Epiphone Dot

The “Dot” is Epiphone’s version of the Gibson ES-335. While remaining true to the majority of the original specs, the Epiphone Dot (made in China) is well under 1/5 the price of the Gibson. The Dot’s semi-hollow body “archtop” design is neither a solid body electric nor a true hollow body. Instead, a solid wood block runs through the center of the guitar’s body—a continuation of the neckline—and the sides of the guitar are hollow and feature violin-like F-holes. Like the original Gibson version, the Epiphone dot uses a maple laminate for the top/sides/back, a stopbar tailpiece and tune-o-matic bridge (similar to the Les Paul), and twin humbucking pickups with alnico magnets for that vintage sound. Even the nut width and scale length replicate the ES-335 at 1.68” and 24.75” respectively. Where the Dot differs lies in its maple neck construction (as opposed to Mahogany), plastic nut, and quality of the factory setup. While the neck has a bit more girth than the ES-335, it can still be very playable and fast with a proper set up. Many players opt to switch out the pickups, replace the nut, and have their guitar set-up by a professional. And in the end, the guitar is still a fraction the cost of the Gibson.