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Sheraton II vs. Casino


LilS***

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This is my first posting. Hope I'm doing this right. I'm ready to move up from a Squire starter and I'm considering a Casino or Sheraton II. I've played the Sheraton and LOVED it. Then I saw the Casino on-line and it looks like a Sheraton, but with SILVER/Chrome Hardware. Is the neck on the Casino the same as the Sheraton? Is difference purely cosmetic? They are about the same price. Also, I noticed in ratings on this forum, that the Sheraton is rated higher....why?

 

I'm not a fan of gold hardware, but I sure liked the feel and sound of the Sheraton.

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I'm not a fan of gold hardware either. The gold flakes off and looks pretty ratty after a while.

 

I've also never owned a Sheraton so I cannot give a direct comparison but they are two different guitars.

 

The Casino has P90 pickups, the Sheraton has humbuckers. The sound is different. Personally I like the sound of the P90s better, but that is a matter of taste.

 

The Casino is a hollow body guitar and the Sheraton has a center block of wood down the middle of the body. This affects the sound. Again, it is a matter of taste.

 

The Casino will probably sound louder when it is not plugged in, as it is an acoustic guitar. Supposedly the block of wood down the middle will give the Sherry more sustain, but since I don't own both, I cannot verify that (perhaps someone who owns both can help here).

 

Also, the Casino is probably lighter.

 

But the Sherry has a much nicer looking headstock.

 

My advice is to try to find a music store that has both and try them out. Plug them in, set the volume and tone controls the same and listen to them both. Then change the tone controls and listen again.

 

If the store has a Casino and not Sheraton, but has a Dot or Gibson ES335, you can listen to the Dot or 335 in place of the Sherry and get an idea of how they will sound. Since they have similar body styles and pickups they will sound about as close as you can get (please correct me if I'm wrong here).

 

I know that buying an unknown entity is taking a bit of a chance. If you have a local guitar store, that is the best way to continue your research.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

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Norton hit most of the differences. The Sherry is substantially heavier than the Casino. My Sheraton is the Korean import, though I thought I read somewhere they might have moved production to China--not sure about that, but it wouldn't concern me if they did.

 

The neck on my Sheraton feels much heftier than the necks on any of my Casinos, but even more so than my Korean Casino, which has an almost Ric-like neck to my feel--very thin.

 

It's all subjective of course, I'm probably inclined to lean towards my Casinos more than the Sheraton, but a lot of that has to do with the fact I really enjoy noodling the Casino unplugged. The Casino does this much better than the Sherry for reasons stated above.

 

I play mostly Beatles stuff, nothing fancy mostly rhythm, and I find I can get very Grestch-like tones from my Sheraton.

 

Hope that helps a little!

 

Bill

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Thanks Bill,

 

I might add that I play some rhythm but mostly lead in my duo http://www.s-cats.com and that we do middle of the road music for a middle-aged to adult market. You can view the songlist on that site to see what kind of material I play if you are interested.

 

Note: the audio demo uses all synthesized instruments (keyboards and wind synthesizer) as it was made from a live recording, on the gig, and neither the sax, flute, nor guitar tracks came out balanced on my Archos "i-pod-ish" recorder so I didn't use those tracks. The voice-over promo announcement was added later.

 

With my budget priced Zoom GIX effects pedal/amp simulator/direct box I can coax nice cool jazz tones, clean and edgy rock-a-billy sounds, distorted rock tones, and even "flat top" acoustic tones out of my Casino.

 

I love the neck (I think they call it slim taper) and it is very close to my vintage Gibson ES-335 (just a tiny bit wider at the nut, probably the difference between US and Metric measurements).

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Definitely try them out. I am on the other end in that I have never played a Casino, but have a great Sheraton that has clear smooth (or punchy, if desired) tone. It can sound jazzy, bluesy, or rocking it up. It isn't really a metal guitar, but then I guess you could figure out that neither of them are.

 

I think the center block on the Sheratons and Dots (which you should also consider trying) is also to reduce the feedback generated by fully hollow bodied instruments.

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I don't own a Sherry, but a good friend of mine does, so I've played his a lot.. The Sherry's a great guitar, but I think I prefer my Casino.. It could be the way my friend has his set up.. He plays a lot of jazz, so he's got real low action (a little too low for me) and flatwound strings on his.. He's also got Gibson 498's or 490's in it.. It's got a very sweet tone to it with the flatwounds on..

 

The way we usually describe the difference is; his looks prettier, mine sounds meaner... :-) But the Casino can also sound very chimey and shimery.. I like the way it can go from growly to glassy.. It's very versatile..

 

The only thing I don't like about the Casino is the price... I think the Sherry is more worthy of the $600 price tag, with all its abalone and pearl inlay and the binding and purfling and all the cosmetics... It IS a pretty guitar.. The Casino is a little more basic, cosmetically.. I think the only reason it doesn't cost the same as a Dot is because they throw on a $200 "Beatle Tax"... I hate to say it, beacuse I LOVE the guitar (and the Beatles, obviously), but give us a break here!

 

Anyway, to sum up... They're both great guitars.. But I think the Casino has a broader tonal range... That's just my opinion.. You should do what Notes said and A/B them side by side.. No one can tell you which is the best guitar for you..

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  • 4 years later...

I know this is an old post, but I couldn't see any comment on the distinct difference in Sheraton and Casino, I have both and they are totally different guitars, solid internal and hollow body. However, as always, its what you personally like, all the best,

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I own both. As mentioned, they are very different guitars. My main, and only "problem," with

the Casino, is Upper Fret Access! The Sheraton is much better, for that. But, if you're not a

"Lead" guitar player, that may not be a consideration? The combination, of P-90 pickups, and a

fully hollow body, on the Casino, give it a unique tone, and openness. The Sheraton, IS heavier,

with it's Center Block construction, but is much less prone to feedback, at high volume. So,

depending on what type of music, you play, and your own personal preferences, either might work

for you. They both have their strengths and weaknesses. Although, personally, I feel the Sheraton

has more pro's, than con's! But, I love my Casino, for what it does, as well. So...???

 

Try them both, as well as the "Dot" model, and see which one you bond with most!

 

Cheers,

CB

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I have both, as well as the Gibson versions, the ES355 and ES330, and it's always a tough call as to which I prefer. The Casino is far louder acoustically as you might expect, but has less sustain than the Sheraton. Plugged in I prefer the dynamic response of the Casino - it seems more sensitive to changes in pick attack, and is particularly good played fingerstyle. Feedback is a minor issue for the Casino but having grown up on the Jesus and Mary Chain this is not always a bad thing! The 16 (or 17) fret neck join occasionally annoys me but I can live with it - Les Pauls don't have the easiest neck join to navigate either, but plenty seem to manage just fine.

 

Somebody mentioned value for money given the relative high price of the Casino. I would guess it comes down to economy of scale. I used to work for an Epiphone dealer, and for every Casino we sold two Sheratons and three or four Dots. Not that the Casinos were particularly hard to sell but they were certainly more of a niche product. The ES330, without the benefit of three Beatles endorsing the model, has often been out of production altogether.

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  • 7 years later...

I had the same conundrum.  The Epiphone dot, Sheraton II or Casino. (All vintage sunburst)

The Dot is great value for money and sounds and looks great. 

The detailing on the Sheraton looks lovely. The hum-buckers sound warm on both.

I personally found them both quite heavy, but I was coming from an acoustic. I like to stand and play rather than sit.

There is just something about the casino though.

As soon as I picked it up the weight and balance felt perfect. The tone sounds beautiful without any pedals.

I know there are issues with hum and feedback but I only play at home and with friends and don't gig with it (but many do, Gary Lee Clark Jr.).

The Casino feels gentle to play and also sounds great unplugged.

The build quality seems great to me. Mine is China made. (China does make the iphone).

I'd heard that it felt flimsy and plasticky. I don't think it does at all. Maybe compared to a 60's version.

I really thought I would be walking away with the Sheraton but the Casino chose me.

My best advice is to go to a local shop and try all three and let the guitar decide on its new owner.

 

 

 

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