Is the Artist Cherry 58 Electric Guitar Good?
Artist Guitars Cherry 58 Guitar Review
I know about you but I’m a huge fan of ES-335 style electric guitars. The most famous of these type of guitars were made by Gibson. A Gibson 335 depending on where you live around the world will cost you upwards of $3800. Of course many other brands out there on the market including Epiphone, Tokai, The Heritage, Eastman, and a plethora of other electric guitar brands.
I’ve been really fortunate to the other try a lot 335 style guitars over the years so I have an excellent basis for comparison with my review.
How does the artist cherry a guitar stack up against the competition?
These Artist Cherry 58 guitars are pretty great and here are a few reasons why:
- Price. This comes in about half the price of the competition
- Attention to detail. The guitar was flawless in terms of finish
- The stock pick up is a really really nice
Having owned two Epiphone Dot 335’s, a Gibson ES-335, and a Tokai 145L I had my fingers crossed the guitar would be somewhat close to the
Epiphone. The Guitar exceeded expectations. Not only just a guitar plays well, but it sounds great and it’s also extremely light. This takes a lot of boxes to me personally when I go to buy an electric guitar. What surprised me the most was the pickups. Up until testing this guitar, I don’t think I’ve ever tried I’m like a guitar with as much bite and snap on the top and with the exception of my PRS SE.
My Tokai 145L and my 2008 Gibson ES-335
My 2008 Gibson ES-335 was one of the most lackluster guitars I’ve ever owned. I always stated that it sounded like it had a wet blanket over the pickups. It had this muddy overtone I could just never get rid of. Once I had a chance to try my Tokai I decided it was time to sell the Gibson as it wasn’t even close. I am well aware not all Gibsons are bad guitars, but mine wasn’t great. I held onto it for a few years because I spent almost $4000.00 on it and I thought something was wrong with my amps. How wrong I was.
How does the artist guitars Cherry 58 compare to these guitars tone-wise? I think these pickups are fantastic! I recently did a shoot out between my Tokai 145L and the Cherry 58 and were times when I did the shoot out I could remember which guitar I had in my hands. This is both a great thing and a somewhat sad thing too. Being that the Artist Cherry 58 is about one-quarter of the price of the Tokai I had to shake my head. Just to also make mention my Japanese made Tokai ES-335 killed the Gibson ES-335 I had in terms of tone and playability.
Did the guitar have any problems?
Straight out of the box the guitar looked flawless. One thing that seems to let a lot of cheaper guitars down is the fact the fret edges are usually really sharp. This wasn’t the case with the Artist Cherry 58. I’ve had a chance to test out two of these Cherry 58 guitars in person and neither of them had any problems with a friend edges. This is a really good sign. One thing I have noticed though is the fact that you can see the wiring to the pots through the f-holes. I’m more expensive guitars it would be a whole lot more tidy in terms of its wiring.
Another thing that needed to be adjusted straight out of the box was the intonation. Bout to be fair I don’t expect many guitars to play great straight out of the box. From memory there’s only been a few that I’ve got straight out of the box played great that didn’t need any work and this is one of them.
Another small tweak I had to make was just tightened the tuners slightly on the end pegs. Some of them were just that little bit too loose. It’s not a big deal just a couple terms with the screwdriver and it was sorted.
Neck shape/Profile
Another positive me personally is the fact that the neck shape is based on the 50s to 60 styles of Gibson guitar. Not everybody will like a neck profile like this though. This essentially means that the neck is a little more chunky in the hands over something like a modern C-shaped neck for example. An Interesting side note is that my Tokai 145L actually has a Gibson style 50s neck. This feels just a little bit different for whatever reason. It almost has more of a D shape to it than a standard 50’s C. This suits my needs perfectly but it won’t be for everyone.
What do you get with the Guitar?
The electric guitar arrived in a cardboard box. Inside the box, you receive the generic guitar cable that goes straight in the bin. It’s one of those cables you wouldn’t ever want to use. Fair enough they include one for beginners but do yourself a favour and get a decent one. Included is also get an Allen key tool to adjust the neck. The truss rod adjustment location is located near the headstock. There aren’t many gig bags that fit this type of guitar either so grab one of these.
Who Uses 335 style guitars?
This guitar shape is iconic. Some of my favourite players of all time use guitars with this sort of vibe. These players are
- Eric Clapton
- BB King
- Freddy King
- Chris Cain
- Melvyn Taylor
- Otis Rush
- John Mayer
- and me! haha
Where can you buy an Artist Guitar?
The Artist Guitars Cherry 58 guitars are available in Australia, New Zealand
Check out the Cherry Artist 58 Electric Guitar Video Review
3 Good Alternatives to the Cherry 58 Electric Guitar
If you’re unable to get your hands on a Cherry 58 I have 3 recommendations below.
- Harley Benton HB-35 – These are very similar guitars quality-wise to the Artist Cherry 58.
- Epiphone Les Paul – It’s classic. With the exception of the headstock shape, it’s a great alternative.
- Tokai or Similar – These are great instruments as well and should give you the look and tone you’re after.
You can but the Artist Cherry 58 Electric Guitar from Artist Guitars
