Please tell me about the Epiphone Dot

[SupDude]

I'm in the market for a new guitar right now, not looking to spend a whole lot of money. They have Epiphone Dots for $399 on Musicians Friend.

Are these guitars pretty good? Obviously the pickups and electronics aren't going to be super great because of the price, but that can always be changed at a later date if I decide to.

I tried a Sheraton the other day and really liked it but they're a little more expensive and I'm a broke college student.

So TGP, please tell me about the Epiphone Dot. Anything would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Jeremy Palmer]

I say do it. I bought one about a month ago, and really like it so far. I changed out the pups and the knobs but that's about it. I'll eventually get around to swapping out the electronics as well, but it's not a huge priority right now. It really has a nice feel, especially the neck. The neck is chunky, but not baseball batty. I'd buy it, and if you don't like it you can always eat a few bucks and sell it on the 'Bay, or trade it on C'list.

 

[SupDude]

Thanks man. How did the stock pups sound? And what did you switch them out with?

 

[enocaster]

When short on cash, buying used gets you a whole lot further.

 

[CharAznable]

Search for a used one. The early Korean made ones are a lot better than the current ones and can be had cheap.

 

[Jeremy Palmer]

SupDude- the stock pups were a little dull and lacked clarity to my ears. I swapped 'em out for Kent Armstrong Gretsch-style humbuckers. I agree, though, that finding a used Korean model is the way to go. That's what I've got, and it is most definitely a keeper. Search the 'Bay and you'll find that they go in the $300-350 range all day. Be patient.

 

[SupDude]

The new ones are Chinese made correct?

 

[BPSUL]

There is a guy on the HC forums selling one exactly like the one you pictured. I am not affiliated in any way...

FYI. Not everything on Epiphones are junk. For instance, the tuners are usually nice grovers... pots are normally full size alpha. Just sayin - its not necessary to replace everything.

 

[beNsteR]

find a used korean one. nice guitars for the money

 

[PixMix]

The new ones are Chinese made correct?

Yes, and +1 for going used. Think about it this way, in a month after the purchase of a new guitar, you'll have a "used" one.

 

[SupDude]

Other than ebay and CL are there other good online stores for used guitars? There's a few stores near me, but most of them have mostly high end gear

 

[BPSUL]

TGP forums, HC forums, My Les Paul forums all get a high amount of traffic. Seymour duncan forums to a lesser extent...

 

[Artur_I_Tis]

I have this or a Washburn on my radar. The fatter the neck the better. I have an SG Faded and an epiphone LP Special II(yes ply wood but the neck is FAT and so are the pups and I just love that). I tried the epiphone. Really like the neck pickup sound. Very smooth, full, but not muddy on the fender deluxe I tried it on. I don't remember the neck being small. I have not tried the Washburn HB-30, HB-32, or HB-35. The HB-32 looks real nice but I don't know what the neck will be like. As much as I like the look of the HB, the fatter guitar always wins for me, even if it's that ugly ass brown streaked Dot Special, unless it's that ugly ass worn cherry streaked Dot Special. That is just too much ugly, even for me.

 

[sjaustin]

When I went searching for an inexpensive hollowbody, I played about a dozen Epiphone Dots, and I liked maybe two or three of them. My experience with Epiphone stuff has been that about 10% of them are surprisingly nice, and the other 90% are... meh. So buying online may not be the best option, depending on how choosey you are about your guitars.

See if you can find anyone selling a used Hamer Echotone. It's from their import line (now called "XT"), so they can be had for roughly the same as a Dot. When I laid hands on mine, I forgot about every Dot I had played.

Same deal as Epiphone: the older Korean ones tend to be better than the newer Chinese ones. (Easy way to tell: the Chinese models have the jack on the front; the Korean ones have it on the side.) Either way, they're better than the Dots IMO.

Here's mine. Pretty, eh?

 

[Troubleman]

I have one of the Korean ones - blond.
All it really "needed" was a properly cut nut and better 3-way switch.
Eventually swapped the pots and installed Schaller tuners as well.
The pieces that brought it all together?
TonePros and Duncan Seth Lover pickups

It's better than some Gibson 335s now..


jb

 

[ProToneThinline]

SupDude- the stock pups were a little dull and lacked clarity to my ears.

The trick here is to make sure the pups are adjusted properly. If you want the Dot pups to sparkle a little more, first lower the pups about a full turn, then raise the pole pieces to compensate. A Dot will never sparkle like a Tele, but doing this will remove some of the "wooliness" from the stock set-up.

Also, the hardware is not that bad. The switch is okay, but requires a shot of contact cleaner from time to time. The pots are in reality pretty good, full size pots. The nut is generally acceptable, but may need re-cut depending on what strings you're using. The tuners are Grovers, and work just fine.

FWIW, I have some high end guitars, but I gig with my Dot. Mine is MIC. A good friend of mine has a MIK Dot, and quite frankly, I can't tell the difference.

 

[SupDude]

Same deal as Epiphone: the older Korean ones tend to be better than the newer Chinese ones. (Easy way to tell: the Chinese models have the jack on the front; the Korean ones have it on the side.) Either way, they're better than the Dots IMO.

I found one on eBay and the serial number says it was made in Korea in 99, but it has the jack on the front

 

[ABKB]

I have a Chinese model. Looks nice, sound was ehhh, ok, but felt dead. Swapped out the pickups with some Highorders and tuners (the old ones would not hold), took that fugly pickguard off, now I have a guitar that's still very average. Don't know why, just still feels dead to me. Maybe I got a bad one, don't know but I would not buy another one, even used.

 

[Tone_Terrific]

Mine is very well made with a decent mid-size neck. MIC. I think.
Acoustically more balanced, not as middy, as a typical 335, FWIW.
The pups are only fair and the bridge one will distort (pup distortion!) if too close to the strings.

But watch out for this:
The cutaways on the Dots are not as large as on 335's and some of the other Epi's.
this can be restrictive if your hand size or technique needs space!

Large body semi-hollows are pretty awkward, too, imo.

 

[freekbird]

I bought mine while I worked at Circuit City and we got the GC discount for a little while. $250 for a new one. Swapped out the pickups for SD hotrodded humbuckers and had it set up and it plays and sounds like a dream IMO. Not only that the guy who set it up owns a mid 60's 335 and he said that mine was actually closer to his than the new Gibsons were.