While the market for 335-style guitars is tiered, just as it is for Strats, the price gaps between the tiers are much wider. However, legal threats did little to stop competitors - and Gibson’s own subsidiaries - from trying to get a slice of the 335 pie, from early ‘60s Univox imitations to the late ‘70s Ibanez Artist series to more recent tributes from Eastman and Heritage.
Gibson, for their part, recognized this and tried (unsuccessfully) at one point to copyright the two-dimensional outline of the ES-335. Its success disrupted the market, pushing many companies to try their own semi-hollow designs. First produced in 1958, the 335 was game-changing in taking the benefits of hollowbody construction (resonant, woody tone) and eliminating the drawbacks (vulnerability to feedback). Just as the Strat created a universal template for a versatile solid body guitar, the ES-335 did the same for semi-hollow guitars.
