I totally understand why people buy them.īut in terms of value, there is no other conclusion other than they are a massive, ridiculous rip-off. I mean ES-335's are beautiful guitars and you get the Gibson mystique. I would be willing to pay as much as $300 more for a Gibson. Except that I think Ibanez AS 93s are a little better and As-73s are a screaming bargain. Don't have anything bad to say about them. I think Epi 335 are solid guitars and about what I would expect for $500-600. I would not even consider an American Fender, because the Squier and MIM are more than good enough for me. I think the higher end Squier and MIM are closer to American Fender than Epis are too Gibson.