My 76th birthday is next week. I’m going back and forth on succumbing to temptation. I keep resisting the urge to buy another guitar because I’m just not good on what I already have, and it’s hard to justify to myself.
Anyway, when I was in my local guitar shop this week to buy strings, I saw a cherry-red Epiphone ES-335, and I might go buy it as a birthday present to myself. My temptation has been for a semi-hollow, humbucker type.
My question to you folks is that I saw that the back of the neck is finished the same as the body. My Dean Zelinsky (the Strat-type in my avatar) has a Z-glide neck, and my Taylor has an oiled finish neck. Both are very slick to play. Am I likely to find the gloss finish on the Epiphone neck to be sticky compared to what I’m used to?
Yeah, I have a Taylor with the satin oiled neck and I do like the feel of it better than my gloss Epiphone Les Paul neck, which I do agree feels a bit sticky. It’s not the end of the world, though, and I manage just fine with both.
Scotch brite will work fine. I much prefer an oiled neck just because it feels so smooth. But I have 2 guitars with glossy lacquered necks and to me it really doesn’t make any difference when playing. My hands are very dry though and that helps.
Epiphones have poly finish and personally I don’t find it sticky at all. My Epi SG, Squier Tele and Gretsch all have glossy necks and none of them feels sticky. Nitro is another thing though. I’ve played a couple very expensive guitars with glossy nitro finish on the necks and they felt sticky and just kinda bad. But it’s all subjective, I suppose.
FWIW, I have an Epiphone Dot (previous version of the ES-335) and I was also a bit worried about the glossy neck when I first got it. However, after playing it for a couple of weeks, I was totally used to it and stopped noticing it completely.
Please Mark ,I beg you not to think like that , if you feel like it and no one has to suffer for it, buy what you like , life is too short… treat yourself, you deserve it
Greetings and I hope you have a wonderful birthday
While I don’t have a epi 335, I do have a 2019 casino in vintage sunburst. Looks like a gloss finish to me.
I don’t find it sticky what so ever. I’ve never felt I needed to do anything to it other than play it.
The other elec. I have is a reverend with a roasted maple neck. It may be a bit slicker than the casino, but not by much and I go between these two guitars w/o notice of the neck being sticky at all.
Sounds like ya got access to playing the 335 your after. Does the neck feel sticky to you, your 1st impression when you picked it up? imho, if it didn’t stand out as sticky, I’d think, go for it!
fwiw, ‘consider’ going all in and doing a casino. A hollow body w/p90s.
You may find it a real good option. I can’t play mine enough. In my mind, I can’t think that I never not have a casino now that I got one, it’s that good.
At 76 you are definitely at the ‘what I would like’ rather than ‘is it justified?’ part of your guitar life.
If you want a 335 and have the money, just buy it. As pointed out, a bit of wire wool or something similar will make any adjustments you need.
…And for anyone thinking that is a bad idea to take wire wool/sandpaper etc to a guitar, well, it ain’t your guitar!
I have no issues with the neck of my Epi 335. Not sure how to describe the neck… it’s red, shows some wood grain but looks quite glossy. Never needed to do anything to it
No issues with my Epiphone SG - glossy neck finish in Epi’s Viper Blue… the neck is faster than I am!!! Not ever sticky at all… even when I’m sticky in the Summer heat!
, if you feel like it and no one has to suffer for it, buy what you like 
, life is too short… treat yourself, you deserve it 
In my mind, I can’t think that I never not have a casino now that I got one, it’s that good.
