Epiphone ES-335 Figured Raspberry Tea Burst

Epiphone ES-335 Figured RTB

After having had different experiences with several guitars from well-known manufacturers over the years, I was simply curious to see if a somewhat less expensive model (crafted in China) could match the sometimes almost mystified quality features of the big us brands and the manufacturing in the USA.

In addition, the Musikhaus Kirstein was a pleasant new discovery for me (recommendation of a musician colleague), because it offered the above-mentioned guitar at a very attractive price compared to the well-known German dealers and was even able to deliver, and that within three days!

To anticipate the result of the review: The 'Epiphone ES-335 Figured RTB' is a beautiful guitar, which largely corresponds to its prototype.

Optics/finishing:
(I was a bit irritated when I unpacked the guitar, because it was missing a knob for the control; it was lying loose in the original packaging. - It was indeed attached to the potentiometer axis with a handle, but it remains inexplicable to me that this was overlooked when packing the goods).

At a first inspection, no defects are noticeable on the instrument. One could think that the neck and body were made from one piece; - the components are joined together without tolerance, the high-gloss varnish is perfect, the bindings on neck and body the same. The appearance of the figured maple on top and back is a treat for the eye; depending on the incidence of light and the angle of view, you get a different picture of the symmetrical wood grain. - On closer inspection, however, one notices slight differences in the intensity of the color application on the top (rasperry-tea-burst), but this does not bother, on the contrary, the character of the handwork becomes visible.
The rough contours of the sound holes inside the body are also noticeable; perhaps a little more smoothing (sanding) and more even painting could have been done here.

Other minor flaws: a pickguard that stands a bit too high, especially the support to the body looks oversized and a bit awkwardly placed, although the construction corresponds to the original (inspired by Gibson). To my taste, a simple nickel-plated sheet metal bracket screwed to the pickguard would have done as well.
The axis of a volume control or the rotary knob 'eiert' a little.

Handling/Sound:
Weighing over three kilograms, the instrument seems a bit heavy to me, but that is due to the construction (massive center block). The fingerboard (Indian laurel) makes a somewhat 'dry' and rough impression, this will hopefully change after sufficient use. - Upon delivery, the side position was not optimally adjusted. - I therefore carefully corrected the height of the bridge downward by two half-turns of the adjustment screws with good results. - The pegs can be gripped well; the mechanics work flawlessly.

At the amplifier, the pickups appear very powerful. With the selector switch in conjunction with volume and tone control, various sound characteristics can be achieved, so the ES-335 is equally suitable for soft jazz sounds as well as brutally distorted rock riffs.

A case is not included at this price, you have to order it separately and get it for a reasonable price, like the guitar so he also made in China and not to complain, but it is not optimally balanced.

Conclusion:
If you don't want to pay five times the price for an Epiphone guitar made in the USA or even ten times the price for the model from Gibson, you will get an excellent instrument with the ES-335 reviewed here, which is not only a feast for the eyes and delights the owner again and again, but also fulfills all musical requirements in the best possible way.

Walter A.