Epiphone Sheraton

[Tone]

Hi all

I can feel an attack of GAS coming on!

I'm a dyed in the wool Strat man but I want something different. I've always fancied a Gibson ES335 and my thoughts have been turning towards one but I can't justify the sort of money they command. However, I've been looking at the Epiphone equivalent which is the Sheraton. The particular model that appeals to me is the Sheraton ii Pro which is the more expensive version with gold hardware and coil taps for the humbuckers. It looks fabulous and gets good reviews. And it's available for under £500 which is reckoned to be lots of bang for the bucks.

Before I take the plunge, does anyone here have one and, if so, what's your opinion? Obviously, I'd need to try before I buy but any info' on what to look out for and expect will be good.

Thanks.

Tony

[driftin]

hiya tone had one many moons ago the neck was not in alignement with the strings as a consequence the high e string kept getting pulled off the neck....but as I say tha was a loooooong time ago

regards

les

[nessmonst]

I have the non coil tapped version in natural and its fabulous. You should be able to pick an excellent used one up for around £350--perhaps the coil tapped one a bit more--lovely looking,easy playing and great sounding guitar--its more a 'luxury' 335--I would consider the Epi dot more as Epis 'budget' version and it too is a great value instrument--I would recommend either without reservation.The guitars that I have experienced are Korean built--can't vouch for the later Chinese ones so check that out!
Regards
David

[Stu's Dad]

I've got one Tone, it dates from the mid eighties and it's made in Japan, so it may be a bit better than those made anywhere else. Having said that, the Chinese seem to be putting out some good quality guitars, so it depends where a model's made.

The one I've got is a lovely guitar with great action and it's good to play. I'm not sure it's a replacement for a 335 though, I think the pickups have more of a jazz sound. It's easily put right with a decent EQ pedal, but I wouldn't expect it right out of the box. I like the idea of a coil tap, but I still wouldn't swap mine for anything.

Cheers,

Len

[Tone]

Thanks for your input, Les, David and Len. Most helpful.

I know the Sheraton isn't an exact replica of the 335 (I don't believe it's meant to be) but the body size and shape are, I think, spot on and that's what I want.

I know Epis have been built in China for the last few years (although the pickups on the Sheraton are US manufactured) and quality control can sometimes be iffy. Most of the reviews I've seen are very favourable but one or two people have said that the fret dressing left something to be desired so that's something I'll look out for.

Cheers.

Tony

[jimtidmarsh]

I had a Sheriton for a number of years having bought it new in 1992. It was nice to play but the pick ups were awful - very muddy & bass orientated. I changed them for a compatible pair from AxesRUs and it iproved the sound slightly. I sold it about 3 or 4 years ago because I never played it.

[Ernie Lamprell]

Jim

Calm the GAS down. I had an EPI Sheraton, but the pickups weren't great (mine were microphonic). Even with ply type guitars, you generally get what you pay for. My Epi also had an annoying dead spot.

335 is mainly for blues and and EPI will not really equate to it.

Have you considered a Gretsch? The G5420-T, G6420 & G6118 are all great.

Best Rgds

[Tone]

Hi Jim

Thanks for that but I don't think the pickups fitted to the current version are the same as on the one you had.

Anyway, I've now ordered one from Red Dog Music in Edinburgh and it's due to be delivered tomorrow. Nice people to deal with and they were even prepared to beat Amazon on price!

Cheers.

Tony

[Tone]

Hi Ernie

I replied to Jim's post before seeing yours (I assume you meant to address it to me) but you'll see from my reply that I've done the deed. However, I've got a 14 day money back guarantee so I can return it if I don't like it.

I'm afraid that once the GAS kicks in with me there's no stopping it!

Cheers.

Tony

[Stu's Dad]

Tone,

I don't know how you're getting on with your Sheraton yet, but I thought you might enjoy seeing this:

charliehall.proboards.com/thread/21918/interpreting-pauls-version-whispering-live

Cheers,

Len

[Tone]

Hi Len

Thanks for that. Great sound and great playing by Abel. I wish I could play like that!

I've had my Sheraton for a few days now and I'm very pleased with it. It looks lovely in Wine Red with gold hardware and it generally seems well made and finished (no rough frets which I was apprehensive about). I'm impressed with the variety of sounds available and in single coil mode played through an echo unit and a Vox amp it's not a million miles away from a Strat.

However, I'll qualify slightly the above statement about it being well made. On the third or fourth time I came to play it I plugged a guitar lead into the jack socket and as I did so there was a clunk as the socket disappeared into the body cavity because, as it turned out, the nut on top of the body which secures the socket had worked loose. The only access to the interior of the body is via the hole for the plug or the F-holes and it was an extremely fiddly and frustrating job to retrieve the socket and resecure it but, with some help from a friend who has more specialised tools than me, I eventually managed it. When I did so, I found that the socket sticks out only a very small way above the body surface so there is only a very small amount of thread on which to attach the securing nut. There's a YouTube video covering this problem (it actually covers a Gibson ES 335) which has had over 22,000 hits so it's obviously quite common. Long standing design fault? Anyway the nut has now been treated with a drop of Loctite so it shouldn't happen again.

Finally, I cannot speak too highly of the service received from Red Dog Music in Edinburgh. They were excellent at the time of purchase and when I told them about the disappearing jack socket they offered an immediate replacement guitar which, however, turned out not to be necessary.

Cheers.

Tony