| Eagleeye Dave from Redding, CA USA USA USA USA USA all the way! |
| wolffbark@sbcglobal.net |
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| Subject: | Gibby at 1/10th the price! |
| Quality:
| It is built like a TANK! All Gibson except for the writing on the neck. Very sweet mutha and sings the BLUES! |
| Reliability:
| So far nothing has fallin off off or snapped. Does that mean something? |
| Overall:
| AWESOME AXE! |
| Playability and Feel:
| Plays great sounds great FEELS AWESOME and light. Maybe because it is kind of hollow? Hmmmm you think? |
| Tone:
| The buckers can dish it out from smooth to knarly and anything between. Just forget the metal though or it will SQUEAL! |
| Finish:
| Shines and I can comb my hair with the finish! |
| Action:
| Needed setup but is nice and low now! |
| Skill Level:
| Intermediate |
| Do you own this product?:
| Of course I do! I own two! One a DOT and the other Gibson DOT! |
| Date submitted:
| 3/9/2009 |
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| Bret E. Duncan from Fletcher, NC USA |
| jtfoote@bellsouth.net |
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| Subject: | Superior value!!! |
| Quality:
| The build quality of this instrument, (especially in this price range) is unsurpassed, IMHO. Not one overlooked glue blob, no overspray, no sharp fret ends or uneven frets ... nada. Beautiful woods, and lovely tone. The most minor complaints ... don't expect the logo on the pickguard to remain without superglue. No prob ... I glued it to the case! And finally, a better quality nut is recommended; this is the only thing I felt compelled to change almost immediately. I don't care for plastic nuts. |
| Reliability:
| To quote Bob S.-- like a rock. |
| Overall:
| Very impressed. I expected less, (considering this was my first experience with ordering an instrument sight unseen, and I was definitely ready to fault myself for using poor judgement) ... but I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. And ... the guitar is honestly a joy to play. It's not too flashy, but looks like an instrument that is far more expensive. |
| Playability and Feel:
| Straight, medium-quick neck ... not too thin, enough to grip comfortably, with nice finger spacing. Reminds me of a Les Paul, but not as chunky. The controls offer easy access for volume and tonal changes, once you get used to them. A good ratio of balance; not top-heavy, nor is the body too "weighty" to play easily during long sets. |
| Tone:
| Dark, meaty, woody tones, with clean, lustrous, fairly dynamic trebles ... perfect for blues and southern rock. I did some fine-tuning to adjust the pick-up heights for a thicker, hotter sound; that was an enjoyable afternoon. Truly ... I got into it! However, if I have my way, I'll probably have the wiring redone with some '57 Gibson humbuckers .. the volume controls have a quirk or two that could be improved, and the tonal roll-off could be clearer, with more "bite". |
| Finish:
| Absolutely perfect. Flawless. |
| Action:
| Slight adjustments needed to lower the action and adjust the intonation ... fairly standard for an electric, or almost any instrument, in my experience. |
| Skill Level:
| Semi-Pro |
| Do you own this product?:
| Yes |
| Date submitted:
| 2/16/09 |
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| Hero from New York |
| vagabondprose@gmail.com |
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| Subject: | The Epiphone Dot: A Noob's Opinion |
| Quality:
| It appears well made and solid in body. The electronics may well hold up but the soldering was poor all around. |
| Sound:
| Because I'm poor all I could afford was a Honeytone mini amp. Through which this guitar sounds lovely. Aside from theory I'm learning two songs, "Someday" by The Strokes and "Offend In Every Way" by The White Stripes (don't judge me), each have disparate sounds, one clean, the other not. Both come through perfectly. |
| Reliability:
| Upon receipt the input jack and volume pot were loose. The moment I touched the jack it slipped into the body. When I tried to tighten the pot something snapped, rendering the neck pickup silent. Google helped figure out how to remove the volume pot and upon inspection a poorly soldered red wire had broken loose. Faced with either risking a drop of solder or a potentially lengthy return and worse off replacement I soldered. It worked perfectly and brightened the neck pickup considerably in the process. The jack took a bit longer to fish out but I did and it's fine. |
| Overall:
| For my first electric guitar I believe I made the right decision. Initially I couldn't decide between this instrument and a similarly priced Ibanez but being a beginner I opted for potential versatility. It was love at first sight. Being a fairly large man over six feet tall this guitar looks proportionately sized as opposed to the comparatively tiny competition. The only flaw on this beauty is covered below. |
| Playability and Feel:
| Having large palms but average fingers I find the neck pretty comfortable for both chords and notes. The frets are raised enough to feel while playing but not so much that they become an obstacle when sliding. The knobs are a bit out of the way while playing but my noobiness is likely to blame. I can barely breathe and play at the same time so reaching for knobs is out of the question. |
| Tone:
| Through my mini amp it's a fairly versatile guitar. Played clean it falls a tiny bit flat but that could be the amp. The limited effects I can apply all sound pretty good. Unplugged it's loud enough to hear over my singing and pretty enough to hold it's own for a short acoustic song though it wouldn't replace one. |
| Finish:
| The finish is nearly flawless. The f holes had a sticky sort of film on them that rubbed off and under the pick guard, which I removed for aesthetic purposes, there were some very small marks. Unless you're inspecting every inch of the finish with a jeweler's glass it's wonderful. |
| Action:
| Having nothing to compare this to but a seven year old beat up Esteban acoustic I'd say the Dot wins cramped hands down. Out of the box I found the action comfortable enough to play for hours of grueling finger exercises and song practice. My weak, untrained digits have no complaints. |
| Skill Level:
| Beginner |
| Do you own this product?:
| Yes |
| Date submitted:
| 09/15/09 |
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| Ben from Kansas |
| unitedguitar@hotmail.com |
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| Subject: | Well worth it |
| Quality:
| I would say that this product is pretty well a darn good guitar. Nice materials, decent pickups, clean frets and quality craftmanship. |
| Sound:
| It definitely has that warm semi-hollow tone. I hooked it up with my blues driver and it was awesome. |
| Reliability:
| Everything seems pretty well made and it looks like it will last as long as I take care of it. |
| Overall:
| It's a great guitar and totally worth every penny. |
| Playability and Feel:
| Being a Strat player I thought that I might have trouble getting used to the scale length and neck shape but it really has a comfortable feel to it. The body can be a little awkward when at certain heights with the strap but that's an easy fix. |
| Tone:
| The tone is pretty warm but you can get some decent treble sounds out of it by utilizing the tone controls, that's what they are there for after all. Pickups are not really super hot but they definitely put out more than single coils. |
| Finish:
| It looked pretty good. It wasn't the most amazing finish but there aren't any bubble or fish eyes or scratches. Mine is the natural maple and it looks good on stage so that is good enough for me. |
| Action:
| Out of the box was ok but I tweaked it to my personal preferences. No factory, whether it be in the United States or China or wherever, can set the action for everyone. |
| Skill Level:
| Intermediate |
| Do you own this product?:
| I own it |
| Date submitted:
| 7/21/09 |
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| BigV1957 from Braddock,Pa |
| BigV1957@hotmail.com |
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| Subject: | Wonderful guitar |
| Quality:
| Fantastic |
| Sound:
| I've had the original pickups swapped out for some Deymour Duncan Vintage Blues and this sounds just like its big brother the Gibson 335... |
| Reliability:
| To Soon to tell but, the way in which I hope to take care of it it will probably withstand the test of time... |
| Overall:
| This guitar is so impressive. I would never have expected such seemingly painstaking attention to detail. |
| Playability and Feel:
| Very nice |
| Tone:
| The new pickups are as mellow and bluesy |
| Finish:
| Paint jobs would rival everything in its price range. Looks and sounds far better than most... |
| Action:
| Had tech refine the minute little problems and it plays like you would expect this guitar to play... |
| Skill Level:
| Intermediate |
| Do you own this product?:
| yes |
| Date submitted:
| 7-04-2009 |