Semi-Hollow Bodies

[Off He Goes]

I was wondering what everybody here thought of the epiphone dot. I would love to have a semi, and I can get a used dot for like three hundred canadian. Are they good guitars for the money, any big problems I should know about? Also, what are some other good semi-hollows for around the same price? I also had my eye on some Jay Tursers. What do you all think?
Thanks
~PauL~

[97reb]

The Epiphones and Ibanez in that price range are rated pretty good. I'm thinking of an Ibanez, myself.

[hobsonator]

I have played an Epiphone Dot that belonged to another guitar player I was in a band with. I wasn't very impressed. I found the pickups to be weak, the electronics rather iffy, and the neck kind of clunky. Eventually the dude who owned it put some Bill Lawrence pickups in it. When he did that the guitar sounded better but still didn't play any better.
I would be more inclined to go with an Ibanez or a used Aria, Washburn, or Yamaha from the eighties back when they were being made in Japan.

[gnease]

The new Ibanez Artcore line is better than the Epi dot. Artcores start at $299 US -- so the used Dot is significantly cheaper. You could also go to the "source": Samick, the company that makes a lot of the guitars in the first place (e.g., the Dot). Lower price, higher quality, than many of its branded versions (again, the Dot!).

Personally, I'd go with one of the Artcore models.

-Greg

[greybeard]

My local guitar shop has an old Ibanez AS50 (Korean, not Japanese) and I have been able to compare it to a new Epi Dot. Two different worlds as far as the neck is concerend - the Ibanez is almost anorexic compared to the Dot, but plays beautifully. Not only was the Dot neck pretty chunky, but the fretboard felt weird - don't ask me exactly what it was, because I don't know, it just felt weird - almost as if it was made of felt or something.

I played a Yamaha SA2200 a while back, which had a chunky neck, just like the Dot, but the rest was really on a par with a Gibson Es335 (at more than twice the price I might add - Yamaha <€1100, Gibson >€2200). The finishing on the Yamaha was immaculate, frets burnished like I've seen on no other guitar. I could probably get used to the Yamaha neck, but not the Epi fretboard.

[hobsonator]

I have never really played a semi-hollow that really did it for me. I'd rather have a solidbody or a full depth archtop hollowbody.

[Snoogans775]

I own an Ibanez Artcore AG75(no-trem) I got it for $305 US, and its definetely better than the dot. The quality is incredible, I'd rate it up with an ES-135 any day, as would everybody I've shown and played it to.

Hollowbodies can do a lot of different styles, the resonant bass in my Artcore is the defining aspect, so for that neck pickup, jazz, blues, latin, all sorts of rhythm playing. The tone will very rarely disagree too greatly with a song, but if you need a crisp, lead sound, the bridge pickup is also just as useful. Very great guitar. I do wonder about the labor used to make it though...

[jimscafe]

When I was playing right handed (have now switched to left) I had an Epiphone Dot - thought it was great - the pickups and the neck was very easy to play. A more experienced guitarist with whom I jam each week loved it - and when I wanted to sell it due to switching to LH he bought it immediatley.

I haven't experienced a Ibanez so cannot comment - but do not understand the comments earlier from other members, not my experience at all. Epiphone Dot hoghly recommended..

[gnease]

Jimscafe-

The the Dot is a good guitar, but the competition is fierce at this price point. The Ibanez Artcores are hard to beat for quality versus $$. I had to pick up some parts this weekend and stopped to check out the Artcores and compare them to Gibsons. Qualitywise they really do well, though there is a difference between nitro and poly finishes -- the poly that Ibanez uses is easier to apply. And the Gibsons do sound better acoustically (if that matters). But the Gibbies cost 6 to 10 time the Artcores.

(BTW, the guitars I really liked were the Gibson L5 and PRS McCarty Hollow. Man, that PRS was a dream. Some of the Gretches where cool too.)

-Greg