Grote 335 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

I've wanted a semi-hollow for some time and I took the plunge to get this one. It's a very nice guitar that looks good and plays well. I was initially suspicious because of the price, as other guitars in the range did not play so well to me. Anyway, I had the store do a setup to ensure everything was fine and had the strings on I like to use. I change my own strings, of course, but I don't have tools for doing a proper setup. Good thing I did. Their Technician/Luthier CONNER, was very, very conscientious about his work, even fixing a slightly raised 14th fret. He was very meticulous in his inspection and work. If you don't have a semi-hollow body ax, this would be a good choice for the money. I have not had it long enough to say much about the two split-coil switches for the humbuckers. Maybe they'll turn out to add some good sounds as I play more. My only significant gripe is that the back of the neck has a standard gloss finish. If you play guitar, you probably hate that, as well. But some light sanding and oil should improve the playability.George

This was for my son, a late beginner, to add to his Ibanez s521. This was ordered online, not bought off the wall. It comes very well packaged for shipment and arrived with zero scratches or damage. The strings that it has are actually OK and I may keep them for a bit. I am not a huge fan of the gold metallic but it is the kid's preference, and the finish seems nice. I did not see much of the paint covering part of the binding in places as some have remarked, and the binding seems to be pretty decently done. The only really startling indicator of low build quality on ours is the very rough finish on the insides of the f holes. There are places that the paint has small runs in it and you can tell there was cost savings. There are guitars in the price category that are much better finished in there and I would have gladly paid a couple of extra bucks for this. At least they could have painted it black on the sides of the holes, like they did on some of the other colors, to hide it somewhat. On the gold, it is just jarring. I may do just that, after it is out of warranty of course. It is sad because there aren't any other significant issues on mine. The fret ends seem pretty nice and there really isn't any lifting, sprout, or sharpness on any of them. I am intermediate, so I can't really say authoritatively how the tone compares to others objectively, but to my ears it sounds pretty good especially compared to some others in the price range, like the stock Ibanez pickups. Seem to have clarity and not muddy. Like the neck profile. Neck required a slight loosening of the truss rod to straighten and the action was easily lowered to 1.5mm at the 12th fret low e without significant buzzing. The treble bleed does its job and single coil option is nice too. It won't sound like my strat but it does give some versatility. The guitar is very fun to play with its neck profile and radius once I did my mild setup on it, and hard to explain, but I don't want to put it down once I start using it. Despite the one flaw, I still think it is a good buy and recommended.JM

A great es-335 from Epiphone, especially with the alnicoV humbuckers, coil splitting, and quality control all around. I did very little set-up to get nice low action; I must also put on some new strings, loop-tie them, with some stop bar adjustment. I like this glossy ebony finish, but used steel wool on the back of the neck to take down the stickiness. Clear mellow sound with a bit of woodiness on the neck pickup; good for rhythm, CCR, country, jazz, and classic rock. The bridge pickup gives me more attack; good for clear chicken picking, and with pedals heavy distortion chunks and leads. With the coil split, I can almost get a Tele sound on the bridge pickup. The neck shape is sort-of D shaped; I prefer the rounded C-shape of the 1950s Gibsons. Great guitar at a super price on deal of the day sale. This is one of those rare very low priced yet quality guitars worth buying and playing.Professorchill

Overall: I live in a large city and it is still impossible to find a Gibson 335 that plays and sounds great, has no issues or questionable history and comes with a price tag lower than a new one to justify the gamble. As a result, I decided to pull the trigger on a new one and went for the figured, not so much for the flame but for the lower weight and select wood, knowing both my back would thank me and that the guitar would probably be a bit more open and resonant. Block inlays are certainly nice and that may have helped sway my decision too. The 335 arrived with an impeccable setup, right out of the box from the factory. In my 35 years of playing, I’ve never had this happen. I’ve heard of it happening but never to me. I always have to tweak the truss rod to straighten the neck a bit, adjust the bridge action, widen the nut slots and intimate the guitar. Every time. The only adjustment I’ve had to make is lower the pickups a bit for balance, that’s it! Plays like an absolute dream. Here is why you want this guitar rather than a used one—. the neck. None of that weird pencil thin 335 necks from the past or those horrible and slow baseball bat necks… this is perfect. I don’t know what Gibson is doing in Nashville now, but they are making these guitars better than they ever have. Having always been a fan of Classic ‘57 pickups, I read about these T Type pickups being bright. It is true that they are bright, however it works so well in this guitar. Roll back the tone knobs for the mellower and darker sounds, especially when in the neck position for a classic straight-ahead jazz sound, or rolled back in the bridge to fatten up rhythms…but the thing is, roll the tone up for that beautiful bite and thunk in single line solos. I have had bright guitars in the past and there is nothing you can do for them. No matter the pickups or amp, it remains bright and pingy. This is not a bright guitar and has such a beautifully balanced and mellow acoustic voice, the pickups suit it well and I will not replace them. Is it an insane amount of money? Yes. It is. In 10 years when I have blown through $4K many times over and have nothing to show for it, will I still have this 335? Yes. I will. It’s an investment and zZounds makes it possible for someone like me to have something nice. This is an absolutely breathtaking guitar. In playability, sound, and appearance—Gibson is on top of their game these days and I think the future will look back at this era as their new golden age.Michael

Upon opening the case, the case was hard to open, like it didn't fit top cover to bottom cover. The guitar smells of cheap carnauba wax (if you wax your own car you know there are great waxes that smell good) this is not the great smell of the past Gibson guitars I have purchased in the past. There was a light haze to the guitar like the wax was dried but not wiped off completely. The was not common of years pasts Gibson's. Its a very light weight guitar. Nice to hold and even sitting with it to play does not dig into the underarm like a thick acoustic does over time. The ice tea version does look great front to back. I can't tell if it's AAA but its very nice. The head stock look s like it wasn't cut symmetrically compared to the other side or sanded to much. The neck is nice and thick and wider top to bottom which I like for fitting all my fingers on the 1-5 frets for chords. Their is a lot of fret buzz on the G string throughout the range of the neck, It looks like the G string is higher than all the other strings in an attempt to reduce the buzz. I thought these were machine prepped ?? I can most likely (hopefully)make some adjustments for this. The frets feel thinner than my Les Paul's. Not sure if I like this but I can get used to it. The sound on a clean channel is great. I really like the sound. The volume knobs have no volume from 0 – almost 2, they don't change the volume a lot from 3-7, from 8-10 is almost all the volume change. I have never had this experience before. The tone knobs actually lowers the volume from 1-3 which I thought is also strange. I have no experience with a ES model so maybe this is normal. If it is, then I am not sure I would have purchased. I don't regret the purchase but I was expecting perfection for this price.Just Me

I love 335 but played several that I found meh. Preferred the Heritage H-535 I bought to most Gibbies I tried. Until I played that one at my local GC store. Was immediately captivated with the tone. Went back several times, and took the plunge despite the sticker shock. At home, in my amp it sounded even better than in the shop. Absolutely wonderful guitar, that feels and sounds as good and sometimes even better than vintage 60s 335 I tried or owned. I am in love! But what a price tag…Gibson CS is becoming unattainable fast.Stéphane

Overall: I live in a large city and it is still impossible to find a Gibson 335 that plays and sounds great, has no issues or questionable history and comes with a price tag lower than a new one to justify the gamble. As a result, I decided to pull the trigger on a new one and went for the figured, not so much for the flame but for the lower weight and select wood, knowing both my back would thank me and that the guitar would probably be a bit more open and resonant. Block inlays are certainly nice and that may have helped sway my decision too. The 335 arrived with an impeccable setup, right out of the box from the factory. In my 35 years of playing, I’ve never had this happen. I’ve heard of it happening but never to me. I always have to tweak the truss rod to straighten the neck a bit, adjust the bridge action, widen the nut slots and intimate the guitar. Every time. The only adjustment I’ve had to make is lower the pickups a bit for balance, that’s it! Plays like an absolute dream. Here is why you want this guitar rather than a used one—. the neck. None of that weird pencil thin 335 necks from the past or those horrible and slow baseball bat necks… this is perfect. I don’t know what Gibson is doing in Nashville now, but they are making these guitars better than they ever have. Having always been a fan of Classic ‘57 pickups, I read about these T Type pickups being bright. It is true that they are bright, however it works so well in this guitar. Roll back the tone knobs for the mellower and darker sounds, especially when in the neck position for a classic straight-ahead jazz sound, or rolled back in the bridge to fatten up rhythms…but the thing is, roll the tone up for that beautiful bite and thunk in single line solos. I have had bright guitars in the past and there is nothing you can do for them. No matter the pickups or amp, it remains bright and pingy. This is not a bright guitar and has such a beautifully balanced and mellow acoustic voice, the pickups suit it well and I will not replace them. Is it an insane amount of money? Yes. It is. In 10 years when I have blown through $4K many times over and have nothing to show for it, will I still have this 335? Yes. I will. It’s an investment and zZounds makes it possible for someone like me to have something nice. This is an absolutely breathtaking guitar. In playability, sound, and appearance—Gibson is on top of their game these days and I think the future will look back at this era as their new golden age.Michael

Upon opening the case, the case was hard to open, like it didn't fit top cover to bottom cover. The guitar smells of cheap carnauba wax (if you wax your own car you know there are great waxes that smell good) this is not the great smell of the past Gibson guitars I have purchased in the past. There was a light haze to the guitar like the wax was dried but not wiped off completely. The was not common of years pasts Gibson's. Its a very light weight guitar. Nice to hold and even sitting with it to play does not dig into the underarm like a thick acoustic does over time. The ice tea version does look great front to back. I can't tell if it's AAA but its very nice. The head stock look s like it wasn't cut symmetrically compared to the other side or sanded to much. The neck is nice and thick and wider top to bottom which I like for fitting all my fingers on the 1-5 frets for chords. Their is a lot of fret buzz on the G string throughout the range of the neck, It looks like the G string is higher than all the other strings in an attempt to reduce the buzz. I thought these were machine prepped ?? I can most likely (hopefully)make some adjustments for this. The frets feel thinner than my Les Paul's. Not sure if I like this but I can get used to it. The sound on a clean channel is great. I really like the sound. The volume knobs have no volume from 0 – almost 2, they don't change the volume a lot from 3-7, from 8-10 is almost all the volume change. I have never had this experience before. The tone knobs actually lowers the volume from 1-3 which I thought is also strange. I have no experience with a ES model so maybe this is normal. If it is, then I am not sure I would have purchased. I don't regret the purchase but I was expecting perfection for this price.Just Me

I love 335 but played several that I found meh. Preferred the Heritage H-535 I bought to most Gibbies I tried. Until I played that one at my local GC store. Was immediately captivated with the tone. Went back several times, and took the plunge despite the sticker shock. At home, in my amp it sounded even better than in the shop. Absolutely wonderful guitar, that feels and sounds as good and sometimes even better than vintage 60s 335 I tried or owned. I am in love! But what a price tag…Gibson CS is becoming unattainable fast.Stéphane

I use it just for my own enjoyment and growth as a guitarist and musician. I've wanted a top-flight guitar for awhile now. The neck is easily playable, even for a guy like me with relatively small hands. It played well for me right out of the box. It is pricy, but then, you get what you pay for. I would highly recommend.Tony in Vegas

Guitar shipped UPS. Unboxed it that same day. Was in perfect condition. Gibson hardcase with red velvet interior box candy included a cheap strap, a universal truss rod adjustment tool, literature and a picture of the guitar at the factory. I plugged it in and after a few amp adjustments on the low gain clean side with reverb and delay began to play. The strings are new 10s, it came tuned down for shipping, I tuned it up and played a few licks. The action is low and does not buzz, truss rod is perfect, annotation perfect, finish perfect. The sound is incredibly clear jangly and tasty unlike any of my other guitars. The T type pickups are unbelievably good. I haven't really tried putting heavy gain on it but I did notice the more gain the more effective the tone knobs become. But even clean the tone and volume adjustments are noticeable more than most guitars. Overall I am very happy with the purchase, I believe I will choose this guitar over every other guitar in my collection. I have played every guitar I can get my hands on and the ES 335 with the T type pickups blows every other guitar away. There is no better guitar on the market. Thank you Gibson for this instrument and thank you Guitar Center for your wonderful customer service.Steve

This guitar is the pinnacle of my collection, I don’t actually feel worthy of playing it just yet!! On the other hand my dog decided the case would make for an excellent new bed…Reviewed by guitarguitar custome

I generally prefer the vintage instruments to reissues, but this guitar was very impressive. The set up was great, the sound was incredible, and the action was tremendous. I played it through a vintage Marshall Plexi, and a 1987X it sounded excellent through both for the Blues, Rock stuff. I also played it through a 1965 Twin Reverb for Jazz… WOW, I mean this is an excellent sounding guitar. The semi-hollow body delivers big, full, sound while remaining clean and warm. When playing some old Blues this git-fiddle sounds absolutely creamy and delicious through any old Marshall, or reissue I didn't use any effects because you really do not need to, this guitar has it all. The 335 also delivers incredily wonderful, warm tones for Jazzy material. This truly is a well rounded instrument that will be cherished for years to come.Vintagesound335.

This guitar is the pinnacle of my collection, I don’t actually feel worthy of playing it just yet!! On the other hand my dog decided the case would make for an excellent new bed…Reviewed by guitarguitar custome

I generally prefer the vintage instruments to reissues, but this guitar was very impressive. The set up was great, the sound was incredible, and the action was tremendous. I played it through a vintage Marshall Plexi, and a 1987X it sounded excellent through both for the Blues, Rock stuff. I also played it through a 1965 Twin Reverb for Jazz… WOW, I mean this is an excellent sounding guitar. The semi-hollow body delivers big, full, sound while remaining clean and warm. When playing some old Blues this git-fiddle sounds absolutely creamy and delicious through any old Marshall, or reissue I didn't use any effects because you really do not need to, this guitar has it all. The 335 also delivers incredily wonderful, warm tones for Jazzy material. This truly is a well rounded instrument that will be cherished for years to come.Vintagesound335.

This guitar is the pinnacle of my collection, I don’t actually feel worthy of playing it just yet!! On the other hand my dog decided the case would make for an excellent new bed…Reviewed by guitarguitar custome

I generally prefer the vintage instruments to reissues, but this guitar was very impressive. The set up was great, the sound was incredible, and the action was tremendous. I played it through a vintage Marshall Plexi, and a 1987X it sounded excellent through both for the Blues, Rock stuff. I also played it through a 1965 Twin Reverb for Jazz… WOW, I mean this is an excellent sounding guitar. The semi-hollow body delivers big, full, sound while remaining clean and warm. When playing some old Blues this git-fiddle sounds absolutely creamy and delicious through any old Marshall, or reissue I didn't use any effects because you really do not need to, this guitar has it all. The 335 also delivers incredily wonderful, warm tones for Jazzy material. This truly is a well rounded instrument that will be cherished for years to come.Vintagesound335.

This guitar is the pinnacle of my collection, I don’t actually feel worthy of playing it just yet!! On the other hand my dog decided the case would make for an excellent new bed…Reviewed by guitarguitar custome

I generally prefer the vintage instruments to reissues, but this guitar was very impressive. The set up was great, the sound was incredible, and the action was tremendous. I played it through a vintage Marshall Plexi, and a 1987X it sounded excellent through both for the Blues, Rock stuff. I also played it through a 1965 Twin Reverb for Jazz… WOW, I mean this is an excellent sounding guitar. The semi-hollow body delivers big, full, sound while remaining clean and warm. When playing some old Blues this git-fiddle sounds absolutely creamy and delicious through any old Marshall, or reissue I didn't use any effects because you really do not need to, this guitar has it all. The 335 also delivers incredily wonderful, warm tones for Jazzy material. This truly is a well rounded instrument that will be cherished for years to come.Vintagesound335.

This guitar is the pinnacle of my collection, I don’t actually feel worthy of playing it just yet!! On the other hand my dog decided the case would make for an excellent new bed…Reviewed by guitarguitar custome

I generally prefer the vintage instruments to reissues, but this guitar was very impressive. The set up was great, the sound was incredible, and the action was tremendous. I played it through a vintage Marshall Plexi, and a 1987X it sounded excellent through both for the Blues, Rock stuff. I also played it through a 1965 Twin Reverb for Jazz… WOW, I mean this is an excellent sounding guitar. The semi-hollow body delivers big, full, sound while remaining clean and warm. When playing some old Blues this git-fiddle sounds absolutely creamy and delicious through any old Marshall, or reissue I didn't use any effects because you really do not need to, this guitar has it all. The 335 also delivers incredily wonderful, warm tones for Jazzy material. This truly is a well rounded instrument that will be cherished for years to come.Vintagesound335.

Very good stainless steel fret nice body not heavy very nice orginal pickups it's cheap but not bad i owned headless i don't have any problems with bridge or setup until now. Thank yououdai jawad