I've got two "Made in China" Epiphone semi-hollows; the ES-335 Figured and the Sheraton II Pro. Sometimes I look at them and I'm just floored that they were each only about $500. The fit, finish and materials are so good that I've never once felt like I was playing a 'budget' instrument. The kicker is that they both sound so freaking good. The Classic Pros on the 335 and the ProBuckers on the Sheraton, excellent pups that kick serious butt.
I have a whole bunch of nice Gibsons including a 335 Traditional, but I really enjoy my 355 Epi Ubukata just as much. I feel very drawn to playing it because it just sounds and feels great. Thanks for the honest comparison, glad to see someone digging it just as much as me. Of course the others sounded great too, just different as you alluded to ✌️
I owned the Shinichi Epiphone Sheraton and absolutely loved everything about it, except for the weight. With my badly injured lower back, I had to stop playing after only 20 minutes because it was killing my back! Sitting down to play is not an option for me because I sling the guitar a bit lower due to other injuries I have sustained over a life lived really hard . . no real fault of my own, just the way things turned out. With a heavy heart I moved it on. Then I got myself an Emily Wolf Sheraton, but the neck was completely unsuitable for my gigantic hands. Where they embraced the Shinichi perfectly, they were really struggling to play any chords below the eighth fret on the Wolf. So I got my money back on that one and just decided to continue playing my collection of white Epiphones, predominantly Sheratons from Korea, into which I have slotted in Gibson pickups, as well as the Epiphone Probuckers, which sound perfect for my Blues Rock playing. I also have a couple of the original run of Epiphone ES-355s and ES-345s from 2010 which I think are very special instruments. When I was gigging regularly I played either Chinese Epiphone Sheratons with Gibson pickups and Bigsbys that I fitted myself, or Epiphone Jorma Kaukonen signature Rivieras, which I fitted with Gibson pickups. All my stage guitars are the equal of any of the many Gibsons I've owned over the decades. I set them up to play every bit as good, if not better than their expensive stablemates, and with the Gibson pickups, they all sound killer in their own right.
I have a Peavey 335 copy. Paid $200 for it. It doesn't sound as good as Gibsons I've had in the past, but I don't play live or in the studio anymore, so it works well for me.
The ES-355 sounds like a record if that makes sense. The neck to bridge sounds are more articulate and you get that quack sound more pronounced. I think the Epiphone sounds good enough to take on the road and get the tones you want without worrying about it getting damaged or stolen. I can tell sound difference but how do they feel? My problem even with the 2020 inspired by Gibson Epiphones were its plastic feel to me. I only kept my 61’ SG inspired because it felt better than the others. I own a Gibson ES-345 and without question it’s one of my best guitars I have. The neck nut width are like my other Gibsons.
I do love the ES355. The one issue for me, is the skinny nut width which I have to get used to every time I go a few days without playing that guitar. I just got my hands on a player grade early 1965 Gibson ES355, and that one has an amazing neck with the standard nut width. Unfortunately it didn't come with the Varitone, which is something I love so much. Some people prefer these guitars without the varitone, but to me it makes the guitar incredibly versatile. I don't feel like the Epiphone feels plastic, but I can understand what you mean. I did play several guitars with the Epiphone. The sounds I were getting were great, and the guitar feels incredibly reliable. Definitely great for the road. I am however not afraid to bring the vintage stuff with me. I do feel like newer guitars stay in tune better, in general, than vintage gear. Probably cause of older tuners and such :)
@@AmnellAndreas I don’t know why Gibson doesn’t make the ES series anymore and it was actually rare to pick up a vintage one without one. I don’t have one because mine is new. Vintage is not only more expensive in most cases but you really have to pick up a good one. Not all are equal. I think what Gibson is doing in the custom shop are more reliable but Tom Murphy can stay away from mine lol I will ding it up on my own, I’m not paying for that. I own a Custom Shop R8 Gibson Les Paul and she sings, screams, and she stays in tune just like my new ES-345 does. I completely understand why people buy vintage it’s hard for my pocket. I played many vintage and there are bad ones as well as amazing ones. Good luck on your guitars and you play very well.
@@michaelheller8841 I agree. There are a lot of "dogs" among vintage guitars. Not all were created equally as you say, so it's all about findin a good one. Fortunately, the vintage guitars I do have are all very good, resonant and lively when plugged in. Thank you very much for the positive feedback Michael!
Wow, that 355 is something else! The Epiphone is competitive to my ears, but the 355 sounds louder, almost as if it would cut through a mix a bit better. The Tokai was perfectly in between. Do you feel a difference in quality when you hold the Epiphone?
Hey brother, great job. I think the Epi and the Gibson sounded more 3 dimensional and both held good bottom end but all three sounded great. I have been trying to tell people since around 2009 Epiphone was a new company. They blasted out of the gates with the 60's Tribute Plus Les paul, which was loaded with quite literally every great thing a company can do to a guitar, including the '57 classic and classic plus pups. This guitar you are demoing is one of many which can stand against ANY. I have worked on guitars for about 25+ years, so understanding exactly what a guitar consists of led me to the understanding that in many cases, people are paying a whole lotta money for a sticker on the headstock. Many, or I'd actually state that most guitar building companies of our modern day now have the technology to build guitars of the same quality. Understandably, this may hurt the American manufacturers due to the outlandishly high prices of their products, but guitarists can benefit from this if they can get past the subconsciously averting mentality associated with the great companies of the 50's and 60's. There is still work to do because when the tone and quality are there, the rumors about some secret stash of mahogany start to creep out, which is total BS. There art three types of mahogany. Two were ever used for building guitars and now in 99.9% of the cases, only one type is used. The tree grows in many regions of the world so people will attach the name of the country where the tree was harvested to the wood, as if it makes it somehow better. All that is needed for anyone to gather facts concerning guitars is a little time and research. Good job with your review.
She's a beaut. I will do a video with the Epiphone and my recently acquired '65 Gibson ES-355 soon! Just need to replace the pickups with something a bit more correct in the '65. It currently has Tom Holmes pickups. They're great but I have a set of '68 Patent Sticker pickups that I want to put in
Merci pour votre video très intéressante et je trouve pas une aussi grande différence en vidéo. Peut-être dans les main vous le sentez mieux. J'aimerai bien une es 335 ou 55 mais quels sont les micros les mieux adaptés pour un meilleur sustain et le moins agressif ? Merci
@@Yilmaz678 merci! I would recommend getting some low wind PAF style pick ups from one of their boutique brands. There are more expensive options, and more affordable options. They all kind of sound the same. You can find videos here on TH-cam where they compare PAF replica pick ups from different boutique brands
@@AmnellAndreasmerci beaucoup pour votre réponse et je regarderai sur youtube pour les micros paf car je pense qu'une es 335 est faite plus pour un son bluesy, jazz et un son velours comme les anciens bluesman utilisait cette guitare. Merci à vous 😊
Je suis décidé à acheter une gibson ES le moins chère de la serie ES qui vaut 3000 € en moyenne mais y'a tellement de epiphone comme celle qie hous jouez dans votre video, ainsi que la epiphone es 355 bursbucker qui vaut 1300 euros et les tokai es 198 japonaise qui valent 1500 euros en occasion. Je n'ai pas eu la chance d'essayer aucune de ces guitares. Pouvez vous s'il vous plaît m'orienter sur un bon compromis entre toutes les guitares que que je vous ai cités .Lesquels vous préférez ? Merci à vous
@@Yilmaz678 You can find many used Japanese made ES-335 copies on Yahoo Japan. Use this website to bid on them: www.fromjapan.co.jp/japan/en/yahoo-auctions/ There are many options from Greco, Burny, Orville, Tokai, Navigator and more :) Otherwise, you can buy one of the new Epiphone Inspired By Gibson's Custom shop line. I like the white one they are selling :)
Owning 7 gibsons that I bought before prices gone mad. Im done with Gibsons. Epi with Gibson electronics maybe hardware too and let your fingers do the rest
They sound similar the Gibson looks better IMHO because of the open book headstock and nitro finish. All modern guitars where ever they are made are made by CNC machines. You pay the extra mainly for the additional labour costs of the USA and Japan workforce and in the case of Gibson the brand history. Appointments may also be better on the higher cost guitars but these can easily be upgraded on the Chinese model relatively inexpensively.
You can’t go wrong with a guitar that’s been played to the point where all the lacquer finish has worn off on the back of the neck over the course of 51 years, and the whole body is filled with hairline cracks 🤙🏻
Well also the resale value you can get your money back on a Gibson many cases more. A epi or most all other brands not so much. But there are a couple exceptions.like Tokai, Burny,
Great comparison. The Chinese Epiphones are amazing. I have an Epi Dot (300 euro) which sounds (stock) very close to a Gibson Custom Shop. Videos on my channel. ❤
The Epiphone is the sexiest though. I could have bought one of these instead of the Lucille, Emily Wolfe and Gary Clark junior to get all these features.
Shouldn’t the question be “ Why are Epiphone owners obsessed with slagging off Gibson to justify how good their guitars are?”. Surely if Epiphone make such fantastic cheap guitars, the brand should stand on its own without having to constantly compare itself to others?
The brand doesn't compare itself with Gibson. Epiphone and Gibson are product lines of the same company. The lad in the video isn't slagging off Gibson. He owns a vintage Gibson so beautiful, it almost makes me cry just looking at it. It is also an old and somewhat irreplaceable instrument. Objectively, in its purpose and function as a musical instrument, there's very little difference between it and this higher end Epiphone. This is not a cheap Epiphone, it is a quality instrument with Gibson pickups and nice hardware at an affordable price. The same thing with a Gibson logo will set you back 5 times as much. Which is OK, for the right use case. But if you make a living playing club gigs with it, that's very difficult to justifie. Knocking off the headstock or spilling beer into it may cost more in repairs than this entire Epiphone, vs not a single penny more pay nor any noticable difference in sound/playability/feel. Tho this particular model has a significant drawback. I tried two of them and he mentions it as well in the video: weight. If an intelligent life form watches earth from outer space, they think a new small black hole has formed each time one of them Ubukatas leaves the assembly line, and if you wait a while, a few of them might attract their own moons orbiting around them.
The question should be: What % of guitar owners can even play, so why does it matter? Folks get so caught up on gear and tone. Honest after 40+ years of the guitar/ music biz, I estimate 5% of the total guitars I have sold or fixed went to a guy who could even play. Turn off those YT vids, pick up yer axe. Learn to play.
Anything is better than the stigma of being a Gibson or Epiphone owner. It shows you're a sheep that bought a mediocre extremely overpriced and basic guitar. I personally can't conceive why anyone would pay more than 1000$ for any hardtail guitar, but at Gibson 300$ in material and 300$ in labor equals a msrp of 2000.
To each their own! Most of my guitars are Japanese copies of American brands, made in the 70s-80s. I just love Gibson style instruments. It doesn’t have to be from Gibson though 🙂
they are hit or miss. i am personally more than happy to deal with the d/g annoyance for the incredible sound and feel of the les paul i have. i will say that 94% (a joke stat but vast majority is what i mean) of the gibbo's ive played in guitar stores have been meh at best. historic/vos are great but not even worth the secondhand price.
I've got two "Made in China" Epiphone semi-hollows; the ES-335 Figured and the Sheraton II Pro. Sometimes I look at them and I'm just floored that they were each only about $500. The fit, finish and materials are so good that I've never once felt like I was playing a 'budget' instrument. The kicker is that they both sound so freaking good. The Classic Pros on the 335 and the ProBuckers on the Sheraton, excellent pups that kick serious butt.
Most guitarists, including myself, hear with our eyes. Feel, sound, materials and craftsmanship are all part of the equation.
They all sounded great through my headphones. I'd take either one of them. Good comparison video :)
Thank you kindly Scott!
I have a whole bunch of nice Gibsons including a 335 Traditional, but I really enjoy my 355 Epi Ubukata just as much. I feel very drawn to playing it because it just sounds and feels great. Thanks for the honest comparison, glad to see someone digging it just as much as me. Of course the others sounded great too, just different as you alluded to ✌️
I owned the Shinichi Epiphone Sheraton and absolutely loved everything about it, except for the weight. With my badly injured lower back, I had to stop playing after only 20 minutes because it was killing my back! Sitting down to play is not an option for me because I sling the guitar a bit lower due to other injuries I have sustained over a life lived really hard . . no real fault of my own, just the way things turned out. With a heavy heart I moved it on. Then I got myself an Emily Wolf Sheraton, but the neck was completely unsuitable for my gigantic hands. Where they embraced the Shinichi perfectly, they were really struggling to play any chords below the eighth fret on the Wolf. So I got my money back on that one and just decided to continue playing my collection of white Epiphones, predominantly Sheratons from Korea, into which I have slotted in Gibson pickups, as well as the Epiphone Probuckers, which sound perfect for my Blues Rock playing. I also have a couple of the original run of Epiphone ES-355s and ES-345s from 2010 which I think are very special instruments.
When I was gigging regularly I played either Chinese Epiphone Sheratons with Gibson pickups and Bigsbys that I fitted myself, or Epiphone Jorma Kaukonen signature Rivieras, which I fitted with Gibson pickups. All my stage guitars are the equal of any of the many Gibsons I've owned over the decades. I set them up to play every bit as good, if not better than their expensive stablemates, and with the Gibson pickups, they all sound killer in their own right.
I own the Epiphone. Could not afford the Gibson But love the sound of the Tokai. I think it sounds GREAT.
That particular Epiphone SHOULD sound like a Gibson given it has Gibson pickup in it. All be it modern versions of the 57.
To answer your question on the title, YES it can.
Hell yeah 🤟🏻
Thankyou!!!
I have a Peavey 335 copy. Paid $200 for it. It doesn't sound as good as Gibsons I've had in the past, but I don't play live or in the studio anymore, so it works well for me.
The ES-355 sounds like a record if that makes sense. The neck to bridge sounds are more articulate and you get that quack sound more pronounced. I think the Epiphone sounds good enough to take on the road and get the tones you want without worrying about it getting damaged or stolen. I can tell sound difference but how do they feel? My problem even with the 2020 inspired by Gibson Epiphones were its plastic feel to me. I only kept my 61’ SG inspired because it felt better than the others. I own a Gibson ES-345 and without question it’s one of my best guitars I have. The neck nut width are like my other Gibsons.
I do love the ES355. The one issue for me, is the skinny nut width which I have to get used to every time I go a few days without playing that guitar.
I just got my hands on a player grade early 1965 Gibson ES355, and that one has an amazing neck with the standard nut width. Unfortunately it didn't come with the Varitone, which is something I love so much. Some people prefer these guitars without the varitone, but to me it makes the guitar incredibly versatile.
I don't feel like the Epiphone feels plastic, but I can understand what you mean. I did play several guitars with the Epiphone. The sounds I were getting were great, and the guitar feels incredibly reliable. Definitely great for the road. I am however not afraid to bring the vintage stuff with me. I do feel like newer guitars stay in tune better, in general, than vintage gear. Probably cause of older tuners and such :)
@@AmnellAndreas I don’t know why Gibson doesn’t make the ES series anymore and it was actually rare to pick up a vintage one without one. I don’t have one because mine is new. Vintage is not only more expensive in most cases but you really have to pick up a good one. Not all are equal. I think what Gibson is doing in the custom shop are more reliable but Tom Murphy can stay away from mine lol I will ding it up on my own, I’m not paying for that. I own a Custom Shop R8 Gibson Les Paul and she sings, screams, and she stays in tune just like my new ES-345 does. I completely understand why people buy vintage it’s hard for my pocket. I played many vintage and there are bad ones as well as amazing ones. Good luck on your guitars and you play very well.
@@michaelheller8841 I agree. There are a lot of "dogs" among vintage guitars. Not all were created equally as you say, so it's all about findin a good one. Fortunately, the vintage guitars I do have are all very good, resonant and lively when plugged in. Thank you very much for the positive feedback Michael!
Wow, that 355 is something else! The Epiphone is competitive to my ears, but the 355 sounds louder, almost as if it would cut through a mix a bit better. The Tokai was perfectly in between. Do you feel a difference in quality when you hold the Epiphone?
I don't truly feel a huge difference in quality. The Epiphone has the biggest neck, which I'm kinda digging. Plus it's very resonant, and plays great.
토카이 335는 정말 냉정하게 평가한다면 어케 들리나요?
Hey brother, great job. I think the Epi and the Gibson sounded more 3 dimensional and both held good bottom end but all three sounded great. I have been trying to tell people since around 2009 Epiphone was a new company. They blasted out of the gates with the 60's Tribute Plus Les paul, which was loaded with quite literally every great thing a company can do to a guitar, including the '57 classic and classic plus pups. This guitar you are demoing is one of many which can stand against ANY. I have worked on guitars for about 25+ years, so understanding exactly what a guitar consists of led me to the understanding that in many cases, people are paying a whole lotta money for a sticker on the headstock. Many, or I'd actually state that most guitar building companies of our modern day now have the technology to build guitars of the same quality. Understandably, this may hurt the American manufacturers due to the outlandishly high prices of their products, but guitarists can benefit from this if they can get past the subconsciously averting mentality associated with the great companies of the 50's and 60's. There is still work to do because when the tone and quality are there, the rumors about some secret stash of mahogany start to creep out, which is total BS. There art three types of mahogany. Two were ever used for building guitars and now in 99.9% of the cases, only one type is used. The tree grows in many regions of the world so people will attach the name of the country where the tree was harvested to the wood, as if it makes it somehow better. All that is needed for anyone to gather facts concerning guitars is a little time and research. Good job with your review.
Tokay sounds best man...hope it feels as good as it sounds....
First 335 I bought after coming to the States. It's a keeper for sure.
Man that Tokai sounds good.
The Gibson is just solid gold.
She's a beaut. I will do a video with the Epiphone and my recently acquired '65 Gibson ES-355 soon! Just need to replace the pickups with something a bit more correct in the '65. It currently has Tom Holmes pickups. They're great but I have a set of '68 Patent Sticker pickups that I want to put in
Excellent demo!!! Epiphone sounds great!!!
Thank you Bobby!
Merci pour votre video très intéressante et je trouve pas une aussi grande différence en vidéo. Peut-être dans les main vous le sentez mieux. J'aimerai bien une es 335 ou 55 mais quels sont les micros les mieux adaptés pour un meilleur sustain et le moins agressif ? Merci
@@Yilmaz678 merci!
I would recommend getting some low wind PAF style pick ups from one of their boutique brands. There are more expensive options, and more affordable options. They all kind of sound the same. You can find videos here on TH-cam where they compare PAF replica pick ups from different boutique brands
@@AmnellAndreasmerci beaucoup pour votre réponse et je regarderai sur youtube pour les micros paf car je pense qu'une es 335 est faite plus pour un son bluesy, jazz et un son velours comme les anciens bluesman utilisait cette guitare. Merci à vous 😊
Je suis décidé à acheter une gibson ES le moins chère de la serie ES qui vaut 3000 € en moyenne mais y'a tellement de epiphone comme celle qie hous jouez dans votre video, ainsi que la epiphone es 355 bursbucker qui vaut 1300 euros et les tokai es 198 japonaise qui valent 1500 euros en occasion. Je n'ai pas eu la chance d'essayer aucune de ces guitares. Pouvez vous s'il vous plaît m'orienter sur un bon compromis entre toutes les guitares que que je vous ai cités .Lesquels vous préférez ? Merci à vous
@@Yilmaz678 You can find many used Japanese made ES-335 copies on Yahoo Japan. Use this website to bid on them:
www.fromjapan.co.jp/japan/en/yahoo-auctions/
There are many options from Greco, Burny, Orville, Tokai, Navigator and more :) Otherwise, you can buy one of the new Epiphone Inspired By Gibson's Custom shop line. I like the white one they are selling :)
Merci beaucoup d'avoir pris le temps de me répondre 😊@@AmnellAndreas
The Epiphone sounds great to me
To me as well!
Well my Casino is not far off, fully modded, still was cheaper than a USA built Casino by a few grand!
Depends on the Gibson and the Epiphone.
Owning 7 gibsons that I bought before prices gone mad. Im done with Gibsons. Epi with Gibson electronics maybe hardware too and let your fingers do the rest
I agree with that 👆🏻
They sound similar the Gibson looks better IMHO because of the open book headstock and nitro finish. All modern guitars where ever they are made are made by CNC machines. You pay the extra mainly for the additional labour costs of the USA and Japan workforce and in the case of Gibson the brand history. Appointments may also be better on the higher cost guitars but these can easily be upgraded on the Chinese model relatively inexpensively.
You can’t go wrong with a guitar that’s been played to the point where all the lacquer finish has worn off on the back of the neck over the course of 51 years, and the whole body is filled with hairline cracks 🤙🏻
Well also the resale value you can get your money back on a Gibson many cases more. A epi or most all other brands not so much. But there are a couple exceptions.like Tokai, Burny,
73 for the W
Great comparison. The Chinese Epiphones are amazing. I have an Epi Dot (300 euro) which sounds (stock) very close to a Gibson Custom Shop. Videos on my channel. ❤
Yes ...
The Epiphone is the sexiest though. I could have bought one of these instead of the Lucille, Emily Wolfe and Gary Clark junior to get all these features.
Black is always sexy
Aren’t you happy with the Epiphone Lucille? I am hesitating to buy one… those Alnico Pros sound very good appartently…
I prefer the sound of the Epiphone ... 🙂
It’s a great sounding, looking and playing guitar!🤟🏻
I preferred the Gibson for most of the sounds. It has something ' authentic'. The bridge sounded a little weak though.
I have a Chinese Epiphone and the biggest difference between it and the Gibson that costs 6x more is the fret bonding.
I❤️ EPIPHONE!
Shouldn’t the question be “ Why are Epiphone owners obsessed with slagging off Gibson to justify how good their guitars are?”. Surely if Epiphone make such fantastic cheap guitars, the brand should stand on its own without having to constantly compare itself to others?
The brand doesn't compare itself with Gibson. Epiphone and Gibson are product lines of the same company. The lad in the video isn't slagging off Gibson. He owns a vintage Gibson so beautiful, it almost makes me cry just looking at it. It is also an old and somewhat irreplaceable instrument. Objectively, in its purpose and function as a musical instrument, there's very little difference between it and this higher end Epiphone. This is not a cheap Epiphone, it is a quality instrument with Gibson pickups and nice hardware at an affordable price. The same thing with a Gibson logo will set you back 5 times as much. Which is OK, for the right use case. But if you make a living playing club gigs with it, that's very difficult to justifie. Knocking off the headstock or spilling beer into it may cost more in repairs than this entire Epiphone, vs not a single penny more pay nor any noticable difference in sound/playability/feel. Tho this particular model has a significant drawback. I tried two of them and he mentions it as well in the video: weight. If an intelligent life form watches earth from outer space, they think a new small black hole has formed each time one of them Ubukatas leaves the assembly line, and if you wait a while, a few of them might attract their own moons orbiting around them.
The question should be:
What % of guitar owners can even play, so why does it matter?
Folks get so caught up on gear and tone.
Honest after 40+ years of the guitar/ music biz, I estimate 5% of the total guitars I have sold or fixed went to a guy who could even play.
Turn off those YT vids, pick up yer axe. Learn to play.
i am annoyed that i like the tokai
We all like what we like 😎🤟🏻
토카이를 좋아해서 짜증 난다는게 무슨뜻 인가요?
Played through a computer meh
You hear the difference between the guitars fine with the UA Lion 😜
No.
Are you sure? 😉
@@AmnellAndreas 😂
@@dub604 did you watch the full video? 😄
@@AmnellAndreas Yep.
@@dub604 thank you for watching! I disagree with you, but we all are allowed our opinions 😄
Anything is better than the stigma of being a Gibson or Epiphone owner. It shows you're a sheep that bought a mediocre extremely overpriced and basic guitar. I personally can't conceive why anyone would pay more than 1000$ for any hardtail guitar, but at Gibson 300$ in material and 300$ in labor equals a msrp of 2000.
To each their own! Most of my guitars are Japanese copies of American brands, made in the 70s-80s. I just love Gibson style instruments. It doesn’t have to be from Gibson though 🙂
they are hit or miss. i am personally more than happy to deal with the d/g annoyance for the incredible sound and feel of the les paul i have. i will say that 94% (a joke stat but vast majority is what i mean) of the gibbo's ive played in guitar stores have been meh at best. historic/vos are great but not even worth the secondhand price.
Hello, It’s less than $100 in raw materials.