Semi-Hollow On A Budget?

Jalapeno · December 2017

Do not dismiss Tele Thinline - NOT a 335-a-like, but IS a semi-hollow. Also stupidly lightweight.

marktheharp · December 2017

I have seen epi dots go for as low as £150.2nd hand. But always when you don't have the money

...
If you are on Facebook the buy and sell groups have some bargains...there is an epiphone/Gibson buy and sell group ..

Dontgiveupyourdayjob · December 2017

dayrthed1981 said:

I've got an Epi Dot, recently polished up and restrung it and it is playing very nicely. I sort of feel the pickups could be better and I believe for not much more money Epi do a 335 Pro which has their much better Probucker pickups in it.

Interesting, are the Probucker pickups noticeable better than the ones in the Dot? On places like Andertons the 355 Pro is actually cheaper than the basic Dot, so I'd assumed it was actually a lesser model! Seems odd that it's cheaper if it's supposed to be a more premium version...

darthed1981 · December 2017

Dontgiveupyourdayjob said:

dayrthed1981 said:

I've got an Epi Dot, recently polished up and restrung it and it is playing very nicely. I sort of feel the pickups could be better and I believe for not much more money Epi do a 335 Pro which has their much better Probucker pickups in it.

Interesting, are the Probucker pickups noticeable better than the ones in the Dot? On places like Andertons the 355 Pro is actually cheaper than the basic Dot, so I'd assumed it was actually a lesser model! Seems odd that it's cheaper if it's supposed to be a more premium version...

Probably the 339 Pro? That is the small 339 Body with Probucker pickups and well worth a try.

I have an Epi LP Custom Pro and I find it sounds much better than either of the Epis I have with their old Humbuckers.

None are that bad though, I found the pickups on my Dot a bit high when I first got it, that makes a big difference.

meltedbuzzbox · December 2017

Edwards make a great 335 and the Ibanez artcore stuff is great too

the_jaffa · December 2017

Damn, could have added £100 or so to the Dot I've just sold if this thread had been a week or two earlier

Haha

Ro_S · December 2017

Jalapeno said:
Do not dismiss Tele Thinline - NOT a 335-a-like, but IS a semi-hollow. Also stupidly lightweight.

The 'Vintage' brand do a nice, affordable thinline tele model. A worthy candidate to a Squier or lower priced Fender version.

mikem8634 · December 2017

Dontgiveupyourdayjob said:

Thanks for all the sage advice on here from all and sundry, it's much appreciated and I've learnt a fair bit!

...

The one I really want is @noirleblanc 's Riviera mentioned in the first reply, but it's really pushing the budget!

I think I might see how sensible (or otherwise!) I am with the pennies over the Xmas period and see if I can stretch the budget and get myself a belated Xmas present to myself!

Speaking from experience, if there is a way to get what you really want (and you want it for well thought out reasons) then do it. It has always been important to me to be enthused, excited and enthralled by my guitars - there has to be a special bond for it to really work.

Then again, I might be weird,

Image: http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/plugins/EmojiExtender/emoji/fb/smiley.png

It is also worth noting that, whilst individual guitars can have issues, there is absolutely nowt wrong with any of the recommendations you've had so far. I've probably played all of them over the years and they will all do a mighty fine job. Don't stress, play as many as you can and go with what thrills you the most. Good luck.

impmann · December 2017

I had one of the chinese Tokai 335-alikes. I swapped the pickups for Seymour Duncan Seth Lovers and it sang. Say it quietly but it probably sounded better than my Gibson 335 to my ears - woodier, and huge.

Dontgiveupyourdayjob · December 2017

darthed1981 said:

Probably the 339 Pro? That is the small 339 Body with Probucker pickups and well worth a try.

I have an Epi LP Custom Pro and I find it sounds much better than either of the Epis I have with their old Humbuckers.

None are that bad though, I found the pickups on my Dot a bit high when I first got it, that makes a big difference.

Well on closer inspection it turns out it's only a pre-order page on Andertons website for the 335 Pro - https://www.andertons.co.uk/epiphone-es335-pro-in-iced-tea-et3pitnh3

Annoying that it's listed but you can't actually buy it, what's the point?!

mikem8634 said:

Dontgiveupyourdayjob said:

Thanks for all the sage advice on here from all and sundry, it's much appreciated and I've learnt a fair bit!

...

The one I really want is @noirleblanc 's Riviera mentioned in the first reply, but it's really pushing the budget!

I think I might see how sensible (or otherwise!) I am with the pennies over the Xmas period and see if I can stretch the budget and get myself a belated Xmas present to myself!

Speaking from experience, if there is a way to get what you really want (and you want it for well thought out reasons) then do it. It has always been important to me to be enthused, excited and enthralled by my guitars - there has to be a special bond for it to really work.

Then again, I might be weird,

Nah, I totally get that. I'm not the sort to buy guitars on a whim and then spend time/effort modding them, or just selling them on a month or two later. Too much hassle! I like to buy them for keeps.

That's my worry with buying something too 'entry level' - it's not because I'm a snob, it's more that if I like it I know I'll just want to then trade up soon after for something a bit higher spec. The whole GAS merry-go-round will start again!

bluenile · December 2017

Looks like the 335 pros are coming back in production, I imagine it's to compete with the gretsch streamliner. there's an iced tea one on gear4music but it's a bit over your budget at £400. The pick ups are a bit better than the dot and you get the bonus of single coil tones and neck binding but might not be worth the extra £ over a dot if you plan on upgrading anyway. Hope that helps

shaunm · December 2017

I might be a little late to the party on this thread (thanks for the tag @Legionreturns ).

I do have two Epi Sheraton’s as I think they are great guitars. What I should say is that they are great guitars as a base for adding in a few choice components and making into guitars that punch way above thier price.

My go to guitar for the last 12 years has been a Korean Epi Sheraton that I put BKP Mississippi Queens in. It’s a noisy rock and roll guitar with those pickups in, it really growls.

My new one one that I got in trade is a 2015 model Chinese made one. I have been to see @Van_Hayden from Bulldog Pickups who has put a set of his wonderful pickups in (a Patent number at the neck and Alinco 2 at the bridge), a new loom with CTS pots and switch craft jack. It’s a wonderful sounding guitar. Hayden has a set of ears that are far superior to mine and when a/b testing against his wonderful Collings it wasn’t miles apart as you would assume it would be.

Were these guitars perfect out of the box? - No. However if you stick aside some money for a few choice mods of electrics, pickups and not forgetting a bloody good set up and you can get into that 335 semi tone ball park convincingly for way under £600.

If you are at the northern guitar meet meet I can bring them along for you to try out?

Dontgiveupyourdayjob · December 2017

Thanks for the offer @shaunm but that ship has sailed!

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/120724/ngd-early-xmas-pressie-to-myself

Might bring it along to the Huddersfield Jam sesh, so we can compare notes then.

shaunm · December 2017

@Dontgiveupyourdayjob nice one mate! That looks great

ToneControl · December 2017

Artcore
For used ones, get a model number above 100

TommyVercetti · December 2017

More love for the older epiphone dots here. I bought one from my local 2nd hand shop earlier this year for £250, a late samick model and it's a fantastic thing. I sold it to a mate who was desperate for a new, cheap gigging guitar and i've first dibs on getting it back. Can't wait.

TBH, I've tried a few Gibson 335's and whilst they look and feel great, they just don't feel worth the money to me - though oddly i happily have spent £1500 on a Les Paul which does feel worth it. Perhaps it's because i know a good Epi dot can be soooo good while epiphone les pauls feel further away from a gibson. Not sure. I know what I mean, even if nobody else does!

TommyVercetti · December 2017

p.s. does it have to be a semi? I've also got a casino (the black and blue trapeze tail gary clark one) that i bought new in the GG sale a couple of years back and it's awesome. Beautiful thing to play, growly gibson p90's, holds tuning well and is really nicely finished and balanced. Oddly, much nicer than the 2015 sunburst casino i had for a short while.

Van_Hayden · December 2017

@shaunm it sounded pretty fine when we’d finished didn’t it?!

The frets weren’t great but a quick stone sorted them out, but of work on fretting & nut makes the world of difference.

Great guitar for £600!

Dodge · December 2017

Ibanez Artcore are good for much under your budget - you'll need the spare to change the pickups though. I've had two AFS75T, and I still have one with Ash's Cow Trons installed and it's great fun.

rossi · December 2017

mark123 said:

over the years ive had a italia semi (canny) ,hohner se35 semi (canny), thommann semi 335(crap),epiphone Sheraton x3( heavy and cumbersome headstock and too much going on inlays headstock ets) ,
and I am now left with 2 cherry epiphone dots
,the value of these is outstanding ,the Sheratons were too blingy for me and the headstock was huge ,the dot is perfect and looks class with the pickguard off ,get one off e bay for £220 easy ,Budget for a £80 set of tonerider or irongears and there you go still a lot cheaper than a Sheraton (before mods) or any other ,check out the video of how versatile it is and that's with stock pick ups !
I put Tonerider Rocksongs in my Dot block SE and they were great .i would have kept it forever but I need light guitars especially if it needs a hard case .,but I am very old .I also find Dots/335 etc a bit large.

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Semi-Hollow On A Budget?

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