Vester Mod. 700

Features already covered by others. 335 copy from late 80s, not much more to say. 9 rating because it has just what you'd expect.

Used for jazz & blues stuff. Through Fender twin, a Maton valve practice amp and an Epiphone valve jnr. Sounds fine. I play a 1968 Gibson 330 and bought the Vester as my spare. I'm really surprised - it sounds fine, has a nice even tone and feeds back beautifully when you want it to. I almost gave it a 10 but only didn't because it's not the real thing. Maybe I'm just a fashion victim.

As most copys are, its a bit chunkier than the real thing. The neck is a bit wider & thicker and the body is heavier. But set up well it's a very playable guitar.

It's been going fine for 20 odd years so I don't see why it would stop now! These are pretty simple guitars and I think solidly built.

I don't think this company exists. But for a guitar you'd go to your local guitar tech rather than the company anyway.

I've been playing guitar for about 30 years. I bought this as a second for when I break a string on the 330 and it is perfect. If it got nicked I would definitely buy another. In fact, I have started playing it in preference to the 330 sometimes because it's a bit tougher and has a more even response. I tried out the new Epiphone copies before searching for a second hand guitar and they are nowhere near as good. They sound fine, but construction and playability aren't the qualitiy of a Vester in my view. Maybe it just wasn't set up well in the shop. For a copy I don't think you can get better than a well looked after Vester so it gets a 10 for what it is.

Vester Stage Series
Semi-hollowbody with sustain block and 2 'floating' humbucker pickups.
22 frets and rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays.
It has 2 volume and 2 tone knobs, and a 3 way pickup selector that splits the humbuckers into single coils.
The pickups must be pretty old, because they're set with 3 screws (newer guitars have 4) yet, theyre in good shape.
It's a 335 copy with slighty sharper cutaway than the gibon's. (I like it better this way, actually)
The finish is 3 color sunburst, with a bound body, but unbound neck.
The neck is glued, and seems straight, especially for a guitar that old.
The tuners were replaced by chrome schaller non-locking tuners. No idea what the originals were.
The nut was replaced by a bone one, whereas the original was made out of plastic.

This guitar sounds excellent, especially for it's price range.
I play it trough a Vox AD60VTX, which makes it very versatile.
The neck pickup and especially the split single coil postition sound very bluesy and warm. The neck humbucker has a thick, fat sound, whereas the bridge one is sharp and crisp, as it should be.
The combination of those two, together with that special single coil touch (without the noise, the fact that youre using 2 has a humbucking effect) make it the ideal sound im looking for.
I mainly play blues and old rock, think anywhere from John Lee Hooker to Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. That's the vintage sound I can get from this guitar.
The stock pickups are amazing, I wouldn't dare to lose that unique sound by replacing them.
The potmeters are a little crunchy once in a while, but I guess thats normal for a guitar that's over 10 years old.
The tone controls respond fairly well, which gives you sufficient control and versatility.
If you want to play heavier music, like metal with this guitar, then it has to be loud and screaming...this guitar wasnt made for being subtle. (thats the one flaw...its a little too "punchy" for jazz chords...)
It could probably handle modern rock like the foo fighters too.

The action is at medium hight...could be a little lower for my taste...

The guitar plays relatively well (I used to own a cheap strat, which was a block of lumber compared to this...)
It has quite a wide neck. (wider than les pauls, at least)

This isn't a gibson, let that be clear. Don't expect it to be either.
This guitar is in a whole different pricerange, and that can be seen...
The guitar is well built for its price. (orginal for about 500, the guy I bought it from told me)
It has some minor finish flaws though. The place where the glued neck meets the body isnt perfectly smooth, the neck is placed half a millimeter to the side...no biggie, the guitar is still well-balanced. My guess is that it fell once, and the neck was set back on. It was done by a pro fortunatly, I think. (I can tell this because of the slight damage to the top of the headstock and the fact that the pickguard broke off)
Appearantly, the pickup selector was replaced aswell, which proves that the guitar must have been roughed up at some time...
But like I said, the guitar seems to be professionally repaired and it's completely functional.
The finish in the F-holes isnt all that...but it's ok i guess.
The inlays look rather cheap, but hey...theyre friggin dots...this isnt a PRS either...

I'm planning on having a full checkup soon, to get the pickguard and pickup selector replaced by better ones...purely estethic value...

Very reliable, seeing that this guitar went trough a lot already and still plays and sounds very good.

Vester company kinda disappeared from the face of the earth, it seems...
Another reason to hold on to this one...

I've been playing classical guitar for 10 years, and electrical for about 4.
Before this I played a cheap stratocaster, which didn't do it at all for me...this guitar was a blessing for me. It really motivated me to play more, and my technique improved drastically.
I wish I knew something more about the company...but there's almost nothing to find on the internet...

If this guitar was stolen, it would break my heart. It's one of a kind, there's no way I'd find anything as special as that one, without spending my life savings. I wouldn't dare to lose it...

I just love the vintage sound I get out of this baby. I'm actually afraid of having a checkup for it, just because I might lose the 'dusty' sound she gives me...

I've heard epiphone les pauls, and they didn't hold tune nearly as good as this guitar, and they didnt sound as warm either.
An epiphone custom may come close though, I think that's the best brand to compare it with...
Of course it's no Gibson, the only Gibson is a Gibson, period.

Sometimes I wish it had a bound neck, because I just like playing those better, but hey, cant have everything right ;)

If you ever see a Vester Stage Series, dont hesitate to go for it. The least you should do is tried it out. You won't regret it. I sure as hell don't...

vester model 700: wine color white binding gold hardware. 22 frets set neck semi hollow body guitar 335 copy. I oredered mine new from the factory 1998 lefthanded. two volume,two tone controls,three way switch and a tap coil switch.It also came with a hard shell case with the name vester in gold leaf.Two humbucker pickups.Tune-o-matic bridge.This guitar was made in korea.

I use this guitar at live perfomances the stock pickups sound better than the SG Gibson i used to own.I get more tone out of this guitar than any that i have ever owned. When playing clubs i use a roland KC300 50% without any effects, 50% with effects. digitech RP6.It doesn't matter what style of music you play you'll find the tone.
I play Rock, blues,jazz, country blues,instrumentals,gospel,bluegrass,classical.

The only flaw, they did not cut a large enough groove in the nut for the sixth string{no biggy}.The 3way switch I replaced with a USA Switchcraft.
My Nashville custom built SG had more flaws. Thats why i got rid of it.
The pickups and setup was perfect. It plays like a les Paul or 335.

This Vester is as dependable as any guitar made.

Very friendly and helpful. I just wish i would of had more cash to buy more lefthanded Vesters.

If this guitar was stolen. I couln't replace it. This line doesn't exist at the present time. It's lefthanded. I also have a lefthanded Mako strat copy made in japan.I wouln't give these guitar up ever. You cn't replace them.I have been playing off and on since 1963,the first two groups to inspire me was the Ventures and the Beatles.

No idea when it was made, no model or serial number on the guitar anywhere save the Vester logo on the headstock. I was only able to identify this guitar from the previous reviews!

- 22 fret, archtop Gibson 335 replica made from alder that is slightly thicker than the proper Gibson. Hollow-bodied with two cutaway f-holes.
- Four control knobs - two volume and two tone.
- Two pickup selector switches; one for neck,central or bridge position and a second split-switch for shifting to a single coil sound.
- Two humbucker pickups, bridge one has been replaced by uncovered version, though I'm unsure as to when.
- Tune-O-Matic style bridge and alloy tuners.
- Set neck, rosewood fretboard with nice square inlays superimposed below triangular Mother-of-pearl or paua shell upper inlays.
- Glossy wine-red finish and black raised scratchplate.

The neck on the guitar was the main reason I got it - a set neck for under $600 is a bargain on most guitars in NZ. That and this guitar looks fabulous - the finish is superb. All the switches and knobs work, the tuners are pretty good for a relatively cheap, middle-of-the-road guitar and the craftsmanship on this thing can't be faulted.

From my research, it's Korean made and one of the best jobs I've seen from that counry of origin. The Vester has obviously been cared for and is in pristine condition. It's only had one really obvious modification; a second strap-knob has been drilled into the top horn so the guitar can be slung strat-style, but it's been done well and shows no signs of cracking the body of the horn. I use the standard neck knob anyway.

It's got a great load of features and I'm particularly fond of the pickup split switch. For what the guitar is and the cost of it, I think it's extremely well kitted-out and has enough variety in tonal expression to make a great guitar across the board of genres, which is what I was looking for.

My only gripe is that the tone knobs are a bit insensitive, but I barely use them anyway, so no major loss.

I play indie/lo-fi/alt/progressive rock mostly and this guitar smokes! I tried it at the pawn shop I got it from on an average amp and it sounded like a dream, got a nice clean tone and a very organic sounding overdrive out of the mid-range solid state I was using.

I have it running through a Boss DS-1 Distortion (modified to sound more like overdrive), Boss BD-2 Bluesdriver and into either a Vox Pathfinder 10 solid-state 10w practise amp for use in my room or a Gunn 50w all-tube head and 1x12" cab for really thrashing it out. The Bluesdrive works as a volume boost and overdrives the Gunn really nicely, the Vester sounds very 70's tube-rock with it going, though I am running it through a bass speaker at the moment and really need to sort a guitar one out (4x10 cab hopefully) so I don't have to drop the bass and up the treble to pan it out.

The Mod 700 doesn't get a super-hard distortion without feebacking a lot if the strings aren't muted by hand - my mod'd DS-1 puts a stop to unnecessary noise, but I tried friend's Danelecto Fab-Tone in my chain instead of the DS-1 and it sounded much better as a distorted/overdriven sound, though the excess fuzz was annoying. (Having said that, the Fab-Tone is a noisy unit anyway and my DS-1, even when normal was nowhere near as rough.) I'm going to get the DS-1 mod'd back and see how that sounds, I wager it'll be the rock tone I yearn for. Currently, the tone produced by the boosted DS-1 is flat and processed, I want a more garage rock sound.

Whilst I can play everything I like on this guitar, it's certainly not a metal axe. The hardest things I play are At The Drive In, Queens of the Stone Age and Foo Fighters. I'm more a fan of bands like Interpol, The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Mars Volta and Incubus. The Vester Mod 700 is a perfect guitar for these sounds because of the hollowbody qualities and the split switch, which can really change the sound of the tone, especially on my tube amp.

The Vester also plays very nicely acoustically (thanks to the f-holes) and on a clean tone. I never play clean-clean, usually employ a slight gain on my BD-2 Bluesdriver, which is one of the best Boss pedals you can have for either a boost or slight overdrive, though the crunch the Vester produces is pretty good as well.

I can't comment on the pickups too much because the bridge one has been replaced, but unlike many other more reputable brands like Epiphone and Ibanez, there's no drop in volume from going to the neck humbucker to the bridge, regardless of whether it's set for single-coil or humbucker mode.

I like the total sound of this guitar, the only thing that really limits it is the feeback from potential effects units due to the hollowbody, but I'd never make it a full-on distortion guitar except in the occassional instance. It's a highly-variable guitar apart apart from that one fact, but unless you're full-on metalhead, you won't worry. Besides, it's a blues-rock guitar anyway.

It gets a slight reduction in score due to the afformentioned tonal knob issues and the feedback.

Don't know about the factory finish, but the action needed a bit of tweaking when I picked it up - it was set too low and the strings buzzed up near the the first three frets. After I took it home, I raised the bridge by about 2mm and presto, no more problem. The action is very good, the best I've owned yet on a guitar. I wouldn't say not it being lower, but not at the cost of the buzzing. I probabably won't adjust it again until I change strings - it has 10's on it now, but I prefer 11's or 12's for a deeper sustain.

The pickups are very good,though it must be taken into account that the bridge one has been replaced by an unocoverd one of unknown origin that is very bright and crisp. The stock neck humbucker is solid and warm without being muddy and the cenral position plays smoothly. I prefer the split set on humbuckered mode, but I sometimes switch to single coils on solos and riffs, gets that nice biting tone.

I can't see any flaws as such, the neck is in pristine condition and all the frets look good, not too much wear. The inlays have faded in slight, but nothing that doesn't give the Vester a bit of character. I haven't had any gripes yet, save the fact the intonation maybe slightly out, but that's nothing a service can't fix up for me.

For the age of the unit (i'm guessing it's early-mid 90's) and the fact I can't say how it was used or stored, my guitar has been looked after extremely well. It's had a bit of use but has evidently been very well care for by previous owners.

There are a few things I've had to fix up, but on the whole, a very very good guitar in terms of setup.

I'd say this guitar would be gig-worthy without a doubt, I'd want to get a service done beforehand and slap on new strings. I wouldn't gig without a backup, I've got a Squire Strat as well, but I'd probably borrow another guitar if I could as I don't think my Squire would cope to well with live playing.

Obviously, it's had some of the hardware replaced on it, but I wager things like the tuners, bride and switches will last the distance. Things like frets and pickups eventually need replacing, but I am not sure if I'll have the guitar in six months away - i change gear a lot.

I wager I could depend on it - based on the pristine condition of the body, it looks rock-solid. There are a few scratches and signs of age, but nothing like what I've seen on other guitars that aren't as old.

Got it second hand, don't think Vester make guitars anymore, wouldn't worry too much about it. Got a 30 day warrantee from the dealer anyway, so there's that to go back on. I can always flog it later if required.

Been playing for about seven years on and off and been in a couple of bands, not gotten much better in the last couple, still only of average level. I've owned a plethora of gear over the last few years, loads of amps, both solid state and valve and more effects than you can shake a stick at. Currently, I'm down to a few things as I'm not gigging and until I do, I don't need all the fancy stuff. I'm in a prog-rog/indie/alt band right now, but we're still fairly new and starting up.

My previous main guitar was an Epiphone SG that I adored, but sold to make money - it didn't play anywhere near as nicely as my Mod 700 despite the fact that they are valued more in terms of price and I was pleasantly surprised by how good this guitar really is. I value it most because of the fact it's a hollowbodied guitar with a set neck and good (not the best, but better than average) pickups and a sweet, sweet neck.

Compared with other guitars in this price range, it beats everything I've seen second hand for the last six months (and I shop for gear at least once a fortnight) and even several guitars I have tried new. I played a second hand Squire Telecaster the same day as the Vester and it was pretty poor in comparison with the Mod 700. The only thing I've had to really get used to is the larger body size - my SG was reasonably smaller but the weight is about the same.

I chose this because it was both asthetically attractive and played far better than I expected. My experience with Vester in the past has only been with really shitty Strat copies that play like crap and look awful so this was a pleasant surprise. My favorite features are the pickup splitter and hollowbody, just because it makes my tone more variable. I've never been a huge fan of the 335 shape - always looked to big and cubmersome, preferring things like SG's, Telecasters and Thunderbirds, but I've warmed to it a lot.

I'm toying with replacing the pickups, which I really think will make this guitar on par with guitars in the $1k+ mark. If it were stolen, I'd be really pissed off, because I know my chances of finding another one at this price are next to non-existant here.

The only reason that my Vester Mod 700 doesn't get a 10 is because it's not a real Gibson 335! Even then, it's closer then some Epiphones replica's I've seen!

Its a korean made es 335 model, it is a bit thicker than the original gibson but it is well made.
It has four controls, 2 volume, 2 tone. The neck is made from alder i guess, and the body has a sustain block wich is made from two different types of wood, two parts of mahogany and in the middle an alder block. This is the reason that this guitar has a very rich sustain. The pickups are surprisingly doing well for a cheap made but with a pickup change this guitar will be sounding even more better. The tuners are not the best i have seen but they do the job well as long as you pull the strings heavily while tuning, till you reach the exact tune. Tuning this way keeps the guitar in tune.
The neck is very slim, pulling the neck while playing, sounds like a tremelo so you must be carefull not to pull of push the neck to hard.
I had to glue the fretboard to the neck again because the fretboard came lose from the neck, here you can see that it's a cheap guitar.
It has a three way switch and an extra two way switch wich can change the output, with the low output it has the output from a les paul with p90's on it, but again, with a very rich sound. I give it a seven because of the neckproblems, not for the playability, therefore i should give it a nine.

I play mainly David Bowie songs and some status Quo songs, i also play rock&roll and blues at home.
I use it in combination with two tube-amps, one roland bolt 60 and a laney. I like the rich sound, the neckhumbucker can be too rich with the switch on high output, the neckhumbucker is doing well on both settings. This guitar can rock!! it is suitable for the ACDC sound but it can also easily emulate the straycats sound. It can also sound very good on a valve-amp, wich is very special, i can't get good sounds from valve-amps, but with this guitar even a cheap valve-amp sounds good. The guitar has a very, very rich sustain, playing solo around the twelveth fret with the neckhumbucker switched on gives a sound as if you're playing "Slash's" les paul. The only difference is that the vester sounds even more warmer than the les paul.

Action is not easy because of the neckproblems i had. when i have time i will adjust the bridge again. The paint came lose at some parts of this guitar, especially in the horns. I don't know what material they used to paint this guitar but it is a sort of epoxie, so painting the guitar again is not easy. The top has still it's beautifull color and paint seems to last well.

I would use it on performances but not without a backup, but hey, i would never perform without a backup, even if i should have the original es335, but for the show it is better too perform with a gibson or a guild starfire but for the sound it's no difference.

I don't know if the customer still exists but i guess not.

I play about 35 years guitar, i have three guild guitars because i'm a big guild fan. I don't have a guild starfire but since i have this vester i would definitely buy a starfire as soon as i find one. I also have a yamaha aex 500 and a gibson les paul special with p90's on it. I would buy a vester again if the price is reasonable.

I bought it on december 1993 . It made in Korea 22 frets Semi-hollow body like a gibson ES335 or, better, Ibanez AS200 2 humberckers with each volume and tone controls + split + selector 3 positions The finish is very nice and durability The body is like antique sunburst and there are inlays on the fretboard

Play rock or punk or grunge or what you want! The miracle of this guitar is a fantastic split switch The pickups have a big output like a natural distortion With used switch, we have a nice and clean sound the neck's pickup sometimes is too fat (for me!) I played longs years it with a Tubescreamer TS5 Now i have a Marshall JMP1

No comments

Seriously it's great I only change the strap button because i didn't want to pay me an another sangle

I don't know if exist a customer support It's very nothing

I very enjoy of this guitar If one day i see 1 or 2 or 3 or ... never-used Mod. 700 , i will buy it all I search another model like it. I only find Ibanez AS180/AS200 NO-IMPORT IN FRANCE

This is a Gibson ES-335 clone, which is what I was looking for when I got it. It has twin Humbuckers with separate tone and volume controls, Three-way selector, plus an extra switch, which makes a "brighter" sound from the pickups. The bridge looks the same as any recent made 335, Headstock is Gibson style, the real difference is that the body is thicker, maybe 1/2 inch larger and the "horns" are slimmer. the neck is glued, roughly same size as a gibson or Epiphone, maybe a tad slimmer. It has nice square inlays on fretboard. The finish is a nice, deep red (Not cherry). I am not sure of the materials.

Having played for a short period only, I use it with an Ibanez TS-9 and a Dunlop Crybaby for straight rock chords and riffs. I also meddle in Blues. It works well with these effects, even through my cheap transistor amp. I have tried it with better amps as well, including a Fender Twin, and the pickups do their job well for a pair of generic humbuckers. The body is semi-hollow, nice and solid, and the strings keep in tune. No complaints here. This instrument is very versatile, and can be used for all types of guitar-based music.

When i bought it, the body was cracked on one side, as was one of the tone knobs. I epoxied it, and changed both tone knobs to a pair of Vox chickenhead knobs. Other than this it is real sturdy and still easily played, except for the size of the body, but i knew it would be when i set out to get a 335 copy. The neck, on the other hand is really slim and easily played. It is surprisingly well built for a cheap instrument, and i expect the wood and hardware to last for a long time.

I would not hesitaate to play this guitar live. It has stood by me through agressive blues jams, keeping in tune as well as can be expected with all that bending, It has never let go of the strap, and the finish is very nice, although it was dropped extensively by the previous owner.

I don't even know if the company exists anymore, but with a guitar technician who can fix a TS-9 by looking at it, who needs warranties? The very few repairs it has needed i have done myself, or with the help of more experienced guitarist friends.

Like i said, it works well with my other gear, and it is exactly what I was looking for - a nice, solid ES-335 copy. I gave it "8" ratings, because it can't really compare to a real Gibson, but for what it is, it's a perfect ten. If I could find another one used, I would def. buy it, it's just so beautiful and it plays really well. I was thinking of changing the pickups to real Gibsons after i get a better Amp, but If I keep on playing, I will get a real 335 sooner or later. I will still hang on to this one, though - Its a great guitar!