unlike most people. I find the high E string rolling off the edge at times on the bound boards. This DOT is the bomb and now part of my core collection. I will replace the nut and frets when they wear but otherwise will keep all else stock. People fret about the pickups and tuners. Of all the epi's that I owned, the tuners never let me down and the pickups sound great, IMO. I play through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and also two Marshall JTM 30's. Again, IMO, the best combo amps ever. I also have a GT6 plugged into a board for computer based recording. Also phenomenal...

Would I buy this again? I did... Would I do it if this was lost, stolen or crushed, yes, in a second. I have to have a 335 style guitar and to me, this fits just fine! My band mates and friends snicker until they hear and play it. Then they go, geez, unfreaking real!!! Thats what I think every time I play it... which is often!!! Don't hesitate to buy this guitar. You will not be disappointed at all. If you have the urge to upgrade to a Gibson 335, please refrain, you will not be satisfied after shelling out all that money for virtually the same guitar. Purists will say differently but they are the ones that either don't really play or are in denial. While Gibson uses a better nut and tuners, the nut is minor and the tuners will work just fine for a long time. The pickups sound great and is a good buy!!!!

Brand new 2001 Epi Dot made in Korea. The soundboard is a spruce laminated archtop, in Epiphone cherry gloss finish and chrome hardware. Before I bought this guitar I was looking at a few different models. Various Fender Strat's, Tele's, Gibson Les Paul's, Epi Les Paul's. I wasn't concerened too much with the cost of the guitar, my main objective was quality. Strangely enough, after spending weeks, picking up these various guitars and playing them both unamplified and amplified, I found the Epi Dot was the best of the bunch, in terms of sound and playability. Of all the necks, I was instantly pleased with the Dot's shape, like a slightly flattened D shape. As close to perfect as I could find. Secondly I was captivated by its looks, it screamed Chuck Berry.

As I said before, I had the money and a chance to test out quite a few different guitars, unplugged and plugged into various amps. Being an acoustic guitar player also, I was impressed by the Dot's tone and resonance, while it was unplugged. A perfect combination of highs and lows were easily coaxed from this guitar, and I could feel the resonation throughout the guitar, even in the neck. None of the other guitars gave me that feeling when played unplugged. I then plugged into a variey of amps, I wasn't concerned with the number of effects built in or who it was made by. First I tried it with a smaller Marshall amp, 15 watts I believe. It was alright sounding, but wasn't really what I was after. I definitely wanted that nice warm tube sound. None of the Marshall's I tried impressed me that much. Next to the Fender's. I was almost certain that I would end up buying the Fender Blues Junior. I plugged into both a blues junior and a pro junior, and they also seemed to lack emotive qualities. So I thought either I am too picky or maybe the guitar is the problem. Then I seen a Vox Cambridge 15, which truly looked like a relic, I liked that. I plugged into it and played a variety of blues, folk/country and even some classical type stuff. Everything came out sounding great. I knew from the instant I started playing The Vox, that it was the one.

Everything on this guitar seemed to be well made and well finished. The guitar was already setup very well, with some .09's on it. I quickly changed these to .10's . I usually buy Gibson Vintage Re-Issue strings, which have an extra 6th and 5th string, in case you break one pre-maturely. Honestly, I can't complain about anything on this guitar. The finish, binding and shape are all perfect. The only irregularity I seen was with the f-holes. if you look closely you can see a bit of black ink, which I assume they use to trace the outline of the f-hole. This ink mark, underneath the finish is so miniscule, that you have to look at it at very close proximity, as it's only a very small portion of the f-hole. Because ceratin individuals may want to alter the pickups, nut, bridge and tuning machines, I will give it an eight out of ten, otherwise it's a ten.

I don't play live, however I wouldn't have a problem bringing this to a friend's house and jamming all night. I don't think anyone plaing this is going to be jumping around too much anyhow. As far as toting it around, get a good 335 style hardshell case, and you have nothing to worry about, unless you plan on dropping it from a fourth story apartment.

I bought this guitar from a well known instrument store in downtown Toronto. As far as dealing with Epiphone directly, I haven't. I did take my guitar to be setup a few weeks after owning it, just to make sure everything was holding up. I don't think they did anything to it, accept change the strings and check the neck. It didn't matter anyways because it was free of charge. However, it took something like 4 weeks until I got it back. I think this is an extremely long time, although I may be wrong.

I have been playing guitar for about 10 years now. I only owned one other electric guitar, which was a strat style Harmony. I pawned that one off quick! If it was alost or stolen, I'd either buy another Dot or would think about getting an Epihpone Emperor Regent. I actually love everything about the Dot, it has the styling, sound and playability that I am looking for.

Purchased brand new in 2002. Redesigned Authorized Gibson ES335 copy.Semi- hollow with center block. 2 Humbuckers. Sunburst finish. Maple body. Maple set neck with rosewood fingerboard. Dot position markers. Two tone. Two volume. 3 way pickup toggle switch.

I am really impressed with the sound of this guitar. I mainly play my Amercan Standard Strat- but always like to have a semi hollow body around as well and in fact I'm having a hard time putting this down to play my Strat. I have seen a few negative comments on the pickups but the newly designed ones in mine sound great through my Fender Deluxe Reverb. Full rich sound on the neck pickup with great fat jazz tone, nice and bright on the bridge.

Amazingly this guitar came set up great straight from the factory. Action just the way I like it without a buzz anywhere up and down the neck. I checked the intonation with my digital tuner thinking I would need to do a little tweaking but everything was right on pitch.Frets are nicely dressed with no rough spots anywhere on the neck, or anywhere else for that matter.No problem with the nut and the sunburst finish is really beautiful with no visible flaws I could find.

This guitar DOES withstand live playing. The hardware all seems solid, although I had an Epi Sheraton ll and the toggle switch only lasted about a year and I'm assuming they didn't upgrade it on this model. Just have to wait and see. Strap buttons seem secure. I never gig without a backup for all gear.

n/a

I have been playing for 37 years.I am extremely impressed with this guitar, and I have owned many in my lifetime including Gibson, Gretsch, Fender and others. This is not the epiphone dot of old. It has been redesigned including center block (for more solid weight, tone and feel), set neck for more sustain, better pickups, nicer finish- all in all is better built, and plays, feels, and sounds better than earlier versions.In fact, I played a new Gibson ES335 Dot yesterday and didn't like it. I don't think the new Gibson's are what they used to be and frankly $2300 for that guitar seemed outrageous. My Epiphone actually felt better to me. Also, before buying this guitar I tried Epiphone Riviera's and Casino's- both more expensive and both buzzed and felt "cheap" compared to the less expensive Dot. Go figure.If this guitar was lost or stolen I would immediately replace it with the exact same model.By the way I played 3 different Dots before choosing one and they all felt and sounded great. This looks, feels, and plays like a MUCH more expensive guitar, and I'm not kidding!

2001 model, natural finish with white binding and black pickgaurd... absolutely beautiful, Gibson alnico HB's, Semi-hollow body. Neck is the perfect size and ALL the frets are well within reach.

After playing acoustic for way too many years the DOT is the perfect guitar to return to electric with. Sounds great through VOX cambridge 15 w/ reverb pedal ( but that's a VOX flaw ). This guitar has sustain for days. Bright yet thick clean tones are easy to come by, yet don't be fooled this guitar can sound as gritty as a solid body also.

This guitar was setup perfectly at the factory and that's something I was not expecting. I did have the plastic nut changed out due to the G string slipping out of tune often. The wax dipped alnico HB's sound great and I wouldn't change them unless you feel you need a different sound altogether. My only complaint is that "E" epiphone logo piece of tin that they glue on the pickguard. The good news is that I think they know you'll drive yourself crazy trying to get it off and so that's exactly what it does and very easily I might add... funny thing is it's now on my takamine.

I can't see why this guitar couldn't with stand a gig, unless your pete townsend and need to smash stuff.

Have not had to yet....

20+ years playing... Jazz, (Funk, and Blues now). Started electric on a US Strat that was the biggest piece of crap I ever owned, with crappy pots and the thing never stayed in tune, but I was a label snob in the late 80's. I was concerned about Korean made guitars but all that has been laid to rest... this guitar is perfect. If this guitar were stolen or lost I'd buy another without even hesitating. I was returning to electric and couldn't fork out the money for real 335 as much as I wanted to but I compared the two very closely and it's very hard to hear / see extreme differences. Let's put it this way when I took the thing to my luthier I was about laughed out of the place. This guy's working on Guilds and 335's everyday and is a huge Jazz player. After he replaced the nut and dressed the frets he asked what I paid and he stood there shocked at what a great bargain I had found. Let's just say he was also impressed.

You know what the features are. I'm awaiting delivery of a Bigsby tailpiece to liven things up a little. I've already replaced the pickguard with a real 335-style because it looks better than the more bulbous Epiphone design, and I gave it black speed knobs. If the tuners need replaced I'll get plastic-handled butterfly knobs for a vintage look - but NO, I'm not going to trim the headstock and paint "The Gibson" on it....

I'm using the stock pickups and for now I'm satisfied with them, especially the bridge. They compare favorably with (though not the same as) the Pearly Gates I just put in my Les Paul. When I'm ready to change out the neck p-up I'll try my old Dimarzio PAF Pro but I'm not expecting anything earth-shattering from it; I'll probably end up with a Duncan Jazz to hopefully bring out that "Mr. 335" tone.

The Dot's setup was tons better than any genuine Gibson 335-style I played in the stores, but the FEEL was cheaper somehow. The Gibsons feel more solid & substantial, as do their controls. The Epi's controls are built to be temporary and I just hope they last until pickup-swap time. I've already had trouble with the switch, and the pots all make some noise. Finish-wise, there's some sloppy painting around the F-holes but that's all that stands out....considering what this is and what it costs. I think the guitar itself is a monster bargain considering what the same Gibson costs. No way is a Gibby 335 worth $2200 street. When I need a high-quality semi-hollow I'll go with a Heritage for $1300.

Once I replace the controls and nut, and maybe the bridge (to go with the Bigsby) this will be a good solid, able-bodied guitar. It's already a home favorite just like it is.

Never dealt with them, don't want to.

I've got two other Epiphones (American-made) in the house and this Korean job is much better. It's no worse than my '75 Les Paul Custom which has always been a turkey. If it were stolen I'd probably upgrade to an Ibanez or Heritage 335-style, or I might try something like an Epiphone Joe Pass. This Dot is my first semi-hollow in many years & I'm hooked but I'm ready to move on. My 9 rating is cost-weighted. Compared to a PRS or a GOOD Gibson it'd be more like a 5.

335 copy. Made in 2000 (?) Mine is red and beautiful. The nut is a cheap plastic thing (replace it!).

Neck is broad and thin, but not too thin. Epiphones have maple necks (as opposed to mahogany on the original 335), which gives a brighter tone.

This guitar is semi hollow, but it's also big, which makes it more heavy then you think. It's not a light weight!

I miss a master volume (but all you Les Paul guys are used to that).

Tuners, bridge, pick ups: certainly not the best, but for the money very good (9). Minus 1 point for the crappy nut.

Neck: 9. Round but also clear. !!
Bridge: 6.
Both pickups: 9. Full, shimmery.

Factory set up: 1. The brigde was set up wrong and also far too high. Strings sticked in the nut, which cause constant detuning, and made intonation very hard.

I've had a tech re-do the guitar (set up of bridge, filing the saddles, Graph tech nut). Now it's a 10.

Seems solid.

I bought this guitar 2nd hand. For the money, this guitar is a steal. Please, have it set up correctly by a good tech and replace the nut. Pickups are good (haven;t compared them to 'the real deal' though).

My other guitar is a PRS (with the 'regular neck'). That guitar is absolutely superior in built quality. Tones are miles apart: my PRS is a 'modern' sounding guitar, very versatile, it can scream like a demon and plays like a dream. The necks are very different: my prs neck is more narrow and fatter (which took me long to get used to but now I love it), the Dot is quite thin and broad (not as thin as an original 335, they say). Which is not bad, but again takes some time to get used too. If you're a serious player you can play on any neck though..

The Dot is a more jazzy guitar: if you want that full bodied jazzy/ bluesy, warm, round humbucker sound, no prs is gonna give that! You WILL need a hollow body guitar. And on price/quality terms, the Dot EATS every Gibson or Gretsch! Highly recommended!

A cherry colored Epiphone Dot, made in 2001 in the lovely country of Korea. Two Gibson USA humbuckers etc. I don't really need to list the features as everyone else has already done that. But I do have some issues that I'll talk about later on.

The sound is typical of a Gibson ES335 with humbucking pick-ups, it feeds back a little sooner than most solid-body guitars but that can be a good thing in the right hands. Nice Les Paul lead sound from the bridge pick-up and a deep jazzy/rhythm sound from the neck pick-up. I have used it with a Fender Deville 410 60 watt tube amp and also a Laney VC30 tube amp (VOX AC30 clone). Sounds great with both amps.

I play Brit-Pop/60's Merseybeat/Indie-Pop type music and it is excellently suited for those genres. There are no buzzes or nasty hums that come from this guitar, so that's a benefit.

The guitar is also nice and loud when unplugged, which is nice for writing songs when your baby or wife is asleep!

The guitar came with 9 gauge strings, which were too wimpy for me so I replaced them with a set of heavier 10 gauge Pyramids. The action was nice and low, yet with no fret buzz.

The pickups had some buzz and I haven't corrected that yet, I'm sure I'll have to tighten a couple of screws down.

The nut was a joke, it is either the wrong size or has been misaligned, looks more like the wrong size as the strings seem to fall in the correct position on the fretboard. This is a pretty major defect in my opinion. So there is an 1/8 " gap between the end of the nut and the end of the neck, looks pretty bad. But doesn't seem to affect playability.

The finish is certainly not flawless and not as good as my older Epiphone Sheraton, although it would take a close look to see the imperfections in the laquer job.

My major issue with this brand new guitar is the fact that it doesn't seem to be able to stay in tune for more than five minutes. I haven't decided if this is because of the tuning heads or a more sinister reason. It came with a decal saying it had been set up by Gibson in the USA, yet I wonder how much time they spent on it exactly.

It's not as solid as a Les Paul of course, but seems solid enough for live use. I replaced the strap buttons for locking ones. The hardware seems to be of a reasonable quality although I wonder about the longevity of the tuning heads (no name brand).

The pickup selector and volume controls don't inspire me with confidence so I wouldn't play it live without a backup guitar.

I've dealt with Gibson/Epiphone before, they are about as useful as a chocolate ashtray. So I'm probably not going to bother with them to fix my nut problem.

The warranty is a "limited lifetime" warranty, I have a feeling that the statement doesn't mean much in actuality.

By the way I've owned the guitar for almost 3 weeks now, so these are well though-out comments.

I've been playing for about 15 years, my favourite guitar is my Vox Mark III re-issue which is an absolute dream (and stays in tune forever). I have a Fender Deville 410 amp and a Laney VC30 amp.

If this guitar was stolen or lost, I'd either buy a genuine 60's vintage Epiphone or an Epiphone that was made at the Gibson USA factory. Although in reality, I'd probably just buy a Rickenbacker.

Trouble is, you get what you pay for. I see all these glowing reviews for Epiphones on this website, yet I doubt most of these folks have my ears which can detect any intonation issues or my careful eyes which can spot any finish flaws.

The main thing I look for in a guitar is a flawless intonation and rock solid tuning that doesn't drift out as soon as you look at it. This guitar doesn't meet my criteria, so I'm pretty disappointed.

When I first started playing 335 style guitars in the mid 80's they were something of a rarity, it seems now that every Tom, Dick and Harry has one. So they've lost that "coolness" that originally made me gravitate towards this guitar.

Epiphone "Dot" is not really a Gibson ES335 copy, it is a true competitor and if made well can actually outplay it. This one is Korean-made and I picked it off the wall at Sam Ash in Columbus, Ohio. Classic cherry finish with the black pickguard and Epi "E" logo, dual Gibson (yes, real Gibson) pickups, "dot" inlays in the fretboard, what looks to be Ping-made machines, Gibson hard-tail bridge and butt. This is a semi-hollow-body with double-cutaway, ivory binding, and a flawless finish.

I play everything from classic rock, to folk and fingerpickin' style and have played for over 30 years. This guitar has the sound I'd expect with stock pickups (double-coil) and a typical 335-like wiring job. The guitar is warm ans sweet on the front pickup, bright and hot at the bridge. Using both pickups, you get a rich, soft tone with enough warmth to play soulful blues with clear highs, not mud. Want to give it a little chop and rock and roll, the guitar is furnished with enough to do the job nicely rigth off the wall. This is a great choice for jazz and rock-a-billy or blues, as well as some classic rock.

The guitar's neck was perfect off the wall and the action was great. The intonation was close, but, I had to tweak it a little. I have perfect pitch, so, that does not surprise me. What did surprise me, though, was that this axe really holds tune! There are no obvious flaws and the fit and finish is beautiful. IF this is a typical sample, this is a better axe than the Gibson ES335 from what I've seen in recent samples of them. It is a much better fit and finish than most of the competition, except maybe the Artstar (Ibanez).

This guitar will serve the average guitarist well. It is solid and with the included hardware should be fine for years. Watch out for the tone and volume knobs, they are smooth and quiet, but, their not as durable as this same guitar's 60s cousins. The strap buttons are solid, as is the set neck and the body. The pickguard is solid... the one weak stop is the knobs. As for the machines, they are tight and seem solid, but, time will tell whether they loosen like many cheap machines. I don't think these will, they seem to have good structural integrity.

I have not had to use Epiphone support. In fact, I doubt I ever will need it. It the machines wear or the knobs ever need replacement, I will probably upgrade. The body of this guitar is perfect as is the neck, any upgrade will be well worth it.

I've played for over 30 years and have had many guitars... Les Pauls, Fender Tele, Ovations, Gretsch, Martin acoustic, Fender DG20ce acoustic/electric, Fender pre-CBS Bassman amp, Crate studio amp, lots more. This guitar is a fine addition to the rest of my gear. I have looked for one of these guitars for almost four years and they are hard to find in Columbus, Ohio. They sell fast, although they are in less demand than a lot of other guitars. People who own them seldom let them go and I plan to keep mine for the rest of my life.

Few months ago, I decided to get me Epiphone's authorized copy of the famous "ES-335" guitar. Since I live in Yugoslavia, this decision was made mostly on the basis of the reviwes posted on your website, and some stories I've heard from more experienced players. To cut the crap, buying this guitar was a big risk for me. Actually, I must admit that irresistible looks of "the only guitar", which is quite apropriate nickname of 335, was the only quality of Epi Dot that I wasn't doubting in. Pretty risky way of getting the new gear, isn't it?
So, this should tell you two things. Firstly, the perfect job that Epi did in reproducing a very well known shape of ES-335 (semi-hollow body, two GIBSON humbuckers, since it is a 2001 model, tune-o-matic bridge, two volume, two tone, 3-way swich controls, 22 frets...), and secondly the rating that I'll give it.
Almost everyone of your reviwers complained about the knobs, tuners and a plastic nut. The nut did gave me the creeps at first, but for now it seems to be working just fine, and when the knobs and tuners are concerned, all I can say is that one has to be a real grumbler to criticize it. As I enjoy that "retro" looks of this guitar, I like the "gold" knobs better than the real 335 ones. In a combination with the perfect dark cherry red finish (which I almost forgot to mention!), they give me the feeling that I really have a "history" under my fingers.

Fortunatelly, I had a few opportunities to play 335 type guitars. Two of them that are worth mentioning are the "real thing" that I borowed from a local jazzman, and a late sixties (I guess) Gibson ES-347 which my father's friend showed me a week before I got my Epi. The first one I don't remember (it was almost three years ago, at the time when my playing was crappy), but the second one... Who could forget that sweet, warm sound coming from the old Marchall amp?
The answer is: ME! I have no idea why, but I find it very difficult to compare it with Epi, and it isn't the matter of quality. This two gears sound pretty different. 347 really has a much bigger range of tones, but the Dot's sound is, I think, a bit cleaner and stronger also. However, don't take me too serious, because my amp is a piece of junk, and I still didn't have a chance to play this guitar through something powerful.
Anyway, I don't play anything except rhytm&blues, which makes this gear perfect match for me. It is enough to say that my idol is Alvin Lee of Ten Years After, a man thanks to who I decided to learn to play the guitar at first place. This gay made 335 become his trademark, but since I'm not a millioner (for now) I'll be more than satisfied with an axe I could afford. Well, if it doesn't sound just like his, at least it looks the same.

Enouhg about the looks. The playability of this axe is amazing. I guess everybody who is familiar with the gibson bridge, probably knows that one can set the action as low as he wants. What should be of greatest interest, is a fact that the neck is even more playable than on the real 335. This is again my opinion, but we entered the ground that I happen to know realy good. Beside this Epi, I own an USA Fender Stratocaster, which softness is more than famous. I also played a bunch of another Fenders and Gibsons, and came to conclusion that this guitar has the most playable neck I ever held.
First few days after I've changed the strings (I play Martin 9's), my opinion on the playability was completely different. As a matter of fact, I was just about to take the advice of changing the nut. And then, after exactly seven days, I realised that I can't even feel the strings. I thought maybe the tuning went to hell, but found out that it's just fine. From that point, the strings feel like 8's or at least tuned down a bit. That gives me an idea to try the 10's for the firs time.
One of your readers mentioned that "honey moon" period, that we go through after buying a new equipment. It's not that, belive me. Again, it could be just the matter of my style or personal likes and dislikes, but I find this Epi as fit as an axe can get.
As I said, it has a finish that is a cross between chery and wine red, which is absolutely perfect. It doesn't have any flaws, loose tuning pegs, loose knobs etc...
But, it IS a fragile guitar, and should be treated very carefully. That's something you don't have to worry about with Strat, but I'll get used to it.

It would be pretty unprofessional from me to talk about this after only a few months of owning this guitar. Anyway, it has a year warranty, which makes it poor compared to Gibson, that, most often, has a lifetime one.

I bought this guitar in Epiphone's line in Thessaloniki, Greece. This sounds like a commercial, but the guy (named Nikolas) who sold it to me was as kind as it gets - he gave me the lowest posible price. All those anegdots about Greek salesmen seem to be thrue...
However, the media cover of Epiphone products is a complete waste of time. I went to their website, finding out that my fridge contains more informations about the guitar that I want to buy. Look up to Gibson, guys!

I'm not too sure, but I think I've been playing for about four years. In a moment of madness, I bought Ibanez Destroyer II, that was a decent guitar, but million miles away from blues/rock style I prefere. I now own USA Strat, Samick Artist Series acoustic, and of course this Epi. If it were stolen, I'd have to comit a suicide, since I'm not rich enough to collect the guitars like a postcards. But if I ever get rich, I'll probably by the real ES-335 (block, not dot one) and arrange a few jam-sessions with Alvin Lee and Ten Years After. Their music is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for every thrue rocker on the planet.
My advice for everyone who wants to own 335, but doesn't have enough money for it, should be pretty clear...
Finally, I'd like to thank you, guys, for the patience to read the confession of a man who is maybe too easily satisfied, and for providing what happens to be a very reliable informations about the guitar that he bought almost blindfoulded.
Sorry for my English - it's a disaster.
KEEP ON ROCKIN!!!

2001 model. Gibson ES-335 copy. Not sure where it is made, maybe in the Orient or South America. 22 badly dressed frets (More on this later). The top, back and sides are laminated maple (Thinline hollow-body). Gibson made Epiphone pickups that OHM out at 8.8 OHMs DC resistance (very nice middle ground). The neck is also maple with the classic Gibson spanish angled headstock. The finish is transparent cherry and bound with ivory colored binding (very nice). Bridge is a Tune-O-Matic that was placed slightly off center where there is more room between the high-E string and the fingerboard edge than the low-E side (More on this later as well). Tuners are the basic cheap sealed tuners and they are just fine. The neck has a 12" radius that is not exactly true from nut to the bridge end. The frets are medium jumbos that were filed down way too far to try and make up for the fingerboard radius imperfections during the dressing process. I got this new from Guitar Center and could have it sent back to the factory for repair, but I could be asking for the same kind of fret job if they don't true up the fingerboard beforehand. Fortunately, I am in the business of guitar repair, to include re-fretting, and this will be a simple task. I also will be making a new nut out of bone material and make the angled string slots that should have been in the original plastic nut. Now the case: I have always had a problem with guitar manufacturers that sell you the bloody guitar and treat the case as an option. If I were to trade it in, Guitar Center would expect me to throw in the flipping case just to get the true value out of the guitar!

I play blues, classic-rock, jazz, etc. and this suits all the styles especially the blues and classic-rock. I am using a 2000 Fender Twin Amp (The Evil Twin), full of lush beautiful classic Fender tone with a nice lead channel to boot. The guitar is not noisy and has a great tone in all pickup selections. It is perfectly constructed (except for the frets).

As I said before, the frets were piss-poorly dressed. I do realize that these are manufactured is mass quantities and I am lucky to have gotten one that didn't have any more problems than the frets. This is why I wasn't to worried about it. Forget the factory setup, probably took 1 minute on it and went to the next one in line. Intonation and relief on the neck are important factors that can't be addressed in a few minutes. This is where Guitar Center could assist when they get the guitars IMHO. Pickups were flush within their frames and I had to adjust those too. The tone control for the rear pickup was loose and I adjusted it as well. Once I am finished with the re-fretting and setting the action and intonation this guitar will play as good as or better than a stock Gibson ES-335. The only real audible (unplugged) difference will be in the laminated maple of the Epiphone vs. the solid maple of the Gibson ES-335. I played both side by side for comparison and then plugged in there is no stark or noticeable difference.

This guitar like any other will last a long time if taken care of properly. Oil (Orange oil, real lemon oil, cutting board oil, etc)the fretboard once a month after cleaning the dirt off with fine steel wool. Wipe down the body everytime after playing it and always put it in it's case when no in use. Putting some desecant (absorbs moisture) in the case will lessen the expansion and contraction of the neck in extreme temperature changes. I always bring my '79 Strat, '79 Les Paul, and my Music Man/Ernie Ball Van Halen guitars so no problem in that catagory.

I haven't tried and I would rather not as I've dealt with guitar companies before.

I've been playing for 25 years. I would buy another one if it was stolen. With a decent fret job you can have a $400.00 Gibson ES-335.
I love the feel and the tone of this guitar, very close to the real thing.

not sure where it was made. i imagine probably korea. 22 frets. it has a volume and tone pot for each "gibson made" humbucker pickup as well as a three way toggle switch. pretty straitforward. practically the whole guitar is maple. the finish is a very nice natural transparent thang. if you're reading this, you probably already know that it is an epiphone dot, which is epiphone's attempt to copy the classic gibson es-335 dot at an affordable price. it is a double cutaway semi hollowbody tune-o-matic dual humbucking sorta jazz machine. i am, however, seriously considering buying and installing a bigsby bridge assembly into. oh yeah, the toggle switch is pure crap.

it might suit some of my music styles. it doesn't really matter to me. i have only owned four electric guitars including this one, so i'm not some tone conissuer (sp). i can get good tones out of it, however. it can get a pretty good jazz sound as well as a good all around rock or whatever you want to call it. the only style i can see it not being totally fit for is like really hardcore shred metal (which i wouldn't even consider playing anyway) not to say you couldn't shred on it. you can do anything with the right pedals. it just isn't quite ridiculous looking enough for shred-heads. i use this guitar with either a carvin bel-air 212 or a hughes and kettner attax 200 (older version). i own a lot of effects, but i don't use most of them. here they are: digitech pds-1550 distortion (not digital), crybaby, boss dd-3 digital delay, boss tremolo, eh frequency analyzer, vintage phase 90, small stone, rat dist., dan-echo, digitech whammy, i think that's it, i'm not sure. that list wasn't necessary, but you asked. the guitar can get a bit noisy, especially with heavy distortion (obviously). however, this noise is only feedback that can be useful. in other words, it isn't bad noise. it has a very full sound, but it can get a little muddy. it just seems the bridge position isn't quite snappy enough. it isn't that bad though. i really wouldn't expect anything else. i like the big jazz sounds. i like the nice overdrive tone. i don't like how it isn't a bratwurst.

the guitar was set up pretty well. i didn't buy it directly from the factory, so i don't really know how it was when it came out of there. (those of you who have never wrote a review probably don't know what i'm talking about). the pickups were set up well. the top was matched very well, etc. the neck was a little rough though (finish on the back of the neck that is). no noticable gaps or anything, nice frets. one day, however, all i could get out of it was a buzz, and i had to adjust the truss rod. the pickup selector is just awful. i actually traded the one i bought in originally for the one i have now, and they both have problems with the selector. it occasionally won't select either the neck or bridge pickup, or neither (rarely). it can be temporarily fixed by figetting with the part of the selector within the guitar (pain in the arse). i really want to change it, but that would be a pain in the arse as well.

the guitar seems fairly solid aside from the toggle switch. it is not reliable enough for playing live without a different toggle switch. the rest of the hardware seems like it would last, though, as should the finish. the strap buttons are very solid (all that matters in a guitar). frankly, at this point, i can't depend on it. i hope i won't have to say this after i deck it out (new toggle, bigsby & maybe new pickups). as far as a reliable guitar, i look no further than my trusty mexican made tele. this is a nice alternative though.

i've never dealt with epiphone, but i wouldn't expect much from such a gigantic business. the place i bought from was pretty pitiful though. i went in to show them the toggle switch deal, and the stupid shredder pube at my service refused to believe me because he (of course) had the digital processor on full shred, and a faint signal still came through. i don't know about the warranty. it doesn't really matter much to me. i like to fix guitars. if something goes wrong with it, i feel confident enough to fix it.

i've been playing for five years. please don't discredit my entire review because i've only been playing for five years. i know my shit. i know more about guitars than about playing guitars. don't get me wrong-i don't consider myself a bad player by any means, and nobody i know does either. i also own a telecaster into which i installed vintage noiseless pickups into and a mexican stock strat and a couple of fender acoustics. i used to have an epiphone junior, which i sold, regretably. it was a crappy guitar, but it was a really cool crappy guitar. if the dot were lost or stolen, i would probably buy it again. it really is a good value. it's one of the cheapest mass produced thinline guitars around, and probably not the worst. i didn't really compare it to anything else aside from my friends' conrad and crestwood thinlines. the dot is definitely much better. i wish it had a bigsby tailpiece, but i am pretty close to changing that. i wish it had coil taps, maybe. i don't think i'm willing to fix that sort of thing. overall, a pretty good buy.

I have no idea what year this dot was made in. I bought it used and it was in gorgeous condition. The day I saw it I had to have it. It has 22 frets I think... I'm too lazy to get up and look and such. It has the standard gibson set up. Two covered humbuckers and the toggle switch and the 2 tone 2 volume knobs. Once again I'm not sure what kind of pickups these are. They sound REALLY good and they may be epiphone stock pickups or they could have been replaced. It has a SUPER nice sunburst finish which I usually don't like but this was amazing. It's a reproduction of the classic Gibson ES 335 semi-hollow double cutaway. It has a tune-o-matic bridge and a stop tailpeace with chrome hardware. And I'm not sure of the tuners but they certainly get the job done. Classic features... nothing overly new

I play a lot of heavy stuff. And I play a lot of poppy stuff. I'm not sure how this guitar holds up to the really heavy stuff that I play because I don't like to tune down on it. I haven't gotten my larger strings for it yet and intonation goes all to hell on guitars with light strings when you tune down. It has a really nice clean tone that I like quite a bit. The rhythm has a deep bluesy tone and the treble kicks out the twang and both together make a pleasant medium. With effects like delay this guitar is great. It has very nice sustain and the full sound helps. Run a little reverb and put on the treble and you've got instant classic surf music. It's great.

Well... having not known the factory settings I'll have to ignore that. When I got it I had to fix a little problem with the b string sounding flat on the 1st fret. Then I had to raise the pickups a bit to accommidate... but it was still all good. I think that the pickup selector feels a bit flimsy, but I'm never rough with it so I'll live

This guitar will stand live playing... it'd better anyway cause I intend on using it just for that. The hardware is good and if you treat your guitars with respect (or like children for that matter). Strap buttons are solid, I depend on it to at least keep my strings alive for a while... I can't afford new ones right now :) And I would gig without a back up but I intend on having one anyway...

haven't dealt with them... it's a used guitar but the store gave me a month warrantee.

I've been playing for only 2 years... seems like just a short time but I've amassed a small arsenal of 4 guitars. 3 of those are Epiphones and the only ones worth mentioning. I have an Epiphone AJ-15 12 string acoustic and I have an this Dot (ES335) and a Les Paul 100. I also have a 5 string fender jazz bass that I'm learning on which I borrowed from a friend. If this guitar were stolen I'd cry. This is the first guitar I got with (fully) my own hard earned money and I totally love it. It sounds better than my other two guitars that I got for the same price. It's amazing. I'd pay full price for this anyday if I had the money to do so.

I just wanted to follow up briefly on my 9/19/2000 review below.

Right off the bat, I changed the pickups on my Dot for Gibson 57 classics - a move I highly recommend.

I spent a few $ to have the guitar set up. It was fairly well built from. I use Ernie Ball .11/.48s. This guitar stays in tune just fine and plays great.

From experience, I accept the fact that I am going to have to eventually change the pick-up selector and the pots. I had eventually had to on every Epiphone I own. You need to know this up front when you consider putting money into one of these.

Nut, tuners and bridge are certainly not top quality, but they work perfectly. No problems here at all.

See my comments in prior section above. I have played it fairly extensively for the last 10 months without any problems. Experience with Epiphones (I own 4) teaches me that failure of the electronics is the most likely problem I'll encounter. I'll change and upgrade these components when necessary. I have no plans for replacing the bridge, tuners and nut. They work fine.

I have tons of gear accumulated over 22 years of playing. I own or have owned Fenders, Gibsons, Rickenbackers, Parkers, etc.

If you understand what you are getting into - a guitar that is going to require some outlay for improvements - the Dot can be an affordable alternative for the player who wants a decent semi-hollow body but who does not want (or can't afford) an instrument that costs more than your house.

I looked at Guild Starfire IIIs and IVs, Washburn HB 35s, Ibanez AS series (80, 120 and 200) and just about everything else you can imagine in a semi-hollow body. From all of these manufacturers, I was really surprised at the inconsistent quality control. I came to the conclusion a few years back that quality control at Rickenbacker is the most consistent in the industry.

Understand what you are buying with a Dot and you can be very happy with it. If you don't know what you're getting into, those extra $ in mods may leave you a little short on $ and a bit disappointed.

This is pretty stock stuff and if you're looking at reviews you probably know that this is a cheap version of the legendary Gibson 335 "dot-neck" guitars. Typical gibson style 2/2 volume and tone controls, 3 way pickup selector for 2 epiphone humbuckers. It has a stop tailpiece and an Tune-O-Matic type bridge. It has metal sealed tuners and a cheap plastic nut. For a guitar that's less than $500 (roughly - prices change at different places as sometimes they include a case - which isn't high quality by the way) you have to expect that you're not getting high-quality parts. You're getting something that mimics the real thing. In terms of the type of features you're getting, I'd say it's a 10. 335's have been around for a good 40 years so the type of features must work. However the actual QUALITY of the features is not particularly high, so I'll give it a 5.

Well, with stock parts this guitar mimics a real 335. For a year this was good enough for me. I love the bluys and wanted a 335 because I wanted that 335 sound. I'd just seen Otis Rush, my favorite bluesman, in concert and he plays one, and has often used varying models of semi-hollowbody, 2 humbucker guitars over the years. Gibson ES-345's and Epiphone Riviera's are the others he's most pictured with. Anyway for a jazzy, bluesy bag, playing through fender amps (vintage mid 60's piggy-back bassmanm, fender blues junior, all original tweed champ) it sounds sorta sweet and mellow, yet full. However something was missing. I knew I had to change the pickups at least. After reading the Tonequest Report (great reading and ideas and info!) I decided a complete overhaul was needed.

So what did I do? Well I had a guitar tech I trust at a local guitar store help me out. We replaced the tuners with Gibson Deluxe Kluson-style ones, replaced the nut, replaced the tailpiece and bridge with proper nickel Gibson parts, put in a new high-quality switch and upgraded all the pots, and put in Gibson '57 Classic Humbuckers. I say "we" because I asked the guy to do it, but we agreed on what to do.

So I go in to pick it up and I usually get ribbed about stuff. Another guy in the shop says "you should hear what this guy did to your Epiphone" and I was expecting some jokes but all he said was "it sounds AWESOME!" and he was right. This guitar now has a complexity, a sweetness, and a fullness of sound and tone that was not there before. Apart from saying Epiphone on the headstock, and on the sticker inside the body this is, for all intents and purposes, a Gibson 335 now. And parts, labor, and the guitar total to about $1,000. Gibson Re-Issues of the 335 run about $2,200. How does this guitar sound out of the box so to speak? Maybe a 3 or 4. But with the electronics and ANYTHING that touches the strings upgraded a 10! This guitar can do it all! Blues, rock, jazz, and all points in between.

From the factory this guitar was decently set-up. But since I play 11's (most guitars ship with 9's and sometimes 10's) a set-up is always in order. But with all the changes I made a pro set-up was included and it does make all the difference. If you buy by mail order as I did you should always expect to have the guitar set-up. As for the finish and all there's nothing noticeably bad. With all the work done a little lacquer came up near the bridge (not visible). The guitar's color is a cross between your standard Gibson cherry red and a deeper wine red. With black knobs, and the new tuners and all it's a beautiful looking guitar now from far away, and it sounds beautiful too! But for a discriminating player the finish and all, and the set-up from the factory are not of the highest quality, so I will rate is a 6 from the factory.

Hard to say. Have I dropped the guitar a few times? Yep. And it still works, but I've replaced nearly all the parts with high quality ones that I am confident will stand the test of time. They're replicas of parts used on guitars from the 50's. Many of which still work today. As for using it on a gig without a backup? Well I don't think one should ever play a gig with just 1 guitar, but would I need a backup for this guitar? No way! I'm the kind of guy that wants different guitars for different sounds. No backups. Varieties. Just don't do any Hendrix or Who stuff to a guitar.

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If you want a Gibson 335 but don't have $2000, you could do a LOT worse than buying an Epiphone Dot and upgrading it. It's fun to do as well. I went with Gibson humbuckers but you can also choose to try Harmonic Designs or Antiquities or whatever floats your boat. You're not compromising the future value of a guitar that's stock for those who might resell later, and the guitar isn't a collector's item itself so much less likely to get stolen. I am SO satisfied with this guitar and if this was somehow lost or damaged I would do it again unless I had won the lotto. Gibson charges too much for its guitars. But when you can get essentially the same thing for $1000 less, what's not to love? If you dig 335 tone but don't have the clams for the "real" thing, do what I did and roll in the tone.

Manufactured maybe '99? I lost track of how the Epiphone serial numbers work. Anyways, it was one of the Mars Music blow-out deals so it's probably leftover stock. Two of the newer Gibson designed HBs, Heritage Sunburst finish, set neck, cheap pots and switch, blah blah blah... You know what they look like, right? Give it a 10 since it is what it is.

Sounds great through a POD 2.0 going direct. Very close to my Gibson Les Paul, but a little thinner. Perfect for me since it adds to my tone arsenal. I like this guitar in a clean sound since it has a little more "twang" than the LP. I also own a Fender USA Tele and a Ric 330 so I have a lot of twang options now. The great thing is that it sounds good distorted as well, adding another layer of versatility. Also, it has a lot of sustain. I give an 8 since it may not be perfect as an "only" guitar. But damn close.

Buying it new, I expected to spend a week setting it up. I was pleasantly surprised to find it playable right out of the box. Nice action, intonation set. I found a little blemish in the joint of where the neck is glued to the body, but too small to make a big deal. So far so good.

Looks pretty solid to me. I worry a little about archtops anyway, so if this was a real Gibson 335 I'd have the same concerns. I'd use it without a backup. The strap buttons are standard, replace with straplocks immediatly!

Never dealt with Epiphone, but Gibson pretty much sucks as far as customer service.

This my 2nd Epi Dot. I traded my first one for a Fender USA Strat and regretted losing it. Saw these on a blow out at Mars and decided to buy another one. This brand new one was less expensive than buying the first one used. Anyways, I wondered if the quality would be the same since the first one was a nice guitar (but who could pass up the trade?). It definately holds up, and I would guess from the other reviews that they are nice guitars as a rule and mine wasn't an exception. Bang for buck at it's finest. I give it a 10 for being worth twice what I paid for it.

I believe it was made in 1997,but I don't know where. It is the vintage chocolate burst,I think that was the name of the color. The construction seems to be reel good, I don't see any flaws. This came with a hardshell case. It's nothing fancy as far as features go, but, it has everything I need.

I play a lot of Beatles stuff and anything else I can learn. I use a Marshall JTM 30 and a Vox Cambridge 30 Reverb Twin. I have a Boss DS1 and have used a Ibanaz Tube Screemer. I guess I have been real lucky with this Epiphone. Other people I know that have them say they sound muddy and have the pick-ups changed. I have a Les Paul Elegant (a $2100 axe)and believe it or not, this guitar sounds almost as good as it. I enjoy playing it.

I am from the Kalamazoo area and had a guy set this guitar up who use to set up Gibsons when they were built here in Kalamazoo. He did an excellent job! The two main things he did was put on a new nut,the hi E needed to be seperated more. I think they are called the saddles? The things on the bridge that the strings set on. He put Gibsons on it, which are smaller. This guitar plays like butter on a hot day. Sometimes it's hard to put down.

I bought this guitar new and have played the crap out of it! I have had no problems at all. My sons and I both have used it at small parties here and there and it performed very well. A very dependable axe.

Never needed it.

I have been playing for over 30 years. I bought my first guitar in 1968.I have'nt owned an electric guitar since 1972. I bought an Epiphone accustic in 1976 and have only played it until buying this in 1997. A mail order company was having a blowout sale and I was going to get one but was'nt really sure if I wanted it. A friend, who has more guitars than he needs, said he was going to buy one. When he came into work with it and opened up the case, I wish I would have bought one. He said if you want, you can buy it from me. So I did!! I would buy another one in a minute!! I have always wanted a 335 style and for the price and with a little tweeking, you can't go wrong. It has been an awsome guitar for the price.