Vantage 635V

mid 90s 335 copy cherry red,binding on neck and headstock,kulson tuners twin humbuckers

I own a gibson 335 and an epiphone casino. i bought this guitar as a cheap guitar to use for slide, i was amazed at just how great this guitar sounds!! it has all the tone you should expect from a good semi its is not to far away from the sound quality of the gibson the stock pickups are great and the tone controls are really resonsive.. this guitar is now my main gigging guitar this guitar is head and shoulders above the epiphone 335 dot and for the price its a total bagain if i can find another one i will definatly buy it

the build quality of this guitar is perfect not fret buzz even with low action.the finish is flawless

not had any problems yet

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this guitar really is a serious 335 great tone,great finish and great bulid quality!!! i would recomend this guitar to anyone wanting a good 335 but cant afford the gibson model

you know the drill....same as everyone else's . . . mine is black,high gloss finish. Purchased new in 1994

rich deep sound, smooth. I have played Jazz, blues, folk and now metal in my career. This is a jazz/blues guitar, and it is NOT a metal guitar. That being said, it can hold it's own with the double humbuckers, until you get into some serious heavy metal grind....then the true nature of this guitar shows its limitations.

It has trouble with high end distortion and can give some wicked feedback when plugged into a powerful amp. If you do this, adjust the tuning on the guitar down a bit to compensate, especially with the neck pickup.

For clean tone this guitar is excellent. I'd say the pickups themselves aren't wound tight and probably aren't the highest quality.

action was great....this guitar has spoiled the hell out of me. I'm now in a metal group and need a different instrument, and it's been hard finding something less than $1000 that I'm satisfied with! The electronics have only started giving me fits recently, and the guitar is 12 years old! I've also used it thoroughly. Thinking back to when I bought it, I can't remember any need to do anything. In fact, the first time it went to the shop was this year...12 years after it was purchased.

The controls and pickup selecter have gotten quite noisy in their old age, but given how sloppy the care has been for my guitar, I think it has held up exceptionally well

it's a very durable instrument, and the hardware will hold up. The strap buttons are not (I repeat NOT) solid and you NEED strap guards if you're going to perform. I dropped mine recently, and it doesn't take a fall well.

It's very dependable and I'd gig with it without a backup but ONLY with strap guards. With all due respect to a previous reviewer, this guitar has proven well above average with broken strings. I believe I've only broken a couple in its lifetime.

Like I said, the first time I thought to take it into a shop was 12 years after purchase, and because I'd dropped it. The problem with the feedback was probably something that simply can't be fixed....it's just not a metal guitar.

I've been playing 17 years, I used a Fender Princeton Chorus for 12 years with this guitar and recently moved to a DSP. I bought it at a time when I liked the idea of an ES335 copy, but at this point I would (and am about to) purchase a solid body. No fault to this instrument, however, as I've simply gone in a new direction. I love the way this guitar plays. The action is beautiful and it's been really tough trying to find something else that's comparable in comfort (I think I've found it with the Squier M-80 though). The sound quality is good, but the electronics did age and repairs are difficult given the body type. Given the way I've treated it, I don't think I could have expected it to fair any better than it has.

Cherry Red.
Totally standard

Not as good as my epiphone SG or Firebird, but my grand mother would sound good if she was plugged into a marshall JCM 900 ;-)

Very good for price

Mo problems. Gigged it for 2-3 years

This guitar has been so good, it has never let me down. Which is a testiment to samick.

It was my main gig guitar and I did have a spare, but only incase I broke a string. which was often ;-)

Like another strummer, I bought this guitar for #300 new, with my 18th birthday money, as I was into Oasis at the time. (8 years ago)

I had no idea who vantage were, and I didn't care, as this guitar looked the biz and also played very well. The finish was also better than the epiphone model, and cheaper aswell.

I also own an epiphone firebird and had an SG at the same time, and can say this is my favourite electric guitar. OK so the firebird is unique, but this one really does play smooth as silk. I play a wide range of stuff from The Beatles, Nirvana to Jazz and this guitar handles them all.

I have a Marshall JCM900 & 4x12 cab, and a few pedals, so I suppose most guitars would sound good with this setup ;-)

But this relative 'unknown-no make' guitar has really stood up well. I still own it now. Although it sits and gathers dust as it is adimired, and I can't blow the neighbours away with my marshall. So I sit and play my takamine acoustic instead. If you see one. Buy one you will not be dissapointed.

Date of Birth: unknown, Place of birth: Korea (says so on the label,
Basically its a 335 copy you know the drill, Double cutaway semi acoustic body with a bock of timber under the pickups, bridge ans stop tail - effectively a pretty version of the original Les Paul LOG.
This particular one has Bound F holes, a rather long slim headstock, bound neck and body, tranlucent cherry red (ok, I admit it I'm an Alvin Lee fan).
Body, unknown laminated timber, but pretty with an even stright grain.
Neck timbers not Mahogany and I don't believe it's maple either.
Fretboard: this is a thing of joy, 22 medium jumbo frets, it looks a lot like sinhalese ebony but could be a dalbegia, very dark, tight grained and takes a fine polish - much better stuff than the comon run of "Rosewood". The frets themselves are neatly installed and properly finished - quality work with the ends of the frets nicely aligned with the binding. the neck feels like a Gibson '60 slim taper.
The tuners are good smooth copies of the tulip headed Klusons and work well.
The nut is of some hard black synthetic stuff and could be a little better cut but may not be original.

Pickups: two humbuckers, type unknown.
3-way switch works but sometimes crackles, Jack Socket could be better, but the Two volume and Two tone pots seem fine.

I play blues badly, and jazz even worse, it would not be fair to blame the guitar.
Have played this through a fender bassman and through a 505 - has more twang and "wood" to the sound than my usual SG but it will still scream on demand. The clean sounds are much better than I expected.
I have a couple of Seymode Duncans and a Di-Marzio laying around in a tin so there may be some experimentation.
Does anyone know where you can get the neat Push/Push pots that yamaha used to fit to the SG2000 and the SA2200?

Factory settings: Hmmmm I got no way to tell, and can only review what I have.
It was well set up for rythm playing and might have been perfectly set for someone else. Took fifteen minutes with a set of nut files and a tweak of the truss to get the action to where I wanted it and ten minutes to set the intonation to suit my choice of strings but there is no critisism in that.
The only finish flaw I found was a small (< 5mm) colour bleed on the binding at the neck joint.

Will this guitar withstand live playing? - Yes
Does the hardware seem like it will last? - Yes unless I take a notion to change it.
Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off with lots of playing? - seems fine.

Are the strap buttons solid? YES much better than many can do without straplocks.
Can you depend on it? YES
Would you use it on a gig without a backup? MU

Do What, I've no idea who the company is.

Playing > 30 Years (I really don't like doing that sum). Other gear? far to much to fit in a normal sized car.
Is there something you wish you had asked before buying this guitar?
Yes, I could do with a foolproof method of sneaking it past the wife.
If it were stolen/lost I would be real peeved but I doubt I'd be able to find another, I might just get uppity and chase a Yam SA2200.

Anything you wish it had? What are you suggesting? It's a 335 copy, you want I should fit a floyd rose? Seriously though, a set of piezo saddles might be an interesting idea.

les paul style features, ie 2 vol, 2 tone and a 3way selector, 2 covered humbuckers (DiMarzio?) with a gibson ES335 body. a gotoh stoptail style bridge which works well with the PRS-ish nut and top quality tuners. fairly squat neck, like playing a long thin canoe with 21 frets. maple body and neck with transparent red finish. All anyone should need unless theyre a jazzmaster fan.

I play a lot of funk/jazz and a bit of indy on it, and it suits them all just about perfect, mid of indy and plenty of treble with a low end of the funk. its pretty rich, like most semi hollowbodies but it feels a fair bit like playing a les paul. Only one little niggle, that if the neck PU is closer than 1.5 cm to the strings the D and A polepieces rattle, it could be sorted out but i wouldnt want too, so just lower them.

Considering it had been in a relatives cupboard for somewhere around 3 years, it was superb. Under the dust and some baby food, which required some brasso teasing. When it was all cleaned, it was stunning, could be put under scrutiny from gibson or whoeven you like. The action was set up well, just not to my liking when i got it, and it took no time at all to put it to my settings for my other guitar. For a cheap (free) guitar it is just about perfect really.

after wobbling the jack about a bit, everything sounds smooth with no crackles or buzzes. After the cupboard treatment this was definetely a surprise. I would always have a backup if i gigged anyway.

never broken, so never found out. As far as i can tell though vantage only make solidbody guitars now, so i wouldnt like to break it to find out.

if it was stolen, i wouldnt buy another, but ONLY cos im strapped for cash. If it wasnt up to the money i would buy this again and again. I've only played for 5 years (im 13)but as far as my limited experience tells me this is a class act, all adjustments ive done have worked without threading any screws or the like. Overall, its a big brother to the les paul, and twin to the ES335 and could beat any fender in a deathmatch. (i dont like fender)Definetely a must have if u want to try a cheap semi-hollowbodied guitar. Even better for free.

Two humbuckers. Three way switch. Two volume two tone controls. Tune-O-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece. I made a mistake and put a Bigsby on it. I recently took the Bigsby off.
I got the guitar as a gift from my uncle about 5 years ago. I was surprised to find out how good it was.

I use it mostly through a Zoom 505 effects pedal. The setting I prefer is a jazz setting. The guitar sounds great this way. Alone it sounds pretty decent. When I play with my mentor (who happens to be my uncle and someone who has played with Chet Atkins and some great Nashville sessions players), I play it straight through aN Ampex Chorus amp without any effects and it holds its own with my uncles vintage Fender Jazzmaster. It is actually louder than his Fender.

The guitar was set-up from the factory prretty good. The only guitars I've played that were easier were a Mosrite Ventures model back in the 60's and a Gretsch Viking I owned in '74. Other than those two I would stack the Vantage up against any I've owned, and I've had a bunch in the last 36 years. This guitar is ahead of Epiphone and I'm a Gibson and Epiphone fan. Everything has a good tight fit and craftsmanship is very, very good.

This guitar has withstood the normal roadwear with pretty good results.

I've been playing for 36 years and I've owned a lot of guitars. Over all I would rate this one at 9.

335 style, 2 humbuckers, 3 way switch.etc Mines in deep red and its a great looking guitar.A gibson wouldn't look any better.

This was my first guitar really and I bought 6 years ago, as I was in to Oasis at the time and this guitar looked like and sounded just like their Epi's did distorted.It is vey versatile and is good for bluesy, jazzy stuff and everything really accept metal and stupid stuff like that. Slight feedback problems when you use a lot of gain but far less of a problem than I get with my Epi casino. No hissing buzzin or anything odd like that. A great overall sound. Quite ballsy.

This is what I wrote this rewiew for. This guitar is the best playing guitar I have ever come across.It is a dream and a joy to play. Unbelievable. I own 12 guitars including Rickenbacker, Gibson, fender and this is the best feeling guitar of the lot, if i was gonna be stranded on a desert island this guitar would be my only comfort.

Never failed me,I managed to snap the neck once by stepping on it (wooops) but got it repaired and its as goos as new.

Good price, great guitar. I dont put it down, I need this guitar with me, in my hands at all times.

'94 Vantage 635V, hollow-body, laminated top, f-holes, 3 way switch (good), dual tone and dual volume knobs (all the pots are a little noisy), the stock tuning machines are surprisingly good, stock pickup at the front, after-market DiMarzio humbucker at the back (installed by the previous owner), has almost-translucent orange sunburst finish (you can see the wood grain - very nice looking) with Gold hardware, Tune-O-Matic bridge. The hock shop threw in a Gibson ES335 hardshell case, out-the-door for $250.00 the guitar fits into the case perfectly like the case was made for this guitar.

I play mostly blues, some old rock and surfer-type music. This guitar fits my style perfectly. I play through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe tube amp. I play heavy guage strings on the Vantage and do get some string rattle, so I'll be raising the action a bit. I've got a Strat to handle SRV and Clapton, and use the Vantage for BB King-style, jazzier sounds. I like a fat tone and this guitar handles "fat" very well.

Fast action, but string noise with heavy guage strings. Front pickup adjusted fine, back pickup installed after market by previous owner wasn't installed well. Some solder and heat-shrink tubing took care of that quickly.

Should handle gigging very well, have to get the action tweaked before using at a gig though. I think the hardware is as solid as any hardware out there, even in more expensive guitars. This will soon be my main guitar at gigs.

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I've been playing guitar for 25 years. I own a Fender Strat, 2 Takamine acoustics with active electronics, a Cort (Steinberger copy)headless bass, Fender PA System, Cry Baby Wahs, Ibanez Tube Screamers and a Digitech effects board. As soon as I played the Vantage I knew I was going to leave the pawn shop with it. Had never seen one before, but had to have it. I wish it had a tremolo bar on it. I'll be shopping around for a fat-bar tremolo I can install on it.

I always wanted a Gibson ES335 but could not afford it (#1500) in UK
Tried the Epiphone copy (#350) far too heavy
Stumbled across a used Vantage 635V in Rimmers music, Leyland
Semi-acoustic, twin humbuckers in deep burnished redwood (as new)
I had never heard of them and was suspicious of the quality
But when I picked it up I found the weight and action just perfect
I paid #199 ($240)and took it home!

I play blues and jazz
Wanted a 'bell' tone for the jazz
and a sharp buzz for the blues
Both achieved

It was the beautiful action that sold it to me
plus the quality of the finish and chrome fittings

Only just got it, my son (24) grabbed it and played it heavily for several hours (he loved it and he has a Les Paul Studio Lite)
Considering it's secod hand it has worn well

I first started playing when I was 15
I am 53 now, but not played for the last 10 years
I am so pleased to have discovered the Vantage
Far better than the Epiphone and as good as the Gibson

this is a pretty faithful Gibson ES335 copy. Almost identical to my Epiphone Dot [the headstock shape is slightly different]. The same pickup & controls layout, even the location appears to be identical. (2) humbucker pickups with chrome covers, (2) tone pots, (2) volume pots and (1) three way switch. Again, except for the headstock shape, I can hardly tell the difference from the Epi Dot.

I play mostly classic rock, 60's, 70's, some new stuff, and this guitar is suitable for any of the tunes a 335 would be, very nice clean or distorted tones. I play through a Marshal 65 watt Valvestate. I like the the tone of this guitar, though I intend to install a little heavier guage strings.

Nice setup, though I may RAISE the action a tiny bit [boy, 20 years ago, I never thought I'd ever say that!]. All in all, build quality [including setup] of this one is excellent.

The finish and hardware are of very good quality, especially considering the price. This finish might even be a bit better than the Epi Dot.

I've been playing for about thirty years, and own more than twenty guitars, including a PRS CE-22, a Gibson Joe Perry Signature Les Paul, an American standard strat, Epiphone Dot, Takamine FP340SC, a vintage Hagstrom hollow body, a late 50's replica strat I built myself!, etc. etc. etc.! I bid on this guitar just because it looked great in the picture- nice black finish! I didn't really need it to fill and particular sound need. It just looked cool, and I'm VERY glad I was high bidder!