Epiphone Elitist DOT Neck Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar
by John Gatski, 2.20.2005
John Gatski is the Publisher & Executive Editor of Pro Audio Review.
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The Gibson Epiphone Elitist
The Gibson ES-335 came out in the late 1950s, and was hailed as a hybrid of the hollowbody and the solid body - the feel and warmth of the former and the sustain of the latter.
Today, Gibson offers several versions of the 335, and with its Epiphone line, a premium, made-in-Japan version that sells for thousands less than the U.S. version. Features
The Epiphone Elitist DOT neck, priced at $1,799, is typical of the 335 proportions - with its double cutaway, all-maple laminate body and a one-piece 24.75-inch scale mahogany neck. The neck is set-in at the 19th fret.
Hardware includes nickel tune-o-matic bridge and stop tail piece, separate volume and treble controls for each pick up, toggle pickup selector, and Grover tuners. The pickups are made in the USA, 50SR for the neck and the 50ST in the bridge.
Though uncannily similar to a DOT neck 335, the Elitist does have a number of difference including the pickups (a 335 has Classic 57s), and the finish. The color options are the same with sunburst, natural and cherry, but the Elitist gets a more ding-resistant polyurethane finish while the U.S.A.-made Gibson gets nitrocellulose lacquer, which ages in a more tone enhancing way.
The Elitist came in a nice TKL hard case, which fit the guitar perfectly.
The Audition
So how good is the Elitist compared to a "real' 335? I would say that it is very close. In fact, the neck set up and feel rivaled a Gibson Custom Shop setup, and the playability was excellent without any buzz. The guitar comes with .010-.46 gauge Gibson strings.
The Elitist is of much better quality than other Asian Epiphones 335 knock offs I have tried over the years. I have owned and played several Sheraton IIs and have always had string buzz problems when going for low action. You can get a good Asian Epiphone, but you may have to try several models. I believe the Japanese guitar manufacturers have the most consistent quality of any assembly line guitar manufacturers (The high-end Takamines are good examples). I am sure Epiphone could have sent me five and each of the Elitists would have been just as good.
The guitar was a bit heavy, but no more than any other 335 or Guild Starfire that I have tried. I could coax warm jazz lines out out of the Elitist through a 66' Fender Deluxe Reverb just like a good 335, but also excellent rock chords with nice sustain via an Ampeg Jet II-R.
I think the pickups, though good, are not as good as the Classic 57s. They lack a bit of the mid bite of other alnico magnet PUs when cranked up, but hey this 335 is much cheaper than the Gibson USA one; the money you save could go to a better pair of pickups.
Summary
If you are into buying a 335-style guitar, but want to save some money, I heartily recommend the Epiphone Elitist. It is set up as good a any electric I have ever seen - even from a custom shop and - and the money you save over the Gibson 335 can be put back into the guitar in the form of better pickups. I can't wait to try some of the other Epiphone Elitist models - especially the big hollowbodies and the P-90 alnico -equipped Casino.
Thanks to Walter Carter, Gibson editorial director, and Jason Sanders of Epiphone for providing assistance in making this review possible.
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