335's and similar - what's the value buy?

Gorgeous guitar

 

One thing to be aware of on the Eastmans is they have a wider nut and string spacing. Not necessarily a bad thing, but might be to some.

 

Been loving my Ibanez AS73. You can't beat them for the price.

 

Out of left field maybe.

I want through all manner of Gibson and Heritage 335 style and fell quickly in and out of love with them.

On a lark I tried a vintage Harmony Rocket and blammo, I was done. Exactly what I wanted. Something about that big body and short scale is perfect.

The ones with a truss rod tend to be well made. Beautiful, vintage nitro finishes too. And even though they are full hollow, they seek to be resistant to runaway feedback at
Volume. Though musical feedback is there. Mustache foil pickups are amaze balls.

From what I’ve read the ones with no truss rod are more hit-or-miss.

I got mine nearly mint for $600 from GC with return policy.

 

I have a '67 H73 which is basically a bolt on 335 shape 12 string. It's a really cool guitar, built to a pretty similar standard as Gretsch in the late 60s. I do find them a bit willfully quirky and I prefer the budget Gibson stuff of the era over the better Harmonys for build and playability but they have bags of character and they 12 string gets used a heck of a lot when I'm recording.

 

For modest money, I would snap one of these up for $799 and never look back. Awesome build quality, playability, and tone - priced right! 15" bout is 1" narrower than a 335, which is a good thing in my view.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...ss-champagne-with-stairstep-trapeze-tailpiece

 

a dot studio and a sheridan here love em both

 

The 339 Casino Coupe by Epiphone has come close to being purchased by me on a number of occasions.
I prefer the smaller body of the 339, but even the 335 has some charms for me. Oh, both available in turquoise too.
The P90 pickups work very well. Wait until things approach normality with regard to getting out and about and treat yourself to a release present of guitar shopping.

 

I’ll second all those that said that Epis are the obvious choice. Very good guitars, and also pretty easy to upgrade to “great!” status. If you’re curious about thinlines generally, allow yourself a comparison between
- 335-ish guitars with humbuckers (Dot)
- Sheratons as originally designed by Epi (frequensator, minis)
- 330/Casino … fully hollow & P90s

There are similarities in feel, but also wide differences and they’re all great guitar designs. I did that, picked a Casino, and am very happy with it.

Beyond Epi, there’s a ton of great builders making guitars in that style… Guild, D’Angelico, Yamaha, Ibanez. Not to mention (for a different style of thin hollow or semi-hollow, and a different musical direction) Gretsch Electromatics.

All equally good choices, I guess it’s just a matter of what you like the most. Take your time and enjoy trying out a few!

 

335's and similar - what's the value buy?

Okay. This topic has piqued my interest in another 335 styled guitar. I see that the Ibanez line now has a few models that are made in Korea and Indonesia. I have a couple if Indonesian Squires that are very nice guitars. Anyone know about these 2020 offerings from Ibanez?

 

The Larry Carlton model made by Sire. I doubt he puts his name on anything that isn't right on the money. Look up "Andertons Larry Carlton guitars" on Youtube.

 

Yes, I saw those on a couple of European web sites. Interesting looking guitar. It appears they are unavailable here in the USA.

 

I noticed nobody mentioned the Gretsch Electromatics or Streamliners? I’ve been jonesing for something orange with a Bigsby

 

I think that is a Eastman T186mx in the video. Which is a wonderful instrument, but it has a fully hollow body. The OP asked about good values in the world of 335 clones -- that would be the T486 in Eastman's lineup.

Many of the models mentioned in this thread are fine and worthy guitars. But I throw my weight behind Eastman for overall value. The T486 approaches real ES 335 mojo in every way, but at about one third the cost (used T486s can be found under $1,000).

Eastman has an even cheaper T386 which has outstanding build quality -- but its pickups are similar in quality to Epiphone/Ibanez mid-range offerings. Those aren't bad, but the T486 has Seymour Duncan humbuckers, and you can definitely hear the difference.

If there is one thing I would suggest it is try to afford a guitar with better pickups. Spend time researching pickups. Especially if you play with less distortion, you really will be glad you did.

 

Correct it's a T186mx. I tried a 486 and it was excellent, but somehow it didn't have that 335 vibe that screams "buy me" every time I see one. Not saying it's not a stellar guitar, just that I found it different to a 335. I wanted to try a 386, I prefer its Dot neck and I've heard that their pickups are nothing to be sneezed at, but there were none in Sydney. I'm still holding out for a 335, an selling a guitar to find this, but I will most probably end up with a Japanese Tokai.

I realise my suggestions were probably above the budget end of the scale. I'm liking the Epi 339 i recently acquired.

 

Chinese Ibanez guitars are very nice, much better than made in China Squiers and Epiphones. It's what got me into Chinese guitars, didn't care for them before.

I don't know where the current models are made, but the used Chinese ones are definitely worth it. Some of the new lower end Ibanez models seem to cut corners (goofy looking f-holes, less pots, satin finishes).