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Riveria or Sheraton


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Can't decide between these 2 for a possible purchase. Always wanted a Sheraton but this Red Riviera with a B70 Bigsby has really caught my eye. GAK in the UK have a sale on Epiphone.

 

http://www.gak.co.uk/en/epiphone-limited-edition-riviera-custom-p93-wine-red/74679

 

http://www.gak.co.uk/en/epiphone-sheraton-ii-pro-natural/116458

 

What are people's views? I do own a casino and a Les Paul but would really like a semi hollow compared to just the full hollow.. I know the best idea would be to play them and decide but both would be bought from the net and delivered.

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Can't decide between these 2 for a possible purchase. Always wanted a Sheraton but this Red Riviera with a B70 Bigsby has really caught my eye. GAK in the UK have a sale on Epiphone.

 

http://www.gak.co.uk/en/epiphone-limited-edition-riviera-custom-p93-wine-red/74679

 

http://www.gak.co.uk/en/epiphone-sheraton-ii-pro-natural/116458

 

What are people's views? I do own a casino and a Les Paul but would really like a semi hollow compared to just the full hollow.. I know the best idea would be to play them and decide but both would be bought from the net and delivered.

Well try the guitars out at Windows, see which one you like best, obviously not the same as trying the actual guitar but it will help. I should also say when I was looking at similar guitars the guy led me away from the Riviera, he didn't say they were troublesome but...

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I'd lean towards the Sheraton II since you have a Casino with P-90s

 

Does the Riveira have similar tones to the Casino? I haven't played either but would like a semi hollow guitar to get different tones, so don't want something that sounds like what I already have

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Does the Riveira have similar tones to the Casino? I haven't played either but would like a semi hollow guitar to get different tones, so don't want something that sounds like what I already have

 

you'd probably get something a lot different from the Casino out of the Sheraton II.

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The construction of the two guitars is almost the same --- the Riv90 has a mahogany neck, while the Sheraton is laminated maple. This gives the Sheraton a brighter tone than your LP with humbuckers (and a mahogany neck). The neck on a Sheri also feels (and is) stiffer, with less flex.

 

P-90's tend to sound different on guitars with different construction, so the semi-hollow Riviera brings out different tones from the same pickups than the fully-hollow Casino. The plastic covers also sound different than the metal ones on the Casino.

 

All this is theoretical --- until you hear them with your own ears, these comments are only general, and may not really give you the definitive answers you're looking for.

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The construction of the two guitars is almost the same --- the Riv90 has a mahogany neck, while the Sheraton is laminated maple. This gives the Sheraton a brighter tone than your LP with humbuckers (and a mahogany neck). The neck on a Sheri also feels (and is) stiffer, with less flex.

 

P-90's tend to sound different on guitars with different construction, so the semi-hollow Riviera brings out different tones from the same pickups than the fully-hollow Casino. The plastic covers also sound different than the metal ones on the Casino.

 

All this is theoretical --- until you hear them with your own ears, these comments are only general, and may not really give you the definitive answers you're looking for.

 

Thank you Parabar that is a huge help. I'm leaning towards the Sheri if it's a brighter sound. I'm thinking of going to guitar guitar in Newcastle armed with my casino and plug the Sheri into a few different amps and compare it to the sound of the Sheri in the same amps and look at doing the same with the Riveria. I want something different to the Casino

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Thank you Parabar that is a huge help. I'm leaning towards the Sheri if it's a brighter sound. I'm thinking of going to guitar guitar in Newcastle armed with my casino and plug the Sheri into a few different amps and compare it to the sound of the Sheri in the same amps and look at doing the same with the Riveria. I want something different to the Casino

You will get a big difference in tone in the Sheraton. There is a distincly different tone between P90s and Hummers. As well, a fellow on youtube compares a Gibson ES335 and a Sheraton with ProBuckers and the Sheraton's tone is virtually indistinguishable from the far more expensive Gibson, the best "Gibson" tone I've heard from a stock Epiphone Sheraton. Even in a studio recording the Sheraton would be perfectly at home. My old ES330 with dog ear P90s sounded very different to my ES335 with humbuckers. If you enjoy the nice full Gibson 335 tone with its round bell-like chime and nice sparkly sound, you'll very much like the Sheraton with the really good sounding ProBuckers.

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You will get a big difference in tone in the Sheraton. There is a distincly different tone between P90s and Hummers. As well, a fellow on youtube compares a Gibson ES335 and a Sheraton with ProBuckers and the Sheraton's tone is virtually indistinguishable from the far more expensive Gibson, the best "Gibson" tone I've heard from a stock Epiphone Sheraton. Even in a studio recording the Sheraton would be perfectly at home. My old ES330 with dog ear P90s sounded very different to my ES335 with humbuckers. If you enjoy the nice full Gibson 335 tone with its round bell-like chime and nice sparkly sound, you'll very much like the Sheraton with the really good sounding ProBuckers.

 

wow that is a huge help, thank you. The Gibson ES 335 is my dream guitar but out of my price range with having a young family with 3 boys aged 4, 5 and 8. Always something more important to pay for. I just couldn't justify buying it. I still want to go try it but think the Shearton its going to be. Plus it's my birthday in September and the missus is bugging me as she is lost of what to buy me so maybe ha ha

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My initial thought is hb vs p90 that's the biggest difference. You should also consider that middle pickup it's in the strike zone for me. It gets in the way. Sheraton was heavy the Riviera doesn't seem heavy at all. That isn't detailed but my impression. Which sound do you want? I would go by that. Both are beautiful.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hmmmm. Well, to each his/her own, but the P-93 "Riviera" is in a class by itself, really.

It's like a 3 X P-90 equipped 335, being a semi-hollow body. And, the way it's wired, gives

more tonal options, than the Casino, Dot, or Sheraton. Whether or not you LIKE/LOVE

those options, you'll have to decide. I had a P-93 Riviera, several years ago, and traded

it in, on another Gibson LP. I wish now, that I had kept it, and just come up with some more

cash, for the LP. There's a reasonably serious chance, I may buy another P-93, in the future! [thumbup]

 

My Sheraton, is a 2005 AIUSA version, with "Mini-Humbuckers," which is somewhat different in tone,

than the full sized Humbuckers, on the current Sheratons. I also own a Gibson "Lucille," so

my tonal needs are met, pretty much across the board, these days. [biggrin]

 

You might want to look into a "normal" Riviera (with 2 mini-humbuckers) as another option?

Just a thought...

 

CB

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You've already gotten fantastic advice from the gentlemen here, I'd just like to chime in and say that I purchased the Sheraton II as my first (and only) guitar a year ago this month and I've been happy with my choice every single day. I'm a beginning player, teaching myself to play, and I'm continually amazed by the beautiful tones the Sheraton II gives me. It's just plain fun to play, and I wanted to throw my vote out there. Have fun with whatever model you choose!

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I've played that WR Riviera 3xP90 with Bigsby, personally I thought it was junk! The input jack fell off. The new Sheraton II PRO might be OK if it has a slim profile neck. If not then you are better off with a Les Paul much more playable. The best arch-top Epiphone has made is the Sheraton 1962 reissue because it has the thinnest neck they've ever made. Dot, Riviera P90, Sheraton, ES-355 all unplayable in my opinion, and I even have quite big hands!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Can't decide between these 2 for a possible purchase. Always wanted a Sheraton but this Red Riviera with a B70 Bigsby has really caught my eye. GAK in the UK have a sale on Epiphone.

 

http://www.gak.co.uk/en/epiphone-limited-edition-riviera-custom-p93-wine-red/74679

 

http://www.gak.co.uk/en/epiphone-sheraton-ii-pro-natural/116458

 

What are people's views? I do own a casino and a Les Paul but would really like a semi hollow compared to just the full hollow.. I know the best idea would be to play them and decide but both would be bought from the net and delivered.

I recently got the Sheraton II Pro in wine red and I love the tone. The coil tap gives you more tone choices. That being said, I have an elitist Casino and the hollow vs semi-hollow are two different birds. In a small room more chance of feedback with the hollow. If you own a Casino and Les Paul then I'd get the Sheraton. Epiphone is making some excellent guitars at reasonable prices.

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