I've been playing guitar for almost 40 years and the Memphis 335 DOT is the 4th semi-hollow body that I've owned. In the 80's I had a 1960 335 and a Yamaha SA2000. I currently own an Eastman 185MX and the Memphis 335.
I played rock as a younger man but now I play jazz and blues. I play the 335 primarily through two amps - a 60 watt Tech 21, which is a middle-of-the-road solid state amp, and a 50 watt Fuchs head and 2x12 Fuchs cabinet. I also practice with it through a small Kustom tube amp. The guitar's character shines through with all three amps, but it really sings through the Fuchs.
I bought the guitar from American Musical Supply. They have a 45-day return policy and I've always had good luck with them. It arrived in a couple of days and was well packed. The hard-shell case has a stencil from the custom shop. The inside has an attached sheet of fabric that covers the guitar when the case is closed. The 'blanket' doesn't seem to serve any purpose and it's kind of a pain to pull it off the guitar to take it out of the case and then cover the guitar when putting it away. (A minor gripe.)
Construction
The guitar's fit-and-finish are very good. Great attention to detail in the binding, the paint and the high-gloss finish. The Grover tuners do a good job and the other hardware is top-notch as well. I really like the '57 humbuckers. They have great output and the tone is perfect.
Since the guitar is made from laminated woods, you don't have to worry much about the moisture content varying as the seasons change. My Eastman is made from solid maple and, as it drys out during the winter months, a tiny split opens up between the bookmatched halves of the top. I should get a humidifier and keep the room at a constant level because that split is only going to grow as each season passes.
Playability
Out of the box, the guitar was fairly well set up. The neck was straight and the action a little on the high side, but pretty good for a factory setup. The frets were a bit taller than I prefer so in order to get the action as I like it, I had to get the frets filed, but that's more of a personal preference.
The guitar is thin, but the body is big and I think that's where some of the tone comes from. The neck is what they call a 'slim profile'. This is my least favorite aspect of the instrument. It's very slim - I don't mean the width across the fingerboard - I mean the thickness between the fingerboard and the back of the neck where you put your thumb. After an hour of playing, especially when chording a lot, my left hand is sore to the bone. I have other guitars with thicker necks and they are far more comfortable to play. This is my only complaint with this instrument.
Tone
The electronics on this guitar are very responsive. Where some tone and volume controls seem to have little effect after a certain point, these provide smooth, gradual change over their entire travel distance. They are clean and not scratchy.
I get a great jazzy clean sound out of any of my amps using the neck pickup and varying the tone control. I'll dial in some bridge pickup for a great chucka-chucka rhythm tone.
I LOVE the lead tone with a bit of distortion for blues and harder-core jazz stuff. It's soooo sweet - very rich and full of overtones. With a little tweaking, it gets that distinctive Larry Carlton/John Scofield tone, which is my holy grail.
Overall
The Memphis 335 is very well-suited to the music I play. It's great for jazz, blues and light rock. The tone is far richer than any solid body I've ever had. But, it doesn't produce the sustain or the hard edge that you get from a Les Paul or some other solid-bodies.
The guitar plays very nicely, it's balanced and comfortable. It's well-made and is a great looking instrument. The neck thickness is my only complaint. I would consider it perfect if it were a little more comfortable for me to play.
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