Epiphone Sheraton II

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

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

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

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

I haven't had to deal with them.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Never had anything serious go wrong.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

No idea

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

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

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

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

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

never dealt

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

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

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

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

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

Have not needed. Hopefully never will.

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

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

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

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

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

Never had to deal with them yet !!

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

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

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

properly set-up, no faults discovered

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

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

never needed

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

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

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

low price, great gear. buy one.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There are so many reviews on this guitar regarding features, that i need not repeat them. It is just that, A semihoolw ES335 copy at a very reasonable bang-for-the-buck price.

I have been playing for over 36 years most of them proffessionally working as a stage performer and recording session musician. I needed a semi-hollow body guitar for my work since i had sold a Gretsch "Nashville" a couple of years back and did not have an instrument of comparable sound/versatility in my arsenal. I went to my local dealer who let me try out many guitars until I got stuck on a used Gibson ES335 and a brand new SheratonII. After about 3 hours of playing I chose the Epiphone SheratonII because I figured that I am a working musician and resale didn't matter to me since I pretty well much bang up my axes and wear them out because I'm a player not a buff or collector. The sound is good enough that almost all my rythym lines on my recording sessions of the last 5 years have been cut with my SheratonII. On stage I play in one of the top Rock and Roll 50's and 60's bands in the country, and I find myself playing my SheratonII at almost half of my shows using it as my only guitar. MY main axe for that act is a Fender 1977 Strat with "Vintage-Noiseless" pickups but I still like the feel of my Sheraton on stage. It sounds great with the amps that are supplied by the sound companies that provide us with a backline at the venues I appear at. They usually have Fender Twins or Roland JC120's, but on occasion, they have had Marshalls and Mesa Boogie amps. The Sheraton has always sounded correct. My own amps are aPeavey Triumph 60 (tube 6L6 + 12AX7), a Fender Super 60 (tube), a Roland JC120, and a Roland Cube 60. She sounds especcially great on soft jazz work through the Roland Cube 60 where the middle (2P/U) sound comes to life. After reading all these previous reviews I am going to change my pickups to either Seymour Duncans or DiMarzios. I can use a hotter sound on some classic rock and fusion material that I do.

Action was as close to perfect, but my dealer always goes over every instrument that comes into his shop and once I chose the one I wanted he went in his back room and had it set up for me, which was 10-46 light strings and a super low action with the stop-piece all the way down for more sustain and string tension. My only problem with tuning is that my D and G strings seem to flatten a little when I bend a lot, but because I know that, I just tap the flat string just between the bridge and tailpiece and it slips back into intonation.

Will this guitar withstand live playing? Without a doubt! In fact my group is known for our exciting stage movements and choreography, which includes me taking a solo while playing with my teeth and dropping to the floor and resting on my back in a prone position. To that I say," Who needs SrapLocks?" I haven't in six years with this guitar and I've yet to drop it.

I have a problem, I go to my local dealer, he hasn't let me down yet.

I have been playing for over 36 years and I have owned or played just about every kind of axe out there from Gretsch Country Gentleman, Nashville, Tennessean, Dou-Jet, Gibson Firebird, Les Paul Standard, Deluxe,SG Standard, a PRS, Fender Telecasters (late 60's and early 70's),Stratocasters (1976 hardtail, and 1977 Ash body/Maple neck). I presently own a '77 Srat w/Vintage noiseless pickups, a Jackson Fusion Std. Pro, an Ibanez 1974 Double-neck 6/12, an Ibanez Artist (Blackw/Creme trim),a Parker P-38, An Aria Pro Elecord Model #P-90 acoustic-electric archtop roundhole, and an Epiphone Chet Atkins Model CEC Acoustic Nylon string electric. If this axe was stolen, I would run right back to Castellano's and order another one or an Ibanez Artar which is the only other guitar that can beat this one fot the money (it cost more than the Sheraton, but it feels lighter and the sound was a little bit better).

well this is an update from my fuull review......after getting over the new axe nirvanna,,,i found the stock pickups too get too muddy
with lots o volume.so........i upgraded....bridge,...a dimarzio
super 11 distorter excellent, neck 57 gibson clsssic,wow
it really does make a difference. its a10 now and even does metal
justice... n blues n rock n jazz n plus n .plus.

Originally submitted a review for this instrument last December......before I replaced stock PU. Threw a couple of 57 classics into this thing and turned a frog into a prince. The thing really sounds great now. It always looked nice and had a decent neck/action/intonation. But now it sounds wonderful!

Standard configuration for an Epiphone Sheraton II made in Korea in 2001. It came with a plush hardshell case that seems well made. Ebony (black) with gold plated hardware, mother-of-pearl and abalone inlays in the neck and headstock. Strikingly beautiful in appearance except for an unattractive pick-guard. Has anyone out there tried getting an ES335 pickguard from Gibson and substituting?
I'm going to dock a point for the pickguard.

The sound is flat with the stock pickups. The 2001 model is supposed to have the 'new and improved' pickups. They could be worse but they could certainly be better. Personal taste plays a part so I recommend that anyone buying this guitar should TRY a number of different Gibsons with different pickup combinations to get an idea of what this guitar could sound like with REAL Gibson pickups. I've installed a '57 Classic at the neck and a '57 Classic+ at the bridge; this was after lots of research and I'm now completely satisfied with the sound of this guitar. I use it to play classic '60s and '70s rock. Also some jazz and blues. I love the sound with the new pickups. I also replaced the pots and toggle switch with new Gibson components, and a switchcraft jack. Ooh la la, it sounds terrific now. It's a 10 with the improvements, a 6 without them.

The factory action was quite good, I haven't had anyone mess with it yet. No string buzz, the factory did a good job with the frets and adjustments. The intonation was set up reasonably well. I'll eventually have it all fine-tuned but I think that I'll wait until it 'wears in' a bit. The finish is fantastic, I'm particularly thrilled with the ebony finish & gold hardware.

It is a new guitar so time will tell. The pickups were changed so the gold plating on them is now REAL Gibson. I'll probably change the machine heads to real Gibsons, also. I've seen a year-old Sheraton II and the plating looked pretty rough, especially on the pickup covers because they get punished the most. Oh, also... the original factory toggle switch 'cut out' when changing positions. I can't stress enough how much better I like this guitar with the changeover to real Gibson components.

I was able to get a schematic for this guitar from the Gibson website. They sent me a schematic for an ES335 and told me that it matched the Sheraton II exactly. They were prompt and friendly. Go figure...

I've been playing for over 30 years. This guitar will probably become my most-used instrument. I'm using it primarily with a VOX AC15 and it really sings. Incredible tone and sustain!! Like others have said in previous reviews, it compares favorably with an ES335 if you change the pickups. Gibson probably doesn't WANT these things to sound great from the factory. Why would anyone spend thousands of dollars on a real Gibson if an Epiphone sounded as good, straight out of the box?

this is all written below. you say guitar, i expect a plank with strings on it, anything else is a feature. the binding on this thing is a plus. i mean what kind of features do you want on a guitar ? it doesn't have a v12 motor or anything megacool like that, it's a very well decked out guitar though.

i run this through an american made fender princeton, a dunlop 545 (chrome), a voodoo labs od, and a boss bf-2 flanger. it's fairly versatile, but i find it does best in settings involving drive equal to or less than classic rock. clean she's absolutely gorgeous. overdrive is very warm, and it really cuts through in a solo. not the best for metal, if indeed it's a hot thing in metal now to play a hollow body.

stock pickups aren't awful, but they aren't great. i replaced them with the gibson 57 classic series. excellent choice, really turns this guitar up a notch. basically, it's an es-335 without the wiring. that'll change eventually, i'm in no rush though because that's not a hassle on a frequent basis, just something that's nice to not have to worry about. i give it a 9 because everything i compare it to pales, and i'm a guitar player, i try out everything in stores just like you do.

action's easily adjusted. as far as intonation goes, well on the high e string the saddle on the tune-o-matic won't quite go as far as i need it to to get perfect intonation. it's close, but i might need to get it professionally adjusted. the wiring isn't good, but i'll change all that out. from a visual standpoint, it's stunning. probably the most gorgeous guitar on the market. very pleased in this category

mind you, the neck is a 2x4. small hands need not apply

it's a hollow body. relatively speaking, it's very solid. i've had this for three years or so and it doesn't have even a scratch on it. it gets used extensively, and has been gigging with me whenever i needed it to. it also went through a year of semi-daily rehearsals. it travels well.

i've been playing for five years. if it were stolen, i'd be pissed. it's a very good guitar, especially for the money. if you put work into it and make a few adjustments, you'll have one of the best instruments on the planet. if not, then it's merely solid. visually and sonically, i'm extremely pleased.

the features are great. way better than an es 335.gorgious gweeter
all around. don t know what year it is serial no. s99064459 ......
any one know the year send if so to gweeter8@yahoo.com.
super great kneck.

don t know what happened to others but she s a kickin axe. sound is just fine in my hot rod de ville 4x10. original and blues and classic rock ....so far so good, but i might try duncan seth and one other.

action was higher than i like but it played well. lowered it ripps pretty fast with great tone...must have been a wed guitar.

the gold pickups are wearing very fast as such the duncans will come.
this is the gweeter i gig with reliable comfort n trust.

no need

i ve played a lot of gweeters over 35 years and im happy with this
one its one of the best around especialy for the price
excellent gweeter dam she looks sweet too.

Bought this guitar in 1997-8, natural finish, gold (but not for long) hardware etc. You've read it all before.

For the most part this guitar should be played unamplified. While I have wrung a couple of nice recordings out of it, predominantly in a Bluesbreakers mode the thing sounds mediocre when amplified. This, as indicated by several other reviewers, relates to the mediocrity of the stock PUs. I have a pair of Classic 57s which I will install when I get the chance but basically have used this guitar fairly unfrequently.

Action is a strong point, smooth and fast. Finish is beautiful. Hardware is prone to near instantaneous oxidation. Also the tuners were cheap junk, replaced them with a set of Grovers which helps a lot. Indeed, most of the electronics (pots, toggle) are also pretty cheesy but serviceable. So it's a 9 for action, 8 for feel, 9 for finish, 3 for hardware= Avg 5-6

Wouldn't use it at a gig at all at this point in time, maybe when I swap out the PU's. Still it seems pretty solid and frankly if it were lost or damaged it might mean that one of my other instruments would have been spared, a reasonable trade off.

No experience with Epiphone but have had good relations w/ Gibson when necessary

Playing for too long, ~36yr. I have a bunch of other electric and acoustic guitars and also enjoy keyboard playing. Although I have no regrets about buying the Sheraton, I will have to do the PU surgery before proferring a final opinion.

"Double rounded cutuaway, arched bound maple top, f holes, raised bound tortoise pickguard with stylized E logo, maple back/sides, center block maple neck, 22 fret bound rosewood fingerboard with pearl/abalone blok/triangle inlay, tune-o-matic bridge/stop tailpiece, bound peghead with pearl vine/logo inlay, 3 per side tuners, gold hardware, 2 humbucker covered pickups with exposed screws, 2 volume/tone controls, 3 position switch."

This is the definiton of the Sheraton and Sheraton II by Epiphone itself.

I checked the serial number and found out at Epiphone that when the Sheraton II started being manufactured in Korea, they did not register the numbers properly so as far as I (and they) know, my guitar does not have a 'born certificate'. I do know though that the Sheraton II is a contemporary re-issue of the original Epiphone Sheraton (hence the 'II') which was manufactured from 1959 to 1970. The Sheraton II began its legacy in 1997. My guitar is probably from 1997. Make no mistake when you see an old Sheraton, it is vintage shit and you should not let the opportuniy ellude you. Go for it.

I got this guitar in august 29, 1998. I'll tell its story later on.

As far as I'm concerned, this is an ok guitar features-wise. I don't know how to hate it tho so I won't.

This guitar covers an extensive field of sounds and tones and I am satisfied with it but not before I had one of the humbuckers replaced by a Gibson Classic '57 (the bridge one). The stock PU's are extremely poor and like someone stated below, this guitar can howl at no moon when you crank the gain of your amp. I'm probably replacing the neck humbucker as well but I couldn't be arsed to do so as of yet.

The guitar is not noisy at all. If it's noisy than it's probably because of the gear you're using. Despite the poor stock PU's, the neck one sounds full and warm and you have a good range of tones. It's sensitive to the tone controls and if you are patient you can be very surprised. Especially with all-tube amps.

I play in a band that plays contemporary music (a cover band mostly) and although you have to struggle with the guitar to deliver Limp Bizkit-like sounds, you can pretty much play anything you want. It won't emulate any Telly or Strat sound but it will do it fair enough. At home I play Oasis, Beatles and general british rock and it suits my taste to the fullest.

I play it through a Marshall JCM2000 DSL401 and a Marshall VS65R. Of course, it blows anyone's through the all-valve Marshall but it can be really boring with a valvestate amp. This is probably because of the amp though. It's amazing how a valvestate amp is so worse than a tube one. And I thought my 65 watt VS was a good beast. Go for the tubes.

I also use a BOSS ME-8 (multiple effects processor) and teh guitar works fine with it.

Replacing the humbuckers with the ones of your taste, you have a delicious guitar to play with at hand. But with the stock PU's I'll give it a 6,5 rounded up to 7.

I traded this guitar so it was second hand but it was brand new. No one ever played with it. As I got it I brought it to my personal luthier to take care of it and replace the humbucker that very same day. As far as finishing and fit, it's a 10 in my opinion. It's all great and there's no flaws. I can't seem to find any in it.

However, after a few months the hardware gets oxidized and that, I think, is a major Epiphone hardware problem. It happens with my Epiphone EJ-200 acoustic also. The golden hardware goes green sometimes. It's not very good. That's definitely a 6 for it.

Other than that, everything is fine. The guitar was well set-up at the factory since it hasn't been used by anyone before I traded it. This is an 8.

Other than the hardware oxidizing, this guitar will last forever if you let it. Solid as my two beloved combos. :-)

I don't use it with a backup. Ths straps are very solid but I always recommend a strap-lock which I use in my guitar, the Dunlop ones.

I DO depend on it.

Never talked to any of 'em.

I've been playing for 6 years now and I've been suffering to find the guitar of my dreams. I found it in the Sheraton II but not without a fight. I'll tell you why.

I have also an Epiphone EJ-200 acoustic, an Yamaha APX-4-12A acoustic, a Washburn Strat Lyon Series and a Fender Jazz Bass.

If I ever lost this guitar I'd buy another semi-acoustic. I don't know which one though. Maybe a Riviera or even the original beautiful red Gibson semi-acoustic itself.

I love the look of it and I love it just because I love it. I don't know. It was love at first sight. (it's vintage sunburst with golden hardware)

Now, I'll tell the story behind the myth. In mid 1997 I bought a Rickenbacker 325V63 'Miami', a vintage re-issue of the same guitar that Lennon used when on tour with the Beatles in... Miami, right. However, I did not even see it before buying and I found out it has a f***ing short scale and my hands are quite big. Plus, as it's a re-issue, it has precisely the same hardware. Shit bridge, shit tailpiece, the strings would never stay in tune. Plus, the 3 pickups are match only to the vintage Vox amps they used to use. I don't know, They don't work with digital effects and distortion. Ok, I didn't know much about it at the time but I believed in the guitar. It's beautiful.

So, I spent one full year of my life with a 15 hundred bucks worth guitar that would serve for nothing to me. (I bought it new in NY)

One day I step in this Wal-Mart like store here where I live and I see this big shiny Sheraton II hanging on the wall simple to serve as a background to the CD store inside this big mall. It was hanging beside this big poster of the Beatles. I kinda flirted with the guitar everyday and one day I decided to talk to the manager of the store. I brought him my Rickenbacker and a big book with several pictures of Joh Lennon with the guitar and said: "Look, this guitar is worth 1.500 bucks, it's the same as Lennon's and it's much more good looking than that guitar you have on your wall. Let's trade it. You'll get a better background wall and I'll get the guitar I want and you'll even get money off my back because that Sheraton is cheaper than this Rickenbacker." So be it, the guy traded with me, hung the Rick on the wall and I got my Sheraton II.

BUT, I am so picky coz I want a guitar which never goes out of tune and man, does EVERY guitar I play let the G string goes soft and give me a completely out of tune open chord after a solo. I don't even play like Ray Vaughan. I just play and bend like everyone else. To solve this I replaced the bridge with a micro-tunning Gibson bridge, the one which comes with the Lucille model for instance and put up a Gotoh locking system in the neck. After that, I never got back to my luthier again but I spent quite some money to get this guitar going.

Because of that and, read this, this is not only because it's a Sheraton II, this is me who's talking, I'll give a 7 as overall opinion. Because I know that it could be a Gibson Standard, I'd put the tunning system the same way. So, don't take this so seriously if you don't even know what a guitar out of tune is. This guitar is tremendous.

My Sheraton II was a '97 model, purchased in March of '98. It is a semi-hollow, double cutaway guitar, similar to a Gibson ES-335. This means a double cutaway body of laminated maple with a center block. It also has a 24 3/4" scale on a 5 ply maple and mahogany neck, with an "ebonized" rosewood fingerboard with 22 frets. Electronics is typical with two generic humbucking pickups, volume & tone pots for each pickup and a three way switch for pickup selection.

The guitar was finished in a reddish brown sunburst, shading to black on the top. All other surfaces are red/brown without any shading. There are 5 ply bindings on the top edge of the body, fingerboard, headstock and tortoise shell pickguard, and single ply binding on the back and "f" holes. There is an extravagant amount of pearl and abalone inlay. The "epiphone" name is inlaid on the headstock, along with a "vine" inlay. The fingerboard has large pearl blocks divided by wedges of abalone inlaid for position markers. The tuners, pickup covers, stop bar tailpiece and bulky tune-a-matic bridge are gold plated, but the metalwork has a cheap, cheesy look and feel.

The guitar came with a very bulky hard shell case. It appears to be sized fo fit a similar 12 string guitar.

I play mostly blues and blues-based rock. In the store, the guitar seemed promising. The stock pickups, while a little bland, were not as bad as a lot of people say. They are, however, extremely microphonic, making the guitar squeal like a pig if the gain on the amp is cranked very much. Even my little Fender Super Champ could make the poor Sheraton howl in pain.

Obviously, the guitar cannot really be gigged with in stock trim, and new pickups are definately in order, if only to control the feedback. I planned to change them, but never quite got that far. Read on to see why.

Rating is for stock pickups, and reflects lack of usability.

At a distance, the guitar looks like a million bucks, slick and uptown classy. The neck is wide, but not too deep, very fast, like a good Gibson neck from the mid 60's. The fretwork was good and level, and the ititial setup was quite good.

From here, it goes downhill. The fret ends protruded over the fingerboard, leaving sharp edges. The paintwork was applied too thick in spots. There were swirl marks and scratches in the top which were inadequately buffed out. The back was covered with overspray, and not buffed out. The tuners, bridge and tailpiece were poorly finished, with big scratches showing under the plating. The first time I restrung the guitar, the ball ends got stuck in the undersized holes in the tailpiece, and had to be removed with a puch and hammer. The plastic nut was servicable, but cheap. The rear strap button screw was mislocated and crooked. Inside, there were big gaps between the back and the center block.

I can't out how this guitar gets such high marks in this category from everybody else. Apparently mine was a "Monday morning" guitar.

I suppose I should have quit right there, but I figured that most of the faults could be cured or lived with, so I had a luthier replace the nut with a bone nut, and the huge, ugly bridge with a Gibson bridge. This required doweling the existing bridge holes, but the thombwheels hid the repairs. He also dressed the sharp fret ends. I replaced the tuners with Grover Rotomatics, and the tailpiece with a Gotoh unit. Now the guitar was shaping up.

Still, I had doubts about the guitar. The neck joint is short and appears to be more glue than wood. Also, there is no kerfing to reinforce the joints between the top, back & sides. I don't know if the guitar will fall apart, but the overall construction doesn't inspire confidence. I might have gigged with it if I had replaced the pickups, but I finally decided that I would be spending more on the guitar than it was worth to me

the few times I've dealt with Gibson, they were courteous and prompt with a reply. The usual reply was to tell me that they don't sell replacement parts, and to see my dealer.

I almost never depend on the company for service. I either fix it myself, or take it to a good luthier. I am fortunate that I have a guy who does great work and doesn't laugh at the guitars I bring him to fix.

I've played for 35 years and own a lot of other guitars and a few amps.

After doing so much work on the guitar, I began to realize that you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear (I already knew this, but sometimes it's still fun to try). I was faced with spending another $200-$250 for pickups for a guitar that I was still likely to be unhapy with, so I decided to cut my losses and trade it in. If it had been stolen, I wouldn't have cried.

It's too bad, because the Sheraton was a lovely guitar. However, it was too much "show" and not enough "go". If you have one you're happy with, I'm happy for you. Maybe I bought the one bad apple in the barrel, but I have to call this as I see it.

I love the beautiful inlays and gold-plating, which hasnt rubbed off this 2000 Korean-made git-fiddle in the months ive owned it. It came with the newer, Gibson-liscensed wax-potted pickups, which sound comprable to the Seymour-Duncan copies. The finsih was done expertly, a fine vintage sunburst. The tuners are large, gold ones, similar to the Yamaha acoustic ones. The maple back is finished like the front, just of a slighty less beautiful piece of lumber. Sam Ash threw in a gig-bag and stand.

I play lots of blues-jazz, like a Kenny Burell mix. But i need the output to go for full out alt. rock for some gigs. This guitar does both well. When i crank my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe on the Drive channel, set around 6 on gain, i get a sweet overdrive, responsive to my picking dynamics. It could be the tubes...but this guitar sounds loads better than my friends Ibanez-ass thumping metal guitars in the same setups. The guitar also is geat for the clean, bassy jazz hollowbody sounds i need. What versatility!

The PUs, as with all hmbuckers with only 1 pivot point, move a little, but i was told it was normal. The creme binding is applied perfectly, and the setup was fine. One gripe: the STICKERS applied to the pickups at the factory, whne removed ,left a visible residue that only came off with 2 bottles of lighter fluid and a roll of toilet papaer. Besides that..its a thing of BEaAUTY.

This guitar seems quite hardy, and the finish hasnt checked or chipped as of yet. The stap buttons are rather large, and hold my strap well, even w\o locks. I always gig with a backup, simply for stirng breakage, but in any other respect, this axe will hold up. The finish and such seems expertly applied and durable, as good as the many 335s i have played. I am sure this guitar will age beutifully.

Ive never spoken with them..but the Epiphone policy of voiding the warranty with any modifications, even straplock addition scares me.

I LOVE this git bucket, what a dream. I have people coming over just to play this, and they dont wanna put it down. Ive loaned it out to some of my pro-am jazz player friedns for gigs, and they love it. I am ENTIRLEY Satisfied with this bad boy.

made in : 1997 (I think, if I understand Epi's Serial # system) in Korea
Pickups 2 Humbuckers
Hardware Gold
Scale 24.75"
Nut Width 1.68"
Neck Joint Set
Neck Material 3-piece Maple
Fingerboard Rosewood/Block & Triangle
Binding Body/Neck/Headstock
Body Material Laminated Maple
Top Laminated Maple


I believe the finish on mine is "vintage sunburst" though to my eyes it looks more like "tobacco burst". Second hand axe, so I "inherited" a hard shell case, a padded Levis strap & gold plated straplocks.

So if one is looking for features like gizmo-splittable-super distortion pickups and locking trem systems, this ain't it. However if one is looking for a good looking, playable, good sounding guitar, this is it my friends.

I was concerned that the treble pickup would sound too mushy, that the neck pickup would sound too muddy ... when am I going to learn to give The people at Epiphone credit? The neck pickup sounds full and warm, the treble pickup has a nice bite ... if a bit nasal on its own. Both pickups combined give out a nice, balanced sound.

Agreed, the results one gets from a headphone amp will vary from those in a genuine amp. I have yet to connect in my recently acquired Marshall JTM-310. Chances are I'm likely to get microphonic feedback (then again I may be surprised). Updates to this review are to come, but played through my Zoom 503 amp simulator, the palette of sounds is pretty amazing. If I wanted to have a "shredder" guitar, I would have gotten one. But this delivers a sweet overdriven sound.

I've seen some reviews where the neck inlays were improperly fitted, glue blobs, etc. Agreed, the gold plating has a tendancy to wear off, but I see no flaws with this guitar.

If I am t