Epiphone 1959 ES-355 Cherry Red VOS

Bought this as I couldn’t justify the many thousands a real Gibson costs. I am not disappointed. The specifications and build quality are excellent and the guitar plays and feels like it should cost much more. For anyone concerned about Epiphone quality assurance , Thomann offer a fantastic service for €45 , where their guitar workshop will inspect and set up your instruments prior to delivery, including dressing the fret ends and a comprehensive set up. Kudos to Frank Graffstedt and the team, as stated my guitar was delivered in perfect condition and ready to play straight from the case. If you want an ES style guitar, this definitely offers the most bang for your buck!

Fantastic guitar! The Grover tuners are smooth and hold tuning really well. The volume and tone knobs are responsive and easy to control — it’s simple to roll off the gain and get a clean sound. The Gibson Custombucker pickups sound amazing, with excellent clarity and sustain.

The neck is chunky and wide, but I actually like that — there’s plenty of room for both fingers and pick. The frets don’t stick out on the sides, though the tops could use a bit of polishing to make them perfectly smooth. The guitar is quite heavy — around 3.9 kg — which adds to the solid feel and sustain. Overall, the setup is solid, just needs a few small adjustments to suit personal preferences.

Big thanks to Thomann — fast and reliable delivery. I’m very happy with this guitar!