Better budget 335? Epi Elitist vs 333

[MHoranzy]

There’s a bunch of these two budget 335 options for sale online right now. Which do you guys think is a better buy? Or, is it worth it to save up the extra 800-1000 for the Gibson.

thanks!

[Little Jay]

I have a Gibson ES-333 (the discontinued budget ES-335 alternative).

I got my 333 with Classic 57s instead of the 498 pickups and it plays and sounds exactly the same as any good 335, and I got it for a third if the price! No-brainer to me.... and in my favourite colour for a 33x: worn brown or walnut!



I have no experience with the Epiphone Elitist 335, but I do have a Korean Epiphone Sheraton which is a nice guitar, especially when it comes to playability but the 333 sounds sooo much better (and plays equally well)!

[GNAPPI]

Why not a genuine Gibson ES-333?

[MHoranzy]

I’ve got a guitar with 57s in it. What’s the tonal differences with the 490s?

[MHoranzy]

Ps I’m looking for that Adam Rogers sound

[Lobomov]

I’ve got a guitar with 57s in it. What’s the tonal differences with the 490s?

Not all that much in my humble opinion .. I really liked the 490 in my Howard Roberts Fusion, but we're all different and mileage differs.

[Little Jay]

I’ve got a guitar with 57s in it. What’s the tonal differences with the 490s?

I am guessing very little.....both Alinico II and about the same output.

[feet]

While mine was an elitist Sheraton and not a 335, I owned both at the same time. Had the es333, did all kinds of mods and got it right where I wanted it. Reasonably pleased, sounded good.

But I was obsessed with how cool the elitist looked and when one became available, I jumped at the chance.

The 333 was gone next day.

That said, I kinda wish I still had it, but I made the right choice and never looked back. It just was better and did everything better. The 333 had bigger, squared off frets I didn't like and I remember the heck being chubbier than the epi. But after replacing everything on it, it wasn't bad. Depends what your hands and ears want, but it was a sea worthy vessel. I wouldn't pay a whole much more for it just because it smells nice or says Gibson on it. It's comparable to the elitist at best. But the brown is pretty sweet, you can buff the satin finish into a nice dull shine, and the back panel is awesome for mods.

The prices on both have really gone up, though. Could have had either for a grand or less back in my day.

[mad dog]

I found an epi elitist '63 ES-335 locally for a friend. With either the Gibson '57 classics or their version of those p/us. Outstanding guitar. I couldn't get my wallet out fast enough. I've owned and played several of the elite/elitist models. Some just OK. Some way better. This one was the latter.

The p/us were too hot for me. So I had a used set of Seth Lovers swapped in. Much better. All in all, that guitar struck me as all the quality, a third the cost, of a comparable Gibson.

[medblues]

I have two ES-335 clones: A Yamaha SA2100 (made in China) and a Yamaha SA2200 (made in Japan), they are virtually identical in quality and possible tones. Hence, I would like to sell one of them eventually, contact me by PM if you are interested. The guitar forums are full of praise for these sleeper models.