Epiphone Sheraton II

Left Handed Korean, was vintage sunburst (more in a moment....), laminated maple top, usual frets, pickups etc blah blah blah.....

Play in 2 bands - covers band and blues band - play through Fender Custom Vibrolux, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Fender Bassman 10 and Fender Champ (did I say I like Fender Amps?)

I took out the stock pickups because, well, they were shite! I have an old Ibanez twin neck from around 1972 with the original Super 70 pickups - these are Jap ripoffs of Gibson Humbuckers. Thought I'd give them a try before buying some others - what a difference - this now sound exactly how I thought it should - it nails BB King, Cream-era Clapton, Freddy King, Alvin Lee et al - loud, honky, full - fabulous with both pickups flat out together - wow! If you can get hold of a pair of these old pickups - bang them in and stand well back! Lovely clean tone which breaks up nicely as it's cranked - put through a Digitech Bad Monkey and Dod OD 250 - this is a sound of some beauty.

Action is superb - i use Rotosound Reds - 13 - 56 gauge. Had to recut the nut but plays like a dream now. Now - the finish..... Superb, flawless but I always disliked the Tobacco Burst - so I got to work with some sandpaper and wire wool and stripped It back to it's natural honey coloured maple. I wanted an old appearance so It's been french polished - beautiful satin dark honey colour which is now wearing beautifull where i sweat on it. Back and sides are still the lovely dark mahogany colour which complement the front nicely. I replaced the horrible knobs with a set of old Gibson black top-hat style and replaced the really shitty tuners with Grovers - now it stays in tune for a whole gig! Like all Sheratons the inlays are lovely and the neck is a dream.

I usually play my old strat and pick this up for a different sound where needed - however, at a recent blues gig I played with another strat player, I used this for the whole 2 sets - clean tones, dirty tones, heavy, the lot - i was delighted!
Gold plated finish shouldn't be allowed on guitars anyway - even the vastly inflated-priced Gibsons wear and fade with use - adds character in my opinion.... Replace strap buttons for locking ones - this is a HEAVY guitar. I never play without a backup - i'm heavy on strings - but I would use it for a full gig again.

Yeah, right......

Been playing in bands semi pro for 27 years. Other guitars are a custom bodied Strat w/right handed neck, Tokai USG30 (Jap Lawsuit model), Custom Telecaster, Tanglewood acoustic. Amps are all Fender (see above), Pedal board - Dunlop Cry Baby (70's model)- Dod OD 250 (clean signal boost)- Cheap Aria Distortion (turn the tone down - awesome)- Digitech Bad Monkey Overdrive - Boss Chorus - Boss DD5 delay. I also have a Boss GT6 programmed like the pedal board for backup - not too keen on digital reverb however).
This is the second time I've owned this guitar I'm sure - i sold it cos it wasn't great but regretted it cos I liked the way it looked (apart from sunburst front). Since the mods it's the guitar i leave out of the case around the house - and It's getting used more and more in gigs.

This guitar just arrived at my door from Mus. Fiend..., er, I mean friend. So, I assume it's relatively new. Now, this is not a John Lee Hooker Sheraton II. But only, as far as I can tell, because of a few things. It has two Gibson mini-buckers; Gold stop-tail and all real Gibson parts (ABR-1 bridge, etc.). But (interestingly), it does NOT have a 3-laminate Spruce-Maple-Spruce top. Instead, it has a 5-ply maple-birch-maple-birch-maple laminate on the whole thing, just like they are using on the Elites. Now, I should point out, that a guy I know has an "official" JLH, and his ALSO has a 5-ply throughout (ahh, Gibson...what a tangled web...) Also, mine came with a (cheapo) Gold-Plated import toggle switch like they use on their regular production stuff (unlike the Elites!), and a plastic nut (ditto).Rosewood fingerboard, Abalone inlays, etc. More on this below...

Aside from the above rant, this thing sounds phenomenal...sustains for days. Put it through a TopHat Club Royale, and a new Vox AC30 CC1 and, try as i might, couldn't get anything less than stellar tones from it!

Action, Fit & Finish (on mine, at least...) is a 10 , with some figure in the Top. Much better than a Historic 335 I saw recently(the Japs probably ARE making it, with is really fine with me; after all, we're paying 3,4, and 5 grand for new Japanese made Gretsches, aren,t we?

Who knows, should be fine; After all, Korean-made stuff is pretty damn durable now, too (DeArmond Starfire Special, anyone...?)!

Never hold your breath with these guys, ya know?

I did a bit of digging, and it seems the story is thus: Gibson's (Epiphone) arrangement with the JLH Estate was up and they were left with a bunch of guitars; (some completed/others not)so they decided to get rid of the stock on hand and blow them out to Musicians Friend (their # one connection, since Gibson has alienated everyone else in this quadrant of the Universe) The parts were sent to Gibson and...well, I don't know Anyone who has any more backstory on this (for sure) please let us know! But gang, c'mon: For $999., this thing is truly a bargain.

This is a 2005 model, made in Korea. Ebony finish, rosewood fingerboard with block inlays. Two humbuckers, two volume controls and two tone controls. Three way switch. All gold-tone hardware. Grover tuners. I gave the features a 9 because the epiphone "E" symbol kept peeling off the pickguard. I eventually quit sticking it back on and got rid of it.

My musical style is blues-based with Sabbath-like, heavy edges, and this axe does it right. I run this guitar (and all my others) through a Vox ToneLab and into a Samson Expedition 300 compact PA system. All kinds of amp sims from Soldano SLO-100 to Marshall Plexis. I do not have any noise issues with this guitar. In fact I have more noise problems with both of the real Gibson guitars that I own. This guitar produces the whole range from sweet seduction to searing agony.

I love the looks, sound, and quality of the this guitar. Since it was designed for jazz players, the neck is very stable and very straight. Once I got the relief where I like it, it has stayed right on the money ever since (if you have this situation, put a set of .012 guage on it and let it sit for a few days). Plays like a dream.

The factory setup was excellent. It was medium height and setup for a very straight neck. Good for jazz-style flatpicking. The pickups were adjusted properly and have not been adjusted. You can see a length of wire through one of the f-holes.

This guitar can gig. The hardware is gold-tone, so will eventually get ratty looking and be replaced. I dunno what the finish is gonna do over time. The strap buttons, like those on every guitar I own were suspect by default and propmptly replaced with locking replacements by Dunlop. This guitar has yet to let me down or freak me out. I would use it on a gig without backup if the material allowed it. In reality it does not.

I have been playing for 30+ years. I own two les pauls, an epi les paul, the Sheraton II, an Ibanex EX dedicated to synth work, Vox Tonelab, and a few amps. If this guiatr were lost of stolen I would replace it unless I had the cash for a an ES-335 laying around. I love pretty much everything. I hate the output jack being on the front.

According to an online serial number decrypter, my guitar was made at the Samick Plant, Korea, in October 1996. So its a good nine years old.
335 style sem-hollow body with solid centre block.
Laminated maple top and body, 3-piece set-in laminated maple neck, ebony finish.
Multi-ply cream binding on body, headstock, neck and pickguard, single-ply cream binding on f-holes.
22-fret rosewood fingerboard with block/triangle mother-of-pearl inlays up to the 15th fret.
2 stock epiphone humbucker pickups, 2 volume controls, 2 tone controls, 3-way selector switch.
Tune-o-matic bridge, stopbar tailpiece.
Non-locking no-name tuners.
Gold harware.
Mother-of-pearl Epiphone logo on headstock with M-o-P vine inlay.
Nut: 1.68"
Scale: 24.75"

This is my dream guitar! As I will explain, I replaced the stock humbuckers with p90s, making it just what I want.

My music style is blues/rock. Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers Band, etc. The sheraton suits this style perfectly. You can get some really mellow blues sounds from it, yet you can still rock out with it.
Im using it with a Fender Champion 300 solid-state amp, a Marshall Compressor, a Marshall Bluesbreaker, a 7-band EQ and a Boss SuperOverdrive. I keep the amp on clean with a little reverb and chorus, use the Bluesbreaker for all my overdrive, the EQ for a mid-boost, and the SuperOverdrive as a solo boost. My overdrive tone is that warm, smooth, creamy mid-heavy tone.
The stock humbuckers give pretty much no hum (just as the name implies!). You do get quite alot of feedback from this guitar (especially using overdrive and compressor pedals) as it is semi-hollow... but I like this. It is not screechy ear-splitting feedback, but sweet feedback which can be easily manipulated by vibrato and positioning of the guitar/amp. But if you are going for a clean jazz sound of something, feedback aint a problem, its just when you 'rock out'.
Unplugged, it sounds great! The stock humbuckers are a little muddy... but they are usuable. But you will probably want to replace them after a while. After I got this guitar, I fell in love with single-coils, so bought some Seymour Duncan Phat Cat p-90s to go in it. Now it sounds truly amazing... almost like a strat, unmistakeably single-coil with all the cut and twang. The stock humbuckers are a bit flat and bland, get some new pickups to improve the sound. Get some single-coils to really bring the guitar to life!
With the p-90s, clean and using the fender with a little reverb/chorus it sounds really beautiful. Sparkling, balanced cleans. STUNNING. Overdriven it sounds raw but smooth, nice and punchy. Very full and rich-sounding. Mellow but bright (is that possible?).
The guitar can make loads of different sounds - through manipulating the selector switch and tone/volume controls you can easily find what you are looking for unless its high-gain metal. But still I can get some good distorted hard rock, and even some heavy Black Sabbath sounds out of this.
It is wonderful for blues. I don't play jazz, but can tell it would be great for that, once you have upgraded the pickups to something clearer.
The volume and tone pots are not perfect, but they are predictable enough to use. One day I might replace them, but there is no hurry.
The Sheraton has loads of sustain - further improved by a compressor pedal!
You can get loads of attack, twang and cut from the bridge, and smooth, rounded leads from the neck.
I give it a 7 for the stock pickups, but I will up it to 8 as it can really be improved with good pickups (I give it a 9 with the phat cats!).

Ok, I got this second-hand, so I don't know what the factory set-up is like. During the 9 years this guitar has been played, the set-up could have been vastly improved or ruined. I don't know what it was like originally. I got it set-up myself by a tech.
You can get a really good low action from this... it plays really smooth and easy. It DOES have a bit of fret buzz... but looking closely the frets seem a little worn and could do with a good seeing-to. But when I play at loud volumes, fret buzz does not bother me!
The finish is excellent! Beautiful gloss black, with real nice multi-ply cream binding. It looks really classy. I found one small flaw in the binding... but this is hardly noticeable.
The pickguard is a cheap flimsy thing.... its translucent tortoise-shell, quite nice as it looks very dark against the black finish, with cream binding. Looks good anyway. I tightened the screws and it seems secure. It had that hideous epiphone E on it... but I found that can be pulled off real easily, and it looks much better without!
I thought the amber knobs did not look too great against the black, so I replaced them with black ones. Looks SO much bette now, much more classy.
The plastic nut seems fine, but one day I may replace it with a bone one.
The pickup selector is fine - not noisy. (But perhaps the previous owner replaced the original?)
I don't know what make the tuners are, but they are real good, really easy to tune and they stay like that for ages. I really don't think I need to replace them with grovers like I thought I did! (But again, maybe these aren't the stock ones)
The mother-of-pearl inlays are really nice! The work on the headstock, with the epiphone logo and the vine design, are really beautiful. Wow.

I don't go smashing my guitars against walls. Yes this guitar will withstand live playing unless your really abuse your instrument.
The gold hardware, as people have said, wears off real easily. It hasn't on the tuners, but has noticeable on the bridge and tailpiece. But not that much - it gives it a nice vintage look. Remember this guitar is 9 years old, so if you don't mind a little vintage wearing it is good! The pickups were pretty seriously worn though, but they got replaced.
The finish has lasted fine for 9 years so far! The cream binding is a little worn on the edges in places, but this isn't really noticeable and adds a little vintage class.
Strap buttons seem solid.
Hell yeah I can depend on this, and would gig without a backup!

Never dealt with Epiphone.

Fantastic guitar. Mine is 9 years old and used, so I don't know if they come like this from the factory.
You might want to do a little work on it, get a good proffesional set-up, replace the pickups, replace tuners and pots... but the end result is a fantastic guitar.
If it was lost or stolen, I really don't know what I'd do as I couldn't afford another good guitar. But if I did buy another, yes it would be the same black sheraton II with phat cat pickups. As I said, this is my dream guitar.
What I LOVE is the appearance... black body, cream binding, gold hardware, block inlays... a real classy guitar, the sort I love. The mother-of-pearl work on the headstock is BEAUTIFUL!
Probably the only thing I wish it had was inlays on the 17th, 19th and 21st frets. But I've got used to playing without them now, so no worries.
I give it a 10 overall... this is with the new pickups. If you are a gear snob who plays loads of gibsons.. this won't interest you except maybe for the unique appearance. But if you are a guitarist on a budget, interested by the ES series, a lover of gold hardware and all that class, and not worried what it says on the headstock... GET THIS GUITAR.
I love it.

By now you all know the deal. This is my second Sheraton as I mistakenly sold my first - duh - the Grovers are a welcome addition although even the tuners on my first Sheraton worked well. This guitar can do anything really - a Freddie Green chunk-chunk sound, to BB King, to jazz, to straight up rock and high gain with gobs of sustain. In regards to the latter, some have had problems with feedback but i have not. I cannot honestly fault the intrument in regard to features.

I give it a nine because only that imaginary sound in my head gets a 10. Of course, the amp makes a huge difference too. Run it through Mesa LoneStar and you will have to change your britches.... I have about 7 or 8 gigable guitars and acoustically this is he best sounding by far. Even acoustically the sustain is remarkable and the sound is natural and even. That translats to electirc also. Through an amp it captures somewhat of the acoustic - hollow - sould and it still has cojones..... The pickups are voiced a little bit darker than some but they are very musical. Guys - you can turn up the treble a notch and scoop the mids a bit on the amp - that is why you have all those dials!

Set up was very good but I know a fellow at the shop (Lauzon Music - Ottawa) does a good job with everything coming through the place. Nothing hits the floor with buzzes or rattles - nothing. i was impressed that the nut was cut so that 12 to 54s could go on and not choke at the nut. Bravo!

The gold will wear - who cares - and the pickguard is cheap and maybe the jack is loose at times but overall it is solid. the switches are fine and the pots are not even making noise unlike most of my other gutiars.

I have been playing 31 years (yikes) - gone through jazz, pop, alternative, classical, south american you name it. Back to jazz and blues mostly and trying to go deep in that regard. i had a Sheraton before - sold it - and regretted that so bought another. I am stilled married though. This guitar just feels right... although.. of course,,, I find myself looking at others (sound familiar?).

bottom line - a very good - working instrument - that can do practically everything one could need - and besides - it is the performance that counts not the "tone" necessarily... although having "tone" is nice.

199? Model, made in Ko-rea, junk hardware, junk electronics,two junk humbuckers, superb inlays and binding, great case, ok finish, it's a K-mart ES-335 copy. REALIZE: You will have to spend at least another 400 rocks to replace the crap parts, THIS IS MANDATORY! Unless you play in a church band.

Calling the stock sound of this guitar whimpy would be cutting it a break. It totally sucked. I said sucked, as in past tense, because I have since replaced the PU's with Gibson 57' Classics. What a difference a day makes. Now, I have a beautiful ass kicking machine claimed for a nominal price. The stock PU's aren't fit to be used as fishing weights. I am going to rate it by the stock sound, although now it is a monster. My band Aintry plays a hybrid mix of pop/alt-country/jangle, I play this through a Boss MX-80 processor into a mesa Boogie Mark IV combo, and it really does kick ass. I normally play a Ric 620, but now I am wavering.

I could have bought a Gibson, but i really like the inlay and binding job on the Epi. It plays great as well. Giant cool inlay in the headstock. The "gold" hardware finish is eroding at a break-neck pace. Will replace the hardware as soon as I can squirrel some dough away from my wife. It is a unique looking axe.

Haven't gigged with it yet, but that time is coming. At practice, I have set aside my Ric 620 in favor of the Sheraton. The new PU's have made a world of difference. I never gig without a backup, that would INVITE disaster. Once the hardware has been swapped, I can't see any issue with this guitar.

Dunno

This is the tricky part. In it's stock state, it is a borderline cricket bat. But once the electronics (and soon, hardware) are replaced it is a really great axe at half the cost of a Gibson. I will give it a six, because of the factory sound, but now it is a nine. I own a literal army of guitars, Gibsons, Rics, Fenders, et al, but this Ko-rean refugee has cracked my top five and is still climbing (with the Gibson PU's!).

Bought it in 1997. Blonde twin-humbucker 335 copy....but personally I think of better quality.
I've made a lot of changes to it, but I'll review it as I bought it.....no use giving it a 10 for sound & then saying "I changed the pickups, bridge & controls"!!!
It came to me blonde now it has a leopasrdskin finish courtesy of MP designs. The P/Us are now Kent Armstrong vintage & the controls have been changed for US pots & switches. It's unique!!

The sound is really good. I changed the P/Us but to be honest I can't tell much difference.
I had a Gibson 335 & compared it with this one but I REALLY couldn't tell any difference......& that was before I changed the P/Us!!
I sold the Gibson & kept this one.

Reasonably well set up.
Much better than my Gibson 335 & had no glue-runs inside which the Gibson had lots of.

Big, solid & durable. I guess the gold finish will wear off.....but then that's gold hardware for you!!
I ALWAYS have another guitar for a backup......have you never broken a string?

Never contacted them

Lots of guitars & amps.
This is a good 335-type guitar. As good as the Gibson equivalent (especially after a P/U & control change) for 20% of the price. I owned a Gibson 335 but sold it & kept this one. Don't be fooled by the "made in the USA" snobbery......your guitar will be made by minimum wage workers, not "craftsmen" in whichever country!!

Typical 335 type guitar features. Korean Made 2005 model. 2 Epiphone USA Humbucker Pickups with Alnico Magnets, Enamel Wiring and doubly dipped in wax. 2 Volume controls, 2 Tone controls. Spectacular Vintage Sunburst finish, rosewood fretboard with triangle on block inlays. Tune-O-Matic Bridge. Grover Tuners. Included Epiphone Hard Case. If this had a bigsby I'd give it a 10

I've read many mixed reviews on the sound of the stock pickups. I've had this guitar for a while and I am overwhelmed at just how crisp and defined the tone from the Epiphone pickups really are. The Clean Tones are so rich and lucid you could melt butter with it. With the bridge pickup on distortion, if I close my eyes I can almost hear the bite and mid range umph of my Seymour Duncan SH-5 I have fitted on my Squier '51, which i suppose is a slight turn off since its not quite a traditional 335 tone...but luckily for me it suits my music style (Brit-Pop, Classic Rock n Roll....check out www.krish-online.co.uk to see what kind of music I mean). The neck pickup has a beutiful mellow clean tone and creamy yet defined distortion. It could well be even more crisp if you put in a duncan '59, but for the price of the guitar you get a lot more than you paid for with stock pickups.

The overall setup out of the box was immaculate. The action was set at the same height as my squier '51 making switching between the guitars effortless. Strings were all gleaming and actually very close to being perfectly in tune. The reason it loses 2 points is down to slight finish flaws. There is a small brown mark next to the bridge which in fairness is hardly noticeable but still not something you should have to put up with.

REPLACE THOSE STRAP BUTTONS WITH SCHALLER STRAP LOCKS IMMEDIATELY. My guitar very nearly came to a crushing end within a week of me buying it because the strap came off from the button on the underside of the neck joint. Luckily I just caught it before it hit the ground, but never again will I take the risk of not fitting strap locks. On the bright side, the guitar does feel very well built with solid construction throughout. I've played a #2000 John Lennon Casino that creaked when i just rested my elbow on the side whilst playing...didn't fill me with a great deal of confidence.

I've been playing for just over 3 years, and I own a Modified Squier '51 (with a Seymour Duncan SH-5 in the bridge and Seymour Duncan SSL1 in the neck), an ovation shallow bowl copy, a Custom made Telecaster, Marshall MG30DFX amp, Line 6 Pod XT Live, Boss DD6 Delay pedal, Marshall Supervibe + Jackhammer pedals, Digtech Screamin' Blues pedal and a Cry Baby Wah pedal.

The guitar is sensational value for money, I simply havn't played any 335 copy that quite measures up to how brilliant this is, and I've tried a VERY large number. 2 things I would change...put in a bigsby tremolo (which I may well do at a later date) and put the selector switch in a slightly more accessible position. If this were stolen I doubt I'd be able to afford another one, but if I could I certainly would give it serious consideration. The only thing holding me back would be the fact that I've had my eye on a Japanese made Tokai Les Paul copy for a while that quite takes my fancy, might save up for that one. I compared this directly to an epi dot, which was so so, an epi riviera which didn't really suit my music at all and a supernova...which I was very tempted by since Noel Gallagher is my all time hero, but I couldnt justify spending #100 more than the sheratons price for it when they were incredibly similar.

2002 model

you can get the specs via other reviews/websites/etc.

i play rock, progressive metal, jazz, blues, and mainly jam band (which is a combo of every genre) and this guitar molds to the occasion. i can't tell you enough how well this guitar can scream, cry, sulk, thrash, and whisper. every comment on the sheraton i've ever received has been absolutley positive and enthusiastic. EVERYONE loves the tone, and the tone is out of this world.

i ordered mine from elderly instruments (elderly.com--great dealer!) in '02, but they set-up every guitar you buy to there 'favorite feel,' and i have to say it was great. there was absolutley NOTHING wrong with this guitar when i first got it out of the box. it played just perfect. the only thing that fell off within a week was the cheap epiphone 'E' on the pickguard--but i was happier when it came off. looks much better now.

i've gigged it for three years as my main axe--it hands down beats any guitar i've ever played. perfect feel, weight. i can totally depend on it, the only problem i've ever had was a wire came out of the input, but with a little soldering it was just fine.

haven't had any problems to have to deal with epi

It's a great guitar, and it rises to the occasion. i'd go so far as to say it will satisfy any genre.

a grade-A perfection of a guitar--plus it's less than $600

Korean (2004?) made, semi-hollow with 2 humbuckers, independent volume and tone controls and a three-way selector switch. This one came with Grover tuners and hardware that appears to be exactly like the hardware on my Epi Les Paul Custom (TOM bridge and stop tailpiece). All hardware is gold colored. The pickups seem to also be the same ones that are in my LP Custom. The neck is pretty fast and I had no clue what woods were used in constructing this instrument.

This guitar suits my blues style just fine. I mostly record so I run it through a Vox ToneLab alot. Usually a fender twin simulation. The guitar is not particularly noisy. The sound covers the range from way bright to way deep. I adore the neck pickup on this thing.

The guitar can do B.B. King, Steve Howe, and even Ted Nugent with the right amp simulations. Its not exactly an ES-335 but for the money, it does great.

The setup was bordering on okay for a factory setup. I had to tweak it some after I got it home. It had some kind of custom guaged string on it. LIght on the bottom, heavy on the top. I switched those out for D'dario .009s. The neck was almost dead straight when I got it home. With a light touch, this was great but I have a medium touch which provided some occasional buzzing. After two small, counter-clockwise tweaks of the truss rod, I got about .005 relief and the guitar was much more receptive to my playing syle. The action at the 12th fret was really low (3/64") and I tend to like it at 4/64" - 5/64", so I adjusted that too. In short, the thing needed to be set up the way I like it. For a light picker, the facory job would have sufficed.

The pickups were adjust pretty well. Again my personal preference is a higher bridge pickup so I adjusted it. Now, the guiatr feels surprisingly like a Les Paul.

The guitar has no visible flaws that I can detect. The pickup selector is mechanically loud and will probably get replaced in the future.

I haven't had this instrument long enough to field test it. It seems that the strap buttons are designed to hold on to the strap rather than letting it slip off like some older button designs. The hardware and finish look like they would survive a gig.

I have been playing for many years (on and off). If this guitar was lost or stolen I would probably replace it eventually. I like everything about it sans the noisy pickup selector (CLICK!). I love the look of this thing. I compared this guitar (for hours) to Epi Dot, Dot Studio, Dot Deluxe, Casino, Joe Pass Emperor, Several Ibanez Artcores, and a mexican telecaster (strange right?). I was looking for something to play the blues on. I chose this one for the look, the feel, and the sound.

2004 fairly standard from Korea from Guitar Center. Two humbucker pickups with a three-way switch and individual volume/tone controls.

It has a very long sustain, and very little microphoning or internal noise. The pickups do pickup electrical noise. I primarily play a mixture spanning from classical style (which works surprisingly well on this instrument) through jazz/blues and the guitar is really nice for these. The long sustain is important to me when playing in a combo with a piano and acoustic guitarist because it lets me play with them rather than 'against' them. With light strings (9 gauge supplied by factory) the only problem is that the tones tend to bend if your fingering technique is sub-optimal. You also have to be careful placing a capo so you don't detune it. On the other hand the light strings make a lot of neat effects possible and other than the (relatively) close spaceing between the strings it feels like my rather nice classical. The range of sounds is quite broad, from nearly acoustic to very funky (body pickup only, max amplitude, min tone). If you have a long electrical path to the sound board, you may need a preammp (in the church combo I can just get by with max amplitude). The tuning is also a little bit finicky, but once set it tends to stay in tune (hint - don't try to retune until the guitar is at room temperature because the tuning is temperature sensitive).

The setup was almost perfect. The action was how I like it, low and fast, but the bridge was miss-set for the g-string which took a little while to fix (and new strings). No buzzing. The finish is fine except for a few very minor flaws in the staining on the fret board.

The guitar has withstood 6 months of fairly constant practicing and weekly performances without problems. I think it will last. By this time I was wearing grooves in the frets of an ovation and I don't see them on this one. It is worth getting a guitar polish as the high gloss finish will look crappy if it isn't cleaned.

No basis for comparison. I haven't needed to get it serviced and the instrument has worked fine.

I've been playing about 30 years. Started with classical and have moved to more modern styles in the last 4. I tried 5 different makes in the store and this was clearly the one I like best. Much fuller tone than the Ibanez artcore. I also liked having a fixed rather than floating bridge. The Epiphone dot wasn't quite as bright in tone. I also tried a fully hollow guitar (forgotten which one), which had a better location for the switches, but microphoned very easily and didn't sound much better than my ovation balladeer. I would definitely replace this one. It is a very flexible and fun instrument.

Same as other reviews. Nothing different except for pickups and electronics. Replaced stock with Burstbucker pros, and tapered american pots, as well as big orange caps. Replaced all the cast parts with Schaller and Grover chrome parts. Looks and works better.
One thing, I paid $400 for this and it came with an SKB case. It took me another $400 in work and parts to get this the way I like it. Chunky neck.

The pickup replacement made all the difference in the world. Some people say the stock pickups are dark. Maybe. Whatever they are they sound dead when you roll them back a little. Dull and lifeless. Burstbuckers got bite. No two ways about it. They roll back nicely and are very useable. Full volume is gritty, but not too harsh. I keep them a decent distance from the strings, and they work well. With the volume rolled back, I would say these have a rich sound. Especially the neck pickup. The bridge is loud and honkin' full volume and sounds nice and fenderish when rolled back. Lots of spank and sparkle with a little tele bite. It never really gets dark, but hey, it's a bridge.
The neck is much more versatile. Everything (except for 10's or 1's on tone or vol) is useable. In fact, the mid (vol, tone) is downright fantastic. Clean, driven or distorted it sounds great. Complex. Bell-like in places. These may be the best Gibson pickups made. Good for rock or jazz, just like a good paf should.
When I close my eyes, I like it better than a 355. When I open my eyes and see all the cash left in my wallet, I weep.

Same as any other Sheraton. Pretty. Solid. Korean. Neck needs a little help. Nothing that a good luthier can't make exactly the way you want (action-wise). Intonation is fine. With about two hours of my tech's time, this baby stands up to a 335. Same complaints as everyone else, I just had everything fixed. Pulled off all the gold Korean crap and replaced it with Schaller Chrome. Much nicer. Added a bone nut.

Seems like a brick shithouse.

Who knows?

Great value for the $$, but be prepared to spend more on electronics improvements and tech work. I paid 400 for it, and put another 400 in it.

Made in Korea.22 frets.laminate.3-way pick-up selector, 2 volumes and 2 tones
Gibson designed Alnico's. 3pc maple fingerboard with nice abalone and mother of pearl inlays (block shaped). Vintage Sunburst. epiphone hard case included.

This axe suits my style of playing perfectly, which is indie rock. eg: strokes
I use with it a Marshall 30DFX amp and just a boss super overdrive pedal.
It makes a great clean sound, sounds amazing when used with overdrive effects.
it makes a great guitar when not plugged in as an acoustic guitar. It's really like a les paul without the solid body. I have nothing wrong with the sound, it's great, but i've heard that it can be improved with Gibson pickups.

the guitar was fine, strings didnt break for over a month or so, everything was in the right place. although the input socket came off twice while i was playing, but was easily fixed by putting it back together, and hasnt done it at all since, and ive been the only case where it has happened.

This guitar without doubt will last me my whole life. everything now is solid, i can rely on it in a gig 101%

No need to deal with them

The only other guitar I have is a yamaha pacifica, which was great for a start.
I have tried les pauls, SGs, telecasters, even Gibson archtops like the ES-335 block, and I feel more comfortable with this than any of those. It will be for me even better when I apply gibson pickups. I *heart* my Epiphone Sheraton II

This korean-built 335-style guitar features a traditional laminate maple acoustic body (non-bookmatched top with f-holes) and central block, angled back peghead, two full-sized humbucker, two volume and two tone controls and a three way selector. Not gibson-like is the three piece maple neck (mine features also an extra piece of wood on the neck-body joint). Arched top and back plus lots of inlays and the natural finish on my guitar wraps it up. A classic guitar.

I play mostly blues and jazz plus some eventual classic rock. This guitar runs through a Vox wah, Barber LTD and Direct Drive, and a cheap danelectro tremolo (which sounds surprisingly good - I've bought it as a temporary but hey, it's staying indefinetly), feeding a Marshall AVT amp.
The secret to this guitar is to learn how to work with it's tone and volume controls. I personally dislke the two hb combined sound. I think it is dull for most adjustments, lacking punch and personality.
Other than that, you can get anything you want. Hell, I even play SRV-like tones with the bridge pickup. This pu is very harsh and rough on the edges. With clean sound it does not sound very good. It's a bit too thin and slim. Kick in a mildly saturated, crunch sound and you'll hear it burn like a strat. Adds up to wonderful high voltage tones. Go hard on distortion and you'll get lots of an annoying out-of-control feedback. Huge downside.
Neck pickup is great. Clean-wise, it has a very distinctive tone. Bass frequencies pop up like hell, but the highs are never far apart. You can even play those swinged pop-funk guitars, without loosing your bass tones. Move volume and tone down and you'll hear jazz tones up and down. Want to keep that punch on treble? Work on the tone pot alone. Want that muffled jazz tone? You'll get. Use any type of saturation from mildly crunch to smooth, creamy distortion and there's wonderful guitar tone all along. Try a George Benson sound, try Mark Knopfler's Brother's In Arms, try Larry Carlton, try Robben Ford. Any way you want, this guitar will get there.
Incredibly versatile, this guitar will help you through any kind of vintage tones and even some modern ones. I guess it could benefit a lot from a change of pickups, specially the bridge one. Try a more balanced and less prone to feedback pickup on the bridge. I'm certainly considering this mod. There's tons of pickup suggestions on the web.

I bought it used, but I tested a new one at the store some time ago. It had a playability much like mine. Relatively low action, but a little hard to play when compared to a smooth-real-low-action 70's Gibson ES-345 w/ .011 strings. But nothing you can't get used to. I use .011 in mine, the store probably .010.
All hardware works fine, tuning machines keep the guitar in tune, intonation is easily set up with the solid bridge and is quite good (some would say that's an Epiphone commom flaw - not on that guitar, frets are well fit on their positions), nut is plastic but okay although treble gauges are a little wider than should (that does not mean too much trouble, 'cause the peghead design tension the strings on the side of the nut holes). Frets are very confortable (but that's personal), a little wide. It has very smooth edges. Here's why: frets are flat cut at the point they meet the binding, so its edges are shaped from the plastic binding (by the way, a few of these "artificial" edges fell out, with no harm done to playability).
This guitar does not have a "modern" and "fast" neck. But is very confortable, with a relatively thin neck (than one would expect to find) and a almost flat fingerboard. Although nut width are the same, it feels wider than a Epiphone Les Paul Standard and a couple Gibson Les Pauls I've played.
This guitar is very fancy. The top and back is binded with a 5-ply cream and black plastic binding, extending 1/32" through the sides. The neck and peghead also features this kind of binding. Inlays as already mentioned may not be the best quality, but they sure are fancy and beautiful and except for a little glue around some inlays at the fingerboard (I've seen Martin guitars much worse, with glue all over the place) they are all nicely installed.
This guitar is beautiful and classy in it's natural finish and features excellent feel and playability.

This guitar ain't no Gibson top-of-the-line custom guitar. It is a cheap Korean-made one, although a real quality one. Don't expect to find class A woods, finish, hardware or electronics.
Hardware is extremely solid. Tailpiece, strap buttons, bridge and tuning machines are all solid, and never had problems, working perfectly and in place. I owned it for three years, but this guitar was probably built in the early nineties (more than ten years old, so). They're gold and all fading their color away (which gives the guitar that vintage look, I guess). Apart from absolutely all the screws being moderatly rusty, hardware does not appear to have serious signs of oxidation, and I hope and believe they could easily last another ten years.
Finish does not seem to be a problem at all, except for those plastic fret edges falling apart.
Neck seems to be solidly built. My guitar came with a crack in the neck-body joint area, and even though it fell a couple of times it never expanded nor affected guitar structure (professionally atested).
I believe the problem is electronics. I'm thinking of rewiring the whole guitar. It appears that the previous owner let this guitar sit in his closet for a long time. You can imagine what dust and lack of use does to the pots. To sum up: the 4 pots were noisy when turning them, and would only work set all the way up (sound would cut off at other volume levels, and tone were not working properly), the output jack was very noisy, with lots of bumps and strokes and pickup selector same thing. With just a nice and fast cleaning, using proper alcohol and other chemicals, I was able to solve almost everything. Now all pots work fine, but problems are: jack is always loose and neck pickup volume pot is noisy when in turn (but no cutting off sound though). Pickups are nice and silent.
Rewiring and replacing pots, jack and selector with better quality ones will certainly make this guitar much more confortable and enjoyable. People talk about changing pickups all the time. They'll probably spend U$150-200 in new pickups. What's an extra U$30 expense?
Overall it is solidly built, and solved electronics problem, it certainly is a very reliable guitar. trivia: Plastic nut very smooth and rounded helps preventing string breaking (although a questionable choice). I'll give a seven not for my bad experience, but because electronics really lack quality and the gold finish in the hardware is quite poor. All the rest is trustyworth.

Never dealt with the company.

I've been playing for almost 10 years now. I play mostly blues and jazz plus some eventual classic rock. This guitar runs through a Vox wah, Barber LTD and Direct Drive, and a cheap danelectro tremolo (which sounds surprisingly good - I've bought it as a temporary but hey, it's staying indefinetly), feeding a Marshall AVT amp. Right now that's my only electric guitar (sold them all 'cause I needed too and this guitar could do everything I need a guitar to do).
I love this guitar. It is very versatile and has a very good tone and playability. Recommended. Also it's confortable and looks great (even a little too fancy). For the price, it's hard to find a better semi-hollow bodied guitar.
Now that I'm hooked in semi-hollow guitars I'm not sure that if it were stolen I'd buy it again. I would probably try to spend more and get me a nicer one (maybe even a vintage Gibson - who knows?). But that'll do the job just fine and can only give you joy.

2003 extremely well made in Korea. Center block hollow body. I'm sure the woods are laminate city but so are the Gibson hollow and semi-hollows. The inlays are beautiful and appear to be abalony.

Features excellent sounding humbuckers specially designed by Gibson. Yeah, you'll see a lotta folks who like to make their guitar "better" by putting in after market pick-ups. Emperors new clothes, I say. I will say that I use mine for strictly clean channel thumb-pick fingerstyle. I don't wanna mess up the beautifully full clean sound with distortion.

Excellent action right outta the box. I see no flaws in binding, neck setting, fret work, finish or inlays.

I haven't had the opportunity to use the guitar in performance but it appears strong aond sound.

I've been playing 35 years or so and have owned several solid body and hollow bodies guitars. I think the Sheraton II is the best buy on the market today.

Stamped made in Korea. Think it was made in 93. Vintage sunburt colour which I don't really like but the guitar was cheap second hand so can't complain.

No coil tap or anything fancy as standard, just 2 HBs, 1 switch and 4 knobs.

Within a couple of weeks of having this guitar I'd wipped the pickups out. They sounded good but not great and I would have left them in except for an urge to try the Jimmy Page multi option wiring.

Ever since 1st comming across a Jimmy Page wiring diagram years ago I've wanted to try it. (See guitarelectronics.com for a diagram) I had a Gibson Les Paul but didn't want to rip that appart. The Sheraton was brought partly to have a guitar I could tinker with. The Jimmy Page wiring requires both pick ups to be coil tapped. Volume knobs pull for coil tap. Neck tone pulls for parallel. Bridge tone pulls for put of phase. Combine these with the pickup switch and there's a stupid number of combinations.

Before I took the original pickups out I searched for details on how to rewire a 335 but couldn't find much so to help others here's what I did...

1) As you take each knob off the original wiring tie string around the pot. For the jack socket tie string around its screw thread.
2) Unscrew the existing pickups
3) Poke the knobs and jack into the body
4) There'll be a wire off the bridge connecting to ground on one of the pickups. Unsolder it.
5) Pickups should now come away from the guitar with knbos and string following behind
6) Wire up the new pickups (I used new pots, switch and jack). ie you wire up the pickups outside the guitar. Be sure to leave enough wire between everything baring in mind that while it's being passed back into the guitar and connected the wire needs to be longer then when it's finally in place.
7) If you go for a crazy wiring like me wrap electrical tape around the wires that pass next to each other. This will give you a 1 set of wires between each of the pots
8) Test the pickup wiring by holding the pickups against another guitar and plugging the jack in. By doing this you can check the pickups, switch, pots are all wired up OK
9) Now the tricky bit where you need someone to help. Tie the strings onto the new knobs and jack. Push the pots and jack into the body cavity via the pickup hole. Pull the jack socket into place 1st then the tone knobs. Use the fingers through the F holes where possible.
10) Solder the bridge ground to the pickup ground and job done.

Watchouts/what went wrong for me...
On the 1st attempt I didn't bind the wires together into groups so ended up with spaghetti and had to take it all out and start again.
After finally getting everything in place I found one of the wires had falled off - check your solding is strong before you start. I fixed it by soldering if back on through the F hole as it was easier then taking it all out.
Final thing...I should have put a couple of washer on the underside of the pots. The knobs stick up off the surface of the body. Having washers underneath would have pulled them down.

So was it worth all the effort and cost? Hard to say but the wiring was something I'd always wanted to try so I'm happy now but it would have been much easier to do in a Les Paul.

As for the sound of the guitar. It sounds and plays great. Each of the many setting sounds different and all sound good. Clean sounding blues and Jazz, cranked up rock and over the top distortion all sound good with this guitar and the Seth Lovers.

Very nicely made guitar. Nice action on the neck. Binding well fitted. Can't fault it really.

When I brought it one of the pots kept cutting out. Problem's now gone since I replaced all the electronics but a 11 years old guitar shouldn't have bad pots.

I also replaced the tuners as the originals felt a bit loose.

Never tried to talk to them

I've been playing for 25 years in various bands over that time. I've never played a Gibson 335 so can't compare them. I have a Gibson Les Paul and the Sheraton doesn't feel or sound as good as that. Nor does it sound or feel as good as a Gibson SG Special. A nice guitar but don't believe the people who say "replace the pickups in an Epiphone and it's as good as a Gibson".

I play mostly at home these days through a 6W Cornford. The Les Paul might sound and feel better but I tend to pick up the Sheraton for its great clean sound both pickups selected.

I've also tried the Sheraton in a Northcourt 30 and Fender Bassman 135. It's a great guitar. Lots of sustain. Nice tone. Even without the electronics upgrade it was good.

It if were lost I don't think I'd buy another one. Nice guitar but there's lots of other nice guitars I've never owned so I'd try something else.

Everyone below has laid it out. Mine is an Alpine White model, from 1994 I think, Korean like the rest. It looks lovely, especially the binding. I couldn?t afford an ES335 (still can?t), so this will do just fine. As I bought the Sheraton from my local clueless git-ar centre (run by gits), I had to buy a case separately.

The sound? Bloody awful, with the stock p/u?s, unless you set the amp completely clean. I don?t: I like a little bit of grit. So I've rated it here for the new p/u's. The stock neck p/u was muddy and the bridge p/u was harsh. I endured them for years before, during and after I played it in a blues band. As I bought more guitars, with better p/u?s, it became increasingly obvious how cheap and nasty these were, and I hardly played the Sheraton for the last couple of years, as the tone depressed me. I researched a variety of replacement humbuckers on the Internet and finally bought a pair of Kent Armstrong vintage p/u?s, a couple of months ago. The difference in tone is considerable. The only things I miss about the stock p/u?s are their power and presence. Otherwise, good riddance to their rubbish tones. The Kents are a bit soft for my tastes (but then I did ask for ?vintage? beasties), so I raised the neck p/u (they were installed and blended for me by a very capable fellow named Allen Lane, in West Covina, CA), and now it has a lot more guts and warmth. I pretty much left the bridge p/u alone, as it?s bright and powerful enough, and I don?t use bridge p/u?s much in any of my guitars, except in conjunction with the neighbouring p/u.
I am a bluesman, and this guitar is good for blues. If you happen to enjoy Son Seals?s playing (and I don?t!) you can turn the gain up on your amp and the Sheraton II will give you his choked humbucker tone. I prefer it a bit less gritty than that, more like Freddie King or B B King, so I?m more careful how I tweak my amp tone with the Sheraton (especially with these new p/u?s) than I need to be with my Teles, etc. Searching for that sweet spot really does pay off, though, as the Kents are classy and warm.
I play it through the following:
?79 MusicMan 65-212
mid-?90s Fender Twin.
It?s not noisy at all, rich, full and (reasonably) bright with these new p/u?s, and I?m looking forward to hearing how versatile it might be when I play it with the worship team at my church every Sunday morning (my regular gig). At the moment, I play my 2 Teles on the team, as they are ALWAYS the right guitars at the right time: beautifully versatile.
Likes: the looks and the action.
Dislikes: I?m still a bit iffy about the p/u?s, wish I?d got some brighter, more powerful ones, but I can live with ?em. Also, the Sheraton now needs a re-fret! Lordy, the glass is always half empty?

A few other reviewers here say how fast the neck is. I agree. It almost plays itself. For me, along with the classy looks of the guitar, this is its best feature. The neck profile is good too, at least for me; fits in my hand very comfortably. I?m not keen on chunky necks, like most people, and the Sheraton?s is just right.
I don?t remember much about the factory set-up. It?s always been very playable and the binding is just great. In Alpine White, it?s an eye-catching guitar.

I remember another guitarist saying years ago that he?s always worried that semi-hollow guitars will fall apart in his hands (maybe because they often look a bit more *crafted* & delicate than solid-bodies?). This won?t happen, unless you?re clumsy and uncaring with yours, but on one occasion, at an outdoor gig in a tent, my Sheraton II was off to one side of the stage on a guitar stand. The wind blew the tent wall flapping against the guitar, and the poor thing fell flat on its face onto the stage. When I picked it up, it wasn?t even out of tune. Howzat!
Never had trouble with the p/u selector switch (unlike a lot of people below) so maybe I lucked out. I installed straplocks, though, always a good idea. I gigged with this instrument fairly regularly in a blues band for a couple of years, and it never let me down. The gold finish wears off quickly, but that?s okay, and I ALWAYS use a back-up guitar (or more accurately, a 2nd guitar for those songs on which humbuckers are inappropriate).

Never called Epiphone, but they are administered by Gibson, one of whose employees was most helpful when I asked about my bashed-up old SG. He patiently answered numerous half-brained e-mails from me. I don?t remember a warranty for the Epiphone, but I always get my guitars repaired by a friend, so I don?t have to ship them to service centres or manufacturers, and wait weeks or even months. I drive a few miles down the freeway and deliver/retrieve them myself.

What a shame about the horrible p/u?s installed in these otherwise tasty guitars. I think I paid between $500 and $600 in about 1994, so what can you expect for such a decent price, especially when almost every other feature is so good? Epiphone could install much better pickups, but they would boost the price, and some reviewers below actually like the stock p/u?s.
I?ve played for over 30 years and own a couple of Teles, a Strat, a Les Paul DeLuxe, an SG, a DeArmond Starfire Special (what a completely delicious guitar THAT is!). I wish I?d researched more before buying the Kent Armstrong p/u?s, but they?ll do for now, but I?ve never regretted buying the Sheraton II, and I look forward to getting to know it all over again with these new p/u?s.
If it was stolen, I don?t know if I?d replace it. I prefer single-coil pickups and I?m always drooling over widely different guitars depending on my tastes this month and the next.
If you want an ES335-type guitar but don?t want to pay Gibson the criminally high prices they demand, I would recommend the Epiphone Sheraton II, particularly after replacing the pickups.

Made: Korea, June of 2004
Frets: 22
The body is laminated maple, and the neck is three piece maple.
There are four controls: two volumes (one for each pickup) and two tone nobs (one for each pickup). There is a three-way selector switch much like that you find on a Les Paul.
Pickups: Two Epiphone Humbuckers, passive
This Sheraton II features a vintage sunburst that's quite a bit brighter than the one you'll see at Epiphone.com.
The body is a Gibson 335 copy, a classic cutaway.
Bridge Style: Tune-O-Matic
Tuners: Grover
Neck/Scale: Fairly thin neck, maple.
This guitar did not include a case, but they gave me a warantee.

This guitar really fits my playing style, which is pretty much everything except hip/hop. My influences include Cake, Wilco, Pavement, that whole shebang. I play a lot of blues solos with it, and I'm satisfied. Though keep in mind I was previously using a 2003 Fender American Stratocaster, so I'm probably not an authority on what good mid-tones are. This is a fairly random jump for me.
I use a Crybaby Wah with it, nothing else, and a variety of computer driven amp sounds using Apple's Garageband. I use a Fender Princeton 110 amp, the absolute poster-amp for low quality. It's OK, but it "buzzes like a frig."
The sound on this guitar is remarkably mellow, and the mid range is very good. I'd like to tell you just how good the bottom range is, but I have yet to plug it in through an exceptional amp. I've never owned a humbucking guitar, much less a semi-hollow, so I don't really know how much crunch I should expect.
However, I do like the sound. Even with the crappy strings that came with it, the first bluesy bold tones that fell out of the amp wound me up.
The guitar can do a wide-variety of sounds. I can almost make it sound like a Telecaster, however this might be the worst possible guitar for super hard rock: y'know, like Slayer or Metallica or Alice Cooper or whatever. If you play that kind of stuff, stay away. But if you aren't into that, this guitar delivers the versatility I've heard about being associated with semi-hollows. Unless I turn the gain up to something unholy, there's no feedback, and that surprised me. This guitar will distort the sound with less gain anyway.
It wouldn't surprise me if a good electronics switcharound (new PUPs!) wouldn't make this thing a lot better.

The action was superb when I got it, and it continues to be. The fretboard is easier to access than my Fender American Stratocaster's ever was. The pickups were set up OK, but honestly I wouldn't know.
This is one magnificent looking guitar, and I think even Mr. I-Sold-My-Son-For-A-Guitar would admit that. I really like the inlay work on the head.
There is, however, some sloppy finishing work on the fretboard. Tiny little marks of infinished neck surface are visible from frets 6-22 on the bottom E string. Kind if disappointing, but you'd have to look for it, and it's not like it affects your dexterity or your sound.

I don't know if this guitar will withstand live playing. I'll write a review after I do a show someday. The hardware will last, but it will continue to be mediocre. The finish seems to be holding up. The strap buttons are solid. I would use this guitar for a show. In fact, I'd go without a backup, but I'd definitely use a case. Jesus H., this thing is fragile. I guess I'm just used to solid bodies.

I haven't had to deal with the company directly yet.
Seventeen days after I got the thing, I tried to establish myself in a warrantee that said I had to contact them within the first 15 days of purchase. No word back whether I'll be able to mildly con them. If I get the warrantee, it will be lifetime.
At this point, I have no reason to believe this guitar will fail.

I've been playing guitar for three years. I played violin for 10. I owned a 2003 Fender American Stratocaster, which I sold to buy a semi-hollow. There's nothing I would rather have bought in the price range, but obviously I would've rather had the Gibson 335 or 336, if I had the dough. I love how this guitar performs without gain, when its sound is unaltered. I love the neck, and how easy it is to access notes. I hate how bloody subpar these pickups sound. Also, I haven't quite reconciled myself to this gold hardware. It bothers me.
I compared this guitar to an Epiphone Les Paul, probably mostly out of mindless brand favoritism. I thought this sounded better, just because I like the mellow tones. Truth be known, it sounds a decent bit like it. I wish this guitar had better pickups, and I wish the back were made out of a single piece of mahogany like the 336.
I have nothing else I'd like to share. Have a goodnight.

Everything I wanted. 2004 (new) Korean made 335 knock-off. 22 fret, semi hollow with all standard offerings (epi humbuckers, 500k pots etc). Nicely figured maple with rosewood fretboard and v(mop+abalone)inlays. Three piece neck. Grover non-locking tuners. I'm not sure if these are Korean Grovers or something, but standard Gibsons with Grovers seem higher quality. May be my imagination, but this baby hates to be in tune. Finish is nice and seemingly very durable (really thick poly). All hardware is low-rent gold. Came with a nice SKB hsc for $500. Mediocre nut, cheap gold, crappy pickguard. Many complaints, but this was a sweet deal at $500.

I play predominantly classic rock, to modern rock, to blues and jazz. I was looking at a Joe Pass, but I just really liked this a little better. It does ok for jazz, but is so much more versatile than the Joe Pass, and a little easier on the eyes. I play this on a lightly modified Peavey Classic 30. Occasionally I'll play it with a little chorus or phaser. Takes a little getting used to playing it with a wah. A little different than my strat, but sounds nice. Quiet pickups, greasy tone. These dirty pickups sound nice with distortion. Cranked up it has a nice Les Paul sound. Rolled back it's a little more complex, if not as much as I'd hoped for. The woody tone is a little nasally for my taste. Nice sound in the neck. The dark sound is nice, but a little dull. I was hoping for something more complex. Both pickups are too hot. Not much jangle to this beast. The guitar is glued together with urethane. Feels strong as an ox, but it has a brighter sound than Gibsons I've played (335, 347, 336, 356). It's no 336, but hey...
The stock pots are a little gritty for my taste. Not too sure about the electronics. I've had it for two months. It goes into the shop for an overhaul this week. Burstbuckers, tapered pots, a little tweaking on the caps, new switch, and new tune-o-matic + stop piece. All gold is being replaced with nickel. Rotomatics don't seem to stay in tune. Pickguard looks cheap. Sure is pretty though.

Well... Need's to have some fretwork done. Minor dead spots and mediocre intonation. Nut is awful! Worst nut I've seen. It's getting replaced next week. Pickups need replacement, for sure.
Great finish. Center block looks a little rough, but whatever. Electronics are loose. Pickups vibrate. Three piece neck is not quite symmetric, but close. Everything on this baby is bound. F-holes, pickguard, and all. Body bindings are finished, neck bindings are not. Neck bindings do not line up exactly on the corners. Bummer. Rosewood is oiled, which I don't care for. Neck is almost as nice as a Gibson. That's quite a compliment. Very dressy. Did I mention that this cost $500? Wow!

Brand new, so who knows. Gold is crappy. Otherwise it seems like a tank. I'll keep my eye on the neck joint. Epiphones are prone there. I will gig with it as soon as I get the electronics replaced. Seems strong as an ox. $500. Awesome!

Good question. I'll take it to my luthier if there are problems. If so, I'll remind myself that I only spent $500 for this little cadillac.

I've been playing 10 years. I also own a strat and an sg. I've played dozens of Gibsons and some G&L's. Most guitars I've played have a nicer sparkle to the pickups. These are a little too dirty. I wish they charged $150 more and put better electronics and gold on it. I wish it had a more lively acoustic sound (like a Casino). It's a looker. I have not had it long enough to say whether or not I would replace it if it ran away. I probably would.

Mine is a late nineties, left-handed, sunburst, made in Korea. Great guitar. I bought it used out of ebay, and it came with a beaultiful Gibson brown tolex case. Nice block inlays with multiple binding all over the body and neck. The pickguard I replaced for a custom crafted in the shape of the 335 guard (the original guard with that big "Euro" sign is just too ugly). The vine inlays in the headstock are too fancy in my opinion. Anyway, that's how the guitar was in late sixties, and it is supposed to be a recreation of that instrument. I also have a heritage H535 and a Gibson ES335. The hardware and craftsmanship of the Epi is clearly inferior as compared to these guitars. Bindings are not as tightly matches as in the american counterparts. But it costs 2 to 3 times less. Soundwise, however, the difference is not that big.

Veeerrrry sweet sound. Beaultiful. Pick-ups have the right amount of output (perhaps close to the classic gibson pafs). The action and intonation came just perfect (I don't know if the previous owner did it, or if it is a factory thing). Guitar has the traditional thin-hollow-body sound. I play the guitar through a Mesa Boogie 50 caliber and a fender blues Deville. The guitar sounds awesome with both.

Very good action, no fret buzz whatsoever. Crafstmanship is a little sloppy in some parts (bindings, nut). Also, every once in a while the pick-up selector key troubleshoots when I turn to the bridge pick up. I also have the same problem with an Epi Les Paul a long time ago. So I think the guys at Epi should improve the quality of their pickup keys.

Hollow bodies are more vulnerable to road hazards than solid body guitars. So the Epi would certainly not stand the amount of punishment that strats and teles are used to bear in the hands of less careful players.

This is my second Sheraton as I liked the other one so much. I had this one customised and will rate it accordingly. Please compare this review with the review of my other Sheraton (2 or three reviews back).

This Sheraton came with Grover tuners fitted, which I?m pleased about as I planned to fit these myself any way. The electrics (pots ? 2 volume, 2 tone) have all been upgraded to Gibson parts as they are more reliable and are of better quality than stock Epiphone electrics. The pickups have been replaced with Seymour Duncan Antiquities. I have had a Bigsby (B7) tremolo unit fitted and to accompany this I have changed the tunomatic bridge to be a Schaller roller type bridge. All metal parts are gold on a black/ebony finish.

All features work perfectly ? hence the rating of 10.

OK this where I start waxing lyrical! My other Sheraton had Seymour Duncan SH1?s fitted which, I thought couldn?t be improved. The Antiquities are the most amazing pickups ever made (and I?ve heard a few!). They do exactly what it says on the tin ? er ? box. They really do sound just like (actually even better than) original pickups found in an ES335 from 1960 or 61. All the things you dream about happen, hairs go up on the back of your neck, other guitarists look and take note and start asking the questions like ?whassatt!? etc.

The output is not as much as modern day Gibson pickups but then their magnetism has been reduced due to the ?aging process? but they sing, preach, howl, moan, cry and wail without ever getting stressed and merging notes ? bloody superb!
With Epiphone pickups this is a very good guitar indeed ? with the Antiquities this is the best guitar I have ever played by a long, long way and I?ve played more classic 335s, 345s, 355s strats, teles etc etc. than you can shake a stick at. This is my main guitar in preference to a ?78 strat, ?79s strat, ?52 Tele, classic 335, Les Paul and various others.

Simply the best sounding guitar I?ve ever heard and played ? played through a Twin Reverb, Pro Reverb(1971) or a Blues Deluxe (depending on venue). It is most suitable for blues, jazz, melodic rock but you could use this for almost any style ? except monster metal.

Please read my previous Sheraton Review as the same thing applies here.

This Epi is new but I have three others and they?ve never let me down yet!

I?ve emailed Epiphone with a few queries in the past and they?ve always been prompt in getting back to me and have always been very informative ? thanks guys! I?ve never needed to complain though.

If I could go to 11 I would. Some people might ask ? why spend so much money (#1300) on customising an Epiphone when you could buy a new Gibson 335 or Heritage for a similar price. The answer is quite simply that the Epiphone is better! Really!! ? with the upgraded electrics and pickups that is. Now, I confine these comments to Epiphone archtops as all my Epis are archtops (two Sheratons, a Casino and a Zephyr Blues Deluxe). Maybe it?s me? But Epi necks feel and play better than Gibsons, the workmanship is easily as good as Gibsons and Heritage (in fact I?ve heard some dealers say they are better) and the materials are the same (except the electrics of course).

To put my money where my mouth is ? again ! I?ve just ordered two Seymour Duncan Antiquity P90s to fit to my Casino. Same as before ? great guitar let down by the pickups. I?ve actually asked Seymour Duncan to wax pot these P90s to reduce microphonics especially as the Casino is completely hollow. I?m assured that this won?t affect the tone.

If I lost a ?61 Gibson 335 it might be irreplaceable. If I lost this Sheraton I could get my guitar guru (Bob at Kingfishers) to get and customise me a new one. Would I replace the guitar if it was lost? What d?you think?

Just to quickly answer Harmony's questions:
- Been playing for almost 30 years
- I love everything about this guitar - EVERYTHING!
- Favourite feature is THE SOUND
- I compared it a dozen or more classic 335s, 345s and 355s,
Heritage 535, Yamaha SA2200. Chose this one because, with the
Antiquities, its better than anything I've ever played.
- From what I've been hearing (both in the UK and in the USA) there
is a growing trend for buying and upgrading Epis.

Mine is a '98, finished in sunburst. Stock everything. Features have been covered in depth previously. Bought it with a Gibson hard shell case.

I use this guitar primarily in a 60's / 70's rock and blues band. Run it through an RP2000 into either a Fender Stage 100 or a Marshall vs65. I've found the bridge pup to have a nice, clean tone that sounds nicely transparent. The neck pup tends to sound a bit muddy with no effects, but can get a really fat, Santana-like tone with some tweaking and the proper effects added. Played clean with both pups engaged, the tone is well balanced and picks up fingering, hammer ons and pull offs within chords nicely. If I didn't run this through the pedal, I would probably switch the pups as have others. With the pedal, it's extremely versatile and requires no modification for the stuff I do. Others have mentioned feedback. I find this only to be an issue with heavy drive, which I don't use it for, nor what it is intended for. It is pretty much the only guitar I use practicing with the band. Occasionally at gigs I'll switch to my Les Paul Studio (P-90's) for any heavy drive stuff we do. In those situations, the pup output difference between the two is very noticable. The P-90's are way hotter, and noisier. Volume adjustments at the pedal or the amp are required. All in all this is a very good sounding guitar, with a lot of range.

Don't know about the factory set up, as mine was purchased used. It was set up perfectly when I received it. I love the neck on this guitar, low, fast, and thin. My Les Paul feels chunky by comparison. I totally agree with the guy who said it practically plays itself. As has been mentioned many times, the finish on this guitar is virtually flawless, and beautiful. It is a classy looking piece, one that looks great on stage. No noise switching pups. A few minor complaints: the pick guard is thin and cheesy feeling, and the toggle cover broke. And yes, the gold plating is subject to ruboff, but that's the case with most of the gold hardware out there. The bridge needed a bit of filing, and I still seem to break more strings at the bridge than I'd like. I guess some folks feel a little ashamed of the Epi logo on the headstock. Not I, I think it's gorgeous. Even with the minor flaws mentioned above, I have to give it a 9. It is one of the prettiest, most nicely finished guitars I have seen.

I've gigged over 100 times with this guitar, with no problems (other than the string thing I mentioned). The gold is wearing off, but that was expected. The finish is bullet proof. I need a back up for broken strings, I average probably one broken string a night playing out. It stays in tune well, no noise, very durable. What more could you ask for?

N/A.

I really like this guitar a lot, particularly for gigs. I've been playing almost 40 years, and haven't found a neck I like better than this. In addition to the Les Paul mentioned earlier, I currently own an Epi DelRay and 4 acoustics (two Guilds, a Martin, and Takamine 12). I've owned or played l00's of others. The Sheraton has less personality than say a strat or a les paul, and consequently is far more versatile. For stage work, the combination of great looks, versatility, and low price make it ideal for my purposes. I'd replace it in a heartbeat.

I bought my one in 2003, or should I say my wife bought it for my birthday!As with many budget guitars mine was made in Korea. It's vintage sunburst with gold hardware, it has Gibson plastered all over the pickups and Gibson logo on the truss rod cover.
I don't usually buy without playing the guitar first but on this occasion did.It was supplied by Aire guitars via Ebay at a cost of #350.On opening the box I was surprised at the overall condition being perfect, when I played it I was very pleased to find it needed NO adjustments at all.I have played many guitars over the years including Gibson versions of this guitar and it stacks up well.

The pickups may have a slightly lower tone than the Gibson's but really for the money this is a superb instrument.I play mainly rock/blues style now and with just a little reverb it sounds great.I personally dislike the pick guards so I remove them as I've done with my Les Paul. The only problem I've encountered so far is the jack socket coming loose but other than that nothing!I'd expect the gold of the hardware to come off in time, but this can happen to a much more expensive instrument.
All in all I'd give this 9 because of that plug.

As I said before this guitar was set up well, it has a low action no buzzing and no need for tinkering.
Close your eyes and run your fingers over it and you'd think it was a Gibson.

I don't gig much these days but I play at home a lot, composing and recording my own songs, would this guitar survive live? I don't see why not. The finish is superb but I've found gold hardware does tend to come off (maybe it's my sweaty hands), time will tell how it stands up but as I said before it stands up well against it's big brother.

Can't comment on this as I've not had to contact them yet.

I've been playing for nearly 30 yrs now, although in the beginning I played bass (see my Rick 4001 anon review)I played guitar as well and even taught others!I play through JD cry baby & Digitech GNX1 FX into my recorder. This guitar has a sound of it's own and I find great pleasure playing lead of chords on it, and yes I'd get another.

Mine is a mid 1990?s vintage sunburst model Sheraton II made in Korea. It has laminted maple top, back and sides and laminated neck (making it very strong and reliable). Controls are 335 standard ? 2xtone, 2xvolume and pickup selector. In short ? it?s a 335 style guitar.

I give a rating of 8 here as all features are functional but 2 points dropped as the hardware is not as good as, say, a Gibson and the pickups leave something to be desired.

I play pretty much all styles but mainly blues and jazz nowadays and use Fender amps (a 70s silver face Pro Reverb and a new-ish Twin)

The stock pickups are a bit dull and lack character ? certainly wouldn?t turn any heads (or rather ears), They?re also microphonic. However, after fitting a pair of Seymore Duncan 59s everything I ever hoped for was there. Sounds a bit dramatic doesn?t it, but the improvement is really that significant ? The killer tone has arrived!
Played clean the sound is perfectly balanced (you can here all the strings equally) and full. When cranked up these symores make the guitar wail, cry, sing - whatever your desire without breaking up or sounding harsh. Judging from other reviews on this site it seems obvious that Sheratons are crying out for Seymore Duncans or Gibson 57s to be fitted. If you?re looking for a classic, crystal-dripping tone from a 335 style guitar and you?re not a Gibson elitist/purist this IS the way to go.

I?ve owned a new Gibson 335 on approval and gave it back to the shop (much to their surprise) as it just didn?t feel right. I?ve also made a point of trying out as many classic 335s, 345s, 355s (60?s & 70s models) as I can because I can still hardly believe that my Epi is better ? but it is! 0- for both feel and sound (maybe it?s just a personal thing).

So I?d like to have given two ratings here ? one with stock pickups and hardware (I give 8) and one with replacement Seymore Duncans and Grover tuners (definitely 10!).

These Epis might not be handmade by craftsmen but they are put together to perfection. I can find no signs of poor workmanship at all. All the joints are perfect and if you touch them with your eyes closed you just can?t tell where the joints are! All the binding is excellent. Every fret is finished to perfection ? really! I also have an Epiphone Zephyr Blues Deluxe and a Casino and the quality is just the same. All my Epis have a marvellous set up and feel like old friends. I feel I must point out that Sheratons do actually look classier than Gibsons as well (if you can get over the name on the headstock that is!). No doubt about it 10 out of 10 here!

I gig with this Sheraton regularly ? it?s never let me down yet!

Don't know. Havn't had any contact or need to.

I feel it only fair to review this guitar as stock rather than after what's becoming a defacto upgrade. So, all in all, I feel this Epi warrants a 9. The stock pickups aren't bad - just not brilliant and the hardware could be better. But the feel and playability of the guitar is better than any Gibson, PRS, Fender etc I have ever played.

I?ve been playing semi-pro and pro for about 28 years now and played so many guitars I can?t remember! I?ve had to play all different styles but I?m now mainly a blues and jazz musician/teacher. My main electric workhorses now are this Sheraton, a USA Reissue Tele, a 70?s Strat and the Zephyr. The Sheraton is my favourite by far! (Taylors and Martins used for acoustic work). I always play through Fender valve combos (new-ish Twin and early 70?s Pro Reverb). No effects used ? well maybe a tubescreamer where necessary.

As for the question - would I replace the Sheraton if it were stolen ? ? of course I would ? and make the necessary upgrades (Seymores and Grovers). In fact I?m about to pre-empt this potentiality and will be buying another Sheraton quite soon (a black one I think) and will again fit Seymore Duncans, Grovers and for the next one I?ll put a Bigsby on it too ? just for variety! All brand new this will cost me about #800-#1000 ? just over half the cost of a new 335 ? but much superior. Why isn?t everyone switched on to this?

2003 Sheraton II Maple Laminated body and neck, rosewood fingerboard with decorative box and triangle inlays pretty. Head stock has decorative vine design - also very pretty. Body, neck, head, and F-holes are very nicely bound. Two Gibson Humbuckers. Gold Hardware. Gloss urethane Vintage Sunburst Finish. Tune-o-matic bridge, stop tail piece. Epiphone Tuners (grover style.) This is a 335 style and size semi-hollowbody. No trem, no coil splitting.

Wonderful sound. I play jazz. Great depth and tone. Fairly bright but with full low-end. Bridge pickup can be a little bitey but it can easily be tamed with the tone control. Neck pickup is noce and mellow sounding. I find I play quite a bit with both pickups selected (especially for lead or it there is an emphasis on melody) -full on the neck PU and backed off about 50% on the bridge PU. The pickups are very quiet. They also seem to be fairly high output. The sustain on this guitar is..FOREVER! For the type of music I play - pretty traditional jazz and some blues - the sound of this guitar is great. Perosnal taste, I would like to have seen coil splitting capability -would have been neat but not essential. There is absolutely nothing that I dislike about his guitar...well I did remove the metal "E" from the pickguard becuase I liked the unadorned look better. With a good amp, this guitar realy shines. I play this though an Ultrasound - no feedback issues, the amp has notch fiter and shape controls.

The fit and finish on this guitar is nothing less than incredible. There are absolutely no flaws anywhere. The setup was nearly perfect. The finish is a deep Vintage Sunburst the shine on which looks about a foot deep! The neck inlays were prefectly aligned, tasteful and pretty. Nice cream and black binding. I'm always a little squeemish about gold hardware (given a choice I'd probably avoid it), but I also treat my guitars gently and clean right them after playing - so I don't expect to have problems. The pickup selecter feels a bit light and I'm not sure how trustworthy it will be, based on reviews I've read, but it works fine now - so I can't complain about it. The action on this guitar is absolutely amazing for an archtop - very low! and playing is effortless. The neck is straight as an arrow and has a nice shape that inspires 'proper playing position' - very comfortable fingerboard seems to be about 1 11/16". It has medium frets - very comfortable and well finished with no rough edges and nicely polished. Great intonation on my guitar. I bought this guitar at my local Guitar Center - love at first sight.. from across the foom... The week before I had purchased a Gretsch Country Classic Jr. for $1,000 more than this EPI was selling for (!!!!) - after playing the Sheraton II, I took the Gretsch back exchanged it for the Sheraton II! It blows me away that this guitar could actually have cost me $1,000 less - and I like the Sheraton II much better. The guitar did not come with a case - bought the Epiphone hard shell case for another $70 ...$549 for the Guitar and $70 for the case (plus tax of course) WOW! If this gutar cost more, I'd still love it.

It feels solid and substantial. I expect that it will last. I'm also pretty easy on my guitars.

Don't know. Havn't had any contact or need to.

I've been playing for about 30 years with off time. My current setup is the Sheraton II, and Ultrasound amp, Boss Loop Station, Monster Jazz Cables. For Jazz, this combination is perfect and the guitar sounds fantastic. I usually play with just a little reverb or chorus. Over the years, I have owned Schecter, Godin, Fender, Cordoba, Ovation, Ibanez, and I even had a Kalamazoo made Epiphone Casino that I bought in 1966 and sold in 1970 (boy do I wish I still owned that one!) I recently sold an Ibanez semi-hollowbody that I thought was very nice but not equal to this EPI. At this time I just have the Sheraton II and an Ovation that my daughter plays (I don't like the Ovations skinny neck.) I Have used Fender and Tubeworks amps - I love the Ultrasound for the stuff I'm playing now. I can't believe the quality of this guitar for the price. If this guitar were lost of stolen, I definitely replace it.