Epiphone Sheraton II

I'm delighted to write a positive review of the Epi Sheraton 2! This is a 2003 model with a natural finish, 2 humbuckers, 3 way toggle, volume & tone controls, nice headstock and rosewood fretboard. Other features are described below. Overall, this is a "looker".

Played it for the first time through a Line6 PodPro last night, recorded a little & put it back to back against my Gibby 335. Sounded wonderful. All of the tones were terrific.

Set up nicely, pickups will need to be adjusted. No observable finish problems.

We will see. That's why I give it a 5.

Don't know.

I've been playing longer than I like to admit! I own several high end instruments and wanted the Sheraton primarily for the looks. And it does fit in well with my collection. I own a studio with plenty of outboard equipment, as well as samples and software and like to experiment with tones from keys/synths and guitars.

All in all, I really like this instrument. If you are looking for a real nice hollowbody to go along with other instruments, the Sheraton 2 is an excellent buy. I'd absolutely buy another - it won't beak the bank and looks/sounds nice!

BTW, price really wasn't an object with respect to this review.

I'm not sure what year mine is. I believe it's mid 90's. I've owned it for 2 yrs. It's basically Epiphones better more dressed up Dot, or an inexpensive variation of a Gibson ES-355. This one has a natural finsih. I had to get rid of the stock pickups, they sounded thin, lifeless and had to many feedback problems. I replaced them with a Dimarzio tone zone in the bridge and a Rio Grande Genuine Texax humbucker in the neck. Both pickups have exposed zebra coils, and are splitable via push/pull volume knobs. It has become my main axe because of the versitilty factor. This one has a nice fast maple neck. My only gripe is the Sheraton II's headstock is out of balance causing it to drop. This can be fixed by using a leather strap w/suade on one side.

Because I changed the pickups and split the coils, it's super versatile and can be used for almost any style. I use it for surf, garage rock, country rock, blues and some swing. I guess it probably won't work for metal styles, but I don't play any. I play it through a early 90's white Fender deluxe reverb w/ a TS-9 and sometimes some tape echo. It can be dark, bright, or anything in between.

As for factory set-up I don't know, I purchased it used. Most import factory set-up's suck from what I've seen. I set it up for my style and it works great. Who ever Epiphone had make these did a killer job. Probably contracted in Korea. Very nice inlays and 5 ply binding. The finish is starting to wear of the neck of this one increasing the playability. I have to use graphite on the factory nut, but plan to get a bone nut installed. The factory tuners are crap, I replaced mine with Gotohs.

This one has fallen off a stand at a gig right onto a tile floor. Because of the maple construction it survived. A mahogony neck probably would have broke. I've never had any problems besides the pick-ups and tuners which I replaced. I gig it all the time without a backup. I replaced the strap buttons w/strap locks.

Never had a problem to deal with.

A fabulous guitar, every bit as good as a real 335 or 355. Save yourself thousand's of dollars by buying a used Epi Dot or Sheraton instead of a pricey 335 (unless money is no object.) Make sure it's a set neck model, this is crucial for the sound and sustain of a semi-hollow ES style guitar. Replace the pickups with something better and your set all for around $600-$700 instead of $2,500 for the over priced Gibson. Believe me I know I've had gibson semi-hollow's in the past. In fact I also currently own a very nice sunburst ES-135 with a Bigsby. A very nice insturment in it's own right. But the Epi's versitility and vibe make it my #1. Fantastic value.

I just picked up a used 1994(Korean)with a hard shell case and am already in love. The guitar is stock, no mods. The binding on the neck was done very quickly at the factory but I know a great luthier who can clean it up. A black to tobacco finish that is in reasonably great shape and I love. Have had some sunbursts and such but really like the subdued look of the tobacco finish.

Great blues/jazz guitar but easily transforms into a rock monster. I am running a Mesa Boogie clean (no effects) and am extremely impressed with how bright this guitar is. I typically use a US Strat Plus with Dimarzio VV pickups and thought there was no way a semi-acoustic could touch it..... I am presently surprised. The sustain is amazing.

Action is nice. I actually tweaked the neck in the store as it had such a monsterous bow that arrows should have come with the guitar. The neck pulled straight and after raising the action a hair and putting some 11 ga. on it plays awsome. Several very experienced players (buddies) have picked it up already and have told me that if I sell it I need to call them first.

It is a shame that gibson Chinced on the gold hardware. The tuners stay in tune, the bridge intonates and adjusts etc but the gold plating on the instrument is garbage. I am not a 'gold' kind of guy but it does suit this guitar. I will at some stage replace the pick-up covers etc but this is only visual. The finish seems to have held up very well. Some typical flaws around the binding but nothing that is hard to live with.

I have been playing for about twenty years and untill about 2 years ago I thought the only way to buy a decent guitar was to go brand name and spend mucho bucks. This is not the case. I love my US Stat but it now has a Warmoth neck and Dimarzio pickups. The $1,500.00 Cdn I spent on it originally was a waste of money. About a month ago I picked up a Korean made Tele for $300.00 Cdn. (Rosewood neck/ash body) After a fret job and a set of decent pick-ups the guitar plays and sounds like a (better I think) US model. This Epiphone is an awsome bang for your buck and a guitar I will keep in my collection. I would replace it if it were to go missing.. absolutely.

I'm not sure what year it was made. The serial begins with 'I03..' followed by about 6 other numbers (don't have it front of me), so I'm guessing that it is a 2003 model. The sticker inside one of the F-holes says Sheraton II VS (vintage sunburst?), and I purchased this as a factory second (stamped 'used' on the back of the headstock). After inspecting it, I believe the possible reasons it was stamped a 2nd are 1. the sunburst is more orange than the Sheraton II I see in pictures, which looks more brown; 2. some of the wiring and an adhesive patch is visible through the bottom F-hole, and 3. it is missing the 'E' logo on the pickguard. However, everything else appeared new (including the plastic still on the pickguard/pickups) and I saved a couple hundred dollars to boot.

Apologies for not knowing the specs, but some reviews below have all the helpful information. I was a little concerned after reading reviews of poor tuners and pickup selectors on the Sherry II, but it appears that these problems were fixed by the time this guitar was made (it has Grover tuners and no pops or crackles coming from the pup selector). It did not come with any case, and a hard case is definitely necessary (all my other guitars, including my Taylor Big Baby, are in gig bags). Unfortunately, the generic 335 case supplied by the dealer is a bit too small and I have to ease it in after playing. I recommend going with the Epiphone brand case designed for this model.

For the price, this is definitely one of the more ornate-looking guitars and very stylish, especially the tree-branch inlay on the headstock and the block inlays in the fingerboard. I've wanted this guitar for a long time based on its looks alone. Over time I began to appreciate the 335 sound so I put my Fender Toronado up on sale to pay for this one. It looks like a more expensive guitar so I give it a 10 for features.

I play mostly modern rock and this fits it well. I've been playing guitar for about 6 years, and mostly through Fenders. Currently the only 'amp' I have is a J-Station, since I can play through headphones and not annoy everyone around me. As soon as I plugged the Epi in I got rich, warm tones. I was so used to the 'nasally' sound of Fender single-coils (which aren't necessarily inferior) that it was quite a welcome change for me. I also found it easier to sound 'good' (subjectively, of course) through the Sherry than through Strats and Teles, possibly because of the thicker tone and sustain. When I started learning guitar, one of the bands' songs I used to practice on was Oasis, and this guitar is capable of hitting those tones (I believe Noel Gallagher's custom Epi is based on the Sherry).

I think this guitar is suitable for all types of music, except maybe for metal, punk, or some types of country. No complaints about the stock pickups, yet. I may change them in the future but at the moment they sound good to me.

It came strung with 9's (I prefer 10's), but other than that it played fine. The action was low and uniform to play along the entire neck. The finish was fine, except for the color issue listed above, but that didn't bother me. I find that Korean-made guitars generally have very good playability, even if other issues arise. This one was no exception.

I feel a little more cautious about this one than my solid-body guitars, but it feels solid overall. I heard it is a PITA to re-solder the pots for these 335 copies (unlike Fenders where everything is under the pickguard) so hopefully none of them will short out or anything. From reading other reviews though, I think it should last for quite a while.

I believe since I bought it as a 2nd, I am not eligible for any warranty. I haven't dealt with Epi otherwise.

Great guitar. Looks and sounds fantastic. It makes you look like a good player just hanging off your shoulder (which helps me compensate for lack of skill ;-) ). Someday when I'm out of school and earning enough money, I may go for a real Gibson 335, but still keep this one around, or maybe hang it on a wall as a piece of artwork.

Mine is the standard 2003 model. Vintage Sunburst, gold hardware, two humbuckers, two volume and tone controls, 3-way switch, etc. It is a beautiful instrument. Flawless finish. Awesome feel. The binding is exquisite.

This guitar has that sweet, full, round sound that I crave. It's that chunky jazz tone that can be played straight or bent into whatever sound you desire.

I tuned it and it played like a champ right out of the box. As far as I can tell, this guitar is flawless.

The guitar doesn't seem fragile, but I baby it. I play for myself, so this really isn't an issue. I think musical instruments are not meant to be indestructible. I suppose a working musician would be better equipped to answer this.

Got the warranty. Haven't had to use it.

I'm a novice (<1 year) player. I own a Godin SD that I also love! I chose the Seraton II for the looks (sunburst finish, gold hardware)and the sound (warm, full, sophisticated, jazzy). I can't imagine how much better a Gibson ES-335 would have to be to justify the 4x price differential. I know I'm not enough of a player to even worry about it. I don't need a Rolls-Royce. I love my Cadillac!!!

I recommend that anyone shopping for a particular piece of hardware calls Musician's Friend once a week and ask if the object of your desire is on sale. They run phone-only sales! I saved $80 off an already good price. I was calling to order a Guitarport and as I was half-listening to the specials, I asked about my dream-guitar and lo and behold they had it on sale!!!!! Why pay more?!?!?

Back to the guitar, I have only just received it, but it is a dream. And the comments from some Epi semi-hollow players about iffy switches and controls may be due to them not understanding how the controls are wired (in series for center switch position). Mine are terrific! I love the sound those two hummers give me. Rock on!

I bought mine back in 1994, and It was amde in Korea. It has 22 frets and It has a sunburst finish

I play alot of Spacey rock kinda stuff. I use a Fender Pro 185 mostly with this guitar. I use a Vox Ac30 also. The guitar sounds great through both. If you're looking for a strat or tele sound do not buy this guitar. It's a much richer tone and not as harsh a sound. Although I do find it quite versatile.

I play this guitar exactly the way it came from the factory and it still sounds great. Except for some of the switches and knobs which crackle if you turn them.

I played in a band and strictly used this guitar for more than three years and never had a problem. You can definitely depend on this guitar. I put it through some abuse and it still looks and sounds great.

I've been playing since 1990 and this was my third guitar. I've owned Les Pauls and other long forgotten guitars and I can truly say that this is a solid guitar.

This is a new 2003 Epiphone Shereton II left handed vesion made in Korea. It has 22 frets on a set 3 piece maple neck which is thicker than i expected but surprisingly feels great. The two gold plated stock epiphone humbuckers are controlled by a three way toggle (which feels quite cheap) and a volume and topne for each p/u wich aren't bad. The body is laminated maple as well as the top and seems to be really nice wood. The vintage sunburst finish is amazing, i don't like it on alot of other guitars but it really fits this, it goes perfectly with the gold plated hardware and i couldn't find a flaw in the finish (it's soo shiny!). It's a double cutaway archtop es-355 style which feels great compared to my old strat style guitar. It has a tunomatic bridge with a stopbar tailpiece which doesn't give as good sustain as the trapieze or other styles but is still out of this world. I was worried about the tuners on this guitar because i heard alot of bad things about the epi tuners, HOWEVER, epiphone has listened to the complaints and grover tuners are now standard. The neck is great, i thought i wouldn't like a thicker neck but it fits the palm of my hand perfect. It's 3 piece maple with two mahogany stripes (which i think are a great touch) running down the back. It has a nice rosewood finger board with block and triangle inlays (i dunno what they are made of) the frets seem to be the same as my old guitar, other than that i have no idea what they are. Also i noticed i can play alot faster and for alot longer without getting sore fingures. I had to pay extra for a case, im going to assume that the accesories (crappy little skinney cable and alan key for truss rod) came with the guitar and not the case. I give this guitar a 7 for 3 reasons. First is that left handed only comes in one colour. Second is that i really miss my tremelo and u can't get an archtop (that i have found anyway) with a left handed trem. And third is that u would think that for any guitar u would put a better switch on. Other than that it is an awesome guitar.

This guitar suits my styles almost perfectly (would be perfect if it had a tremelo). I like to play alot of blues and am getting into jazz. Also i play alot of hendrix/zepplin sort of stuff but i can play almost anything except heavey metal (metalica and stuff like that, ozzy acdc and the like are great) thisguitar will play anything and sound great. I am playing it through a peavy blazer (i know i know, im lookin for a nice 30 watt tube amp or something now) with the reverb and overdrive from the amp and it works great. The neck pickup has a muddy blues sound to it with great low end but not alot of high end. The bridge p/u had a great high end, almost a little twangy. a mix of both is great.

This guitar fits me perfect. With my old strat i would find myself slouching alot and picking around the twelf fret but this guitar is built for me. The action is so low it barely feels like playing and there is no fretbuzz. The pickups are also great. Im not sure what to think about intonation, it looks as though it was set by a formula or something, but it sounds ok. everything except the switch feels precision on this guitar. I have a feeling that sooner or later im going to get the switch changed, doesn't feel very good. I gave it a 9 because of the switch.

It seems like a solid guitar, if the who played it and tried to trash it at the end i think he would have a hard time. It is a very solid guitar, most other guitars i tried are less solid than this and they feel like playing a 2 by 4. The hardware is going to last a long time, u can tell (except for that damn switch). I heard the gold plating has a tendancy to wear off but i dunno yet. The strap buttons are very solid, although ive been thinking of getting straplocks just in case. I dunno how well i can depend on the switch, i think ill wait a year or so and then put in a better switch. I wouldn't want to gig without a backup just in case something crazy happened, if a string or somethin broke what would i play? But considdereing the next time i try to do a gig my old guitar will hopefuly be sold and my acoustic doesn't really fit with what i play i will probably go without a backup

the warenty is one year. i haven't had to deal with the company except for ordering it(which was good, it came a day early if that counts for anything) but im not sure how to get a waranty, it didn't come with a card and you can only fill out a waranty online if u live in the states. I gave it a 3 because im sure it's a good waranty but i dunno how to set it up.

Ive been playing for 4 years now, i started with my mom's old fender acoustic then "moved up" to my own sammick strat stytle electric with a 15 watt peavy amp. If this guitar were stolen or lost i would definatly buy it again, if i had the money to pay for one twice. I love just about everything about it, i wish that they would put a better switch in it and it came with a tremelo. I compared it to the other two epiphone archtops that comein left handed and chose this because it was more versatile than the joe pass emperor II and i didn't want a single coil pickup. I looked at other brands but epiphone has a great reputation so i went with that. I wish this guitar had a tremelo on it but it isn't a big loss. THis is a great guitar, it was a little expensive for what i do but i plan on keeping it for a long long time and im sure it will be able to stand up to anything.

I purchased this 2001 Sheraton through ebay. I wasn't sure about the guitar, but for the price I paid I thought I would give it a shot.
The guitar is "built" by Gibson guitars, althought the guitar has a sticker on the back of the neck saying "Made in Korea". The guitar is a 335 copy, and I must say it is better than most 335's I've seen and played, for less than 1/3 of the price. The stock pickups aren't very good, so I replaced them with Gibson 490's. This made an incredible difference. The hardware is pretty cheezy with the gold plate that is wearing off fairly quickly. Most of the other components are cheap - the pickup selector occationally does not engage the bridge pickup - the pots are cheap and crackle when turned. These all can be replaced with better quality parts. I also replaced the saddles on the bridge as I was breaking strings quite often. I replaced them with graph-tech saddles. It made a difference on string life.

The sound this guitar produces is awesome (after the pickup change). I have owned an original 335 as well as a Heritage 535 which is apparently made by the old dudes that once owned Gibson. This cheap, Korean copy is years ahead of the Heritage and is equal if not better than the 335 I owned. I can play any music style with this guitar - jazz, blues, rock, country - it can handle all styles.

I don't know how the setup was from the factory as I was the second owner, but I can say the setup I received it in was great. The action is perfect, with no string buzzing on any frets. The neck is smooth and fits the hand all the way up. The hardware however, isn't holding up as well as the rest of the guitar. I suppose one can change all those items and have a better instruement.The finish is flawless. I can't find any blemishes on the finish whatsover. It is finished in a vintage sunburst finish that is very classy looking. The entire guitar is bound including the f holes - nice touch. The one piece neck is true and straight. Other than the hardware, I would have rated the finish with a 10.

I don't gig any more, so I don't know how it will hold up. I can only say that this guitar is very, very solidly built. A bit heavier than most other 335's and the Heritage I own. I guess this gives the guitar that solid feel. I think you can truly depend on this one.

no idea - never needed to call them.

I have been playing for over 35 years. I have played pro and have worked in the studio as a player and producer. This guitar is truly amazing. I currently own 6 guitars - 2 custom built Fury guitars (the most awesome guitars I have played www.furyguitar.com), a hot rod strat, a Heritage 535, a Les Paul Custom, and now this Epi.I was shocked that this Epi would be as good as it is. The boys from Heritage didn't even finish their 535 any where close to the Epi. What happened to the pride of manufacturing? These guys are getting too old - need the cash more than taking time to build a decent product. They should buy an Epi and see what quality looks like.I will be selling my Heritage, and keeping this Sheraton. I hope anyone looking for a 335 style guitar, gives this guitar a try. You won't be disappointed.

The bridge is standard tune-O-matic, Bound Ebony finish with bound pickguard Tuners are, Grover tuners, pick ups are the new Gibson designed Alnico wax potted humbuckers, nut is plastic, Rosewood fingerboard. three way toggle switch, two volume, two tone controls. The control knobs are the same as fitted to gibsons, I know cos I bought some Gibsons knobs for an amp I'm building.

I play mainly delta blues, some chicago blues and english folk rock, but I've been getting into the blues style of john lee hooker and BB King (son plays sax so Blues brothers material is a good source for us)I play it through an old Orange Amp, given to me back in the seventies by the bloke who designed it (friend of me dads) I think it was the test amp he built, all valves and wopping great transformers that keep the room warm.

The sound from the pick-ups is truly amazing, the neck pu gives a lovely warm jazzy sound whilst on the centre setting of the toggle I get an outstanding blusey sound. sustain is lonnnnnnnnnnggggg

Factory set up is just fine but after 6 months of bedding in the epi all but plays itself so I'l probably regret it and spend the next six months getting it back to where it was.

The gold finish is holding up very well indeed, no rubbing of or oxidising and the guitar is getting an awfull lot of playing.

Other reviews seem to single out the tuners and pickups as areas of concern but the tuners are grovers and appear identical to those on the e355 and are as sweet as a nut, leastways I've had no trouble from them, The pick up problem seems to have been addressed by the new pickups (perhaps they do listen at Gibson) The pickguard on mine is Black perspex bound as for the main guitar with a metal E on it, it seems neither cheap nor tacky as some people say, again all I can think is that there is someone outhere reading these reviews and making changes. It plays better than a mates Gibson Les Paul custom who's action I find very heavy. The finish is without exageration flawless, the Koreans are making some serious instruments. The abalone and M.O.P inserts in the fret board? plastic or not? I can't tell, neither can any of my freinds so what does it matter? it looks good, the quality of the fretboard is excellent, up to that of my Ibanez and that cost #350.00 in 1976. the finish to this guitar is absolutely fabulous

The guitar seems bomb proof to date but summer beckons with a lot of outside playng at rowdy camp site parties so judgment is reserved. Use it without backup? got to mate, it's me only electric, and the wired accoustic I used to use is well past it string by date, but the omens are good.

Lifetime warranty, easy to register and it comes direct from Gibson, e mail support seems good given the time difference between US and GB, even when asked inane questions.

Bought my first electric after 30 yrs of accoustic playing classical, 6 and 12 string,(if you exclude my original 60's Burns Bass) So after many years of scrounging friends guitars and thereby sampling a few very good ones, lots of mediocre ones and even a few outright dogs (but their owners loved em)I chose the Sheraton II (2002 model, Korean manufacture) after playing both a Gibson blueshawk and Ibanez AS series for direct comparison. Put simply it was better than both put together by a big margin, not something I say lightly having an Ibanez 12 string for which I'd lay down my life rather than see go.

I love the finger board the action is so fast.

If it were stolen would I buy another of course, it is simply the best guitar I have ever played, there may be better but I havent seen one and for the price why would anyone want anything else, granted it may not suit everyone and no doubt a strat can do things it can't but it does what I want, beautifully.

Watch out, with this latest guitar it seems the Koreans have woken up and are kickin butt, I can seen this guitar becoming sought after as are the 80's Japanese offerings, it reeks quality. I just cannot see the justification for the price difference between a Gibson and this Epiphone

-98 Vintage sunburst

I had the bridge pickup changed to a Gibson '57. The difference wasn't so dramatic, the Gibson just clears out better. Currently I'm not using neck pickup that much, but it seems adequate.

I won't be changing the tuners since mine work good and I'm not planning to fit it with a Bigsby, that would change things. The tuners hold pitch better than the factory ones on my Epi Riviera.

The sound is mellowish, very good for my use. I play it through Fender Blues Deluxe with some fx pedals such as Sparkle Drive, Voodoo 1, Fuzz Face, Cool Cat etc.

Bought it used. Changing the bridge pickup would be wise.

Stands good for performances. I'd never gig without a backup, that would be naive-anything could happen that is NOT dependant on your guitar. Plus knowing that you have a backup you can play withot holding back.

I've been playing 10 years wit different equipment. This and Riviera will do so long that I'll get es345 (curious about the varitone) and Vox AC30, all 60s stock, naturally. That wouldn't mean that I'd play better, just cosmetics... The Epi's are great value for the money altough you have to ugrade the hardware.