The Gibson ES-335 is without a doubt the quintessential semi hollow guitar. Its biggest problem? The price. Plane on the used market, these Gibsons hold their value like nothing else, and trademark new, youre looking at a minimum of $3000.
Being worldly-wise to spend $3000 or increasingly on a single guitar puts a player in some rarified company, but as with any popular guitar design, there are tons of tributes, and plane some licensed copies of the original ES-335 on the market.
If youd love a Gibson ES-335, but perhaps cant quite stretch to the lofty price tag, weve prepared a roundup of the 7 weightier alternatives misogynist today in this KillerGuitarRigs Review. They all share similar styling with the Gibson, and we evaluated each versus the same metrics price, build quality, playability, and tone.
Anybody wanting to know which is the weightier Gibson ES-335 alternative will definitely want to alimony on reading.
Our Top 3 Picks for Weightier Gibson ES-335 Alternatives
Our top pick in this roundup was the Epiphone Riviera. The Riviera was Epiphones take on the ES-335 surpassing the Gibson Merger, and as such was unchangingly a logical alternative. Its beautifully made, and perfectly blends price and performance.
If youre trying to get a unconfined ES-335 volitional without spending too much, our best value choice, the Eart E-355 is scrutinizingly a cult classic. Its very heavily inspired by the Gibson original, and offers some of the weightier fretwork youll find on any guitar in this price range.
In the event that youre working with a worthier budget, and youre still looking for something just a little variegated to a Gibson ES-335, our Editors Choice, the Gibson ES-339 offers the kind of upper end performance youre after.
Best Gibson ES-335 Alternatives – Individual Reviews
The original volitional to the Gibson ES-335.
This is a truly wonderful volitional to the ES-335. It offers some unique diamond cues that distinguish it from replicas and copies, and at the same time, sticks to the same formula that has made the Gibson such a success for so many decades. It gets upper end hardware, fantastic build quality, and timeless styling.
The Epiphone Riviera was launched in 1958 as a direct competitor to the ES-335, which was coincidentally launched in the same year. Its been a perpetual favorite of some of the worlds most influential guitarists, and for good reason.
It was made with a maple top, when and sides, and came to us in a stunning Royal Tan finish, which is quite similar to a honey sunburst. It had traditional F holes uplifting the top, providing superb projection and a archetype look.
As youd expect from a guitar of this style, it came with a set mahogany neck, and unusually for a modern Epiphone, it had a rounded C profile, which is a throw-away from the SlimTaper D found on most of their models. It was chunkier than were used to from Epiphones, but it really nailed the vintage feel. The fretboard was Indian laurel, and it came bound, with parallelogram inlay, and excellent fretwork.
The pickups were Epiphone PRO mini humbuckers, and they were some of the coolest weve heard on any Epi. The neck pickup was razor sharp without overly coming wideness harsh, and with the tone rolled when it was super sweet. In the middle position, the Riviera is much brighter than the ES-335, as is the underpass pickup. By working the volume and tone knobs, we got some unconfined sounds from this guitar it was truly very versatile.
The hardware moreover helped it to stand out on its own. It had a Frequensator tailpiece, which significantly extends the 3 toned side strings, giving them much less tension and slightly increased sustain. It had Epiphone Deluxe style tuners which performed exceptionally, and the tune-o-matic underpass delivered superb intonation.
Verdict: The Epiphone Riviera is one of the archetype semi hollow designs, and makes a fantastic volitional to the ES-335. It has a style all of its own, while still looking similar, and of course, it has a huge pursuit amongst pros and amateurs alike. It offers superb vintage tone, with modern playability, and weightier of all, its still affordable for most players.
Pros:
- Extremely similar dimensions to the Gibson
- Awesome mini humbuckers
- Gorgeous finish
Cons:
- Some may find the neck too thick
- Frequensator tailpiece is highly sylized
One of the weightier playing semi hollow guitars under $1000.
This ES style guitar has wilt internet famous for its incredible fretwork and superb playability. Considering the low price, it offers spanking-new build quality and sustentation to detail, and it really nails the semi hollow tone made famous by the Gibson ES-335.
The Eart E-355 gained notoriety on YouTube with a slew of positive printing from some upper profile vloggers, and since then its been one of the most popular semi hollow 335 style guitars on the market.
The soul was all mahogany, and had a archetype Sunburst finish. The clearcoat was a very thin matte type, and unliable the grain of the wood to be properly seen, and plane felt. It wasnt exactly luxurious, but it was still extremely well finished.
It had a roasted maple neck and a rosewood fretboard, both stuff highly desirable woods in guitar building. The neck was fairly slim, and had a flattened D profile, which we found to be extremely comfortable, and very forgiving, plane during longer sessions.
The fretwork is one of the biggest selling points of this Eart. It came with stainless steel wire, polished to a mirror finish with perfect edges. Considering the price point, it was veritably incredible, and really sets the bar for what can be workaday with a upkeep instrument.
The electronics were quite basic, but still provided some quality tones. It was warm, full, and very nicely balanced, with good cleans, and still was worldly-wise to get lanugo and dirty when pushed hard. Surprisingly, it had full size pots, which delivered a nice sweep with no noticeable waif off, something that tends to plague cheaper guitars.
Tuning gear was all unbranded and quite plain, but regardless, it delivered waddle solid stability, and easy fine tuning. The rest of the hardware was all good quality, too, and didnt have the unseemly pot metal finger that we so often find on non-mainstream trademark instruments in this price range.
Verdict: The Eart E-355 delivered in every way we asked. It served up the archetype ES-335 tones, it offered incredible playability and comfort, and it really looked great. The fretwork was insane, and scrutinizingly justifies the purchase all on its own.
Pros:
- Incredible value for money
- Stainless steel frets
- Great tones
Cons:
- Little known brand
- Limited finish options
A nonflexible rocking icon designed to suit players of all genres.
If you’re looking for a upper end flagship guitar, you really can’t go wrong with this Gibson. Like the ES-335, it’s a legend in its own right, with incredible looks, massive tone, and surprising versatility all coming in its stride. This is not a unseemly guitar by any means, but it’s one that few would oppose isn’t worth every penny.
The Gibson ES-339 is the guitar that immediately sprang to mind when we were thinking of upper end altenatives to the ES-335. Its the ideal alternative for those who love the looks and tones of the ES-335, but who might be looking for something a little smaller.
We received a figured model in Blueberry Burst to test for this roundup, and it was an firsthand hit with the KGR hairdo Its very variegated looking, and really helps to modernize what is a pretty archetype style. As youd expect, it had a lovely nitro finish, and the paint work was impeccable from every angle.
It featured a 3 ply maple and poplar laminate for the soul construction, which kept the weight down, while still providing the projection and splendor maple is famed for.
The neck was mahogany, and felt simply fantastic. The rounded C profile was fast, comfortable, and the finish was incredible. We dont unchangingly like to speak in superlatives, but Gibson really knocked this out of the park. We found that the fretwork was superb, too as with most modern Gibsons, it was PLEKd. which left every fret feeling perfect.
As for electronics, it had a pair of 57 Archetype humbuckers, which are as tropical to true vintage PAF pickups as weve found on any guitar. They gave us lovely warm cleans, and got raucous when we pushed nonflexible on an overdriven Mesa Boogie Rectifier model on our Katana Head.
We found that the hardware was unconfined wideness the board, with Grover Rotomatic tuners, a GraphTech nut, and a upper end tune-o-matic underpass all working in harmony to serve up perfect intonation and waddle solid tuning stability.
Verdict: The Gibson ES-339 is truly the king of ES-335 alternatives. Its as tropical as youre going to get, without unquestionably ownership one. It has a slightly smaller soul size, which results in (in our opinion) improved playability over the 335, but without sacrificing any tone or sustain. It looks amazing, and if youre looking for the very weightier this is it right here.
Pros:
- Same quality as the Gibson ES-339
- Comfortable small body
- PLEKd frets
Cons:
- Expensive
- Often sold out
An Art-Deco take on the archetype ES style silhouette.
If you value philosophy as much as tone, you’ll love this model. Taking inspiration from New York’s art deco movement, it blends art and function in a way that few other guitars can manage. It moreover helps that it’s a beautifully made guitar, and plane comes with a nice gig bag.
The DAngelico Premier Mini DC is their entry level semi hollow model, and while it has styling all of its own, its well-spoken to see that the Gibson ES-335 was a big inspiration.
We got the endangerment to test a very sleek looking Black Flake finished example, which had a deep luster, and really sparkled when it unprotected the light. Of course, glittery guitars arent for everybody, but we very much enjoyed it.
The soul was made with laminated spruce, which really unsalaried to the sensory performance and sustain. It had a C profile maple neck, which delivered unexceptionable and snappy performance, and topping off the neck was an ovangkol fretboard, which was for us, the most disappointing part of the guitar. Instead of looking deep and dark, it looked quite grey and washed out.
The fretwork was, on the other hand, thankfully very well done. The edges were well finished, and the crowns were properly leveled and nicely polished, too.
We found that the pickups were the most outstanding full-length of this guitar. It was loaded with a pair of Seymour Duncan designed humbuckers. They had a vintage style with unconfined clarity, and still managed to unhook some heavy hitting waddle tones, too. They were quite similar in tone to the 57 classics on the 339, but werent quite as well-balanced when playing with the tone rolled back.
Another superstitious full-length on the Premier Mini DC was the hardware. It came with custom Grover Rotomatics with the stairstep art deco style keys. They really widow to the look, and stuff Grovers, they performed exceedingly well.
Verdict: The DAngelico Premier Mini DC was tons of fun to play. We enjoyed putting it through its paces wideness variegated genres, and had it not been for the unrewarding fretboard, it would have been in contention for top pick. Despite that, its still a unconfined performer, and if youre willing to put the work in to refreshing the wood, this is going to be a unconfined nomination as an ES-335 alternative.
Pros:
- Classic styling
- All spruce body
- Custom Grover tuners
Cons:
- Pickups prone to losing composure
- Washed out fretboard
A unconfined looking and light weight guitar with archetype tones.
With this fantastic Guild semi hollow guitar, you’re getting a very traditional instrument that still delivers a modern range of tones. It comes from a trademark with a unconfined history of making quality guitars, and it has a number of fantastic touches that really help it to stand out.
The Guild Starfire I DC is a swish looking double cut semi hollow with a gorgeous wily top and back. Its an amazingly affordable model considering the specs, and certainly lives up to the trademark pedigree.
The arched soul was made from mahogany, which really lent itself well to the semi hollow soul style. It had a really lulu grain that showed nicely through the translucent Cherry Red finish, and the off white tightness veritably popped.
It had a vintage soft U profile on its mahogany neck, which honestly slowed lanugo play a little. Vintage U shapes arent unchangingly the most forgiving, so if youve never played one before, and thick necks arent your thing, perhaps trammels out something with a D or C profile instead.
We did love that it came with a nice Indian rosewood fretboard. It had a gorgeous deep brown verisimilitude that nicely complimented the Cherry finish. The fretwork was flipside highlight for this Guild; everything was in good order, with a decent polish on the crowns, and well finished edges.
Electronics wise the Starfire was something of a heavyweight performer. Its HB-2 Alnico humbuckers served up tons of PAF style goodness, with a thick warmth, and crazy sustain. They plane had whorl splitting abilities, giving us the option to get some single whorl tones, which sounded super unique in this semi hollow form factor.
The open gear tuners combined throwback looks with modern performance, and we veritably loved them. They performed brilliantly, and just set off the whole stimulating perfectly. We moreover loved the positioning of the pickup selector switch on the treble side horn this kept it well out of the way during spirited play, so there were no willy-nilly or unexpected tone changes.
Verdict: This Guild Starfire I DC had tons of potential, but was overly so slightly let lanugo by the neck. Had it had a increasingly neutral neck profile, it would have been a much largest player, but having said that, if youre a fan of thick necks, youll probably love it. It did unhook some superb tones, and the construction quality was tropical to peerless at this price point.
Pros:
- Excellent trademark heritage
- Awesome unshut gear tuners
- PAF Style pickups
Cons:
- Slow neck
- Single whorl mode was too thin sounding
Excellent value from one of the biggest names in the business.
Not only is this superstitious Gibson ES-335 volitional an affordable choice, but it still offers a huge full-length set, including premium materials, and some unconfined pickups that unhook big on all the tones most players squint for in this style of guitar.
The Ibanez Artcore AS73 is a big step up from their entry level AS53 model, but yet, it still retails at an incredibly reachable price point.
This model comes in a range of unique finishes, with colors not often seen on this style of guitar. Our test model arrived in Olive Metallic, which we unquestionably found to be increasingly of a seafoam untried than an olive hue, but it still looked great. The soul was made with linden, which you might otherwise know as basswood, a unconfined tonewood for warmth and pronounced mids.
If theres one thing Ibanez does uncommonly well, its necks, and this nato neck was no different. It was very slim, making it well-appointed for new players and fast for those with a bit of experience. It had a much nicer finish than the lower end AS53, too. The walnut fretboard looked good, and felt unconfined under the fingers, and the frets had unconfined edges the slight downside was that the crowns felt a little gritty, but of undertow this can be polished out.
The pickups performed well, serving up some wonderful bright cleans with just unbearable warmth to stave any shrill tones, while still remaining clear. With the tone rolled when we got some unconfined blues sounds, and with the right amp settings they growled nicely, handling everything from waddle to metal with ease.
We found tht the hardware was all pretty solid. There were no issues with tuning stability, and the tuning machines themselves made fine tuning a simple affair. The intonation was good, and plane though its on the increasingly affordable end of the scale, nothing well-nigh it felt cheap.
Verdict: If youre looking for a unseemly Gibson ES-335 alternative, and having a guitar from a well known trademark is important to you, the Ibanez Artcore AS73 has got to be one of the weightier options out there. It looks great, offers spanking-new playability, and has a really versatile range of tones thats sure to alimony any player happy.
Pros:
- Great finish options
- Clear pickups
- Excellent tuning stability
Cons:
- Frets felt gritty
- Relatively heavy
Stunning looks and pure feel.
Sometimes the weightier ES-335 volitional is simply an ES-335. This Epiphone offers pure looks and feel, with upper end components, incredible aesthetics, and superb build quality.
The Epiphone ES-335 is well-nigh as tropical to a Gibson ES-335 as it comes for under $1000, without all, it is the only licensed replica on the market.
We got our hands on the Raspberry Tea Splash finish, which is one of the nicest finishes weve seen on any guitar recently. The figuring on the maple top was phenomenal, and the splash transition was veritably seamless.
Just like the Gibson, it had a layered maple body, and a solid maple part-way block, all combining to unhook tons of dial and the same kind of resonance and sustain as youd expect from a quality semi hollow guitar.
The neck had a rounded C profile and was made with mahogany. It was extremely comfortable, although stuff a gloss finished neck, it was prone to a bit of stickiness from time to time. The laurel fretboard was nice, and the fretwork was well finished, just as weve found with scrutinizingly all recent model Epiphones.
It had Epiphone Alnico PRO humbucking pickups, which are powerfully the full size versions of those in the Riviera we tested. They gave us tons of variety in our tone, from well-done cleans, to warm neck tones, and snarling, wrestling lead tones from the underpass position. It had a diverse sound, and we were thoroughly impressed.
As for hardware, it came with the Epiphone Deluxe Kluson style tuners. They performed admirably, holding firm, and offering easy fine tuning. The tune-o-matic underpass was set perfectly, and we found it had a lovely low-mid whoopee and perfect intonation right out of the box.
Verdict: Had it not been for the sticky neck, we think the Epiphone ES-335 would likely have been our top pick. In all other areas, it makes a unconfined volitional to the Gibson, expressly if numismatic restraints are the reason youre looking for an volitional to uncork with. It offers no-go value for money, and comes highly recommended.
Pros:
- Actual licensed reprinting of the Gibson
- Stunning finish
- Great setup from the factory
Cons:
- Sticky gloss neck
- Slight muddiness from the neck pickup
How To Choose The Weightier Gibson ES-335 Volitional For You
Whatever your reason for looking for an alternative to the Gibson ES-335, there are a few key points of consideration to make when shopping for your guitar. If youre not where to start, weve provided a handy guide unelevated that covers everything you need to be looking for.
Pickups
The majority of Gibson ES-335 alternatives will come with humbucking pickups, just like the original. They work extremely well with the semi hollow design, and unhook all the warmth and sustain these guitars are known for, and are moreover capable of handling upper levels of overdrive and distortion.
Some alternatives come with coil splitting pickups, too. This allows players to get both single whorl and humbucking tones from the same set of pickups, literally doubling the tonal variety.
Finally, some ES style guitars come with P90 pickups. P90s are a single whorl diamond invented by Gibson that have drawn their own cult pursuit on worth of their worthiness to play both bright, well-spoken tones, and how hands they rip it up with their snarling overdriven voice.
Construction Materials
The Gibson ES-335 is made with a laminated maple body and a mahogany neck. Its been made this way since the 50s, and has wilt the de facto construction method for this style of guitar. However, other manufacturers are starting to unravel yonder from this and use variegated woods in their guitars construction, including:
Maple
Maple is, of course, the archetype ES-335 soul (and part-way block) towers material. It serves up unexceptionable tones, and considering its a very hard, strong wood, it holds up well to knocks – perfect for a relatively soft-hued semihollow guitar.
Mahogany
When used as a soul wood mahogany delivers a warm, slightly visionless tone that pairs brilliantly with humbucking pickups. Like maple, its a heavier wood, so an all mahogany construction is unlikely to shave off any weight vs a Gibson ES-335.
Linden
Linden is otherwise known as basswood, and is a worldwide tonewood used on Asian made guitars due to its wide availability on the Asian subcontinent. Its light in both verisimilitude and weight, and is a highly affordable wood, making it popular for use in upkeep guitars.
Spruce
Spruce is increasingly widely used in the manufacture of sensory guitars, but when used for semi hollows, you still get a similar bright, snappy response. Its much lighter than maple, making spruce bodied ES-335 alternatives a well-appointed nomination for those who prefer a lighter guitar.
Design
If youre looking for something that looks like a Gibson ES-335, but isnt unquestionably a Gibson ES-335, here are the classic diamond cues you should be looking for:
- A double cut body
- Mouse ear horns
- Standard F holes
- Centerblock construction
- Arch top and back
- Raised pickguard
Final Thoughts on the Weightier Gibson ES-335 Alternatives
The Gibson ES-335 is such an icon that suggesting alternatives often feels like a disservice, however, there are many reasons that a player may want something different, and we think these 7 options covered in the roundup imbricate pretty much all of the bases. We reviewed guitars at all ends of the price scale, from a tuft of unconfined brands.
In summary, our top pick went to the Epiphone Riviera due to its fantastic performance and its reachable price. Our weightier value winner was the Eart E355, thanks in part to its surprisingly premium appointments, and unconfined sonic performance. Finally, our Editors nomination went to what we think is the weightier volitional to the Gibson ES-335 at any price, and thats the Gibson ES-339.
The post 7 Weightier Gibson ES-335 Alternatives (2022) appeared first on Killer Guitar Rigs.
