Epiphone Dot Deluxe Ltd Edition Review

Submitted by: Mitch on 12 March 2011

PricePaid: 350.00 USD (New) Purchased From: N/A Model Year: 2002 Features: [7] 3 way switch, 2 Gold cover Gibson hummers, gold tuners, pick guard, "Gibson" truss cover. HB double cut, Made in Korea. Tobacco burst finish, so on so on, it's a Dot. Sounds: [8] Great for both classic rock and blues, I suspect country as well. Played through Marshall 212 and 1/2 stack it sounds pretty good. Played through my old Crate VC 30 tube amp it sounds great, very edgy blues sounding. Action, Fit & Finish: [8] Action was okay out of the box but I whittled down a graphite nut and lowered the strings just a smidge. Neck nicer than many higher dollar guitars. Reliability & Durability: [5] I have had issues, 1. The 3 way switch quit working on the center setting. Could play either the front or back PU but not both. I should have taken it back but I opted to replace it myself. Installed an OEM switch that worked for a while and now have the same issue. I only use the guitar for backup so I'll just live with it. 2. The input jack was loose out of the box. Seems I have to tighten it once a year or so. Very difficult to make it tight without spinning the entire body of the jack which would break the wires. Overall the neck seems to hold the test of travel and time, with many different climate changes. Overall Rating: [7] The sound is great, but due to the issues I explained I think I would check out some other HB's close to this price range before buying this one. Artcore, lowend Gretch... Or you may just need to to a better job checking it out than I did. I value all my guitars, both high and lowend. I would replace this with another or something very similar. I'm giving it a high overall rating due to the neck & finish & sound.

Submitted by: Jason on 11 February 2005

PricePaid: 499 EUR (New) Purchased From: Musisol - Estepona (Spain) Model Year: 2002 Features: [8] Korean made with gold harware and loverly flame top in natural finish. Specs are: 22 frets, 2 humbuckers. 24.74" scale, laminated maple body with maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. 2 Gibson humbuckers (with Alnico magnets), 3 way switch with 2 volume and 2 tone controls. It's moderately heavy for a semi due to the solid block running through the middle. Basically it's a (much) cheaper version of the Gibson 335. It came with the Epiphone "E" logo on the scratch plate but mine started coming off immediately so I just removed it. It was only lightly glued so didn't leave any marks. Sounds: [7] It sounds good - not quite up to a real 335 but it's really not that far off - considering the price difference you'd expect it not to be but it's closer than you'd expect. Genrally I am more of a single coil fan but wanted a humbucker guitar for my arsenal. As a semi fan this was ideal. It gives a lovely warm sound and really ripped when cranked up. As a contrast to my single coil guitars this does the job sounding much thicker. As they are humbuckers you don't suffer much noise. Having the solid block definately helps with sustain just as it helps reduce the feedback that would be more of a nightmare had it been totally hollow. Action, Fit & Finish: [8] It's very well finished especially at this price point. The nut is OK but not up to much (being ultra critical)and I now have a replacement that I need to fit. It's not an urgent job so may be a while before I get round to it. The action is fine (low) and it plays great. Reliability & Durability: [9] It feels pretty solid (if you know what I mean - LOL) and is certainly well built. The flame top finish is another great touch and something I didn't expect to get at this price. As to is the gold fittings. Overall Rating: [8] I'd be pretty upset if it was lost/stolen as it was a gift from my Mrs - bless her (still still nags I have too many guitars though). Sure I'd like a real 335 but I just don't feel the extra cash will bring me enough extra quality to justify the cost. So, I'll be sticking with my Epiphone Dot Ltd Edition. I know there was a time when perhaps people would be wary of a Korean built guitar. However, you are getting some serious quality for you money with these. Someone on a limited budget can't really go wrong with one of these. Or, like me a good backup guitar for those different sounds without breaking the bank.