Epiphone 335 vs Gibson

thegummy

Just saw the new Epiphone 335 and it looks amazing and has a good price.

Can you describe the differences between the Epiphone and the Gibson?

I know when discussing Epiphone vs Gibson for a Les Paul or SG (or Squier guitars to Fender counterparts) people often struggle to really explain the differences without being very vague.

But even the cheapest Gibson 335 is so expensive whereas the Epiphone ones are normal Epiphone price so I wonder if there's much more of a tangible difference?

Gerz6558

The obvious main differences will be the poly finish, pickups, electronics and laurel fretboard. Outside of that you have a mass produced far eastern guitar versus a handmade guitar (using that term very loosely!), which in theory is made with higher quality selected woods and components.

I think you eluded to it. It will be largely the age old epiphone versus gibson debate, and which side of the fence you sit on with regards to that.

The new 335's do look a lot nicer than the old dots.

Kittyfrisk

^ Not so sure about the significance of 'higher quality selected woods' as so far as I'm aware, even the Gibson 335 body is made of laminated woods (or plywood if you want to be crude) apart from the fretboard & neck.
Quality of materials, finishing & hardware appointments should be better on the Gibson, but where the cost/value relationship differs, I don't know.

rossi

I played both and bought the  Epi as I couldnt afford the Gibson .i changed everything on the Epi except the wooden bits and did a fret level and nut job .It then felt and played like the Gibson so the answer is better hardware and pickups ,tuners ,wiring etc plus a lot of work to make the frets better .Of course the Epi played well  enough  stock but rattled a bit ,had a higher action  and felt less well put together and the pickups were muddyish .I put Gotoh hardware on and Grover tuners .The epi bridge and st op tail were not very good and lighter junk  .It didnt cost that much to improve it about 160 odd at the time certainly nothing compared to the Gibson cost but of course it will never be a Gibson .i did wonder whether a Chibson with a similar amount of work would be fun to undertake but as I have a Midtown anyway no point .

thegummy

Gerz6558 said:

The obvious main differences will be the poly finish, pickups, electronics and laurel fretboard. Outside of that you have a mass produced far eastern guitar versus a handmade guitar (using that term very loosely!), which in theory is made with higher quality selected woods and components.

I think you eluded to it. It will be largely the age old epiphone versus gibson debate, and which side of the fence you sit on with regards to that.

The new 335's do look a lot nicer than the old dots.

Do Gibson not use cnc for 335s?

Gerz6558

thegummy said:

Do Gibson not use cnc for 335s?

Yes, that's why I said I was using that term very loosely. I think it will be a given that they still get more hands on time than an Epiphone though.

If you're willing to swap a few parts and maybe get a setup on the Epiphone, I dont think the price jump to a Gibson is going to be justified. I've had epiphone Rivieras, Casinos and a Gibson 335, now I've settled somewhere in the middle with an Eastman. The Eastman is better than the lot.

But the old epi semi's have always had a great reputation. If the new ones are a little bit better, and now with the closer looks to the Gibson, it will probably be more than enough for most people.

chrisj1602

The new 335 looks a lot better than the Dot. The specs and appearance of the new model seem to be a big improvement. I hope the Rivieras follow soon.

pintspiller

I tried a Dot years ago and wasn't impressed. Not sure if that's an indication of all their 335-style guitars. 

Cranky

Very limited experience here, but I have an Epi Casino "inspired by", I think ca. 2009, with genuine Gibson p90s.  It plays and sounds awesome.

Not a 335 obviously, but I would think that a similar arrangement with a 335 would suit most people.  

CarbonCopy

Describing a 'tangible difference' without being vague is quite difficult as it is usually somewhat subjective as to how a guitar feels!

In my limited experience, I have found that a good Gibson ES335 is better than any far east Epiphone model I've played. The difference is the feel of it as well as sound and the latter can only be experienced by trying them out.

I will try to explain my thoughts on the differences I have found though. My Gibson 335 feels and sounds very resonant. It's a loud instrument acoustically and the pickups which are quite low output and sound quite balanced in frequency range and 'open' (i.e. rather than muddy, higher output and mid heavy) which compliment the sound. Altogether, this makes the guitar inspiring to play and the subtleties in dynamics and tone just by slight playing variations are more pronounced than any Epiphone I've tried. 

If you can't feel or hear the difference then it's not worth spending the extra money. That money can be better spent on other gear! It needs to be experienced rather than explained, so definitely try some out when you can!

lustycourtier

Cranky said:

Very limited experience here, but I have an Epi Casino "inspired by", I think ca. 2009, with genuine Gibson p90s.  It plays and sounds awesome.

Not a 335 obviously, but I would think that a similar arrangement with a 335 would suit most people.  

See, I had one of them briefly and it was awful. Natural one. Very poorly finished and felt and played worse than any of the probably 7-8 Casinos Ive owned. 

 I love casinos. The best value Epiphone you can buy, just not that IBJL model. 

Cranky

lustycourtier said:

Cranky said:

Very limited experience here, but I have an Epi Casino "inspired by", I think ca. 2009, with genuine Gibson p90s.  It plays and sounds awesome.

Not a 335 obviously, but I would think that a similar arrangement with a 335 would suit most people.  

See, I had one of them briefly and it was awful. Natural one. Very poorly finished and felt and played worse than any of the probably 7-8 Casinos Ive owned. 

 I love casinos. The best value Epiphone you can buy, just not that IBJL model. 

Interesting.  Mine's a burst.  It's my only 24.75" scale, plays smooth and easy, and probably my favorite pickups too (until I get my American Pro Strat!).

midlifecrisis

i own an epi 335 and its a decent guitar but not as good as the two gibson 335s ive had a chance to play, unplugged its just not as resonant and plugged in it is different. i cant justify spending on a gibson 335 as its not my favourite type but the epi will do me for now.

chrisj1602

It will be interesting to hear some comments/comparisons when people actually have the new 335 and are not comparing to the Dot.

These new Epiphones (the 335, the Coronet, Riviera etc) have been plugged with videos by Andertons and GuitarGuitar but they have no stock!

I asked for an ETA from GG on the Riviera and they said they don’t know... why put a video out then? So people can go and order one from Thomann? Great business model!

Lesgrandepotato

Carbon copy has it nailed. For me the Gibson has the touch sensitivity, and inherent resonance and tone. It’s a very expressive instrument and it’s very transparent in how you play it. 

Some days I sound better on the Epi.... 

Creed_Clicks

I had a Midtown before, and the main difference I noticed between it and other 335 style was the intonation. Rock solid all the way up and down the neck. I sold it on eventually though, would prefer the bigger 335 body but can't afford the price!