Ibanez AS93 Artcore Review

This is a beautiful crafted semi acoustic guitar and features a clean sunburst finish. It is a solid build and is as reliable as any high end semi acoustic. This guitar gives Gibson a run for its money as the sound is phenomenal, much like the 335 series. One of the best guitars to buy as a first purchase, great value for money and extremely versatile in sound.

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Gibson ES-335 Review

This is a top of the line semi acoustic guitar, expensive to buy, but well worth the money. As a hollow body guitar it ranks as one of the best with a powerful sound, light to hold (good for a long night on the stage) and with a stylish retro design. At the neck position this guitar gives crunchy chords whilst in the bridge position it gives clear harmonic leads. Not ideal for a first time buyer but highly recommended for the advanced blues player. Full Review & Best Price.

Epiphone ES-335 Review

Build Quality

Removing the Dot from the case, you’re greeted with a strong and heavy feeling six string which points reassuringly towards excellent, durable construction. In this way, the word semi-acoustic is really a minor misnomer, because it is, actually, semi-solid.

Playability

The body is not a lot fatter than the usual Strat, for instance, and sitting or standing, the Dot seems pleasant to carry and play.

The neck, although in no way clubby, seems considerable within your hands, most likely because of the 43mm width at the nut. Its somewhat compressed C-profile increases slightly in depth further up the neck of the guitar, making for a superbly vintage feel.

Sound

An acoustic strum issues forth an enjoyable, resounding ring. We would gamble that the Dot’s all-maple design does have something related to that, but more certainly, the hollow bouts reinforce the acoustic tone, causing wry enjoyment to people listening.

Once again, we’re not discussing mega-output, however to our mind that makes for a much more audio experience. Open position guitar chords a la Gallagher sound enormous, whilst single-note work benefits through that incredibly gratifying onset of musical feedback. Beautiful stuff.

Value for money

It looks great, sounds excellent and plays very well. To our minds, that is value for money without a doubt.

Verdict

Should you fancy a no-nonsense semi acoustic with more than a whiff of background and expertise, throw your eyes within Epiphone’s course. The Dot is a diamond.

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