I want to buy a ES-335 style guitar, hoping the shorter scale makes blues bending easier on my hands, and get some of that classic tone. Andā¦ GAS attack
I want to stay below $750 and narrowed things down to
Epiphone ES-335
Ibanez art core expressionist AS-93FM
Epiphone ES-339
Amongst these three, it seems to come down to trade offs between appointments, tone and size eg the Ibanez has better appointments but the 335 sounds better to my ears, the 339 is smaller but different tone. (I couldnāt find a review where all three or any two were compared by the same person using the same amp etc so some of the tonal differences could be due to other reasons).
Would love to get some input from the community, on these guitars or any others in the same style.
If you possibly can, get your hands on them. The 335 is fairly large and wonāt suit everyone.
FWIW I have the Epiphone 335, itās great although doesnāt get much use as itās not as great as my 3 favourites.
What guitar do you have currently? Going to a lighter string gauge might be all you need to make bending easier. It wonāt solve your GAS problem, though
donāt count on the tension being significant. I do know that string gauge is far more impactive than 1 inch of scale length. This wonāt be a good reason to satisfy the GAS.
I too have been interested in a hollow body. I just havenāt been able to justify getting another guitar!
I remember watching this even though I couldnāt understand a word they were saying.
I got a ES-335 and happy with it. I canāt say it made bending any easier as Iāve got nothing to compare it to but I found with practice bending gets easier.
Whatās the neck radius of your Strat? If it 9.5 in youāll find any guitar with a 12in or greater easier to do bends on.
Also technique has a lot more to do with string bending than scale length or string gauge. With proper technique you should be able to do full tone bends on an acoustic with 12ās on it.
I switched from (my sonās) squier strat with 9s to an Epiphone Dot (precursor to the current ES-335) with 10s and the force required for bending felt about the same to me. I eventually put 9s on the Epi to make it even easier.
I kind of agree with Stitchās post: as you improve your technique the scale length or the string gauge wonāt matter much.
Iām pretty sure that itās something that you have to try in store as the result seems to vary a lot depending on the guitar and the setup. Many people here experience different results.
I have 2 electric guitars (1 strat with 9s and one PRS MCCarty 594 with 10s). The PRS has a similar neck to the Epiphone/Les Paul. And it feels like night and day as itās much easier to bend on the PRS than the Strat.
Technique + building calluses + building wrist strength does help though. I started my first month of practice with my PRS only to work on the technique. And now, Iāve been practicing for 2 weeks on my Strat and Iām starting to see better results as my wrist and calluses get stronger.
Though, Iām happy that I had the 2 guitars because the PRS kept my motivation high for the 2 first months. But, another PRS or strat which is setup differently may not give the same result, so thatās why Iām not sure it applies to all.
Today is actually the first day that it started to feel easy on the strat, but the finger still hurts after a 5 minutes practice as the high E string seem to go deeper in my poor skin. But, twice time less than last week so itās a matter of calluse. On the PRS, I could do it for 1h hour without feeling anything. On a positive note though, itās easier to control the bend on the strat. On the PRS, itās so easy that I often go sharp.
On price point.
Perhaps another to add to your list would be a epiphone casnio.
The China ones.
I got me a used '18 Casino (China) a couple years ago.
I think Iām in love with it.
It has the tones I was looking for. It plays real smooth.
Biggest differences Iām aware of between your 335 style guitar is the Casino is full hollow and has p90ās instead of humbuckers.
I really canāt say enough good about the one I ended up with. Itās my #1 and thatās over a Reverend I got new prior to the casino. I like the reverend, but the casino is me.
fwiw, your #1 and #2 on your list were on my radar when I found the casino. Your #3 I tried at the music store and thought it seemed a shade trebley (thin sounding) for my tastes. Canāt remember if I tried the epi 335 or the ibanez as-93. I donāt think so as the Casino landed in my lap w/o notice. When the casino landed in my lap, 15 min. later I owned it. I just knew it was what I wanted, that fast. And it was what I needed. Itās my #1.
I really aināt had GAS for another guitar since I got the Casino. Going on 2-3 years with it now. Will say Iām thinking about repairing a Gibson L6-S (solid body) I have that needs new humbucker pickups + pots. I donāt have a all humbucker guitar at this point and I could possibly see at least fixing my L6-S to get the humbuckers.
But the p90ās really do meet my needs/wants. If ya aināt played some p90ās. Ya should try them out prior to getting the humbuckers on the 335 style guitar.
Oh, and no, I aināt had issue with feedback with the hollowbody guitar. And I sit right in ft of my amp. Granted I donāt turn it up real loud. But I do play at above bedroom level for sure, sometimes. ymmv
Have you considered the DāAngelico DC Mini? Their Premier series are excellent guitarsā¦ I have a DC Mini Tour in blue that is so easy to playā¦ I havenāt gotten to bends yet so canāt advise on that but the reviews I watched before buying were overwhelmingly positive! They are around your price rangeā¦ under $800 with tax & shipping!!!
Check āem outā¦ I love my DāAngelicos!!!
I would echo the advice to find these instruments in a store if you can and give them a hands-on try out. I have a recent (purchased in 2020) Artcore Expressionist in zebrawood that I love and play a lot (Iām also generally a fan of Ibanez guitars). I also have an early 70s vintage ES-335 12-string and theyāre notably different to play. In particular, the ES-335 has a much narrower neck (which is OK by me); I canāt say if thatās true of modern ES-335s. Also, if itās a semi-hollow youāre after, not necessarily one of those three, you might be able to find a used PRS SE Hollowbody II in your price range.
You may want to consider Washburn HB. I have a 30 & 32 both 335 clones. Not expensive and good players for sure. Not sure if they are producing them at the moment but quite a few around. Link below for examples.
