Good Guitars From China

[clarky clarke]

There are some good well made guitars coming from China I purchased a Dimavery SA 630 Jazz Guitar The action and neck settings are great it's well made and sounds as good or even better than my Gibson 335.

[mississippi]

which web site did you buy it off

[clarky clarke]

Hi I purchased it from www.terralec.co.uk in a sale, they have discontinued selling instuments but you can buy one now from
Acheter au meilleur prix ! CMI-Shop: Achat / Vente instruments de musique : guitare, guitare electrique, basse, saxophone, violon, percussion, clavier, trompette, flute traversiere, clarinette, contrebasse, violoncelle, tuba, trombone, basson, hautbo EUR 372.00 Best Wishes Clarky

[P.J.]

There are some good well made guitars coming from China I purchased a Dimavery SA 630 Jazz Guitar The action and neck settings are great it's well made and sounds as good or even better than my Gibson 335.

My Danelectro baritone is made in China and is a blast to play. Nice guitar for not much money, especially for recording.

=-) PJ

[FatJeff]

The Korean guitars seem pretty nice too. My main jazz box is a Samick JZ4. It plays *very* well and I really love it!

[janepaints]

My Danelectro baritone is made in China and is a blast to play. Nice guitar for not much money, especially for recording.

=-) PJ

What he said. I've owned three Dano Reissues and they're good guitars. Growing-up in Jersey, I've probably owned about 12 'real' danos. They were common as dirt in Jersey back in the day. All of 'em were good, but the adjustable-truss rod neck makes the reissues better, IMO. Even with the less-robust metal used on the RI bridges, but that's an easy fix.

The one I have now is especially well-suited for jazz. A U-1. Sound is somewhere between a semi-hollow and fully-hollow body. Dead simple--One pickup, one tone & volume control. 25" scale. D'Addario Chromes on it.

I'll record it soon to demonstrate the sound--I recall someone here inquired recently about the suitability of Dano's for jazz.

I have another cheapo chinese that I love. A single-cut 15", 4"-deep non-electric archtop that Sam Ash sold a few years back under the Brownsville label. They were only about $125 new! Excellent bang-for-the-buck. Probably from the Samick factory. Good workmanship.

I'd sold it to a bandmate a couple of years ago, then bought it back a few months ago. Now, I have NO IDEA why I sold it in the first place! Probably because my pal needed an archtop and I wasn't playing it much at the time. (He used it for a chord-melody cut on his CD). But I'm tickled pink to have it back.

Laminated spruce top, laminated mahogany back & sides. 25.5" scale. Not loud acoustically but has sweet tone. A great 'couch' guitar. I've got a jerry-rigged single-coil pickup temporarily velcro'd on it, but plan to put a neck-mount PU on it. Got D'Addario Chromes on it. As an electric, it sounds real good. Yer basic ES-150 kinda sound. If I only played it acoustically I'd use silk-n-steels on it. Had a set on it once and they were a good match.

It has a very-bright (verging on garish) red/yellow sunburst top. I plan to remove the 'burst, have a natural-spruce top. Part of it's good tone is the finish--it's thin and matte. Not the thick, shiny polyester sprayed-on gunk too many imports have.

They show up used. Grab it if you see one. Should be $100 or less. One of the best cheapie archtops I've ever encountered, MUCH better than the old low-end Harmony/Kay/Sears jobs, on a par with the 'better' Harmonys but with a REAL truss rod.: Brownsville BAAG10CBS

Harmony Central reviews:
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/r...AAG-10CBS/10/1

[paitken]

The Eastman 810 is a terrific archtop from China. After reading some glowing reviews I got one and while I'm a beginner (at guitar, not at music) I can already appreciate its rich tone.

Peter

[gremboul]

The real and perceived quality gap of the "made in China" is closing in fast. I mainly play my fender telecasters these days and picked-up a Jay Turser tele for 200$. I am very impressed by the quality of the guitar. It even comes with more than acceptable Alnico pickups. As it cost me little, I had a bit of fun and turned it into a relic (I used Ed Bickert's guitar as a template).

[rio]

There's crap made in the US and there's crap made in China. The middle ground is really evening out these days though, guitar-wise. I love, Loooove my Eastman and plan on getting a few more of their models when I have a chance (read, money and extra).

[guavajelly]

Yeah, Eastman. Some think they are a bit pricey for what they offer, but the same people pay 4000 for an american made plywood guitar. my 905 is spot on with the exeption of the volume control.

[kidred]

who knows anything about the Stellar Mercury 004? just picked one up cheap. thanks and peace

[randyc]

This is a subject that always interests me, more as a study of human nature, than as a study of the real/perceived value of Chinese guitars. Having said that, however, it’s easy to observe that all of Chinese export goods (not just guitars) are getting better and better. One may think that trend is of benefit to American and European consumers and in the short term it may be.

Those “of a certain age” will recall undergoing the same experience with Japanese goods. They were shoddy things, at best, when first imported to this country (early 1950’s) but they “got it” fairly quickly and by 1970, Japanese products were earning the respect that they deserve.

Japan is still a serious economic competitor these days, but their standard of living has increased which has made the cost of their products more competitive with U.S./European made products. But consider the cost of a “leveled” playing field … during the process of learning high production and quality control techniques (at the expense of the American taxpayers that subsidized the rebuilding of Japanese and German industry after WW2), Japan bought small quantities of products that they intended to “target” and target they did by producing exact copies but at reduced labor rates …. As a consequence, our steel industry and heavy machine tool industry all but disappeared.

Other Asian companies, envious of Japan’s bulging treasury, resolved to imitate her success. The Korean and Chinese textile industries sprang up and started exporting to the US and Europe. The huge textile industry in the southeastern part of the U.S. disappeared, taking many peripheral industries that depended on it down the drain too. Companies that made the heavy weaving, spinning machinery, small businesses existing on repairing the big machinery, the people that cleaned up the factory, and so on ...

The auto industry … well, the taxpayers of the U.S. now pretty much own it due to the massive amounts of taxpayer money used to keep them from drowning in the sea of foreign competition - many competitors not really deserving of performance comparison, just better marketing/advertising. Airplanes, heavy shipbuilding, name any of the major industries that America used to lead the world in …. gone or barely surviving due to foreign competition or our own ineptness (is that a word?).

I don’t know very much about economics but I certainly know that legislated protectionism is a bad thing. So how do we prevent/slow the obvious decline of America (and Europe) as an economic power ? I don’t know but I sure hope that good minds are working on this problem. It's a tough one and my intuition says, insoluble !

This I do know: it’s not good to continue sending money to China by refusing to wean ourselves from the cheap goods that they produce. Sure, one can make the argument that this is capitalism, the system that made our country great, vote with your wallet, get the most bang for the buck, all of those mixed metaphors that we are so fond of parroting. Can even take it a step further and, with all seriousness, make a statement that implies that by buying from Walmart, one is thinking first and foremost of one’s family, right ?

But my goodness, what a price our children will have to pay for our “cheapness”. Every dollar that we spend on Chinese goods ends up coming back to us in the form of loans that require interest payments. If the period of the loan is anything more than a small temporary expediency, then that dollar spent becomes two dollars, or three, or …

Getting back on topic, Asian guitars, right ? I believe that there is a HUGE misunderstanding in the minds of low-end purchasers who perceive that they are getting high quality value for modest cost. This opinion is strongly reinforced by comments on the internet – which I note are repeated here ffrequently – complaining about the quality of American instruments and their high price.

Has anyone ever wondered about where these comments originated ? Certainly the CBS fiasco with Fender and the Norlin experiment with Gibson left a bad taste in some peoples mouths. But were those products really that "bad "? o, as the resale value of those products clearly indicates. I’m not a conspiracy theorist but it probably is no coincidence that these complaints about quality started to surface at the same time that significant quantities of Asian instruments started being imported.

I don’t see this as being a grass-roots movement, more like rumors intentionally introduced by those who financially benefit. The usual suspects: importers, distributors and the like, anyone that made their living by selling these cheap instruments to Americans /Europeans.

Once something like this gains momentum, it’s extremely hard to stop. An example: the average American/European would probably regard Ford automobiles as inexpensive, moderate quality vehicles but uncompetitive with Japanese autos in quality. But in fact, the opposite has been demonstrated with various quality surveys, year after year. If something is repeated frequently enough, people start to believe it: so "Fords are lower quality products than Japanese products".

It makes no sense to me to spend as little money as possible on something that can provide so much personal satisfaction as a musical instrument. And for those who claim that the Chinese instruments are equal to, or better than, American-made instruments, well I give those people no more credence than I would to the average car salesman or politician. One needs to compare these instruments, side by side, then consider intangibles such as resale value before rushing to judgement. Oh yeah, "mojo" - I like that term, oblique as it is it feels >perfect< when I pick up my old ES-330.

But that’s asking a lot of people and frequently it’s just not possible to go to a store and play a Gibson side by side with an Eastman (or whatever). People insist on doing their “research” on the internet, quoting various “impartial reviews” and basing financial decisions on incredulous claims of anonymous reviewers.

One that sticks in my mind is a set of reviews by the same person. This guy reviewed every Gibson model (Harmony Central, as I recall), comparing them with every sort-of-the-same-thing-model made by a Chinese or Korean manufacturer. His conclusions were that the Asian instruments were, of course, superior to the American ones, and at far less cost. Yep. With a straight face.

Wake up people, you’re giving our country away to China – not just America but Europe as well. Of course the problem is far more significant to Americans because we keep borrowing money from China, the debts keep escalating in geometric progression. At some point, the Chinese government will just repossess this place (or buy enough politicians to make sure that we fall into line) J

Set your sights a little higher than what you can easily afford. Set your standards a little higher than what you read in the reviews on the internet – chances are that 70% of what you read is just marketing verbiage, repeated frequently enough so that others start to believe it and commence parroting the “information”.

A high quality guitar will give so much more satisfaction, compared to these cheap imports, that it’s almost impossible to describe. Your playing will reflect the enhancement of your personal satisfaction in a truly quality possession. I have absolutely nothing to gain from my statements, this is just the way that I see it from the perspective of a long life of playing fine instruments.

Cheers

PS: I used "Gibson" as an example in this post. I also own - and love - Fenders, Guilds, Carvins and have owned various other manufacturers' products. Any good quality American/Canadian instrument, Heritage and Godin immediately come to mind, can be substituted in place of "Gibson".

NOT Danelectro, however, (sorry Jane, I had a BAD one, and haven't yet experienced a good one) and other guitars that were "cost-pointed", just as Asian instruments are.


The first guitar that I bought was a double pickup Danelectro - it cost $80 U.S. in 1960. I shudder to think of that ugly thing (the only "real" wood part on it was the neck and it was as solid as spaghetti) and marvel that my next guitar ('61 Les Paul) cost only $270 U.S. (Strats went for $230 - WAY overpriced for the time).

The ratio of unacceptable performance to really fine performance was $270/$80 = 3.375 : 1. That is STILL about the ratio of mediocre to superb - nothing has really changed except marketing rhetoric.

[lpdeluxe]

Word.

I have three Gibsons, one from the Norlin era, a recent Nashville, and a Memphis.

I also have a Samick copy of an L5CES.

Guess which one I'm giving away.

I'll give you a hint: it's not the Les Paul, it's not the SG, and it sure as hell isn't the 335.

[randyc]

Thinking about this further, the economic part of the discussion that is ...

What I see is something like this, using the U.S. as an example:

1. We buy more and more cheap goods from China.
2. Because we don't buy them from our own manufacturers, our businesses fail or are downsized and some highly-skilled manufacturing employees end up as fast-food employees.
3. The downsized companies, needing to prop up their earnings (so that CEO's can receive their multi-million$ bonuses), start offloading engineering, programming and other "professional" jobs to India.
4. The formerly high-paid professionals end up as fast-food employees.
5. Our tax base, from which the country gets the money to function, diminishes due to the slashed salaries of workers and unemployed workers.
6. The underpaid and not-paid-at-all workers have to go to the closest emergency room at the local hospital for medical treatment because they have lost their employer-based medical insurance and can't afford "normal" medical coverage.
7. Medical costs are increased - NOT absorbed by medical providers, but passed on to the tax payer.
8. We must borrow more money from China to keep the country functional because it isn't politically expedient to raise taxes.
9. There is almost no compensation except for small import "duty" fees paid by offshore manufacturers.
10. Businesses desperately search for ways to avoid taxes (e.g. lobbying congress to pass legislation that doesn't tax them for salaries paid for offshore work performed).
11. Families, finding their incomes drastically diminished, have to cut corners - they go to Walmart to save money.
12. Family diets become less healthy, due to cost-cutting, people get sicker. Back to the emergency room at the hospital.
13. Medical costs strain already overburdened family budgets, families must apply for public support assistance.
14. Lawyers benefit, physicians benefit, politicians (oh yeah) and the rest of us .... ?
15. The debt to China increases and the interest on the debt doubles, triples, quadruples ...
16. The declining spiral starts to speed up ... picture the spiral of water in a toilet bowl after pressing the lever, faster and faster ...

As I said earlier, I don't know much about economics but I recall bits of physics (memory gets fuzzier every day). The process that I described above sounds similar to what I recall of "entropy" from many years ago.

I think that entropy was explained to me as the process of the universe gradually attaining a constant energy level (the various bodies/particles either gaining or losing energy, depending upon whether they had an excess or a lack) .

So, I'm thinking that Asian countries' standard of living will increase as our (western countries) standard of living diminishes. The end result, after everything stabilizes, is that we will all have the same standard of living.

Politically, if one is progressively inclined (I am) that sounds .... well .... sort of OK. As long as it doesn't happen to ME !!! (Me being used not in the personal sense but in the collective one, as in "my country", "my family".)

So what happens after that ? If everyone has the same standard of living and everything produced costs the same amount for every producer, where is the "disposable income" that causes money to be spent on non-necessities ? Where will you Sinophiles get your guitars ?

I guess we could all go back to an agrarian economy, right ? And make our own guitars. Dulcimers are a lot easier to build, though. Hey, jazz started with banjos so we could ....

BUT Gibson, Fender, Guild, and so forth continue to be bought up for HUGE amounts of money by Asian collectors, who spurn the products of their own countries. Hmmmmm ... and making these American products less and less affordable for Americans.

Who turn to China ... is anyone listening ?

[rio]

Gibson's quality control has gone downhill and they charge twice as much for a laminate (which again, is hit or miss given some of the really bad guitars I have tried at stores) as a fully carved guitar from Eastman. Sure, I'd pay more for something like a sadowski or another quality US builder but I'd much rather give my money to Eastman and know that I'm getting a good guitar off the shelf for thousands less than a comparable Gibson (which again, I can't say enough, is terribly hit or miss).

[randyc]

G'night Rio, we'll talk about this tomorrow morning.

Thanks for your response !

PS: read the economic stuff, nothing to do with guitars actually, but read it, think about it and see if any of it makes a connection, OK ?

[lpdeluxe]

Gibson's quality control has gone downhill and they charge twice as much for a laminate (which again, is hit or miss given some of the really bad guitars I have tried at stores) as a fully carved guitar from Eastman. Sure, I'd pay more for something like a sadowski or another quality US builder but I'd much rather give my money to Eastman and know that I'm getting a good guitar off the shelf for thousands less than a comparable Gibson (which again, I can't say enough, is terribly hit or miss).

I have a 1970 Les Paul, a 2000 Memphis 335, and a 2008 Nashville SG. If I had to pick one out as being of less than top notch, it would be the LP. I hear, over and over, about how Gibson quality has gone downhill -- without ever having seen a single example of it (yes, the 335 is laminate -- just as every one of them has been, beginning with the 1958 models that currently go for big bucks).

When I buy a guitar, I take it upon myself as my own responsibility to ensure that I'm not getting a lemon. I do the same thing when I buy a car. Those who buy without careful inspection have no one else to blame.

Before I got the 335, I briefly owned an Epiphone Sheraton II, made in Korea. I bought it on a whim (cost me about $200 cash, and I thought it would look good when I played in church -- at least, better than my road warrior LP), and I went to the considerable trouble of rewiring it with Seymour Duncans and all new wiring harness. When I say, "considerable trouble," those of you who have rewired a guitar through a .75" treble f-hole will know I'm speaking the truth.

That made it into a sort of decent guitar, worth the $350 total I had invested. But it still had the gloppy poly finish, the tacky "gold" hardware, and it sounded and played and felt inferior. After a couple of months, I found the 335. I drove 300 miles to check it out (hey, this is Texas) and it was everything the Sheraton II was not: perfect fit and finish (nitro natural), great sound, playability and feel. I paid $1750 for it, and I think it's a stone bargain -- probably the last electric guitar I'll ever buy. Compared to the other, it has much nicer wood, better sounding pickups, and honest nickel plating on the hardware.

The Epiphone? I traded it off with a soldier's farewell.

So here's my conclusion: the Epi was expensive, and no bargain, at $350 (+ my time on the soldering iron). The 335? A steal at $1750.

You may already have anticipated the answer to the question, "Is an Epiphone as good as a Gibson?"

The response is, no, no, and hell no.

[derek]

Randy,

When I read or hear stuff like you wrote, I always think about how we (US) have beaten the drum for democracy, open markets, entreprenualism, free trade, greater globalization, etc. Seems Americans like these sorts of ideas...until it takes away from us. Can't have it both ways imo.

So the Japanese make a better car in my fairly vast experience of both being an owner of Fords, Chevys, Toyotas, Mitsubishis and Hondas, and working for a car dealer. Most sold in this country are made here. There is no such thing as "American Made" any longer when it comes to most consumer goods.

Even Gibson guitars have Asian made parts on them. For far too long now, we of less than 10% of of the world's population have consumed over 80% of it's resources. It is not equitable and it is not sustainable.

Auto Union workers have priced themselves out of the market along with many other manufacturing industries. It is just not balanced for an uneducated (HS grad) worker with a nontransferable skill to make 3x as much as a school teacher with a Master's degree. Good for them as it is "The American Way", but it is just not sustainable.

I enjoy buying local, supporting local businesses, and when all things are equal, buying American. Too often all things are not equal. Having said that, of my 4 electric guitars, all are US made, both basses are foreign made, and 1 out of 2 acoustics are US. I play thru 2 US made amps, and 2 foreign made amps.

[lpdeluxe]

I enjoy buying local, supporting local businesses, and when all things are equal, buying American. Too often all things are not equal. Having said that, of my 4 electric guitars, all are US made, both basses are foreign made, and 1 out of 2 acoustics are US. I play thru 2 US made amps, and 2 foreign made amps.

Ha. Interesting points. Here's an inventory of my guitars and amps: two made-in-Japan (a '60s Ventura which has had the top and bridge replaced by a local luthier, so I guess it's now a hybrid, and a Fender '51 Precision reissue); one made-in-Korea (Samick); two made-in-China (Pignose G40V and Hartke HA2500); five made-in-Mexico (all Fenders -- three amps and two Precisions) and eight made-in-USA (a '30s Chicago Regal resophonic, an '80s Long Beach Dobro, a '63 NJ Silvertone 1484, a locally made acoustic jumbo, a Corona Fender Precison, and one each Kalamazoo, Memphis and Nashville Gibson).

I drive a Toyota: made in Canada. My previous vehicle was a Ford: made in Canada. The one before that was a Chevrolet: made in Canada.

[randyc]

Randy,

When I read or hear stuff like you wrote, I always think about how we (US) have beaten the drum for democracy, open markets, entreprenualism, free trade, greater globalization, etc. Seems Americans like these sorts of ideas...until it takes away from us. Can't have it both ways imo.

So the Japanese make a better car in my fairly vast experience of both being an owner of Fords, Chevys, Toyotas, Mitsubishis and Hondas, and working for a car dealer. Most sold in this country are made here. There is no such thing as "American Made" any longer when it comes to most consumer goods.

Even Gibson guitars have Asian made parts on them. For far too long now, we of less than 10% of of the world's population have consumed over 80% of it's resources. It is not equitable and it is not sustainable.

Auto Union workers have priced themselves out of the market along with many other manufacturing industries. It is just not balanced for an uneducated (HS grad) worker with a nontransferable skill to make 3x as much as a school teacher with a Master's degree. Good for them as it is "The American Way", but it is just not sustainable.

I enjoy buying local, supporting local businesses, and when all things are equal, buying American. Too often all things are not equal. Having said that, of my 4 electric guitars, all are US made, both basses are foreign made, and 1 out of 2 acoustics are US. I play thru 2 US made amps, and 2 foreign made amps.

Thanks, Derek, it's not possible to find a single point in your post with which to disagree. Either we think quite a bit alike or I'm getting too weak to argue ! Just kidding

My late night rant had more to do with watching the end of an era than it did with hard fact - the historical imperative was absorbing me.

France, Britain, Spain, Germany, even small Portugal and the Scandinavian states, all have had moments in the sunshine when they were regarded (and rightfully) as world powers whose wishes needed to be considered in the decisions made by other countries.

Frankly, the culture of "Western Civilization" has peaked and is now in decline, helped along by such far-thinking individuals as George W. Bush. The time of the third world is on us, like it or not, kicking and screaming, indulging in written tantrums, won't deny the historical imperative.

My kids will live with it, and probably won't even be troubled by this gradual change. For those of us who grew up in the period of WW II (well, just a little bit after, actually), it's difficult to make the adjustment.

[Quester]

In my recent experience I have acquired an Epiphone made in China and a Peavey made in Korea, both USA designed guitars but produced in the Far East. Both guitars are superb in terms of quality of finish and comparable to US finish standards for mass produced instruments. I'm not sure we should be really surprised at that given that the work ethic and QA standards in both those countries more than stand up against those in the USA. Sure ,there are always going to be "Friday afternoon jobs" where ever they are sourced but this "USA or nothing" argument is fast loosing credence.

[randyc]

In my recent experience I have acquired an Epiphone made in China and a Peavey made in Korea, both USA designed guitars but produced in the Far East. Both guitars are superb in terms of quality of finish and comparable to US finish standards for mass produced instruments. I'm not sure we should be really surprised at that given that the work ethic and QA standards in both those countries more than stand up against those in the USA. Sure ,there are always going to be "Friday afternoon jobs" where ever they are sourced but this "USA or nothing" argument is fast loosing credence.

And where did you see that "USA or nothing argument" ? I sure didn't say it but if you inferred that from my economic rant then I'm a poor communicator.

If the concept of money (as opposed to "value") has to have any meaning then there must be an imbalance between two entities. In simplest terms, if Person "A" has something that Person "B" desires, "B" must have an excess of something that can be exchanged (money).

It doesn't require an MBA from the Wharton School of Business to figure out that a closed economy (USA or nothing) will quickly stagnate. That's because all the money eventually ends up in the hands of those who don't really need it, LOL !

What's left to argue about ? Oh yeah, your poor choice of guitars

Cheers, quester, no offense intended, it was just too good to pass up being my own straight man !

PS: I just read what I wrote last night and I can see how your statement can be inferred from my two posts. But that wasn't in my mind so much as simply being nostalgic about the power shift that is occurring. Inevitable but still sad ... I was "raging against the machine". Please take my posts more as entertainment than hard knowledge unless we are discussing physical things. And always remember that these posts are intended to get a reaction. Thank you for participating !

[Quester]

No offence taken Randyc. Good thought provoking debate!

[lpdeluxe]

In my recent experience I have acquired an Epiphone made in China and a Peavey made in Korea, both USA designed guitars but produced in the Far East. Both guitars are superb in terms of quality of finish and comparable to US finish standards for mass produced instruments. I'm not sure we should be really surprised at that given that the work ethic and QA standards in both those countries more than stand up against those in the USA. Sure ,there are always going to be "Friday afternoon jobs" where ever they are sourced but this "USA or nothing" argument is fast loosing credence.

I'm a little skeptical. I have owned several Epiphones, and to call any of them "superb" is a considerable stretch. They were all well made, serviceable instruments, but no more than I would expect from CNC manufacturing. And, as noted above, I have examined an American-made 335 side-by-side with its Korean cousin, the Epiphone Sheraton II. I defy anyone to call that Epiphone, as good as it was for its price, "superb." Granted, in these days, when anyone who has appeared briefly on television is thereafter known as a "superstar," this may be taken as a quibble.

I would, rather, call them "workmanlike." No obvious flaws, but if you look a little closer, "superb" evaporates, to be replaced by "built to a price." Let's take a look at these two guitars: both are laminate (not a dig: that was a rational design decision made back in the '50s) and both, as it happens, are finished in clear gloss (AKA natural).

The maple veneer on the Epi is unfigured, with several small but noticeable scars, apparently an artifact of veneering the wood close to the bark; the Gibson is lightly figured, with zero flaws. Again, both have a clear finish, so it's reasonable to expect that what we see is what we've got. The necks have a similar shape, but the Epiphone's is made of a 5-piece sandwich (outer and central maple, with a darker wood interposed).

The fingerboard and peghead inlays of the Epi are much more elaborate than the dot and crown inlays on the Gibson. Real nacre and abalone shell were used, and the vine design is quite attractive. Up close, it's clear that a lot of filler was used on the peg head -- less so on the fingerboard, since that uses essentially square routs for the three-piece inlay. The Gibson is much less elaborate, with dots and the usual "crown" on the peg head; there is no filler visible.

The tuners, bridge and tail piece are of a similar design, but those of the Epi are coated in a tacky looking gold color (which had mostly worn off my '95 by the time I got it last summer) while the Gibson equivalents are nickel. Nickel tarnishes, but it can be polished; and many of us prefer its appearance to any amount of faux gold.

Let's go on to the electronics, because this is what makes or breaks an electric guitar.

My Sheraton had been owned since new by a guitar tech. None the less, it had a faulty pickup selector switch (it intermittently worked/didn't work), scratchy knobs, and weak-sounding pickups. Again, I myself would not choose the word "superb" to describe these components. I pulled out the switch, controls, harness and pickups, and rewired it with Seymour Duncans and Switchcraft components. This did no more than bring its electronics up to approximately where the Gibson's were, out of the box. After all the work, and teasing components in and out of the treble f-hole, it still doesn't compare with the 335.

I have to say something about the knobs on the Epiphone: they were the cheapest looking things I've seen in many years...they now reside in the local landfill.

Superb? Yes, if you're speaking of my Gibson ES-335. But if you're referring to the Epiphone, who do you think you're kidding? And remember this: an inexpensive guitar may look "superb" from the outside, but once you get under the hood, you're in for some surprises. Price lining is all about selling bling for more bucks than is required to produce it, and bling, lord help us, is not what's on the inside, but only what's visible.

[mr. beaumont]

see, this is why i bought canadian with my last guitar. avoids the whole debate.