SurrealMcCoyJazz Posted September 24, 2003 Share Posted September 24, 2003 I know this subject gets "beaten-to-death".......however......as an aspiring guitarist......I want to add a 335 copy to my collection. Is there a decent Korean made instrument available (Hamer,Epi,etc.)? Or do I need to set my sights (price) a little higher? (Hofner,Heritage, etc.)? Thanks for any opinions........ Surreal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted September 25, 2003 Share Posted September 25, 2003 from what i gather the epi 335 dot is nice. but i can't vouch for how accurate the tone is. there is also the epi elite series that are very nice. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revolead Posted September 25, 2003 Share Posted September 25, 2003 Hamer has a great reputation with their Monaco series, but they're not going to save you very much money anyway. I think there slightly cheaper, but the Epiphone Elite series seems to be the best choice for sub-1000 dollar ES-335 knockoff. Shut up and play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddynl Posted September 25, 2003 Share Posted September 25, 2003 I would recommand to look for a used Guild Starfire IV. (between 900- 1100 us dollars used) And it is not exactly a copy, its better as a 335.. (I own both ) gigging favorites at the moment LP Special order 1973 and PRS custom 24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc taz Posted September 25, 2003 Share Posted September 25, 2003 The Samick Royales are very good semi hollows for the price. My pop owns a Royalle RL 2. Though the wood isn't what you'd normally associate with a 335, the build quality and the sound will surprise you. You may have to go through several to find a good one, but they're worth it. There are also higher end versions available, with one using the same wood as a 335, and Seymour Duncan pickups. sevenstring.org profile my flickr page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitefang Posted September 25, 2003 Share Posted September 25, 2003 Hagstrom's VikingII WAS about the best, but good luck finding one. The Epiphone Dot is real popular in that design vein. Washburn and Guild make some 335 type honeys as well. Whitefang I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael saulnier Posted September 25, 2003 Share Posted September 25, 2003 I looked at and played a lot of these type guitars when I purchased one about two years ago... On the day I bought, of the guitars I played and listened to... a Hamer EchoTone, Korean made import won the day... I would have bought a Gibson ES-335 that day if it had been the "winner"... but for me it wasn't. It was nicely made, played and sounded great, and I later found out it was solid wood, vs the laminated wood used by Gibson 335's... There seems to be to be at least three "tiers"... First are the sub $500 imports. Hamer, Epiphone, Fender, Ibanez, Cort and others make products worth considering... Generally quality varies, and it's certainly worth trying several to find "the one"... The next "tier" is the $500 - $1,000 or so range. There are a number of players here... Epi Elites, Low end Gibson's, Heritage, and others fit in here. I have a Gibson ES-135 that's very much the jazz box AND rocker... with '57 pickups... for under a grand. Again, some of these are better made than others, so play several and pick... The next tier is the $1,500 and up tier... Gibson ES-335's, high end Heritage, several custom makers... really the sky's the limit here. Used 335's would be in this group as well... The way I finally picked was to play a bunch of them, and once I had narrowed them by sound and feel, I did a "blind" test... having someone else play them with my back turned, focusing only on the sound... not the label or the price... Luckily for me... the modestly priced Hamer WON! guitplayer I'm still "guitplayer"! Check out my music if you like... http://www.michaelsaulnier.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SurrealMcCoyJazz Posted September 25, 2003 Author Share Posted September 25, 2003 Originally posted by Dr. Taz: The Samick Royales are very good semi hollows for the price. My pop owns a Royalle RL 2. Though the wood isn't what you'd normally associate with a 335, the build quality and the sound will surprise you. You may have to go through several to find a good one, but they're worth it. There are also higher end versions available, with one using the same wood as a 335, and Seymour Duncan pickups.I have a Samick LaSalle JZ4 archtop (quilted maple butterscotch)........I'm very satisfied with this Jazz box! Surreal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SurrealMcCoyJazz Posted September 25, 2003 Author Share Posted September 25, 2003 Originally posted by guitplayer: I looked at and played a lot of these type guitars when I purchased one about two years ago... On the day I bought, of the guitars I played and listened to... a Hamer EchoTone, Korean made import won the day... I would have bought a Gibson ES-335 that day if it had been the "winner"... but for me it wasn't. It was nicely made, played and sounded great, and I later found out it was solid wood, vs the laminated wood used by Gibson 335's... There seems to be to be at least three "tiers"... First are the sub $500 imports. Hamer, Epiphone, Fender, Ibanez, Cort and others make products worth considering... Generally quality varies, and it's certainly worth trying several to find "the one"... The next "tier" is the $500 - $1,000 or so range. There are a number of players here... Epi Elites, Low end Gibson's, Heritage, and others fit in here. I have a Gibson ES-135 that's very much the jazz box AND rocker... with '57 pickups... for under a grand. Again, some of these are better made than others, so play several and pick... The next tier is the $1,500 and up tier... Gibson ES-335's, high end Heritage, several custom makers... really the sky's the limit here. Used 335's would be in this group as well... The way I finally picked was to play a bunch of them, and once I had narrowed them by sound and feel, I did a "blind" test... having someone else play them with my back turned, focusing only on the sound... not the label or the price... Luckily for me... the modestly priced Hamer WON! guitplayerHey guitplayer....... Thanks for your very concise post....... I'm very curious........what attracted you to the Hamer over the Gibson aside from the wood? I've heard alot of positive comments re: the Echotone........I know I like the price! I actually played an Ibanez Artcore (75G) that played very well for an under $300 Chinese guitar! The same thing occured with a Jay Turser instrument also...... On the other hand.......I played a beautiful Gibson ES-335 that I really didn't care for..... Surreal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corner Pocket Posted September 25, 2003 Share Posted September 25, 2003 Tokai makes a mean 335 Here's one for sale, (and I don't work for any music store): http://www.songbirdmusic.com/torasp/odetail.asp?id=7343 Paul Peace, Paul ---------------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meek20 Posted September 25, 2003 Share Posted September 25, 2003 That Tokai 335 copy looks well-made. I'd be interested in hearing about its tone quality compared to the real thing. Has anyone tried one of these? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBBPaul Posted September 25, 2003 Share Posted September 25, 2003 I'll second the Hamer Echotone. I stumbled across one in a Music Go Round and bought it on total impulse. It is a really nice guitar for the money with great tones. Our new and improved website Today's sample tune: Lonesome One Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darklava Posted September 25, 2003 Share Posted September 25, 2003 Gibson makes a faded one for 1100.00 played one at guitar center nice guitar.! If you get it,remeber 57's for Christmas!! The story of life is quicker then the blink of an eye, the story of love is hello, goodbye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darklava Posted September 25, 2003 Share Posted September 25, 2003 Originally posted by DARKLAVA: Gibson makes a faded one for 1100.00 played one at guitar center nice guitar.! If you get it,remeber 57's for Christmas!! The story of life is quicker then the blink of an eye, the story of love is hello, goodbye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SurrealMcCoyJazz Posted September 26, 2003 Author Share Posted September 26, 2003 Anyone play a Dillion 335 copy? Surreal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc taz Posted September 26, 2003 Share Posted September 26, 2003 See this review from Harmony Central. sevenstring.org profile my flickr page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SurrealMcCoyJazz Posted September 26, 2003 Author Share Posted September 26, 2003 Originally posted by Dr. Taz: See this review from Harmony Central. Thanks Dr. Taz Surreal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SurrealMcCoyJazz Posted October 3, 2003 Author Share Posted October 3, 2003 Originally posted by guitarzan: from what i gather the epi 335 dot is nice. but i can't vouch for how accurate the tone is. there is also the epi elite series that are very nice. Anyone have opinions on the "Elite" Dot series? Surreal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael saulnier Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 I had a few minutes to play one recently and I was impressed. It was certainly well made, and played and sounded great. Because the price is in the $1,000+ range, before I bought one, I would research the other guitars in this price range including Heritage... I'd also consider what "more" I'm getting than my EchoTone, or a regular Dot Epi, Ibanez Artcore, and others. I'd also look closely at the Gibson ES-135's... around the same price... guitplayer I'm still "guitplayer"! Check out my music if you like... http://www.michaelsaulnier.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Gug Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 Dr. Taz wrote: The Samick Royales are very good semi hollows for the price. My pop owns a Royalle RL 2. Though the wood isn't what you'd normally associate with a 335, the build quality and the sound will surprise you. You may have to go through several to find a good one, but they're worth it. There are also higher end versions available, with one using the same wood as a 335, and Seymour Duncan pickups. I COMPLETELY agree. I have an RL-2. Do NOT overlook this guitar. The sustain is great and the tone is fantastic. I would buy another in a minute if it was stolen. It does a smooth jazz and it'll rock your socks off too. I see how cheap they are on e-Bay, and I just shake my head. The quality of guitar you can get for so little money these days is astounding! Duncan Design PU are great. Based on this experience, I am actively seeking Samick's UM3 (PRS copy). They're hard to come by. My local dealer can't get one. He's a putz anyway. BTW, The RL-2's sound is the only guitar that my wife has commented on, in a positive manner, unsolicited. She couldn't care less about guitars. Don't be put off by the price. Mikegug www.facebook.com/theresistancemusic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SurrealMcCoyJazz Posted October 3, 2003 Author Share Posted October 3, 2003 Originally posted by Mike Gug: Dr. Taz wrote: The Samick Royales are very good semi hollows for the price. My pop owns a Royalle RL 2. Though the wood isn't what you'd normally associate with a 335, the build quality and the sound will surprise you. You may have to go through several to find a good one, but they're worth it. There are also higher end versions available, with one using the same wood as a 335, and Seymour Duncan pickups. I COMPLETELY agree. I have an RL-2. Do NOT overlook this guitar. The sustain is great and the tone is fantastic. I would buy another in a minute if it was stolen. It does a smooth jazz and it'll rock your socks off too. I see how cheap they are on e-Bay, and I just shake my head. The quality of guitar you can get for so little money these days is astounding! Duncan Design PU are great. Based on this experience, I am actively seeking Samick's UM3 (PRS copy). They're hard to come by. My local dealer can't get one. He's a putz anyway. BTW, The RL-2's sound is the only guitar that my wife has commented on, in a positive manner, unsolicited. She couldn't care less about guitars. Don't be put off by the price.When I bought my Samick La Salle JZ4 archtop hollowbody.......I played a RL-3.......just didn't care for the way it played.......it was sure pretty though... Surreal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tld Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 A bit OT...but something of interest... Recenty my father found something interesting in his old files...the receipt from the first quality guitar that I ever owned, which he bought for me in 1967 from a store in NYC that was going out of business. A brand new tobacco sunburst Gibson ES335TD with the case, for a whopping total of $265. When it was stolen from my appartment in 1979 it was still in mint condition. Ouch. Tom http://www.digitalaudiorock.com The Protools Plugin Preset Co-op Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SurrealMcCoyJazz Posted October 3, 2003 Author Share Posted October 3, 2003 Originally posted by tld: A bit OT...but something of interest... Recenty my father found something interesting in his old files...the receipt from the first quality guitar that I ever owned, which he bought for me in 1967 from a store in NYC that was going out of business. A brand new tobacco sunburst Gibson ES335TD with the case, for a whopping total of $265. When it was stolen from my appartment in 1979 it was still in mint condition. Ouch. TomThat had to hurt...... also ot: back in the early 70's, my dad bought me a brand new Gibson Les Paul Deluxe (goldtop) w/case for $250.........like an idiot.......I traded it in to a San Francisco music store on a pair of Kustom cube speaker cabs.........I was a dumb kid ! Surreal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trick fall Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 I love my Korean Tokai 335. Plays great, stays in tune and the pickups are mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funk Jazz Posted October 7, 2003 Share Posted October 7, 2003 i grabbed a Hamer Echotone with a maple top for around $600, threw in a seymour duncan JB bucker in the bridge and seymour Jazz in the neck. it blows away gibsons going for twice as much. i've used on blues, jazz, and cover band gigs with no complaints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.