New Epiphone Day

[L Robbins]

My name is Larry and I now own an Epiphone Es-335. I am no longer a guitar snob!! Lol
I see posts here were they are looked down upon but, i don't care what it says on the headstock. It plays well and sounds nice.
Good bones if I decide to make some up grades in the future.

 

[Baba Joe]

Nice!

 

[senojnad]

Nice!

AGREE!

 

[nickurso]

Congratulations! Those are nice guitars

 

[JC higgy]

Lovely,congrats sir!

 

[thunder58]

Congratulations , she’s a beauty

 

[tomazb]

It was on my radar for a long time... it would be still, I just don't connect with HB pickups as I did.

 

[Zeek]

Beautiful

 

[GDGT]

In my mind that's the perfect finish for a 335. Congrats!
And no shade here. A buddy has a Sheraton I've been trying to wrangle free from him for years, another has a barely-upgraded Dot that is one of the best rock and roll machines I've ever played, and I've always wanted a Casino. And I certainly have some feelings for a Swingster that I probably ought not mention in a Gretsch forum…

 

[Ricochet]

Congrats, love that!

 

[audept]

Lovely guitar! Congrats, Larry!

 

[Dana Rudd]

Congrats and HNGD. Enjoy!!

 

[Stingray70]

Congrats Larry, HNGD...
Great looking guitar...
I've have one just like it but in sunburst.

Honestly though when I first got mine I wasn't completely thrilled with the tone. Plus, my bridge rattled like crazy. I replaced the strings, (of course) the bridge and the stoptail and it made a WORLD of difference. Mine sounds awesome now....

I put a Tonepros locking bridge on it and a Gotoh zinc tail piece. At first I put an aluminum tailpiece on it and while it sounded great unplugged with the aluminum stop tail, it sounded bad plugged in. It had some weird off-putting, "harmonic" sounding tone. I swapped the aluminum stop tail with a new Gotoh zinc stop and it solved the problem. I thought I remembered reading somewhere that Tonepros didn't recomend aluminum stop tails on 335s.

I drop tested the original Epiphone stoptail on a wooden work bench from about 6 inches and it was the dullest, dead sounding hunk of metal you ever heard. I did the same with a half dozen other stop tails, mostly zinc but some aluminum, that I had laying around and they ALL rang more than the stock epiphone stop did...

Anyway, I hope this info will be helpful if you or any one else with one of these wants to try to improve it...
Again, congrats....

 

[BennytheJet]

I have the same model and color. Great guitar! The new Inspired by Gibson 335s are a great upgrade from the Dots of the past.

I had a chance to play the new Inspired by Gibson SG line and I've been on the hunt for one ever since. Killer guitars!

 

[Pops]

I've heard good things about the Epiphone ES-335s. I like Epis. I have three LP models! One has a repaired neck. :0

 

[hcsterg]

For sure Epiphone are good guitars, @L Robbins ! Your choice of the ES-335 is fine...

I have 2 low-grade Epi Les Paul Special II (DIY modded), and one "Inspired-by-Gibson" LPS TV Yellow (awaiting Bigsby B5 install) to attest it :

If I had to upgrade your Epi ES-335, I would think about a Bigsby B7... Supposing that the pickups are really not so good - but I doubt ! - a set of affordable and good replacement pickups would be the ToneRider AC2 AlNiCo Classics :

I installed a pair on one of my Epi LPS II above (2nd pic) and they reconciliated me with the PAF pickups...

But It's me, OK ?

A+!

 

[L Robbins]

Congrats Larry, HNGD...
Great looking guitar...
I've have one just like it but in sunburst.

Honestly though when I first got mine I wasn't completely thrilled with the tone. Plus, my bridge rattled like crazy. I replaced the strings, (of course) the bridge and the stoptail and it made a WORLD of difference. Mine sounds awesome now....

I put a Tonepros locking bridge on it and a Gotoh zinc tail piece. At first I put an aluminum tailpiece on it and while it sounded great unplugged with the aluminum stop tail, it sounded bad plugged in. It had some weird off-putting, "harmonic" sounding tone. I swapped the aluminum stop tail with a new Gotoh zinc stop and it solved the problem. I thought I remembered reading somewhere that Tonepros didn't recomend aluminum stop tails on 335s.

I drop tested the original Epiphone stoptail on a wooden work bench from about 6 inches and it was the dullest, dead sounding hunk of metal you ever heard. I did the same with a half dozen other stop tails, mostly zinc but some aluminum, that I had laying around and they ALL rang more than the stock epiphone stop did...

Anyway, I hope this info will be helpful if you or any one else with one of these wants to try to improve it...
Again, congrats....

Replacing the stoptail and bridge as well. Tonepro locking bridge and stoptail.

 

[Seamus]

Nice! I've never known just exactly what the differences are between an Epi ES-335 and an Epi Riviera, but they seem suspiciously similar, and my Riviera is one of the most reliable and fun modding platforms ever. People who turn their noses up at Epiphones are totally missing out.

 

[L Robbins]

For sure Epiphone are good guitars, @L Robbins ! Your choice of the ES-335 is fine...

I have 2 low-grade Epi Les Paul Special II (DIY modded), and one "Inspired-by-Gibson" LPS TV Yellow (awaiting Bigsby B5 install) to attest it :

If I had to upgrade your Epi ES-335, I would think about a Bigsby B7... Supposing that the pickups are really not so good - but I doubt ! - a set of affordable and good replacement pickups would be the ToneRider AC2 AlNiCo Classics :

I installed a pair on one of my Epi LPS II above (2nd pic) and they reconciliated me with the PAF pickups...

But It's me, OK ?

A+!

Not sure about the pickups yet. Going to play as is a bit and see what I think after a while. Thanks for the specs on the Alnicos. Will check them out!

 

[Stingray70]

Nice! I've never known just exactly what the differences are between an Epi ES-335 and an Epi Riviera, but they seem suspiciously similar, and my Riviera is one of the most reliable and fun modding platforms ever. People who turn their noses up at Epiphones are totally missing out.

I think the only difference is the Rivera has the frequensator (sp?) tail piece and mini humbuckers while the 335 has full sized humbucker pickups and either a stoptail or trapeze...