Epiphone Sheraton II

Korean made, laminated maple Sheraton II. Vintage Sunburst, Albalone/Pearloid Block/Triangle inlays with flower and vine on headstock. Three piece maple neck,lengthwise. There are Mahogany strips between the maple. The whole guitar is bound. Gold hardware and stock Epihone humbucker pickups. Rosewood neck. 3 way selector switch.

This guitar is great all-round for any style. Very warm, pickups are good. Very similar to a Les Paul sound. Pickup selector sometimes cuts out when switching between pickups. This guitar sounds great with a solid-state amp, but this baby will knock your socks off with a tube amp. I am impressed more and more with this guitar everytime I play it. I have had it for a year now and can count the number of times I have played it. I mostly use my Les Paul for that BALLS TO THE WALL growl.

This guitar was setup perfectly right out of the box. The neck is fast and sleek with wide frets to accomodate 10 to 12 guage strings. Upper fret access is a snap, i just wish I could play better after the 15th. The finish is very close to perfect.

This guitar is good enough for anyone to play live or record. Lenny Kravitz has one, John Lee Hooker used it. Many rock stars use Epihone: George Harrison, Noel Gallagher, Tom Petty, Pete Yorn just to name a few. This quitar is totally dependable. The tuners on mine work perfectly, no tuning problems at all. I don't understand why people complain about them unless older ones had different tuners. The gold on the harware starts to wear quickly but I've been told that higher end guitars have the same problem. Gold looks nice but it wears! I will have this guitar my whole life. I might eventually get a Gibson picup selector though.

I haven't had to deal with them.

If this were stolen I would replace it again. It the best bang for the buck. You could easily put the Gibson name on this guitar.

1997 Korean-made semi-hollow ES-335 copy. Purchased new with a Hiscox hard case. Laminate maple top, back, sides and neck with rosewood fingerboard. Natural finish. 2 stock Samsung humbuckers. Two volume and two tone pots and a 3-way pickup selector. Tune-o-matic bridge. Gold-plated hardware.

All fine really, although the stock pickups and tuners are not up to much and the gold finish either rubs off or oxidizes. Other than that, fairly decent but nothing revelatory.

Very warm, if a little muddy (though I'm sure this could be cured by changing the pickups) and it will squeal if you crank it, particularly on the neck pick-up. Fine at what it does - although if your model has the Samsungs and you're seriously looking at committing to this guitar, you'll want those pickups changed. If you want a Tele / Strat style sound, you'd best go elsewhere - this just plain won't do it.

A bit of a mixed bag. Really great action, nice fast neck. Tuners suck, though - like the pickups, they're really gonna need changing. Seriously let down by the gold finish that either rubs off (tail-piece, bridge) or oxidizes (tuners) - I would have much preferred a chrome finish. Pots and pickup selector feel a tad flimsy, but have proved solid so far. Finish is the best thing about this guitar - it looks great and has stood up to all manner of knocks over the years.

It's a solidly built guitar that'll hold up to most knocks, if a bit heavy. The hardware will probably last, despite the oxidization I mentioned earlier. I have gigged with it and would do so again, although it is a bit on the heavy side. Have had some grounding problems (buzzing noises that go away when you touch the hardware) but these were fairly easily fixed - take note though that this guitar is a bugger to work on (as are all ES-335 style guitars).

Dunno if I would gig without a backup - I'm forever breaking strings with those tuners (and yes, it has been set up properly!). It's not the most versatile guitar in the world, so I'd probably have another guitar around anyway.

Never had anything serious go wrong.

When I bought this several years ago, it suited my style perfectly - I was mostly into Beatles and British indie rock (I can see how this guitar would be suited to jazz and blues, too). Now I'm a little older and wiser, I prefer the slightly harsher, more treble-heavy Tele sound. For that reason, I don't play this guitar as much as I used to.

It looks good but is seriously let down by average pickups and barely adequate tuners. I wasn't too fussed about the gold hardware but the grounding problem was pretty frustrating.

Even though it doesn't really suit my style anymore - Telecaster Custom is my electric of choice which kinda shows where I am right now - I'll still hold on to it because I'm hard pressed to think of another decent ES-335 copy for the price. OK, it's not particularly versatile (it won't "dirty" up as well as a Tele or a Les Paul) and I complain about the pickups, etc. but this is a perfectly playable, solidly-constructed, very nice looking guitar with a decent sound at a fraction of the cost of an ES-335. No doubt the Epiphone badge will appeal to Beatles / Oasis fans (as I was when I bought it).

I can't wholeheartedly recommend it, but you could do worse. For the money, it's fine. If you need that warm sound and see this used at a good price, it's certainly worth serious consideration.

Korean Epi SherII Black
heavy modified, Sperzel tuners, Duncan Pickups, MannMade bridge, Schaller Fine Tuning Stop tail piece.
Epi Hard Case

- Low rating, since had to replace everything to get it up to par.

Very pleasantly surprised at this guitar. i have been using it more & more and will probably be my main guitar. I like it better than my U.S. Gibson's i've owned (Les Paul Studio both 1992 models). Surprising sound, not hollow sounding at all, just warm tones and good sustain

Again, surprised at the quality and finish of the guitar, considering it is 'cheap' made in korea. this rating is based on price for performance. it ain't a $3800 gibson by any stretch but for what you pay for, it is definately decent.

since this isn't an expensive gibson you feel safer banging it around, but it really keeps up and seems solid. I did put strap-lox on it however, just in case ;-)

no idea, but it is backed by Gibson, i would figure that is fine.

I've been playing for 17 years semi-pro.
Own/Owned American strats, teles, gibson les pauls, ESP, Carvin, yamaha, takamene, Ibanez, Kramer/spector..

very pleasantly surprised. i wanted a semi-hollow for a long time, but didn't want to spend $2000+ on a gibson, but didn't want to buy a piece of crap either, when i found this on on HC with all the mods (i did install the fine-tuning bridge), i made an offer and i am really glad i did. knowing now what i do about it, and if i lost it, i would buy a new one or maybe upgrade to a gibson, but i have to say i like this one alot. don't think i'd like one straight from the box, but it is a good guitar to Modify. looks great, and plays great. with the fine tuning shaller bridge and sperliz trim-loc tuners thing stays in tune for weeks.

335 copy, left-handed, build by Samik in Korea I think.
with case, etc, etc, like all the other

WHAAAAAAAAAA !!!!
I had a friend whom played for me 10 years ago with a gibson 335, and I have to say that since this, I was looking for a left-handed gibson, but never found one. This sound was so expresive, so warm.
So, when I saw this guitar at 500 euro, new, I said, lets have a try...
I'm in love with this guitar... really nice sound for Blues, Jazz, Funk, etc...
I have to say that I never could compare this with a real gibson or gretch, but this guitar sounds superb
Yes, a bit muddy on the neck, but mixed with the bridge, it sounds full, warm, jazzy, bluesy, groovy....
I maybe will change the stock pick up in a while, but they are really acceptable.

I really fly on this guitar...., I fell good with this guitar.
It's really well made.
except for the pickup selector and the button, that look and fell a bit cheap.

It seems to be reliable.
Except once again for the Button and the selector

No idea

I have been playing guitar for 13 years now, and this is the guitar I was looking for all this time !
If you are looking into buying a jazz blues guitar, this baby is for you ! It sing what ever you play...just have to touch it!
Sure, if you have the money to buy a Gibson...but remember, the Gibson will NEVER sounds as a real Epiphone ! ;-)
If you change the pickup, you can get your own sound.
Go and take one !

2002 model. Korean Model. Gibson pickups. Gold hardware. Ivory inlays, blah blah blah. The case is about $85 Canadian funny money. Not bad features for the price. The main thing is...do they work? They look sweet. Everything on the Epi I tried worked tip-top.
Nice Guitar, I've seen less amounts of features for that amount of cash. And let's face it you'd have to sell your first born to buy a Gibson ES anything these days.

Suits my style perfectly, Blues, Jazz, Rock, pretty much does it all. Probably not too good for heavy drop tuning or punk though. I use a little Fender 112 Hot Rod Deluxe, sounds fantastic. Full, bright and not muddy like other reviews i've read about this guitar, of course those might be older models, they've made quite a few improvements on this years model, switch,pickups....
I love the sound and the feel,I'd have to make a few minor adjustments for heavier strings though. The stock 09's that come on it are razor sharp and very tight. Feels like paper-cuts. With the new strings on it, I may even get deeper tone. Don't let people tell you this guitar or Epiphones are cheap, they've come a long way and let's face it..who can really afford a Gibson or Gretsch these days? $3000 c'mon, i want my kids to go to college some day. $1000 Canadian is the price up here, so no, this guitar is not cheap. Sweet sounds for the cash and you don't have to worry the whole night about your $3,500 investment when gigging, isn't $1000 enough.

Guitar is a little stiff out of the factory as most are. I like heavier strings than 9's but that's no big deal to change. The pick-ups on the the new model sound pretty warm and soothing. No Flaws at all. Nothing noisy at all, although i would probably upgrade the pots, considering the switch was obviously upgraded as well as the pick-ups, i'll bring it to a tech for that so he can fish those babies outta there. Kind of a pain in the ass to do that. Other than that, very comfortable sitting or standing.

Everything seems in good shape, i'll let you know. I always gig with a backup so that doesn't apply to me i suppose. Seems dependable enough.

never dealt

Been playing for 10 years, own a fender usa strat, and a Gibson standard SG. this guitar fills the jazzy,blues void for me. Solid. Buy a new one or at least try the new Sheriton 2 before writing a review on an old one. The New one is very nice.

Made in Korea, it's set like a Gibson ES-335; no difference, other than the block (I believe it's made of wood on the Gibson). The Gibson's are laminated just like the epi's. This one came with hardshell case. Tuners are good; not spectacular. When I got it I had the switch, the pots and p/u's replaced. Love the looks. Natural finish. First hollow body. I liked it a lot then; I love it now. Got it 'cause I needed a back up but it's now my main stage guitar. It was a 7 before; it's a 10 now. Also love "triangle in rectangle" inlays on fretboard. I guess when they started making them in the 70's (I think), whatever parts were left over from the Gibson's got shipped to Korea, or Japan and used on these.

For blues and country rock this guitar is just right. I'm still learning it and looking for the "sweet" spot, if you know what I mean. Love that natural feedback. Had original humbuckers replaced with Gibson PAF on neck and a half PAF, half Seymour-Duncan Jeff Beck on bridge (I'm a freak; don't ask) which turned it from a $600 or so guitar to $1000 plus. Sounds incredible: Classic, if you will. Playing it mostly through a Fender London 185 solid state and an old Sovtek tube head, and it sounds so warm. I give it a 9 because, like I said, I'm still learning it.

When I got it, s/u was okay, considering that I got it used, not from a dealer. Gold hardware's faded (which I don't mind) and could not tune the top 2 strings (high B and E) for the life of me. A trip to the local luthier did the trick. Replaced pots, switch (original was a little screwy) and humbuckers. Plays like "butta'" now. After adjusting rod found out tuners work just fine, but could still be improved. There were no dings or scratches. The guitar looks amazing, especially after I removed the cheesy Epiphone pick-guard. I'm getting a 335 pickguard for it. It is now a 9 (maybe about a 6 when I got it).

So far so good, but I'm getting strap locks, 'cause this guitar is not one to be dropped. I haven't dropped it yet, and don't want to try it. Always have a b/u. Been doing this too long not to.

Have not needed. Hopefully never will.

Somehow I turn most of my guitars into Frankestein's, with all the replacement parts I put in them, but that's just me. I think this is a great guitar, but if you're willing to spend just a little bit more $$ there will be no difference between this guitar and it's american daddy. Improvements are not always needed. In my case they were, but even then, it doesn't take much to make it turn heads when you play it. There is definitely something about this guitar that makes it stand above all the others (an American Strat, Jazzmaster w/ DiMarzio Humbuckers (told you I was a freak)). This one will be with me for as long as I can help it, and with God's help hopefully.

Made in China or Korea anyways I forget .22 frets semi hollow body (Natural color )with F holes and 3 layers 0f bound maple neck. Pickups are Gibson new york mini humbuckers. 3-way selectors with volume and tone for each selection. Came with a hardshell case.

I play some jazz ,blues but mainly 50s, and 60s,rockin roll, thru a fender princeton dsp, this amp changes the whole sound of this guitar.I had been playing thru a Traynor amp and it sounded dull. Now it sounds complete on any setting

Factory setup was good, fit and finish were also good no glue marks on fret board but the pick guard was noisy, it was rubbing up against the pickup so I took it off myself and passed a small dremel sander along the edge of the pickguard to take abit off and now its perfect.Whats up with the plastic stickys that they glue on to the pickups that say Gibson, that glue is next to impossible to take off.

I've never played live but for basement use this thing will last forever.

Never had to deal with them yet !!

Been playing 30 years. I also own a fender Lead 2 ,which had a bit of a brighter sound but the sheraton is a bit smoother with a deeper tone. What I like about this Guitar is that its big and easy to hold on to.

es-335 copy.
sustain block, 2 humbuckers, 2vol., 2 tone controls;
nice inlays, good mechanics
looks great, especially in sunburst

great sounding!
from funk to jazz - nearly everyhting is possible and sounds quite original.
when playing with heavy distortion it tends to feedback soon, but that's normal for a semiacoustic

properly set-up, no faults discovered

the pickguard-screw was lost. but no problem to replace

Never needed a backup, never had any problems in live situations or at home.

never needed

i play the sher. over a 72 Fender ProReverb or with a hughes&kettner attax 100. i also use a boss od-3 for a fat blues sound. great!!!
the fender is 1st choice of course.

i'd never change for another guitar more expensive, as the epi sounds and feels great. it never broke down since 6 years of permanent use, so i'd buy the same one again in cause of loss/or if it was stolen.

The blues guitarplayer Keb'Mo also used a sheraton on a live gig in Germany. And so do some other profs i met on concerts or in a pub.

low price, great gear. buy one.

First off, I am a jazz-blues player. I play bebop, rhythm changes and jazz-blues exclusively. I did not evaluate this guitar through a distorted amp as I never play that way. This guitar was tested through a Fender tube amp and a Polytone Megabrain into a Rich Raezer Stealth 12 speaker cabinet.

This topic has pretty much been covered. I will add that the pickups are quite decent for the price, especially the neck pickup. It is a little muddy, but easy to brighten up by changing your amp tone settings.
The bridge pickup is a little bright for my liking but quite acceptable. The pickup are called Epiphone 57CH (G). There is a specific rear and front pickup.

The pickup switch has Epiphone written on it and failed the second day I had the guitar. I could not select the bridge pickup without
5 or 6 trys, if at all. I replaced it with an expensive Switchcraft
gold colored switch and it makes have incurred no further pops or problems.

The woodwork is actually very good for a under $1000 guitar. Mine has a natural finish. The neck/body joint has a very tiny amount of filler. The binding job on the headstock and neck is flawless. The F-hole binding has a couple of filler spots. The pickguard is flimsy and I simply removed it.

The tuners are okay. I have a Korg DT-3 and was surprised how accurate
it tunes up under the scrutiny of this digital tuner set in the "Cent" mode.

The frets on my axe were filed by the store's guitar tech, so I am not how sure good they were out of the box. They are great now though! The bridge allowed me to intonate the guitar perfectly.
I understand the gold plating wears off with use.

Note: For me, the sticky residue from the decals on the pickups came off the best with a cotton rag and water. Over 2 days, I had them shiny and clean.

This guitar has great sustain and you can hear and feel the vibration on the maple top unamplified. It is a good looking guitar.

Overall the guitar is great and the hardware is fair. You can always upgrade hardware though and this is my intention.

The acoustic tone of this guitar is very good. It has well balanced
tone and as a jazz box, it is a serious contender. It has a good balance of warmth and wood tones. The sustain is incredible!
Chords sound crisp and full. Single note runs are big and musical. I tested this guitar against a bunch of Guilds (2 - 3X the price), Ibanez and other Korean made archtops and I kept coming back to this guitar and then bought it.

The guitar was set up for some light guage round wound strings and was well intonated. I play heavy guage with low action and always with flat wound E A D and an unwound G string. .052 - .012.

After straightening the truss rod (To allow lower action) I put on a set of flatwound strings and was really impressed with the playability.
The neck is fast and effortless. This guitar has a nice flat fretboard and works well with low action, unlike many of the other Korean archtops I tried. The finish is good. I noticed my natural finished Sheraton 2 had better looking woodgrain and quality than the sunburst model that was also there.
I bought the natural as it had the fret job and because it looked cool.

I put on gold-colored strap locks. It feels solid. Not quite as solid as a 335, but I carry it in a gig bag and bang it around and no harm has come.
I could not stand the feel of the pickguard as it was very flexible and if I would have kept the pickguard on, I would have braced it.

I do not have a backup. I carry tools, strings, solderering iron and
it would have to be a major disaster before I gave up on this guitar when gigging.

I would get another. It is my main guitar and other players are impressed with its tone and playability.

A final note: I am a big Seymour Duncan pickup fan. I went an purchased some gold-plated Seth Lover model pickups and my my....
This guitar has serious tone now. These pickups have the perfect balance of warmth and brightness. They took the Sheraton 2 over the top. It was a good sounding guitar with the stock pickups, but now is
simply wonderful. It turns heads now. I am sure the Gibson 57s and other Seymour Duncan pickups would also be good choices, but the Seth Lovers in the Sheraton 2 has ideal my tone pretty much nailed.

I may replace the bridge and tailpiece eventually, but not in the near future. This is a great guitar for adding better hardware to as
overall it is a great guitar with fair hardware out of the box.
Many reviewers have said the tuners are poor. I disagree, they are okay and certainly adding some Grovers or the like would be nicer, but is not critical.

My review ratings are lower than others i have noticed. I am quite critical about guitars and also realize that guitars and amp reviews are very subjective and also there are lemons and keepers in every
production run.

Try the Sheraton 2 against other comparible Korean-built guitars and you may buy it. I am glad I did. The quality of under $1000 guitars is
getting better and better. We are so lucky to be playing today. There is so much great new, old and re-issued gear for us to enjoy.

KOREAN MADE 1995, BEST LOOKING GUITAR MADE IN THE ES335 STYLE eg; thinline-double cutaway semi hollow body two Humbucking 2 vol/ 2 tone control with a price tag under $700.00 that feels right and sounds right. The pickups are original Samsung and don't have that much vibe for real power lead playing, but they have enough for any easy listening and most rythym work. The finish and fit are extraordinary.I brought this guitar after trying it out against a vintage ES335(used). I got it with a gig-bag, but I have since gotten the hardshell case for it.

I play many different styles and I do a bit of studio work, having recorded TV jingles and a couple of albums. I use this axe for almost all my electric rythym work and any electric jazz (Larry Carlton, Eric Gale,etc). I play it through a Peavey Truimph 60 (tube),a Roland JC120, and a Roland Cube60. It sounds good through any of them, especially the Cube60 (w/Celestion V1260 spkr) which seems to let the voice of the instrument happen. The treble(bridge) pickup leaves a little to be desired by itself, but the the middle (2PU) setting anthe neck pickup are satisfying to me most of the time. I use a Dunlop CryBaby Wah Wah and Chorus/Delay/Tremolo pedals from Danelectro or ZOOM 2020 and 4040 Effects processors. I( plan to put either Gibson 57's or Seymour Duncans on it judging by all the feedback that the other reviewers have given.

The action was perfect for my style, but my dealer set the instrument up to my specs (.010-.046, low action with the stop tailpiece down on the body). I'm always trying something new with my guitar settups, so I have tried a hybrid string mix of .010,.012,.016,.026,.036,.047 which fits me a little better for all the styles I play and allows me to bend to my heart's content. The Gold plating on the pickup covers has all but faded away, but I'm a working player not a guitar runway model or collector, so I don't care as long as I sound good and the axe feels comfortable.

I've had this guitar for more than six years gigging regularly (ask the IRS)and this guitar has been one of my most called upon to get the job done. Who cares if the finish wears away some, How much does a Gibson Dot335 (chrome) cost today? Does it look this good? And if I spend the extra money on a set of new pickups, Won't I have to spend at least 3 times as much for something that sounds and looks as good? the strap buttons have held it in place so far, but one of these days I'll get some, too. I have depended on this axe and it has not let me down except for string breakage which I carry an extra second guitar (Parker P-38)for and that's only on live stage shows.

I've been playing since 1964 and I own a'77Strat w/Vintage-Noiseless Pickups, a Parker P-38, A Jackson Fusion Std. Pro(Floyd Rose/S/S/H Hot-rails),an Ibanez 1974 Double-Neck 6/12, an Ibanez "Artist" 70's, an Aria Pro Elecord(MOdel#p-90)acoustic/electric roundhole/archtop. If this guitar were stolen I would either buy another or an Ibanez Artstar which is the only axe in this class that sounds better. The only slight problem I have with it is that my D,and G strings have a tendency at times to go a little flat after some hard bending, but I correct that easily by just pressing down slightly on the string in question between the bridge and tailpiece causing the string to go back in tune(I can live with that).