Epiphone Sheraton

I bought a sunburst Sheraton 2 about six months (2009) ago by mail. I had seen them in stores, and the looks attracted me as much as anything. I was pleasantly surprised when I got mine, as to the fit, finish, and attention to detail on this moderately priced guitar. It really doesn't look much different from forty-year old Epiphone Sheratons, and the headstock shape, binding and inlay are just beautiful.

This Asian-made guitar was set up in America, but on arrival the action was a little high for me and the neck had a bit of bow. This was easily fixed using the adjustable bridge and a neck rod tweak (wrench provided, thank you). Two frets at the bottom of the high e needed a slight touch up with a file as well.

The action is good, not the best ever, but very good, with rather heavy strings I use, (11's) and I wish the nut were a tiny bit wider, the string spacing takes a little getting used to, but the guitar is quite playable. If it were stolen I'd replace it in kind.

I have not run the guitar through anything but a practice amp, but the front and rear pickups seem adequate. The guitar sounds very well at some things but so-so at others, but again, I need a better amp to properly judge this. When capoed at the fifth fret, the guitar still rings quite sweetly, which is to me, a mark of quality. I was surprised at how quiet the guitar is unplugged, the big center block really makes this hollowbody virtually a completely electric guitar.

Slight problem???the gold plating on the upper pick-up wore off almost immediately, and the bridge stop had much of it's plating about halfway gone when I got the guitar. I called Gibson, and they immediately sent me all new hardware, pickups, tuners, everything, hopefully with thicker plating. Thanks Gibson.

I just love to look at this guitar, it really doesn't have seem to have a $2000 playability or appearance difference from a Gibson 335 I have played, and I think when I get really used to it I'll find it to be a fine player as well. I consider the Sheraton to be a terrific value for the money and a great looking guitar in any price range.

Sound is fine, as far as I can tell through a practice amp.

I've played for forty years, mostly acoustic, haven't had an electric other than an old Strat in thirty years. I was surprised at how heavy the Sheraton is, but I have had all the hardware in one hand, and it weighs close to two pounds alone. Seems like electrics used to be lighter.Last electric I had was a Gretsch Electromatic, before that a Gibson ES, before that a Tele. For the money, the Sheraton is great.

Made in Kerea by Samick, Year 1988. Tobacco sunburst, all original as far as known except for recent re-fret. Headstock bears the "Epiphone by Gibson" logo which was only featured on models made between 1986 and 1988

I play mainly Soul/Motown/Funk/Jazz and a bit of disco. I use this guitar for playing soul and jazz mainly. This guitar is just perfect for Jazz and Soul, the clean tones are amazing and the notes ring out crystal clear. I play through a Fender Stage 100 amp and a Marshall JMP Super Lead MkII. FX Chain Boss NS1 I have to say the clean channel on the Fender Stage works great with this guitar.FX Chain is Boss NS2, MXR Phase 90, DOD FX84Milk Box, CryBaby Wah, Bad Monkey,Boss DD3.

Ok, this is going to be difficult to rate purely because the guitar was in poor nick when I bought it. Whoever owned it before me had obviously never cleaned the guitar in any way and the intonation was out, the frets were badly worn and the tuners were slipping. I have recently had a professional set up (thanks to Andy Viccars Custom for a great job!) and wow its like a new guitar. Its been refretted, all the electrics and pots cleaned, neck and nut adjusted and the tuners fixed. The gold hardware has a really aged look which I like. The finish on the guitar is stunning and has a real wow factor. I always get asked about the guitar when I play it at gigs.

finish looks hardly worn after 20 years of playing. Gold hardware has faded a lot. Strap locks solid.

unknown, never contacted

Been playing for about 15 years, I've owned a tele and a jag (both of which have been sold) a les paul custom, a US strat HSS and this guitar. The ephiphone beats the crap out of all of them hands down.

Well I bought my Epiphone Sherry I about a year ago at a pawnshop. I saw it and it was beautiful so I sold my Epiphone Les Paul Custom and bought this one for about 475 bucks.

The year of this sherry is 1993 and it was made in a Samick fatory.
It has a very thin/wide neck, 2 vol and 2 tone nobs.
I could never find out what the pickups are but they are ok, there kinda weird tho, they dont resonde very well to overdrive.
I belive the guitar is maple all round. Not sure.
Mine seems to be in black Lacquare finish.
The Sherry is the same shape as a Gibson ES-335 but a really wide neck
The bridge is a Tune-o-matic
Well the stock tuners are ok. Would prefer Grovers.
Rosewood fretboard with the fancy inlays, kinda small frets.

Very lovely guitar over all. just need some new pickups and it will be just as good as a Gibson.

Its suits my music style quite well. I play a weird style of music, kinda like blues, jazz, acoustic rock. But sounds very well for that style. I also for fun play ac/dc and led zepp and Gnr. Sounds good to that music but if thats all you want to play dont get this guitar.

My Current Set-up Is a Fender R212 amp and for effects I use a Boss ME-50 and a Danelectro Overdrive.

Well its alot of feedback when I use a alot of overdrive with the brige pickup. I ussaly have to turn it down to 7 on the guitar for the vol.

The sound is preety good, bright sound.

Almost enything!

Love the big guitar because im very tall and people say i look funny using a les paul thats kinda why i got this wounderfull guitar, note:Alot bigger than a les Paul. Only thing is that nobs keep falling off.

great action to begin with. very low but not to low.
Never adjusted the pickups.
everything seems to be perfect.
The only thing that i see is that the guitar aged ALOT. It looks very old, the paint started to crack where the neck and the body is joined.

I give it a 10 because you cant control something like paint cracking.

Oh yes it can definetly take the road head on. I played at quite a few places and never worried at all. dident even need a back up.

The hardward is defiently starting to tarnish since day one.

The finish will last a lifetime.

probly need to get some strap locks.

Its is 100% depenedabul!!!

Perfect but still you need to get a back up, not every one is as lucky as me lol

Well i only had to contact them about new pickups and they tried to charge me some BS price.

Well i got kinda curious so i took the neck pickup out of the guitar and kinda lost some of the screws. But fixed it about a year later

I f'ed with the warrenty

I have been playing for about 6 years, I have had quite a few guitars but love this one overall.

My only regreat on this guitar is not getting it sooner

Well if it was stolen i probly wouldent get a new one. Id just move one and see if i see another guitar i like.

I love everthign about it

I compared it to all the other guitars around. Was the best.

I wish it had better pickups, thats all.

Thats about it....If you have a chance to get one, Go for It!

I recently bought my Epiphone Sheraton after trying a number of other semi acoustics made by Ibanez, Yamaha, Aria etc. Initially I had set myself a budget which excluded the Epiphone but after playing the others I couldn't resist trying the only one in the shop. My first reaction was that it was much heavier than the others which played well enough, apart from the Yamaha which I thought was a bit of a dog, badly finished too. After a few chords I had fallen in love with the Epi. After the others this guitar almost played itself. Close inspection revealed not one constructional/cosmetic fault. In one word "immaculate". The spec for the Sheraton is well known but the colour of this one doesn't seem to match the specs on the Epiphone site. Mine is a sunburst but not like others I have seen which are a yellowish colour. This one is a sort of deep tan which makes it look like a really old guitar but very classy. When i got home a ran a check on the serial number and found that it had been made by Samick in July 2001, so I had just bought a brand new six year old guitar! As I am naturally curious I contacted Gibson customer service to check and almost by return got a reply from Vincent Wynne who confirmed the build date and suggested that the guitar had simply got "hung-up" some where with a dealer. Whatever this guitar is just great.

I have played guitar in bands for more years than I care to remember, in a variety of styles from folk to rock including ska,soul and reggae. My other instruments include a Tele standard and thinline model a couple of Strats and my trusty 23 year old Washburn D30-N acoustic which I love to death and gig with regularly. I had always wanted a decent semi and this Epiphone has given me a new slant on things moving me into funk/jazz areas I've not really got into before. This guitar has a broad range of sounds. Clean, through a Marshall AVT 100, I get a great warm "plummy" jazz sound from the neck pickup and a jangly (almost a Ricki sound) from the bridge pickup. The in-between postion hasn't been used much yet but sounds ok. I have had guitars in the past with Humbuckers which I coudn't get on with but these Gibson designed units have loads of rich clean tones and also sound great when put through the overdrive channel, very much like Claptons' Gibson 335.

No complaints about the build, fit or finish standards. All perfect to my eye. Set-up (action and intonation)both spot on. Hardware all gold plated and this is bound to wear/tarnish which will all add to the vintage vibe this guitar has. I made small adjustments to the pickups to balance the sound. The bridge pickup would benefit from a tad more output but at this stage I don't consider it worth changing.
Only one niggle. Within the first few days the selector switch failed so I changed it for the grand price of 10 euros. Maybe Epiphone could consider using better spec bits.

Haven't played live with it yet but cannot see why it would be a problem although I would always have a backup guitar with me. Even a broken string can be a pain playing live. As I stated earlier I would imagine that regular playing in warm, smokey, sweaty clubs could result in deterioration of the gold-plating, but what the heck!

Very impressed with Gibson/Epiphone customer support from Vincent Wynne who got back to me at midnight (his time) just a few minutes after I had emailed my query about serial number and date of manufature. It seems they offer 24 hour 7 day support. Thanks Vincent.

If this guitar was stolen/lost I would buy another. I just hope that all other production units would be as good as this one, but from reviews I have read some of the newer Indonesian instruments are not as good as older ones. My Samick built Epi from 6 years ago may take some beating. I would class it alongside the standards of an Elitist model and for the money is a steal.

This is a 2001 Sheraton (Not a Sheraton II) made by Samick in Korea. The S at the start of the serial number indicates that it was made by Samick while an R indicates it was made by Aria. After 2004, Epiphone set up its own factory in Korea (and elsewhere in Asia) which I think marks the start of the Sheraton II model. From what I've read and from my own experience, the Samick Sheratons are extremely well made and seem to be better than the later, Sheraton II models - - particularly the necks. This Sheraton is a sunburst, and originally had two Epiphone 57 Humbuckers. I later installed Seymour Duncan pick ups (see below). When I first bought it, I had all the pots, wiring, input jack and pick up switch replaced (all Switchcraft) as part of the purchase price. As you will read all over the web, and according to the guys at my favorite guitar shop, electronics are the weak spot for Epiphones. This was a very good move and it's a fairly cheap but important upgrade. I also added a wrap around tail piece and bone nut to maximize conductivity and sustain.

With regard to the original pick ups, they were pretty good (a little muddy). Mine were Epiphone '57 Humbuckers and on the back of them, it notes they are also used on Epiphone Dots and Les Pauls. However, after a lot of thought, I put in a Seymour Duncan Custom Custom (SH 11) in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan Jazz (SH 2N) in the neck. These pick ups are far more responsive and articulate than the stock pick ups. I almost opted for a Pearly Gates in the bridge but I think the Custom Custom may be a more versatile pick up. Although I am sure a Pearly Gates would really scream, I can get a great sound out of the Custom Custom with overdrive and still have the option of getting a cleaner sound too. Overdriven, the Custom Custom has a sweet sustain with a creamy, biting mid range and high end tones. With overdrive on the amp, on the A, D, G and B stings from about the 6th fret up to up, you can get a very distinct brassy, trumpet like sound that I really like. But, I had to adjust the height of the pick ups to get the most out of them; it made a big, big difference. The Jazz pick up is also great. A distinct woody, tubular, bluesy, jazz tone. It removes the sharpness of the higher strings at the higher frets for a fatter, less piercing sound. On a more clean setting, it is a terrific jazz sound. Overdriven, it is a great blues sound. My rating is based on my upgrades.

The fit and finish of this guitar were first rate. Real attention to detail. The neck is extremely comfortable. It is broad without being too thick. Very easy to play. My reaction to the neck was, and still remains, immediate and positive. It was the primary element that prompted me to buy the guitar and to continue playing it. In my opinion, it is really exceptional. In that same vein, from day one, the action was just outstanding; low with no buzzing and a consistent height from the nut to the last fret. This is an extremely well built, easy playing guitar. It's a shame they cheaped out on the electronics; but that is something that can be easily changed.

Structurally, this strikes me as being a very solid, durable guitar. After reading a lot about the Sheraton before I bought it (and confirmed by music store staff) the weak link for Epiphones are the electronics; switches, tone controls, volume controls and, to some extent, the pick ups (they were a little muddy but not horrible).

So far, there has been no need for contact with customer support so I can not say.

I have been playing a long, long time. I like this guitar a lot. I also have a Gibson Les Paul, a USA Strat, A Fender Classic Player Series Baja Tele (a truly phenomenal guitar) and a PRS Sanatana SE with added Dimarzio Air Zone and Air Norton with coil tap (that guitar screams and is a super player). The Sheraton is right up there with all of these guitars. I am very happy with it. It has got that distinct, great semi hollow body humbucker sound. While I have checked out a few used Gibson 335s over the years, I could never justify the cost. While I will probably always have 335 envy, with my modifications to the Sheraton, I am in the classic 335 sound ballpark at a fraction of the cost. For the most part, I have built an Epiphone 335 Elitist or a Sheraton Elitist (while staying well below the cost of a used Elitist). With regard to doing modifications, I think that in this price range, you are likely to get a very structurally solid, good looking guitar but you have to do some electronic tweaking (like upgrading pickups) to get a superior sound.
Re buying another one if it were stolen, etc, I would probably do the same thing; get a good used one (maybe in black or natural) and do the same or similar upgrades. Maybe a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates in the bridge or a Seth Lover in the neck, and a JB in the bridge.

1991 Epiphone Sheraton, don't know where it was made. It was in Asia for sure cause I still have the factory quality control tag with asian characters on it. Bought it 8 years ago and used extensively in gigs and it never failed me. It has a really nice dimensioned neck, very confortable. I' came with a hard case. The feartures are the standard for a Sheraton.

I am using it now to record DI rtrough a RME fireface 800 instrument input and with Amplitube 2.1. The sound of the stock pickups is good, but they're humbuckers, and at this point I really don't like humbuckers sound, so I decided to put some humbucker sized P-90 type of thing on it. I chose Seymour Duncan Phat Cats. What a transformation that was. The guitar now sounds much better for the kind of music I'm playing. For jazz sounds the neck pickup with the tone rolled of is perfect, and with the tone full and picking lightly near the neck you can get a almost steel string acoustic sound out of it that is just beautiful. With these pickups the guitar sound is a definite 10. No doubt. I don't have much use for the bridge pickup, except maybe when used with the neck one. Some good sounds there too. One word of advice for anyone fitting these pickups to this guitar. I have found that the neck pickup had to be lowered to the minimum height for the volume to be balanced between the two pickups, a problem with the stock ones also,and the tone will also be much less boomy. The pickups are surprisingly quite also.

I bought this used and it came with 08 or 09's, which to me are useless. I always either had 11 flatwounds on it or 11 roundwounds, which I have now. I tend to prefer the flatwounds. With the new pickups I'm sure they will sound much better than the roundwounds I have there now, which tend to be very bright for some stuff. I use a high action, which suits me better and avoids fretbuzz also, which tends to show up around the 15th fret. It could probably use a fret job by now.

Sure. Only issue I ever had with it was the pots getting lose and eventually the connections breaking. Once this happens removing and putting back the pots is a nightmare. Putting them back trough the F holes into the the small holes is very tricky. I did this 3 times already and now I might be able to do it in about an hour, but it's not easy. The hardware lost most of the gold by now, and the tuners tend to go a little bit off tune sometimes.

Wouldn't know

These older sheratons are very nice guitars. Never played a sheraton II so I don't know how they are, but this one is well worth the money I paid for it. My only other guitar is an ESP that cost a lot more and I prefer this one hands down.

Blonde, all maple laminate construction just like most of Gibson's 300 series. Neck appears to be a laminate of maple/mahogany. One of the early Koreans from the Samick factory - around the early to mid 90s. What is very unusual about this particular example is that the back and sides of the guitar are very lightly quilted. The neck is the slim variety (as opposed to the club-like necks of the Sheraton IIs), and is very speedy. The rosewood board is very dark - again, unlike the anaemic-looking boards of the newer Sheraton II. Nice pearl blocks with inlaid abalone triangles, but get a little wonky past the ninth fret. The guitar is basically a version of Gibson's 355 without the bigsby, varitone and stereo output. Very posh looker. Both the binding (7ply around front of body, 3 ply around back and 5 ply around neck and headstock) and finish have mellowed/yellowed with age, and it looks fab. Nut replaced with bone, bridge pickup replaced with a Seymour Duncan - no idea which model though - that can be coil-split from the bridge volume. The trussrod cover has 'Gibson' inscribed vertically down the middle. Came with an almost new fitted Epiphone case.

Bought about 15 months ago. Strung with 12s, the original neck pickup sounds very good, and I'm not convinced that re-fitting an upgrade will make the guitar sound much better. Lovely old rich jazz tones and blues. The bridge seymour is great - amazing with fuzz and great clarity clean, that can sound like a funky muscular tele bridge. Not overly powerful and just the right balance with the neck pickup - the mixed position has some surprisingly acoustic-like textures to it that sits really well for rhythym playing in the mix. There is a great range and versatility of sounds and the amount of sustain available is also a big surprise. The pots are surprisingly good - they have good tapers and are extremely smooth in use, just like the replacement CTS pots on my solid body.

The fit and finish when this guitar was new would have been very good when it was new. The f-holes have been properly and carefully bound - the plastic is even and quite thick which is something I only ever see on custom-made or high end off-the-shelf guitars. Very surprising. The binding is very tidily scraped. The frets are very high and not particularly comfortable to play - not impressed, but then again this guitar probably had it's last set up several years ago. I'm having it set up now. The 70's bathroom-fittings style gold plating has pretty much worn off, which is a good thing in my opinion.

This guitar is heavily gigged - it has also travelled very well as it was originally bought in Tenessee, has been to India and all over Europe, so it has been thrown about in airpot luggage transfers and on stage and has it's scars. However, this guitar is really solid and pretty heavy and has proved its reliability over the years. It stays in tune very well even after a thrashing. The sound of a semi-acoustic strung with 12s being thrashed at volume is a very pleasing sound.

Never dealt with - no opinion

I've really been hankering after a Gibson 345 or 355 and bought this in the interim, while saving up or getting cred card debt down to afford a second hand example. However, I've really taken to this Sheraton in terms of its burgeoning vintage looks, the way it sounds (well, just like a Gibbo 335!), the lovely slim neck and action and solid performance. Plus the bonus of the subtly figured back and sides. To get a Gibson equivalent would mean a serious outlay of cash just to change the name on the headstock; so that money can go towards something else - the guitar is that good.

I would advise anyone to seek out the older pre-Sheraton II models with the slimmer necks if you're on the market for a reasonably-priced but posh-looking semi. It's a great guitar.

been covered

I have a VOX AD30VT. A great amp, but different review. I?ll try to focus on the guitar. I?m completely happy with the sound from the stock pickups on this guitar. I?ve adjusted them (height, pole pieces) to deal with a little boomy low end, and am very happy. I replaced the original strings (9?s) with 11?s (wound G) and it?s great now. I wonder why they put 9?s on it to begin with. I wanted to be able to practice unplugged once in a while and with the bigger strings, I can. Very recently, I?ve been impressed with this tone. Could be me, but it sounds like the guitar is settling in. I was looking for a guitar I can use for blues and rock, and foray into jazz without sounding dumb. It covers the tones I?m looking for in those genres. The amp helps a bit here, but the guitar?s hollow nature allows for some thick tone to come through as well.

This guitar is beautiful. There?s very minor finishing flaws in the binding on the neck. You have to hold it very close to see these. I can find no major fit and finish flaws to speak of. The frets are finished well, the thing plays great. Since everything is adjustable, all I was really looking for was the basics- straight neck, no big flaws, etc. The action was a bit high when I put the 11?s on, but adjusted that when I did the intonation. The nut is cut a bit high. Switching between some 1st position chords sometimes sounds a bit off (like A to G). This can be fixed, the plastic nut will probably go anyway.

Too early to say. A common problem with this model is the output jack being loose, so I was looking for that. Sure enough, it loosened after a couple days. With that fixed, everything has been great. The volume and tone knobs were on a little crooked, but that was fixed up quick. I anticipate this guitar will last a long time with proper care. It is a semi-hollow, however, not a solidbody. You?ve got to be a little careful.

Haven?t had reason to call, the Epiphone website includes a discussion forum, which has been interesting.

One note I?ll put in here. GtrCtr had no case that would fit the oversized headstock and had to order a real Epiphone case. The one that came in works perfectly and says ?Epiphone? on it. Some people have mentioned that the cases with the ?E? on them don?t fit the headstock, as it is bigger than those on 335?s or Dots. Be careful.

I've been playing 30 years, mostly acoustic. I'm careful with my guitars. I'd replace this guitar quickly if stolen. Did I mention this guitar is beautiful? The gold trim on black looks great, they have amber knobs on it to match. I think black and blonde look better than sunburst on this guitar, but I guess I think that for all guitars. I thought it had a bit too much ?bling,? but have grown quite fond of it. Epi Dots look too bland to me now. The overdone headstock is even growing on me. My wife and kids loved that part from day one. It sounds great. I can get the jazz-like smooth tones I was looking for, the full blues tones as well. It?s exactly what I was looking for. I played the Joe Pass signature full hollowbody, and didn?t find that to be what I wanted. I expected the unplugged tone to be significantly better than the Sheraton, but it was not. Same can be said for the Casino, which is also fully hollow. I looked at Ibanez guitars seriously as well. There were too many quality control issues in the several guitars I played to keep looking at them. Bottom line: Go play one, find out if it?s right for you.

Standard Gibson fare, tunomatic bridge ect. Tone and volume pots feel nice with no static. Selector switch makes no noise and give nice tonal differences. As far as looks, I have never seen such nice workmanship in an imported guitar. This is a beauty queen. I am in love with mine.
Sweet!!!!!!!

I love this tone! Running through a Fender Hotrod Deluxe it is pure and sweet. Nice clean fat blues or jazz sounds. ES-335's are way to expensive for my budget and I honestly can't hear the dif. I have a Epiphone Les Paul Custom as well and would not trade it for the real thing. That may sound nuts but I love these tone monsters.

I am amazed at the fit and finish. Quality all over, the only comment I have is that the wood grain on the Gibson natural colored 335 does look more interesting but for the price I can get by that. It is beautiful and classic looking. No flaws that I can find so far.

Here is the thing that let me down a bit with the Les Paul Custom I have. I had to replace all the pots with Gibson replacements. I bought the guitar that way and go a killer deal on it. Epiphone is notourious for cheap switches and pots. I have not had this guitar long enough to determine the quality. As of this date they seem high quality and feel like the Gibo's so I give the benefit of the doubt.

Don't know, would not use it if it broke so I don't care. I have heard that it is ok but have no experience.

I have been playing over 35 years and own an american strat and les paul custom along with 12 and 6 string acoustics (Ibanez). I would replace them all with like guitars. I love the sound of the Sheraton and the looks are the finest available. This thing looks like it should cost double what they do. Buy one and enjoy!!!!

This is a late 80s/very early 90s model. Not sure if this is one of the late japanese or early korean made models. It is not a Sheraton II which I am pretty sure are all either koren or indonesian(depending on the S or I in front of the S/N) I purchased this used 8 months ago.

features: 2 humbuckers, natural finish, gold colored hardware, binding on every edge. this is a maple laminate semi hollow, but Im sure you already know that part. Features volume and tone for each pickup and 3 way switch and stop tail. everything you would find in an Es-335.

Sound of my sheraton is absolutely splendid. The treble pickup has a great range of tone from bright jangle to clean and transparent. The neck pickup is slightly boomy and darker sounding. Some eq fixes the boomyness and can eitehr give you mellow jazz to heavy crunch. Turning on both pickup gives a nice blend of both tones. Really for this being a "budget" es-335 it sounds better than I would have ever expected. The tone is fantastic and can do just about any sound I call on it for.

My only dislikes- the tone and volume pots are abit staticy and not quite linear in their action. This is likely due to their age. I will have my guitar guy take care of this.

I purchased this used from one of the last Pure guitar shops in Houston. They set up the guitar for me when purchased. The action is superb. Very low across the fretboard from top to bottom, no buzzes or dead frets. The pickups give an even sound from string to string. The neck is medium to thin. The binding is gorgeous and well installed. My sheraton is a natural finish, and while the wood isnt particularly exciting to look at, its still nice.

My only complaints have been voiced by many others, the gold hardware has corroded quite a bit, and very little finish remains. On one hand this makes the guitar look much older than 15-20 years. On the other hand, it does give it a great vintage look and I do kind of like the corrosion. The frets are also starting to wear on my sheraton, but they are still completly playable.

The binding and inlays are perfect and still look factory fresh.

The Pots and switch are also getting a bit finicky, but not so much as to interfere with playing. I would still trust this guitar for live playing as yer main axe.

I will give this a 7 even though the hardware has aged before its time, as I do like it.

As I stated above, the guitar has been solid since purchase. It has some minor defects, but still plays and sounds great. The neck joint feels particularly solid, and the guitar weighs much more than other Epiphone semi hollows I have played.(particularly casino and Dot models)

The guitar itself feels as though it will last for at least 100 more years, though the electronics are not quite so rugged.

no idea on this, though I wouldnt call epiphone if I had a problem with this guitar, I would take it to a tech...

This is really my favorite guitar. I have a Fender mexistrat, and feel that the sheraton is much higher quality than the strat, even though the strat is solid body(and a fine guitar in its own rite)

I have played guitar for about 5 years after switching from playing keys for about 20 years. I personally love the shape, look and feel of Gibson/epiphone semi hollows and couldnt live with out it if I lost my sheraton. While I would definitely replace it, it may or may not be a sheraton that I replace it with. I would look into finding a nice Casino or possibly an ES-335 if cash permitted. This is not to say I do not like the sheraton, I just think that if I lost it I would want to explore my options.

I really cant ask for any other features here as I am not really a great player and mainly play rhythm guitar or use it to write new material. Its a great sounding, very playable and great feeling guitar.

I chose this particular sheraton as I had been shopping for a semi hollow for upwards of 2 years until I found this sheraton. This particular example had an action better than any of the sheratons, casinos and even ES-335s I played. It is butter, and almost feels as though it will play itself. Ive played maybe 1 or 2 other guitars that feel this good. Even with all its flaws or shortcomings I cant help but love this guitar.