Epiphone DOT

[Seeker of Rock]

I have bad-mouthed Epi's sometimes based on my experience with them. I take some of it back.

I recently sold a 1965 original Harmony Rocket nice condition (and I'd had it since '85/86 or so) to make room for a new "on-the-fly" practice guitar. So I saw this GC flame sunburst version of the Epiphone dot used online at GC (335 wannabe of course) and thought it would be fun to have around.

The Epiphones, at least the dot, are not the shitty, weak-pickup tones I remember playing a few years back. I recently purchase an Epiphone dot, and this thing really sounds great. And not "great for $300," great period.

I have other guitars in my rig to compare it to, including: an '87 Jackson Custom Soloist with J-1200 pickup system, a '98 Gibson LP std., an '02 American Strat. The dot is made in China, the knobs and pots are shit, the finish is great from a distance, and I've no doubt it is made of ply maple and not solid. But I will give it this: the tone is and dynamics are really good. I've been playing it in a band situation to break it in, and no complaints on the sound, just the pots. The tone is really decent.

Is it a 335? No. Awesome tone for gigging and recording? Abso-frickin'-lutely.

Here's a pic taken a few weeks ago in my studio.

 

[teknomike]

For some reason, the tailpiece looks crooked. Maybe it's just the angle of the photo, but something looks off. However, if you like it, and it plays well, who cares. I'd like one too (although, I am not a sunburst guy, I'd prefer a solid colour). Enjoy!

 

[mjbphotos]

Disparaging any brand because of the name should be avoided, there could always be a gemstone hiding in the pile of rubble.
Epiphones can be good or bad.

I just got this Dot Studio on Ebay for under $140. I'm liking the sound when the volume is kept under 2/3 - warm and very useable. My first semi-hollow body! Of course, I've got to do some setup on it, the previous owner never did, so the action has to be raised a bit to get rid of some buzzing (it's way too low anyway), and got to set the bridge intonation on a couple of strings.

 

[Lt. Bob]

pretty much any brand of guitar has good and bad.

I have 3 Epis ........ meh, they're just a tool. I like 'em as much as anything else I have depending on my mood.

 

[Seeker of Rock]

For some reason, the tailpiece looks crooked. Maybe it's just the angle of the photo, but something looks off. However, if you like it, and it plays well, who cares. I'd like one too (although, I am not a sunburst guy, I'd prefer a solid colour). Enjoy!

It's either the bridge offset (high string side is set closer to the first pickup)or the angled light reflection on the tail you're seeing. I chose this one for the GC special flametop finish to get away from my solid color guitars. Pretty decent finish for a $288 guitar, except if you look closely at the f-hole, you'll see the black used to paint the sides of it bleed through a little onto the top. The 8 year-old kid who did it was probably tired and got sloppy with it.

I just got this Dot Studio on Ebay for under $140. I'm liking the sound when the volume is kept under 2/3 - warm and very useable. My first semi-hollow body! Of course, I've got to do some setup on it, the previous owner never did, so the action has to be raised a bit to get rid of some buzzing (it's way too low anyway), and got to set the bridge intonation on a couple of strings.

Great price! The reason I've knocked Epiphones in the past is because they played, sounded and were constructed like shit. The materials are still cheap on this thing, but the sound is awesome, and that's what really impresses me about the Epis of today. And the flame finish in this price range.

pretty much any brand of guitar has good and bad.

I have 3 Epis ........ meh, they're just a tool. I like 'em as much as anything else I have depending on my mood.

The dot is definitely one of the good they are putting out, soundwise, anyway. What Epis do you have, Steve?

 

[Lt. Bob]

What Epis do you have, Steve?

I've got two Firebird V's ... both of them gifts from wifey.

And I have a Zack Wilde paul ........ also a gift from wifey.

The Zack Wilde is a full fledged paul in every way ...... quality is high and it sounds and plays great. I have a friend with a very valuable old Les Paul Custom in white and he says mine feels exactly like his.
The Firebirds are aight. Not the level of the Zack Wilde but decent gits.

One thing on Epis is the jacks, pots and strap buttons always seem to get loose. Yours will too eventually even if they haven't yet. An easy fix .... tighten them and stick a little loc-tite or glue in there.
Also the internal electronic components are cheapies but who cares? If it sounds good it sounds good. Some people obsess over such things far too much.
If you ever have problems with them you just replace 'em with better stuff ...... no biggie AFAIC.

 

[Seeker of Rock]

Also the internal electronic components are cheapies but who cares?

Yeah, I discovered that right off. Not even close to my Gibson's electronics. But they're useable, and I can't complain for the price. Overall, definitely one of the "best buys" out there.

Hey, did you ever break out your Ibanez UE400 from the garage storage?

 

[Lt. Bob]

Yeah, I discovered that right off. Not even close to my Gibson's electronics. But they're useable, and I can't complain for the price. Overall, definitely one of the "best buys" out there.

Hey, did you ever break out your Ibanez UE400 from the garage storage?

not yet. I'll probably get around to it this week. It's in one of my many boxes of electronics I no longer use so it'll take a garage-cleaning to find it.
Can't really imagine what I'll do with it though.

As far as the quality of electronics components goes ..... they're there to perform a function. As long as they work it really isn't important to me. I don't sit and look at my git's insides.
Hell, I opened up a friends Fender Blues Junior to help him fix it and avoid a trip to the shop and you wouldn't believe the cheesy pots they had in that thing.
Little square pieces of shit smaller than a dime. Good grief!

 

[Seeker of Rock]

Can't really imagine what I'll do with it though.

Give it a revival performance at one of your gigs and see how it compares to other stuff you've got or had. And post here about your findings.

 

[mjbphotos]

The Dot Studio is mahogany laminate body, maple neck with Rosewood fingerboard.

Wonder how easy it would be (or practical) to put a Bigsby on it?

 

[Lt. Bob]

Give it a revival performance at one of your gigs and see how it compares to other stuff you've got or had. And post here about your findings.

sounds like fun.
I've been going thru a spell where I'm using ALL of my amps. A different one every night. And I got my pedal board set up with an easily changed spot for 'guest' pedals so that'd fit right in with my current mentality.

 

[Seeker of Rock]

sounds like fun.
I've been going thru a spell where I'm using ALL of my amps. A different one every night. And I got my pedal board set up with an easily changed spot for 'guest' pedals so that'd fit right in with my current mentality.

That's cool. I want you to break out that Ibanez unit so I can hear how it stacks up against your other stuff. I haven't read up too much, but it seems like your rack unit would have the same circuitry as the pedals it emulates, kind of like this UE300 thing I bought, and if that's the case, you've got a coveted analog delay in there, as well as a vintage tubescreamer, among other very decent effects. Break it out, man!

 

[Lt. Bob]

I was told that the distortion circuit in it was an 808. But I already have an 808.

I seem to remember I liked the compressor in it which I usually don't like.
I don't remember much else about it since it's been a while.

 

[JCH]

My Dot Studio. I swapped the pickups with some PAF replicas, changed the hardware to chrome, added a pick guard, and polished the matte finish. It's not a 335, but it suits me fine.

 

[mjbphotos]

Hey John - how did you polish the finish - what product did you use?

 

[JCH]

Hey John - how did you polish the finish - what product did you use?

I wet sanded it with 1500, then machine polished it with automotive polishing compound. It turned out nice, better than the picture illustrates. I did the same thing to an Epi Les Paul Studio with the cherry finish. The original finish isn't very attractive. Both guitars looked much better afterwards. These are demo guitars for my pickups.

 

[Seeker of Rock]

My Dot Studio. I swapped the pickups with some PAF replicas, changed the hardware to chrome, added a pick guard, and polished the matte finish. It's not a 335, but it suits me fine.

Nice work! Is that amp a Super Reverb tranny in a 2x12 cab?

 

[JCH]

Nice work! Is that amp a Super Reverb tranny in a 2x12 cab?

Thanks Man! You can check out the amp here.

 

[Seeker of Rock]

Thanks Man! You can check out the amp here.

Nice! That is a hell of a project you took on with sweet results.