| Epiphone ES-335 Figured |
| The Specs |
Year: 2024
Builder: Epiphone
Series: Inspired by Gibson
Model: ES-335 Figured
Color: Cherry
Hardware Finish: Nickel
Serial Number: 24011512887
Top: Laminated AAA Flamed Maple
Body: Laminated AAA Flamed Maple
Body Type: Semi-hollowbody
Body Finish: Gloss
Body Binding: Cream
Cutaway: Double
Pickguard: 5-Ply Black
Bridge: LockTone Tune-O-Matic
Tailpiece: LockTone Stopbar
Fretboard: Indian Laurel
Fretboard Binding: Cream
Fretboard Inlay: Acrylic Dots
Neck: Mahogany
Neck Profile: Rounded C
Neck Finish: Gloss
Nut: Graph Tech
Headstock: Epiphone IG
Headstock Binding: None
Headstock Logo: Pearl Epiphone Logo
Headstock Inlay: Pearl Crown
Tuners: Gibson Deluxe
Neck Pickup: Gibson 57 Classic
Bridge Pickup: Gibson 57 Classic
Pickup Switching: 3-Way
Control Knobs: Black Top Hat
Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone
Case: Epiphone EpiLite case
Body Size/Shape: ES-335
Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo
Frets to Body: 19
Fretboard Radius: 12"
Scale Length: 24.724"
Nut Width: 1.693"
Body Width: 16"
Body Depth: 1.75"
Strings: D'Addario Chromes ECG25 (12-52)
I love 335-style guitars, so when I had an opportunity to acquire this Epiphone in a trade, I couldn't pass it up. This particular model is an ES-335 Figured with a beautiful flamed maple body. It was a special edition available exclusively through
Guitar Center and
Musician's Friend that includes a few upgrades over the standard ES-335 Figured model.
The biggest upgrades are the Gibson USA pickups. On the Guitar Center and Musician's Friend websites, the specs identify them as T-Type pickups (which would be the same pickups that are in my Gibson ES-335), but I was
able to verify that they're actually Gibson 57 Classics—which are some of my favorite humbuckers.
Another significant upgrade is the tuners. The specs state that the guitar should have Epiphone Deluxe tuners, but the original owner installed Gibson Deluxe tuners—which presumably give the guitar additional tuning stability. Plus, they look really nice!
The fretboard is listed as Indian laurel, but the one on mine looks a lot like rosewood, since it's a bit darker than most of the laurel fretboards I've seen. It could just be a really nice-looking laurel, though. One other change on this model is the fretboard inlays—it has dots instead of the small blocks that are on the standard ES-335 Figured.
The Epiphone gives me the luxury of having a 335 that I can set up with different strings than my Gibson (if I want to have flatwounds on one, for example), and also allows me to do an extended comparison between the two guitars. I already felt that the Epiphone 335 was a great alternative to avoid the premium cost of the Gibson, and the 57 Classics in this one brings it even closer to the "real" thing. At some point I'll have to do some blindfold tests to see just how close they really are.
