Epiphone Futura ES-355 Thinline Semi-Hollowbody Firestorm Shift - EIF355FSSNH

A semi-hollow that keeps its shape under gain while giving you room to move

The Epiphone Futura ES-355 Thinline Semi-Hollowbody leans toward controlled tone without losing the character that started your love of semi-hollows in the first place. The layered maple and poplar body with solid centre block, helps keep the low end tight and the top end clear, so chords don’t blur together when you add drive, which becomes noticeable pretty quickly when you’re playing with a band or stacking parts in the studio.

The neck sits in a comfortable middle ground. The Modern C profile doesn’t get in the way, and the ebony fingerboard gives a slightly quicker, more direct response compared to rosewood. The compound radius also does its job without feeling like a feature you have to think about — chords feel natural, and bends higher up the neck come off clean. Stainless steel frets round it out by keeping everything feeling consistent over time (stainless steel wears much slower than nickel frets).

The ProBucker Ignite pickups cover a tonne of ground, staying articulate when pushed; but there’s still enough weight behind them for fuller sounds. With coil split and phase options on hand, you can shift between thicker and leaner tones easily, which is useful if you’re covering different parts without wanting to swap guitars mid-set.

The hardware setup keeps things simple and stable. LockTone components and locking tuners help everything stay in place, so you’re not chasing tuning between songs or takes. Compared to more traditional semi-hollow setups, it feels a bit more settled when you’re playing at volume.

At Riffs & Licks Music, we think the ES-335 Futura suits players who want a semi-hollow that feels controlled and dependable, especially if you’re playing live or recording regularly and need one guitar that can cover a range of sounds without becoming hard to manage.

Specifications