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Need some help to identify a Epiphone ES-335


ltelie

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Hello,

 

Someone proposes to sell me a Epi Dot cherry.

This guitar has been bought used a few years ago

Serial number is ES-335 DOT - NO 80093104

 

.. well here is the problem

 

Guitar Dater Project says :

Your guitar was made in

Korea

September c.1980

Production Number: 3104

 

... but according to official history and Wikipedia pages) Epi switched to Korea in 1983

 

The Dot series started in 1997 ( http://www.epiphonewiki.com/index.php?title=Dot )

According to Epiphone official history this might be a Matsomoku period instrument but I find no mention of a Matsumoku ES-335 (and GuitarDater Project states Korea)

 

The guitar is not an elitist but looks like (Same headstock logo, tulip tuners, neck binding when regular dot doesn

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I've checked your photos out and some thing about that headstock just doesn't look right, It looks like the same shape they used on a lot of Les Paul models, Emperors and SG's, never seen that shape on a 335 or Casino (doesn't mean they were never on a 335, just I've never seen it on one) also there is binding on the neck which shouldn't be there on a Dot. The label in the guitar is wrong and and it has a different Epiphone shaped logo on it to the one the headstock, 2 Lunate E's and not 1 at the start and an ordinary e at the end (loads of 'em available on Fleabay along with Gibson Orange labels etc) unless it was a late 60's one which it probably isn't looking at how shiny and unscratched and unworn it looks, and the machine-heads I would have thought should be Grovers like they are on mine and not unnamed ones. The dot over the "I" on the headstock logo looks to be a different colour to the rest of the logo and the pick guard looks wrong for an Epi. Also the edges of the F-Holes on an Epi 335 are usually painted black so the lamination doesn't show and not painted the same colour as the finish (possibly on later models only though).

You need to take the Pickups out and see if there is anything written on them and/or written in the cavities.

 

But at the end of the day, if it plays OK, sounds OK and you are happy with it don't worry about it, just play it.

 

Cheers

J_N.

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Headstock crown ogo is wrong. I bought a stucker just like that from an ebay seller. It is wrinkled under the lacquer in the pics. As another mentioned, Dots are not bound on the neck except for Elitist models and the F hole edges are not painted. It is a fake but if the price is right it might be a player.

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