WTB 335 style guitar

TINMAN82

Been exploring exactly the same thing recently, although mainly web research. Haven’t found anything under £1500 I’m confident enough ordering online yet. The Eastmans look promising, although I really dislike their “classic” finish- that rough, gaudy orange look. It would have to be a cherry (or sunburst) t386 with dot inlays. The headstock shape is divisive though... None to try locally.

Ive played a couple of Ibanez art cores. The entry model around £300 was rough as you like, terrible sounding and playing with rough frets. I also played one of their lightly relic’d es-335 a likes around £500, can’t remember the model name. I really liked the sound of the super 58 pickups, very jazzy. Was heavy as a boat anchor though and the neck was clubby and unrefined. Would try another in person but reluctant to order unplayed.

WindmillGuitars

@TINMAN82 - just to say that the Classic Finish can vary quite a bit from guitar to guitar in terms of colouring and overall finish. I've had some very walnut coloured models and also some which do verg on an orangey/tan hue. This is usually why I post photos of the actual guitars on all our listings where possible. 

Gerz6558

TINMAN82 said:

Been exploring exactly the same thing recently, although mainly web research. Haven’t found anything under £1500 I’m confident enough ordering online yet. The Eastmans look promising, although I really dislike their “classic” finish- that rough, gaudy orange look. It would have to be a cherry (or sunburst) t386 with dot inlays. The headstock shape is divisive though... None to try locally.

Ive played a couple of Ibanez art cores. The entry model around £300 was rough as you like, terrible sounding and playing with rough frets. I also played one of their lightly relic’d es-335 a likes around £500, can’t remember the model name. I really liked the sound of the super 58 pickups, very jazzy. Was heavy as a boat anchor though and the neck was clubby and unrefined. Would try another in person but reluctant to order unplayed.

Has the T386 headstock been revised yet? The T486 and my T59 has the slightly sleeker revised headstock. I know what you mean about the older headstock that was bulky at the top.

TINMAN82

Gerz6558 said:

TINMAN82 said:

Been exploring exactly the same thing recently, although mainly web research. Haven’t found anything under £1500 I’m confident enough ordering online yet. The Eastmans look promising, although I really dislike their “classic” finish- that rough, gaudy orange look. It would have to be a cherry (or sunburst) t386 with dot inlays. The headstock shape is divisive though... None to try locally.

Ive played a couple of Ibanez art cores. The entry model around £300 was rough as you like, terrible sounding and playing with rough frets. I also played one of their lightly relic’d es-335 a likes around £500, can’t remember the model name. I really liked the sound of the super 58 pickups, very jazzy. Was heavy as a boat anchor though and the neck was clubby and unrefined. Would try another in person but reluctant to order unplayed.

Has the T386 headstock been revised yet? The T486 and my T59 has the slightly sleeker revised headstock. I know what you mean about the older headstock that was bulky at the top.

Good point, looking closer at some photos I think they might have done.

Devil#20

TINMAN82 said:

Gerz6558 said:

TINMAN82 said:

Been exploring exactly the same thing recently, although mainly web research. Haven’t found anything under £1500 I’m confident enough ordering online yet. The Eastmans look promising, although I really dislike their “classic” finish- that rough, gaudy orange look. It would have to be a cherry (or sunburst) t386 with dot inlays. The headstock shape is divisive though... None to try locally.

Ive played a couple of Ibanez art cores. The entry model around £300 was rough as you like, terrible sounding and playing with rough frets. I also played one of their lightly relic’d es-335 a likes around £500, can’t remember the model name. I really liked the sound of the super 58 pickups, very jazzy. Was heavy as a boat anchor though and the neck was clubby and unrefined. Would try another in person but reluctant to order unplayed.

Has the T386 headstock been revised yet? The T486 and my T59 has the slightly sleeker revised headstock. I know what you mean about the older headstock that was bulky at the top.

Good point, looking closer at some photos I think they might have done.

That's good to know because I didn't like the headstock either. 

Devil#20

ICBM said:

Strung Out Guitars in Glasgow have a Yamaha SA2200 in near-perfect condition with a Duesenberg Les Trem fitted. It’s a tiny bit over your budget but they might be willing to negotiate.

That looks nice. I don't know anything about the Duesenberg trem system. Any good? Would that be factory fitted or added on by a PO?

richman6100

I was on the hunt for a 335 style guitar for some time. Tried several Gibsons and found that most were pretty unremarkable, apart from a couple of excellent older ES-335s that the sellers were asking aspirational prices for. Had high hopes for Eastman after the very positive reviews they get. I did try two of the higher end models and, while nice, neither really blew me away to be honest and there were some build quality issues to my surprise. I guess I could have been unlucky. The two higher end Yamahas that I tried (SA2000s, I think) were excellent and both very similar in feel, fit and finish, probably indicating consistent quality control. They were a tad more 'polite' sounding than I was looking for, otherwise I probably would have got one. I was pretty impressed with the quality of the relatively cheap Ibanez models I tried. Very good value for money and not night and day different from the higher end models, although the difference was there. I tried one FGN Masterfield, which was equal to the Yamahas in build quality and, had it not been for the fact that I was in a real rush and couldn't dedicate enough time to thoroughly test it, I might have come home with it. The FGN remained at the top of my list until I happened across a late 90s American-built Guild Starfire IV while on holiday. I'd not been that wowed by the far eastern Guild models I tried, but this American one felt like a completely different guitar. It's not as dark sounding as some ES-335s can be, but not as pristine as the Yamaha SA2000 - a nice point somewhere between the two. After some haggling, we agreed a price that was pretty much in your ballpark price wise. I have no particular brand loyalty and I couldn't give a monkey's where a guitar is made, but it seems that Guild hit a purple patch with their late 90s American made semi-hollowbody models. If you can find one (not easy, I admit), they're definitely worth considering.

The ideal tone and feel of a guitar is obviously all very personal and subjective. I reckon the Yamahas would suit many people after that sound. FGN would be a safe bet too from a QC perspective. Ibanez produce some absolute bargains. Maybe an Eastman, without the faults I encountered, would be genuinely great alternative to an ES-335 - the ones I tried were probably the closest sounding to the better Gibsons I played. So many people say great things about Eastman that I suspect I was unlucky with the ones I tried, so definitely give them a go. They'll be easier to find than FGN Masterfields and some of the others I've mentioned.

ICBM

Devil#20 said:

That looks nice. I don't know anything about the Duesenberg trem system. Any good? Would that be factory fitted or added on by a PO?

It was added by me for the previous owner . The original tailpiece is included and could be swapped back at any time you want.

Fifty9

I’ve a bunch of this style from Korean epiphone to MIJ (Tokai & ObG) and a Yamaha Sa2200. Settled on a Peerless Hardtail as best bang for buck at 1/3 the price of the Japanese ones with no regrets whatsoever.

polotska

The Yamaha SA2100 is another good option that’s easily overlooked—a slightly revised SA2000 (different pickups with push-push splits, a lighter/narrower bridge, and different colors), initially made in Japan, later in Taiwan. I’ve had two MIJs (had one that I loved and found another at an excellent price in exceptional condition, so I sold the first and kept the second). They sounded identical and are the two best semihollows—and among the best of any type of guitar—that I’ve ever played.

Never played a Taiwanese one so I have no idea if they’re as good as the Japanese.

YourArsenal87

Eastman guitars are great. I'd recommend spending a bit more for the T59/V, it's an amazing guitar, well worth the money. The duncan antiquities sound great in it, and the varnish finish looks and feels fantastic. 

Mind you, the neck is slightly wider than usual, around 44mm, which might not suit everyone.