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Hi, as the title says. Sold some gear and am looking for the closest i can get to ES-335, preferably the 50s-60s specs. So far some of the options ive seen are
- eastman 396/486
- epiphone 335 (ibg)
- yamaha as200
- guild starfire dc
- hagstrom viking
- lawsuit eta guitars such az Greco, Yamaha
welcome to any ideas even if best option is to camp reverb/eBay
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04-19-2026 08:06 AM
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These Vesters are so good I got two.
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I'm hoping someone will say the Sire H7 because I've been eyeballing one of those, but haven't yet had the opportunity to play one.
Last edited by Bob_Ross; 04-20-2026 at 01:04 PM.
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I wouldn't discount the Sheraton. There are several very nice versions.
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or maybe used PRS hollowbody SE....?
Very nice light guitar.
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Heritage has the Ascent Plus H-535
Ascent Collection | Heritage Guitars
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Used Eastman Thinline!
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I have a little story. My second guitar was an Epiphone Sheraton 2 I bought new in 1995, made by Samick.
At the time I didn't know a whole lot about guitars. I knew it was good just because it was simply the best I ever had (not hard, I had been playing on a Hohner ST Lead since my debut in the late 80's)
Anyway I played the hell outta that guitar, played a hundred gigs with it, learned jazz on it.
And I finally sold it to a co-worker in 2007.
I moved far away, forgot about the guitar.. bought a lot since then (Gibson's, Eastman's, Fenders.. )
In 2025 I moved back in my hometown, and reached for my co-worker just to have a chat, a cup of coffee, and talk about guitars.. the Sheraton was in a corner in his guitar room.. well, my Sheraton.
I just picked it up and started noodling on it, for fun.. but.. wait, after a minute.. that guitar kills ?!
I've had a LOT of high end guitars since 2007, and am totally impressed with my 1995 Sheraton. Yeah, MY Sheraton, because I convinced him to sell it back to me.
He said, well, this guitar is obviously YOUR guitar. I'll sell it back to you the at the same price you sold it to me, 350€!.
The best 350€ I ever spent, seriously. So you guess what alternative l'm thinking of
No kidding, it sounds and plays better than my ES135.
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When I think of a "50s spec" 335, I think of a relatively fat neck, dot markers, and stop tail. When I think of "60s spec", I think of skinnier necks, narrow nut, and the shift in the mid/late '60s to a narrow nut and a trapeze tailpiece. So I'm left wondering what characteristics you're looking for because there's isn't really such a thing as "50s-60s spec."
Originally Posted by Airslashfury
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Out of all the "cheap" semi-hollows I've played, the most consistently impressive have been the Epiphone Sheratons to me. Korean ones are a bit better but some Chinese ones have really surprised me.
That isn't to say they are all perfect but the Sheratons seem to be a bit of a cut above some of the other cheaper guitars, especially the older ones. I had an Unsung-built one from 2006 and I remember liking it and even felt the stock pickups suited the guitar really well. It went away because of some other structural issue I found later. These guitars can still be found for very cheap, although people do seem to have caught onto the older models with the very thin F-Holes.
I also will say that I liked the Sheratons better than the current Epiphone "Inspired by Gibson" 335 guitars, which I did not really care for and many of the cheaper Ibanez semi-hollows or even some D'Angelico models (I generally dislike new D'Angelico guitars on the whole, anyways).
I also really like that the Sheraton guitars are their own thing and aren't trying to copy a 335. Doesn't feel like I'm compromising.
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Just realized I posted gushing over the Epiphone Sheraton and didn't really address these models above. To the OP, I would stay away from lawsuit era guitars, personally, unless you can buy in-person. I absolutely love Japanese guitars but these older ones can have issues and/or need some work. The Epi 335's CAN be good guitars if you can try in-person. I ordered one that I just hated but I've played a couple in Guitar Center that were OK. However, ALL of them had really scratchy frets and I just know I'd have to throw more money at them to make them better (electronics were good, though). IMO Eastman is just killing it lately. If you can get one of those guitars sub-$1k I think you are set. I know it's not on your list but see what I said about the Epiphone Sheratons. Originally Posted by Airslashfury
For whatever my 2c is worth. I'm just a dude on a forum.
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I'll jump in!
I was a Guild (1st) and then a Gibson fan. All the Guilds I owned, which were all well built, went away because they weren't Gibsons.
When I got less serious about playing, I dabbled in less expensive guitars while I kept my Gibson L5 CES.
So I would buy Epiphones because they were inexpensive Gibson copies. A lot of them in the 80's and 90's just were not desirable to me. So I didn't buy them. Around 2010, needing "gig" guitars that would not be too valuable, I had an Epi Lucille, Sheraton, ES 339, Casino, 335. TBH, I sold my Gibson Les Paul because the EPI Lucille was a better guitar. Today I played my Epi ES 335 Pro, and I was astounded at how great a guitar it is (after having put it aside for a year because I didn't need to play it).
I've been lucky in that, while I don't "need" to buy guitars, I find gems at my local GC every now and then. If they play very well and are decently priced, I grab them, but it's been Epiphones for me, because they are the closest thing to Gibsons. And if you look, you can find them. Make sure you can return a guitar if it's not up to par!
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Yes the Sheraton might be a bit out of your specs becase of the maple neck (the pre 1996 had 5 piece necks). So this will bring more snap for sure. The mighty L5 is built like that so it's more a question of preference. I find them more stable.
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Personally, I think the newest Epiphone ES-335 is hard to beat for the price. For me, that has the advantage of the mahogany neck. It’s probably worth trying a few and get the best one but quality control is not bad at all for Epiphone nowadays. I like the Ice Tea Burst for looks.
I have an early 90ies Korean Sheraton, which is indeed a great guitar but it’s gathering dust since I got my Gibson ES-333 which feels livelier and more organic, if that makes sense.
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Sure H7 is worth a look.
Larry plays them live FWIW
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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This Hofner made Carvin would be my choice
Just a moment...
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hmmm this is the first time hearing about Carvin to be honest! Originally Posted by jim777
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Originally Posted by Jimmy Mack
i did play a dots and the new 335’s but something about them felt cheap. I just cant put my finger on it, maybe its the polyurethane finish
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Thank you all for the kind replies. So far i have seen to narrowed down to
Eastman - t386
Sire - Larry Carlton H7
Heritage - Ascent
Ibanez - AS73 (that mandarin fade is ?)
The Guitar Center here in Orlando (Winter Park) is a bit lackluster, so it’s been difficult to just try things. Thats why i atleast want an informed blind buy
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There is no good informed blind buy with 335's. You could get a block of wood or you could get complete magic and both of them could be on a rack right next to each other and the cheaper axe could dominate the more expensive one. More than likely you find an ok guitar and eventually return to the hunt for something better. Originally Posted by Airslashfury
I'd be interested to know how you narrowed it down to these guitars. The only cheap semi hollow I didn't want to rip the pickups, pots, and switch out of as soon as I got it was an Epiphone Sheraton II Pro. At least with the IBG Epiphones you get Gibson pickups and CTS pots out the box. That counts for a lotta extra money and fooling around.
My suggestion is don't be in a rush and make a couple drives if necessary. I would also consider looking at Epi Casinos. Though they are full hollow they are thinlines and the vibe is very similar IMO. I recall a Sam Ash I stopped at years ago that had two exact matching natural Casinos for $425 each. One was a dog and the other sang beautifully. I should've just grabbed it. It pays to play in person. Good luck.
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honestly, based on examples i played or just seemed the best on paper/reviews. its worth noting that my funds are stuck in Reverb and cant withdraw to purchase locally Originally Posted by DawgBone
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The guitar bodies were made in Germany in the early 80s by Hofner, and sent to Carvin (now renamed Kiesel for their guitar sales) and sold with Carvin electronics. If you look around for Hofner VeriThin models you'll immediately notice the similar bodies. Very nice instruments aimed at pros. Originally Posted by Airslashfury
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If you're considering getting an Ibanez AS73 ARTCORE, I feel the need to share my personal experience with Ibanez and that is: try to get your hands on a Korean made guitar from the late 90s or early 00s.
I have an AS80 ARTSTAR semi hollow made in 2000 and it just has the best neck and very expressive pickups (the neck pu is really hot on mine, I have lowered it all the way down flush with the board). Much better than the chinese Sire H7, which I tried before buying the Ibanez.
Try locating a used ARTSTAR, either AS80 (dots) or AS120 (inlays) but make sure they're built after 1995 if you can. They are also very cheap.
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Originally Posted by Grigoris
i must admit the new line of artcore 73/93 didn't real impress me but its because i know if i go Ibanez im going to want an as200 or 100 ?
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I didn’t quite understand if it’s a question or a statement from your part that you’re going to want to get an AS200? I’m not talking about the AS200 because we’re discussing guitars under 1K. The AS200 due to Scofield’s enthusiastic endorsement has skyrocketed in price. And it’s made in Japan.
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Recommandations for Hollowbodies for $600 and under?
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