Epiphone Dot

Hollow body, Two Samsung humbuckers, three way toggle, volume & tone for both pickups. rosewood fretboard, etc.ROCK!

I play real thick type music, kinda like hum or heavier emo-core stuff. This is my only guitar and it does the trick on every song we play. Clean is great, Distortion Rocks. Great thick sound. I can't stand solid guitars now. It does give a noisy squeal sometimes but i love feedback and experimental-type noises.

Action is as low as i can go. It plays like it's greased. Everything feels so solid. I got it set up when i first got it because the action was high. My tone knob was loose about a month ago but it was nothing some plyers couldn't fix. My frets have grooves in them though. MAKE SURE YOU REALLY LOOK AT THE FRET BOARD BEFORE YOU BUY IT. That's nothing a fret job won't fix. I'm just too lazy to get it done right now.

I love it!!! I can slam it around, jump around and it's still in tact. I beat the hell out of my guitar on some songs and it pretty much stays in tune. Out of all the epiphones i've played this one stays in tune almost all the time. ROCK AGAIN!!

I think it has a one year warranty. I should get them to fix the frets huh?

I've been playing for about six years. I play it through a boogie 22+ and an "Evil Twin". It's given me the exact sound i've been looking for - vintage rock, fuzz, beautiful clean tones. I would buy another one or maybe a washburn. I don't see the point of spending $2000+/- bucks on a real one that you have to baby when you can rock the house with one of these. I can compare to washburn, Ibanez artstar, & yamaha. For this price you can't ask for anything more.

Used 1998 Epiphone Dot made in Korea. Semi hollow body, 2 humbucking pickups with seperate volume and tone controls. Bound laminated maple body, beautiful natural finish, nice rugged tuners, medium jumbo frets, chrome hardware, price included nice hard case. Budget Gibson ES-335.

Sounds and plays great! I play mostly blues and straight forward rock/pop. Captures the Gibson ES-335 sound and vibe extremely well for a helluva lot less money. It's kind of a do-it-all utilitarian guitar. Very jazzy, bluesy, and rock and roll. Pickups are not whimpy at all, they really kick are balanced well.

Came set up really well so all I've done so far is put on new set of strings. Overall very solid. Neck is straight and the action is slightly high but not too bad. I may have the nut replaced like everyone else, but if that's the only gripe then I'm very satisfied. Natural finish is flawless, neck joint and bindings are super clean, harware seems ok, and knobs and switch is fine. Previous owner said he never played it or had a thing done to it. Very believeable since it looks like it has never been out of case. Nice wood grain too. The finish alone constitutes a "10" here.

I never gig without a backup, and this guitar just saw it's first gig. Got lots of compliments on the sound playing through 1970's Fender Twin Reverb. No problems, don't anticipate any either. Good solid guitar all around.

N\A

This guitar is a great alternative to spending a lot of money on a Gibson ES-335. It compares very well and it's a great value. I've been playing for over 20 years and have owned- and do own- many instruments. I have absolutely no complaints- especially for $375! I would replace this instrument in a heartbeat if it were stolen, even if I had to buy it new for more $$$! I agree with everyone else about the Dot except that previous guy who is abviously some kinda guitar dealer or something, because he's not looking at it from a player's standpoint. I'm not looking to turn a profit on this guitar in a few years; and I don't know a planet that you can get an ES-335 on for less than say 700 bucks...unless of course it's a project guitar. And I don't mind sinking a few bucks into it for a nut since it was only $375 to begin with. The Dot is a good guitar that's meant to be played and enjoyed at a reasonable price. Period.

Sometimes you gotta say some things that people may not want to hear, so here goes. Concerning the Epiphone 'Dot', here's the REAL deal. Everybody who drops coin on an 'Epiphone-ANYTHING' tries way too hard (side-by-side comparisons?!) to justify actually buying those things. And usually ends up convincing themselves that they did the right thing (better living through denial, I guess). The God's truth is - NOTHING is a good deal new. It is just as insane to blow $2,500 - $3,000 on a Gibson as it is to blow $450 + tax, bone nut replacement, pickup replacement (and you WILL replace those microphonic dogs that are in your Epi when you do your first gig with it - trust me), tuner replacement, etc on an Epi Dot. I don't know anyone who would buy a new Gibson these days except some stockbroker, dentist or lawyer looking for another toy. And those who are buying up the firewood from Korea are finding out that once they've realized what a p.o.s they are, are getting reamed on resale value. The REAL deals are in used guitars. You want a real Gibson 335? Buy a '70s 335. Last month alone, I searched out no less than SIX individual Gibson 335s (actually, one was a 345 - so five) that were all the $850 - $1,000 range. All these deals were either in Vintage Guitar Magazine or music store's websites. Okay, let's do some math - $450 + tax for a new Epi 'Dot', plus, oh say, $25 to have a new nut installed by a pro tech, and $180 + tax for the new pickups, $35 for tuners and let's say $50 (that's being real conservative) for that same tech to install them. So in all, you've dropped about $800 into your Epiphone copy. For $50 - $150 more, you can get a real Gibson and plug in and play with no apologies, no 'comparison tests' or any other bullsh*t. And when you decide to sell it, you're not gonna take a bath - you may even make a small profit.

I'm not going to get into the categories here because I pretty much agree with everyone else and everything's been covered. I'll go with the general consensus Overall Rating of nines and tens. I think that I can share some good comparison info though that should clear up a few things.
First of all, if you're in the market for a Gibson ES-335 and don't have 2 and a half grand for a new one, $1,800 for used, or simply don't want to spend that kinda money on a guitar, THE EPI DOT IS SCREAMING YOUR NAME! I'll even go out on a limb here and say the Dot is a better value than the ES-335. I paid $450 for my new Dot w/case; a new ES-335 Dot with case (standard Dot Reissue, non-Historic model) goes for about $2,200. Tack on another grand or so for a Historic model. So my question is: Are you getting almost 5 times the guitar when you buy the Gibson ES-335 Dot Reissue?
I did a caparison test w/two friends using the following guitars: 1) My standard Cherry Epi Dot w/replaced bone nut and setup; 2) a Sunburst Epi Dot w/replaced bone nut, setup and Gibson Classic 57 pickups; 3) A 1994 Sunburst Gibson ES-335 Dot Reissue. All going through a Fender Blues Deluxe 1x12. Here's what we found:
The Gibson ES-335 Dot Reissue is a good guitar made from nice materials, plays and sounds excellent, and the workmanship is top notch. Nobody is arguing that. However, when compared in both sound and playability to the Dot w/replaced bone nut and Gibson Classic 57 pickups there was very little difference! The 335 had a slightly tighter bottom end and a little more midrange honk. Playability, was the same except the 335 had some beefier hardware and frets, and the neck was slightly rounder. I found the flatter Dot neck more comfortable. The neck joints on both Dots where clean and solid and so were the bindings. The 335 has a nice mahogany neck, I don't think the neck on the Dot is mahogany. The Epi Dot is a little lighter. The sunburst finish on the 335 jumped out at you a bit more than the Dot's finish. Also, the 335 had a slight flame to it and the Dot had no flame at all. The other Dot had a very impressive cherry finish that was flawless. The woods are definitely nicer on the 335. Both Dots have nice solid tuners that look like Schallers compared to the Grovers on the 335. Although the Dot case is rugged and plush inside, the 335 case was a little tougher with a nice shrouded interior.
Here's the real surprising news: The Epi Dot pickups are not that bad! We compared my Dot w/replaced bone nut and standard pickups to the 335 and found that, although they sounded somewhat different, the Dot didn't sound cheap or cheesy at all. The Epi pickups have less midrange than the Gibsons, and more toppy jangle with decent bottom definition. When we punched up the mids on the Blues Deluxe we got an awesome midrange sound that was on the verge of breakup w/the volume at 7. Very British Blues. Although the two guitars sounded different, the Epi sounded good and held it's own. Same basic results when compared to the Dot w/Gibson Classic 57s.
Our Conclusions: Are you getting almost 5 times the guitar when you buy the Gibson ES-335 Dot Reissue than the Epi Dot? None of us think so. Matter of fact, 2 outta three of us don't even think your getting twice the axe. The 335 owner does, but I assure you he was very impressed with the Epi Dot, and sorta slipped in to a depressive state when he played the Dot w/replaced bone nut and Gibson Classic 57 pickups after paying big bucks for his guitar. The Epi Dot is one of the hottest values going.
Our recommendations: If your gonna get an Epi Dot for God's sake, replace that cheapo nut w/a bone nut. It will dramatically improve the playability and also improve the tone to an extent. Have it done by a pro and get a setup done too. Don't hack it up yourself. Play it for a while before you make a decision on the pickups. We all agree that the pickup issue is a matter of personal preference. If you really like fat PAF midrange you'll p

It's a 1998 copy of a Gibson 335. You all know that. Two humbuckers, two volume pots, two tone pots, three-way switch next to the pots, stop tail with tune-o-matic bridge, laminated maple body (vintage burst), rosewood fretboard with...you guessed it...dot inlays and not too fat not too thin frets, maple neck. Decent Grover (I'd guess, no name on them) or Grover-like tuners (adjustable and enclosed). Nothing out of the ordinary, but you buy this because this is what you want, right? That's why it's a 5....but a 5 isn't intended as a slam......these are its features....

I play many styles, none all that well. Blues, Cream, Clapton, Beatles, Oasis, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Adrian Belew/King Crimson (not with this guitar much....maybe Sex, Sleep, Eat, Drink, Dream). And I've got G.A.S. bad enough to float over the All Star Game next Tuesday, and have the guitars and amps to proove it. This is going to be mostly a Beatles/Oasis/Blues guitar, and again, that's why I got it. It can do the bright, almost jangly sound with the bridge or both pickups (the neck pot rolled back to 6-ish)(no, it's not a Rick, but I've got those too, and it's not a Casino with P90s, but it's a good compromise, and it can do Oasis crunch (yes, they play Sheratons and Rivearas, but this was fine and is basically a less expensive Sheraton anyway). Many have commented on the sound quality of the pickups....I'm not going to pretend I can hear that much difference. They make the sounds I was looking for, without any microphonic feedback, so I'm very pleased. I'll play it through my Line 6 on Brit Classic or Flextone Crunch with no externals, or my AC15 with a Boss delay and a Dano Daddy-O; I especially like it through the AC15.

Contrary to the experience of many below, it was just fine. Good string hight for me (I'm no lead player, so ultra-low isn't necessary), intonation was good on all but the high E string (odd, I thought). I tweaked the pickup height slightly to get a little more top end, and tweaked the truss rod to straighten the neck slightly (but was that just because I had to do SOMETHING?). Finish is beautiful; rich looking vintage sunburst finish (very dark, but I like it), only one slight "flaw" on the neck near the 6th fret (but my 00028-EC has one of those too, so...), good fret finishing, all the bits are screwed on well but without damage to the wood, pickup selector works (I've played LOTS of Epis in stores and the pickup selectors and fretwork left LOTS to be desired, so this was a very plesant surprise). I've yet to see a "perfect" guitar, and this one isn't, but it's as close as any in my experience, and given Epiphone's rep and what I've encountered in stores, I was VERY happy with this one, and given the price.....well...'nuff said.

I play live once a year, so yes, I think it would withstand it. Odd question.....anyone out there play dead? But anyway, for my purposes (sitting in the den playing by and for myself, there's no issue here. If "Our Kids" can play similar guitars live and under the influence I'd think that this would stand up pretty well. If I gig'd (?) I'd have to have at least one other guitar anyway.....too many different styles for just one.

The warranty seems as good as any.....maybe better. I'm gonna call them today to see what guage strings it comes with (I think they're .10s, but if all you guys can REALLY tell just by feel you're better men than I).....we'll see if I get an answer

I've been playing since high school (god....25 years and I still suck), but electric only 2.5. I own or have owned too many guitars to admit to, but there it is. "My name is Michael, and I have G.A.S." I THINK I'll keep this one (I've said that before and been wrong), and if it were stolen I'd buy another one. I don't think I'd want a Casino, although one of those Lennon specials would be nice....but $3K for an Epi? I dunno. The Sheratons seem silly to me.....I don't like fancy inlay all that much, and it sounds like the gold wears off the metal parts, so why bother spending the extra $? And I'm not THAT big a Noel G. fan to get a Supernova. I'll agree with the most recent Dot reviewer (and others before) about the nut. A better quality Gibson nut wouldn't add THAT much to the price. But at $520, if that's my biggest gripe, I need to just shut up and play.

1998 Korea jobby, 22 frets, 2 volume 2 tone, 2 samsung humbuckers, beautiful cherry red translucent finish, shows off the wood nicely (you pay more for a clear finish though, since they have to use decent looking wood) it's pretty much a 335 with a few down-gradings in parts used. i got a nice solid case with it, but i don't know if that's supposed to come standard or not (thing pisses me off, the damn plush peels back and gets glue on my guitar.) one thing to note though is that it does have pretty chunky frets fora guitar of this kind. this is definitely no fretless wonder...

i use this guitar through a peavey classic 30, and it gives me the most amazing clean tones (for an AUS$800 Guitar), but i can't for the life of me find a distortion that suits it. really gets that hard-core jazzy tone. i'd like to use it with some heavier strings but i'm not sure if it could handle the tension. (i'd assume so, but i leave nothing to fate) it's a bit noisy at times, but it's better than my old guitar (shitty strat copy) so it's a step up.

action is alright, but it's no good for lead work (the square edged body really gets in the way at high frets.) the pickups are fine, but i find unless i leave the pickup selector in the middle (both humbuckers) it sounds quite weedy. maybe that's just the amp. there's an irregularity in the fretboard at the 20th fret, like a bit where they've filled it in with wood filler, but i got a lower price because of that so i'm not bothered. the finish is good, except for a big nasty streaky thing on the headstock that won't come off with cleaner. so it must be there for good. the one thing that pisses me off is the tailpiece. the 4th string hole gets strings jammed in it, so when i go to change them, i can't get the string out, and have to pull it out with fine nosed pliers. allover, not a bad guitar.

i gig with this guitar about every 2-3 months so i can't really comment, i get the feeling if i thrash it too hard the finish'll scrape off in seconds flat, but since that's not my style, i'm not bothered. the strap buttons are VERY solid, nice big chunky ones that'll withstand you jumping around a fair bit. i wouldn't like to use it on a gig without a backup based on the fact that the strings are a bastard to replace.

never dealt with them.

if this guitar was stolen or lost, i'd probably replace it with a nice Fender Telecaster, since my style has changed a fair bit since i got this guitar... i've only been playing for about 3 years, so i guess i'd call this a rich-boy's starter guitar... (i on the other hand started on a 25 dollar antoria, so don't talk to me about rich boy syndrome) i was going to put some p-90s in it, but i can't afford it, and i'd rather spend the money on a Tele. i love the clean tones this baby can sparkle out, but i do wish i'd tried it with some distortion pedals first, to see what sort of distortion tone it gives (pretty average) i compared it to my friend's original Gibson ES-335 Dotneck ($9000US worth, only 150 in the world or so i'm told) and it shaped up reasonably... but if you can afford it, don't go with second best. this ain't no showpony...
overall. a very usable guitar, but for christ's sake, make sure you've got the right amp. this is not for all you marshall loving metal-heads.

This one's got 22 frets, your basic Epi 2-vol/2-tone knobs, three way selector, stopbar tailpiece, tune-o-matic bridge, blah blah, epi, epi. Came with awful pickups that fed bach like no other so I replace them with the Gibson 500T/496R metal combo that along with the semi-hollow body gives it a suprisingly gritty bluesy-rock tone. Nut sucks, that is the first thing that should go. Not bad though for a less expensive axe.

Fairly warm with the factory pickups, but nothing to write home about, with the Gibson's I had put in though it definitely added some crunch on overdrive channels (I play it through a Marshall VS100, sucks being a poor college kid) and doesn't get all the feedback that it did with factory pickups. Basically it's that fine line between dirty blues and less than hard rock. Rating is WITH new pickups

It seems like a company like Epiphone could get this part right, but the action was awful, the volume/tone knobs were loose, the nut needs replacing, the tuners could use it too, but nothing that can't be fixed, just terribly annoying.

I would not gig without a backup, but that said it stays in tune well enough, good strap locks, hardware will last long enough, same with the finish, the durability is what you'd expect from a $450 guitar and you get what you pay for.

This is the first electric that I've bought, I'd have gone the LP route (probably a Heritage though) except for the money, but I do love the look and sound of this guitar. It sounds good through my solid state Marshall but exponentially better through a good tube amp, like a JCM900. I love it's versatility, I hate the fact that I know it won't last 20 years. Wish the three wat selector was up top like on the Noel Gallagher model. Still not a bad guitar for a poor boy at all, definitely a better value than the Gibson models which don't do much but raise the price.

1999 New Epiphone Dot, Cherry Red, Stock Maple Body and Neck Korean Made Korean Samsung Pickups Stock Hardware (cheapo stuff) Case Included

Does a decent 335 imitation. The Samsung pickups are not bad. Some of the samsung sounds are actually better than Duncan 59's, some are worse. Overall, very usuable.
I purhcased this guitar for rockabilly/swing type sounds and it does a very good job. I play it thru a 65 Super Reverb and an analogue delay. Sounds pretty cool, especially for the low price.

Finish is good and bright. Action setup requires adjustments for sure. The nut is terrible and needs immediate replacement. Loose knobs run rampant on Epiphones for some reason. The "USA" setup crew must be asleep or blind? Hardware is cheap cheap cheap, but usable. Bridge setup was adequate but too low leading to buzz. Came with 12's and a wound third. Have tried several different gauges and 12's definitely sound best, with or without a wound third.

Guitar seems dependable except for the knobs. Would never gig anywhere without a backup (why would anyone?)

No input

I've been playing for about 20 years and have owned lots of guitars, mostly Strats and Teles. This guitar is a good deal for the money. I hate to pay a ton for expensive guitars and like to get low priced models and have them fixed up with new nuts, pickups, hardware, etc... The Epiphones lack quality and professionalism, BUT they do sound and play pretty well after you tweak them a bit. This guitar is fun to play and is able to capture the tones I was looking for (335, of course). I wish Gibson would make their 335's more affordably priced ($2100 is NOT justified). I think the best deal would be to pick up one of these used for around $300, replace the hardware and pickups for about $250 and voila...a really cool guitar for around $550.