Karera ES-355 Copy

The features of this Korean made guitar have been described in detail below and also under the Karera SH-800NA review elsewhere. Same appointments as a mono Gibson ES-335. What sets this guitar apart are the gigantic jumbo frets, beautifully inlaid and C-shaped neck and a handmade triple bound pickguard that matches the figured maple laminate that the guitar is made of. Aside from the extras, what really sets this guitar apart is the overall build quality, utility and tone. This guitar stays in tune perfectly, much better than my Gibsons! I have played and owned over 30 Gibsons and played ES-335's and an ES-345 for a living for over 25 years. This guitar meets or beats them.

There is a wide tonal palette at your command. There is a great singing treble and a balanced mid and low end. It just blows away my dark sounding ES-345. Blues is effortless on this guitar, but just try 60's rock or Johnny A or Steely Dan and you'll be amazed. Capable of a great jazz tone and chickin' pickin' also. Think of Larry Carlton in tonal range. This is a Swiss Army Knife. Because it is different from the Gibsons, I use the middle and bridge positions more often and the tone controls a lot. I don't think the pickups are wired out of phase or anything but the middle position has more than a hint of that Strat quack, very useful for rhythm and intros. I guess the greatest thing I can say about the sound is that I use this Karera instead of the Gibsons to play professionally.

I know everyone goes on about their guitars, it's just natural. But this guitar is truly special. It is from a limited custom ordered run. The American importer, A.J. Rendano, contracted directly with the Korean manufaturer that builds Epiphones and ordered an unknown quantity of these high end models. They are not only rare, they are also custom shop output. The fit and finish on this guitar is unreal. Very solid and 1 lb. lighter than a 335 and 3 lb's. lighter than my ES-345. All the bookmatching, binding, interior fitment and finish details leave nothing to be desired. The gold plated parts themselves are not the equivalent to the Gibsons but at $200 dollars you would be a very happy guitarist, it's still good stuff. I believe it is a poly finish because it is very tough.

Solid. This is the one word I'll use to describe it. This is my "GO TO" guitar. The neck is very sure footed and a real joy to work out on. It stays in tune beautifully. Take it out of the case next month and it is still in tune. Play it under hot lights all night and it still stays in tune. The finish withstands the sweat assault and so does the gold hardware; I think it has some sort of clearcoat on it. Strap buttons are oversized and do a good job of retaining the strap. Like I said before this is a touring guitar, it has to be reliable. Every player needs a backup guitar because of string breakage but you can rely on this guitar, it's that good.

Buckeye Pawn purchased the remaining warehoused goods from AJ Rendano and the owner has been very helpful about information. You won't be needing him for anything else with this axe.

Playing 48 years. I wish I had asked if I could buy all of them. I already bought another one and my first one did not get stolen. No dislikes, pure love here. I compare this to the high end Gibson ES's and the tone is to die for.

This is a Korean copy of a Gibson ES-355, only without the Varitone. Honey finish, thinline double cutaway semi-hollow body, laminated maple construction, set neck, dual humbuckers, tune-o-matic bridge and stop tailpiece. Rosewood fingerboard with 'M.O. Pearl' inlays inset with abalone triangles, 22 frets. Gold hardware, multiple binding on body, neck and figured headstock, flame maple pickguard.

Looking for that ?classic? 70?s Rock tone (ala The Who, Rush, Yes, Steely Dan, etc..)?? This guitar has it! The pickups on this guitar are just incredible. Many tonal variations are possible with the stock electronics. I play through a Behringer V-Ampire 112 (AWESOME amp for the $$$) and this guitar just SINGS. Incredible sustain and ?body? (you can really ?hear the wood?). Not muddy or tin-sounding at all. I don?t know where this guitar has been all my life?but I am glad she?s mine now! Amazing value for the money.

I bought the guitar new online from e-Bay. Apparently it was hanging in a Pawn Shop warehouse for the last 5 or so years, but was ?new?. I do my own setups, and I did have to reverse three of the tune-o-matic saddles (6, 5 and 4) to get it intonated. The setup was low, and needed to be raised a bit to quit buzzing. The action is now P-E-R-F-E-C-T (not what you would expect from a $300 guitar)! JOY! There are a couple of finish flaws, but nothing major. There is a very small lacquer drip on the neck near the head stock, and the pick guard was warped (I was going to take it off anyway). There is one spot where the finish looks a bit thin, but for $300? Who cares? From a ?playing distance? you would never see any of these anyway! The neck is nice and wide and VERY comfortable.

Everything about this guitar seems solid. I would not hesitate to use it without a backup. It truly rivals the ?67 ES-335TD that I owned?only this one is NEW!

I looked online for anything I could find about Karera and turned up zilch. I only know that for a Korean guitar manufacturer, they did this piece very well.

I have been playing for 20 years, have owned Gibsons/Fenders/Off-Brand etc... A good guitar is a good guitar, no matter what name is on the headstock. This one is beautiful. Well worth the money spent. The inspectors for Karera may not be a picky as the ones for Gibson, but this guitar feels every bit as nice. If I could find another one I would buy it in a heartbeat. This guitar rivals any Epiphone on the market.

This guitar is Korean made replica of a Gibson ES-335, very reminiscent of a Tokai or Dillion guitar. It is a thinline double cutaway semi-hollow body guitar, has a set neck with 2 humbuckers, and has the standard Gibson controls --- individual volume and tone for each pickup, 3-way selector, tune-o-matic bridge and stop tailpiece. Fingerboard is rosewood, guitar has 22 frets.

The sound of this guitar is incredibly good. The clean sound is versatile for Blues, Jazz, or Rock, or with a touch of overdrive you can get into the Alvin Lee / Ten Years After mode no problem. Quite an impressive array of sounds that this guitar can produce. Sounds much better than my '67 ES-335 sounded, that's for sure! I've played it through an All Tube Trace Elliot amp, and it just sings. It also works very well with the VOX Valvetronix amp with its many different settings.

I bought the guitar used online from e-Bay, and was quite impressed with how well it is made. It is a Black finish, very nice to look at body style, and looks very much like the real thing. The pickups were pretty close to how I like it when I got it, just a minor adjustment to my personal preference. The action was a tiny bit high, but still playable, and I lowered it just slightly. The neck is easy to play, and can easily play for Rock, Blues, Jazz, and more!

This is one solid guitar and would easily hold up over time. This was a used guitar, and it has held up extremly well. It will stand up to live playing, hardware is good quality, finish is good quality, strap buttons, solid, very dependable guitar.

Not sure about the company. Haven't found much info on line.

I've been playing for 28 years and have owned a lot of stuff. If the guitar was lost, I would find another one if I could. The sound is so good and it's very well made for the money. It's a very versatile guitar!

This is a very well-made Korean copy (probably made by Samick) of a Gibson ES-355. Thinline double cutaway semi-hollow body, laminated maple construction, set neck with 2 humbuckers, standard Gibson controls --- individual volume and tone for each pickup, 3-way selector, tune-o-matic bridge and stop tailpiece. Fingerboard is rosewood with pearloid block inlays and inset abalone triangles, 22 frets. Gold hardware, multiple binding on body, neck and headstock, and a multi-bound pickguard made of flame maple to match the body --- a very nice touch, like Heritage guitars.

The pickups on this guitar are much brighter than most other Gibson/Epi type thinlines I've played. The tone is somewhere between Gibson humbuckers, P-90's, and Gretsch Filtertrons. Really stunning when played clean, or with a touch of overdrive for more bite. Fully overdriven they produce a rich distorted tone that is still well-defined. No pickup noise at all --- just great tone! The tone controls are quite versatile, from a dark, jazz tone on the neck pickup to a sweet singing B.B.King tone with both pickups, to plenty of twang, bite and snarl on the bridge. I play through a Peavey Austin 400 amp live and use a Korg ToneWorks AG-1500X for recording (great amp simulators!)I use this guitar for clean reggae rhythms or doubling basslines, and the whole spectrum of blues/jazz/fusion/rockabilly flavors. It has a distinctive voice that I really like.

I bought the guitar new online from e-Bay, and was startled at how well-made it is for how inexpensive it was. Top and back are a gorgeous, ultra-flamed maple in natural blonde finish, perfectly bookmatched. Sides and pickguard(!) also flame maple, neck is maple with a well done scarf joint, headstock is highly figured birdseye maple. Inlays and binding are flawless --- this is one beautiful axe! The only finish flaw I can detect is a slight discoloration at the neck joint, but it's only noticeable very close up, and has no impact on strength, sound or playability. The pickups were perfectly balanced right out of the box, and the action was a bit too low on the bass side, causing some string buzz. A few turns of the adjusting screw solved the problem, with no trussrod tweaking needed. The neck is of the wide/flat variety, which makes playing a joy.

Everything about this guitar is high-quality. It feels solid as a rock, and I would not hesitate to use it without a backup, although I usually bring at least two guitars for tonal variety. The gold hardware is perfect now, though I would be surprised if it didn't fade some over time --- even Gibsons do that.

I have not been able to find out much about Karera as a company. Evidently they are no longer in production, and it seems that most of their guitars are lower-end copies of popular guitars --- strats, Les Pauls, etc. This model must be their top-of-the-line, as it is as well-made as any Gibson, Heritage, Guild or Gretsch I've played, and several design points make me suspect it was made in the Samick factory. I would assume that there is no customer support available at all, but that doesn't bother me.

I've been playing guitar over 30 years (also play keyboards)and also own Epiphone Casino, Wildkat, Joe Pass Emperor II, and Broadway, Samick Artist Series SG and 335, Peavey T-60, and Dillion DR-500. I've owned Gibsons in the past and played just about everything. This guitar holds its own against the best of them. I like the fact it's not an exact imitator but has its unique look and tone while incorporating classic design elements.