Epiphone Dot Studio

Just as promised, this is my Epiphone Dot Studio review.

If you consider yourself a dedicated blues, jazz or even classic rock player, playing a hollow-body guitar has probably crossed your mind more than once. You’ve probably dreamed of getting a Gibson ES-335, but walked away discouraged when you saw the price. Sounds familiar? Fortunately, for guys just like you, the nice people of Epiphone have come up with a very interesting solution – the Epiphone Dot Studio semi hollow electric guitar.

The Dot Studio features an all maple body, a mahogany neck and a rosewood fret board. It comes with two Vintage Alnico humbuckers made by Epiphone, which sound amazingly well, especially if you consider the ultra low price of this guitar.

As usual, the first thing you take notice of is how the guitar looks. In the case of the Epiphone Dot Studio opinions may vary. Personally, I find the simplistic desing of the guitar quite appealing, but those of you who are into more over the top finishes may find this instrument too raw looking. There’s no pickguard on the guitar’s top and no inlays or dots on the fret board, but in my opinion this is what makes the Dot Studio visually interesting. There are a variety of finish options to choose from, including the worn cherry and the worn vintage sunburst finishes, which seem to be the most popular with this model.

As already mentioned, the two Vintage Alnico pickups do an amazing job delivering that fat, deep bluesy tone. This guitar really does sound great for the price, and the tone you can get out of the Epiphone Dot Studio plugged into a good quality tube amp isn’t very far from the Gibson original. The guitar’s tone is certainly usable in both live and studio situations. When you look at a semi hollow guitar like this one, you almost subconsciously expect it to sound dark and deep. Well, basically, that’s what the Dot Studio sounds like, but there’s a little bit more snap than you would expect, thanks to the maple body of the guitar.

The Dot Studio has a classic Gibson 24.75″ scale and comes with a surprisingly comfortable neck. It has 22 medium-jumbo frets, which promote those wide bluesy bends. It is also worth noting that the frets are well finished, with no sharp edges – something not widely seen at this price level.

To sum up, I can honestly say that I am quite impressed with what the Epiphone Dot Studio electric guitar offers. It is really hard to find a better quality semi-hollow guitar at this price, so if you are looking for an instrument that’s specifically made for blues and jazz, I suggest you give the Dot Studio a try. And if you do decide to get one, keep in mind they don’t come with a case, so buying one would probably be a wise choice, too.