Epiphone Shinichi Ubukata ES-355 (If You Can Find One, Buy it)

This guitar is available at Sweetwater! Use my link to purchase: sweetwater.sjv.io/4P9Ok1
I got incredibly lucky with this Facebook Marketplace find. Picked up a 2024 Epiphone Shinichi Ubukata and it is hands down, the best Epiphone guitar I have had the pleasure of playing. Amplifier for the day is a Fender Twin Reverb Tone Master, and the drive is coming from a Wampler Tumnus. These are currently sold out almost everywhere in the U.S. but if you can find one, I highly recommend you grab it.

[@CoverArt70]

Great review, Randolph! I love my white Shinichi Ubukata, too. It plays great and sounds great. I agree with you 100% about the tuners. It was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. So smooth and accurate.

[@thefamily6221]

Thank you, for playing the guitar clean. This way we can hear what the guitar sounds like😊

[@thecolorhero1078]

I love mine. Cheers!

[@pvater]

I've noticed on your vids that when you play the guitar, the sound is choppy. like you have a lose cable, or something... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ thumbs up on scooping a Tumnus while they were available.

[@TheMidnightMayor]

How do you like the PAF pickups? Also the varitone?

[@AnthonyBurrito1313]

I dig that guitar

[@castillostreetcreators2032]

Love the painting in the background. I can't find it on line. Is it an original?

[@Randolphguitars]

Thanks! Not original at all. Found it while scrolling Instagram one night, I did some quick googling and I can't find it anywhere I was going to try to get the link to you 🙁

[@ubw8754]

For people who don't know about Ubukata Shinichi, He is a guitarist of Ellegarden(Japanese punk band). This band started in 1998 12/31. He got famous for 2 things in Japan. 1. He used Gibson ES 335(cherry) in a punk rock band in that time when most people used rather Les Paul than ES guitars for rock music. 2. His special unique arpeggio skill. As time goes by, Ellegarden got famous in East Asia(South Korea, Taiwan, Hong-kong) and his unique guitar play also got famous. In an interview, he said 'I was thinking about adding sound with a guitar in a band where there is no keyboard session. That was the start of my arpeggio style'. So, in Japan and South Korea, Ellegarden fans call his play "Ubupeggio"('Ubu'kata Shinichi + arpeggio). Ubukata continued to use Gibson ES 335 and at some points, he started to use Gibson ES 3"5"5. When Ellegarden paused in 2008, every members of Ellegarden made their own bands. At this time, Ubukata Shinichi made a band called "Nothing's Carved In Stone" and went on his career as a bandman. And he thought 'I want to do the things I've never done before'. So he made his signature guitar with Gibson via Gibson Japan. And boom! Gibson custom shop Shinichi Ubukata ES-355 vintage ebony VOS limited 150(diamond shape sound hole, ebony color body, rosewood fretboard, MHS pickup, Bigsby, Varitone switch). Before the release of this guitar, he got 3 prototype guitars of his signature from Gibson and he is still using his signature 1/150 and proto#1 on stages and for the recording. You can find more story of this Gibson signature on Chris Buck guitarist's KZbin. Fun story here: Dave Growl participated in the design of Gibson Shinichi Ubukata signature. And as a sign of a respect, Ubukata Shinichi gave the last one of his Gibson signature to Dave Growl. But... you can see that guitar was used as a.... um...... music video props in 'Shame Shame' music video. Yes... Dave Growl smashed a gift from Ubukata Shinichi. Many Japanese fans and many South Korean fans wanted to buy his Gibson signature, but only 150 limited run... However! a few years later, Gibson Japan released his signature guitar for Epiphone version! Not 'Inspired by Gibson' Epiphone, but Gibson 57classic pickup, ebony fretboard, Bigsby, Varitoneswitch, only ebony color body. It was kinda pretty good guitar. So it was sold at a fast pace and now we can find only used ones, no more new product. At this period, in the world, Epiphone released a new lineup "Inspired By Gibson" and also Emily woolfe signature. But this was not the end! A few more years later, Gibson Japan released Epiphone Shinichi Ubukata signature Ver.2!! And this time, this ver.2 signature got 'inspired by Gibson' specs including Kalamazoo headstock. Not only ebony color, also blue/cherry/green/white. So, this is that Epi ver.2 signature. Congratulations! I'm a Fxxking big fan of Ubukata Shinichi, so i have his all signature guitars(Gibson 103/150, Epi ver.1, Epi ver.2 cherry). And this Epi ver.2 guitar is really really really good for that price. Even better than Epi ver.1 in quality, and even better than Gibson signature in the price. And I totally agree with you saying "slimer side C". In the spec sheet, it says 59 profile C shape neck, but it's a little bit slimer than Gibson 59 C shape neck. I like this Epi ver.2 much better than Gibson one about neck shape!! I hope many people from West/Europe would find out who Ubukata Shinichi is. I want to say that he's the king and a hero of unique arpeggio.

[@Randolphguitars]

Wow that is really great info, thank you!

[@ubw8754]

@@RandolphguitarsCongratulations once again!😊 This guitar is really good for price/quality! In the internet, it seems that many western people learn about Japanese rock music culture via animation like 'Bocchi the Rock'. But in reality, I pretty can assure you that Ubukata Shinichi is one of the symbols of Japanese rock music, Gibson musician in Japan. When Ellegarden reunited, Japan the whole nation buzzed with excitement.

[@Jesvox1234]

American musical, Zzoounds a bunch of those in stock bud

[@aymericbruant3821]

great guitar ! Fret are medium jumbo ? Thx

[@Randolphguitars]

As far as I know!

[@nathansterrett3054]

The tuners feel better because they're grover rotomatics!

[@sixstring1950]

sounds like you have a pad guitar patch cord

[@johnm3152]

It ain't heavy - got some heft. it's my cool semi hollow body. If it can get bumped around

[@neilyoung5029]

Ebony board too

[@sixbladeknife44]

I have a black one from Sweetwater which was limited to 150 units in that color, great guitar!

[@ubw8754]

You mean you have Gibson one? Limited 150? Only Gibson signature is limited 150 units.

[@sixbladeknife44]

@@ubw8754 No, the black Sweetwater Epiphone one was limited to 150.

[@efilacchione]

How does this one compares to the newly released 1959 version?

[@luodave9366]

I have the first batch of versions produced in 2020, and everything is perfect except for the weight of 4.5KG, which is even heavier than my LP😂.

[@Randolphguitars]

I forgot to mention that! She's a big girl

[@JamesTaylor-pk4rv]

I’ve got a pelham blue one, i had a little bit of fret buzz, but after playing it for a while it went. It might have needed to sit for a bit. Great guitar. She’s heavy though.

[@indiekiduk]

“Set up in USA”

[@GOYINJAPAN]

I saw this here in japan.. nice guitar … if you need this one just let me know I’ll send to your place

[@MackDaddyVic]

Or you can just buy a Epiphone "Inspired by Gibson Custom" '59 ES-355 for $1,299. Way better guitar and has the open Gibson styled headstock with all gold hardware and legit USA custom buckers.

[@ahiwalter9153]

Two completely different looking & feeling guitars you dork…