I placed an order for this late August & this arrived last week.
I still haven’t plugged it into an amp yet. But I’ve tried it through studio monitors using Reaper & Helix Native & I’m happy with how it plays & sounds. No fret buzz to report & everything works as it should. It will definitely scratch my 335 itch.
https://www.artistguitars.co.uk/collections/guitars-electric-guitars-semi-hollow-electric-guitars/products/artist-walnut58-semi-hollow-electric-guitar-w-bro-17422Further down the line on the first string change, I will probably remove the pickguard & decide if I prefer it without. Also will see if I can lower the action a little. There is a bit of play in the tuners, so they might be upgraded in the longer term. But for £269, including the hardcase I’m really impressed.
Thanks to
@BillDL for his advice & words of wisdom, which gave me the confidence to order from Artist Guitars. Tbh I had never heard of them before.
What guage strings would you recommend for a guitar of this type, especially for practising jazz?
Comments
I noticed on the Artist site that some of them (seem to be the exact same guitar, maybe in a different colour) are £269 *without* a hardcase... and some are £269 *with* one. Not sure what's going on there, but it looks like you got a pretty good deal if you need the hard case!
Yes I’m definitely happy with it. Yeah it must be a veneer top.
I’m not sure who makes their hardcases, but for £40 extra I thought it was well worth getting.
Just noticed that for the hardcase it states:
“This guitar case has been designed to fit a Gibson ES335, 345, 355 and the Epiphone equivalents. Externally, The depth of the case at the edges is 116mm and the depth at the centre measures 140mm.
Suits - Gibson 335 or similar and Ibanez AS93.
Note: This is not suitable for an ES339. This case is not suitable for the Gibson ''Dave Grohl'' DG335 model guitar as it has a Firebird style headstock which makes the guitar too long for the JC450 case.”
RE Prices: Mine has the cheaper VLPA Humbuckers, whereas the more expensive guitars have the Artist Bullbuckers coil-splitting pickups.
That's interesting about the walnut one, though- so it's kind of an in-between model then? Also aren't the Bullbucker pickups quite hot (in the bridge position at least)? I'm not sure that's necessarily an upgrade for that type of guitar, lol.
EDIT: Not to throw the cat among the pigeons, but how would you say they compare to Harley Bentons? or Vintage?
@duotone Thanks for offering to measure it, but I don't think there's any need- what you found out about the hardcases suggests they're more or less the same size as an ES-335. Thanks! EDIT: And yeah £40 for a hardcase seems very reasonable! EDIT: Oh sorry I can't help with the jazz strings question, I don't play any jazz at all!
That's very interesting about the maple versus mahogany neck thing- kind of the opposite of what received wisdom would suggest! But maybe it's the pickups or electronics, as you said- or received wisdom might well be wrong! Or maybe it's the thinner neck on the Vintage? (I don't mind a thinner neck. Or a brighter tone, usually.)
The Artist does look more "right" i.e. more "like a 335"! I think there was an older Vintage model that looked more like a 335 but they had to stop doing it to stay the right side of Gibson, I think...
Artist says on its website that the Bullbuckers are based on the JB/Jazz set... going by specs that's plausible but they don't seem to be exactly the same either (the resistance is a bit lower I think).
I think I’m gonna give these Thomastik jazz strings a try: https://www.thomastik-infeld.com/en/products/guitar-strings/jazz-guitar/jazz-swing