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Differences between China-made and Korea-made Epiphone (Sheraton)


KEVINBE

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So I am thinking of buying an Epiphone Hollowbody, the Sheraton for instance, but now I don't know what I should do: buy a brand new china-made Sheraton 2, or I also have the occasion of buying 1988 Sheraton or a 2001 Korea-made Sheraton. They're in good shape and have no modifications and also the price ain't a problem. What should I do? What are the differences between new and older ones, especially in terms of quality between the koreamades and chinamades..

post-39289-042912200 1326626690_thumb.jpg

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Korean has a 5-piece laminated (length wise) neck. Chinese has a solid neck, with scarf joints for the headstock, and heal. Korean has a "generic" body style, whereas the newer Chinese has a very "Gibson" like body style. Very early Chinese versions, were not as nicely made, as the Korean versions..IMHO. Also, the headstocks, on the Korean versions, are slightly smaller.

 

HOWEVER, the later, and current Chinese versions (I've seen), are as nicely made, now. The biggest differences are

the one's I've outlined. So, either way, you can't really go wrong. My advice, as always, is to play

both, and see which one you prefer. [biggrin]

 

CB

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To muddy up the waters even more, Sheratons are currently still being made in Korea by Unsung, while past Korean versions have been made by Samick, Saein, and Unsung. Interestingly, it seemed like production had completely switched to China, but now within the past few months I've seen new Korean Unsungs in stock at both Sweetwater & MF, along with the Chinese version. At Sweetwater, you can clearly tell the origin by looking at the Guitar Gallery photos (look for the 5-piece neck). At MF, the only way to know for sure is if the guitar's been returned & is being sold as used, with pics of that specific instrument.

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Hi

 

and welcome here [thumbup]

 

could you tell the difference if it was not written on the guitar :-k

 

if your answer is no ..... [-(

 

go for the one that feels/sounds/looks best to your hands/ears/eyes

 

Of course! It's not the fact that they're made in China, I don't care about that, but it's just that I read some stuff on this issue on the Epiphone website, so yah..

 

Anyway, I'll probably just try a new Sheraton in the store.. If I wouldn't like it, I'll maybe go trying an older one.. But I think a new one will do..

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The imported Epiphone guitars are a great value but you have to find a store that has a big selection to choose from. QC is always an issue at this price point, so the trick is to really play as many as you can and "cherry pick" the really good one in the bunch.

 

I went guitar shopping with a friend who wanted to spend no more than $300 on an acoustic for his girlfriend. I played a few around that price then worked my way down. The best guitar out of the 6 or 8 that I played by far was going for $99. They brought me out one from the back and it wasn't nearly as good so I bought the one on display.

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I'd go for the MIK. The 'Tobacco Burst' Sheraton is stunning!, and not currently an available option. I too am actively searching or one.... With all due respect to the MIC Epiphone owners (I too happen to be one - SG G400), if you have the option of MIK over MIC, I'd buy Korean, just based on ethical/political grounds. I'm trying to limit my 'made in China' purchases,... but it's next to impossible to find alternatives, have some fun next time you're at Walmart, pick ten items randomly,... see what you find!

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I'm trying to limit my 'made in China' purchases,... but it's next to impossible to find alternatives, have some fun next time you're at Walmart, pick ten items randomly,... see what you find!

 

Right, most things are made in China, so it's kind of pointless to try to avoid them. Besides, if it wasn't for China, our country would be bankrupt. We ought to be nicer to them.

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I have a bunch of Epi's (more tha just about everyone here), and prefer the current models, especially the Chinese ones. The older Koreans are much more inconsistent and quality can be hit or miss. With a Chinese Epi, I know what I'm getting. When I have a choice, I'll take a Chinese over a Korean any time.

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I have a bunch of Epi's (more tha just about everyone here), and prefer the current models, especially the Chinese ones. The older Koreans are much more inconsistent and quality can be hit or miss. With a Chinese Epi, I know what I'm getting. When I have a choice, I'll take a Chinese over a Korean any time.

Wow, I've found just the opposite. I'd go for an older MIK Epi any day. I've had to return two new MIC Epis for serious defects, although my MIC IBJL Casino and Ultra 339 are keepers.

 

I guess the key is to try before you buy:

 

P1040201.jpg

 

P1040194.jpg

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... Korean has a "generic" body style, whereas the newer Chinese has a very "Gibson" like body style...

 

CB

I was not aware of the difference in shape; I had to go check again some pictures and indeed the chinese Sheratons are even more 335ish in shape.

It seems mostly the cutaways being more curvy and frankly it looks nicer.

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I was not aware of the difference in shape; I had to go check again some pictures and indeed the Chinese Sheraton's are even more 335ish in shape.

It seems mostly the cutaways being more curvy and frankly it looks nicer.

 

Right...the horns are a bit different, in shape, and the waist is different, too!

Yeah, that was always "my" biggest "issue," with the Korean ones. The newer

Chinese version, is being made more to Gibson's spec's, that way, than Samick's...or,

other Korean generic spec's. I know it's "only cosmetic" or appearance, and

has nothing to do with it's overall quality...but, like you, I think it looks

much better, and more like USA Epi's, used to be. [thumbup]

 

CB

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Right, most things are made in China, so it's kind of pointless to try to avoid them. Besides, if it wasn't for China, our country would be bankrupt. We ought to be nicer to them.

 

I lived in China for 2 years. Mostly very, very, nice people.

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Right...the horns are a bit different, in shape, and the waist is different, too!

 

I like the shape of the Chinese version too, although I think the body is slightly smaller than a Gibson. I also like the shape of the Chinese version better than the Elitists.

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Thanks for all the replies so far. Quite different opinions, so I guess it will depend on the testing..

 

I've just tried a Chinese Epi Dot in the local shop (I will go out for a Sheraton next week, when my exams at college are over and more time will be available), and I didn't like it that much!

 

I didn't like the shape of the neck (what they call a "D-shape" I think?), which is ofcourse a matter of personal preferences, but I also didn't like the fretboard, which just felt pretty cheap.. My first guitar ever, a cheap Chinese Richwood Les Paul, had a better rosewoodfretboard, I think..

 

About the pick-ups, bridge pick-up was quite ok for a 300-dollar guitar, but the treble pick-up sounded as if the tonebutton was set on 5 or something.. Anyway, I just went to the local store since I haven't got that much time this week, just to try out an Epiphone semi-hollowbody, just to get the feel of it (it was my first time that I played a semi hollowbody)..

 

Next week, I'll try a new Sheraton in an other shop, and hopefully I'll be able to try the '88 Sheraton, so I can compare, and then I'll see which one I'll buy.

 

If the Sheraton I'll buy doesn't have great sounding pick-ups, I might change them for P-94's..

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Oh, by the way, in the local store, I asked what the differences are between the Dot and the Sheraton II. He told me the Sheraton has different pick-ups than the dot.. Is this true?

 

(In this comparison, I'm talking of a new Dot, and a new Sheraton, both china made)

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Right, most things are made in China, so it's kind of pointless to try to avoid them. Besides, if it wasn't for China, our country would be bankrupt. We ought to be nicer to them.

 

Oh, cool, I didn't realize that the Chinese government just stepped in one day and starting paying down US federal debt. That was nice of them. When did that happen?

 

Selling US Treasury Securities to the tune of $1150,000,000,000 to Beijing doesn't offset bankruptcy. It simply increases indebtedness, unless that money can be used as some sort of pump-primer for the domestic economy. There's slight evidence of that.

 

Criticizing the Chinese government doesn't equate to being unkind to the Chinese people. By the way, the Chinese government needs no help from outside in that department. Maybe you should read Amnesty International's human rights report on China for 2011: http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/china/report-2011

 

"Most things are made in China" because companies selling their goods in the west see an opportunity to increase profits by manufacturing products in a country where labour costs are cheap. Additionally, a huge sector of the retail market in the west is focused upon cheap consumer goods. Things have to be priced very cheap to sell, and therefore have to be made very, very cheaply for companies' profit expectations to be realized. Such is the nature of capitalism today.

 

A short, amusing, but illustrative video:

 

[YOUTUBE]

[/YOUTUBE]

 

Back to the original question?

 

As regards Sheratons, I have no idea (having owned neither a Korean nor a Chinese example). I have owned a Korean Epiphone (a Firebird V), which was total and utter crap. I have also owned a Chinese Epiphone (a G-400 from Unsung, China) that was a nice guitar. I'm not sure that is a particularly scientific test, however.

 

None of this is intended to be "holier than thou" or some sort of pious homily. I, too, have a house full of Chinese products bought from big box stores, because: ( a ) As a consumer I like to have things, and ( b ) I have a modest income. ( a ) + ( b ) therefore means that if I desire a flat-screen TV or a guitar, then chances are that in today's retail environment those items will originate with low-cost labour in China.

 

Would I like a handmade guitar, crafted by a luthier/artisan in the US or Europe? Absolutely! Can I afford that? No. So I head down to Guitar Center or similar and what do I find in my price range? Chinese-made guitars. So I buy one. Many of them seem very good for the price. C'est la vie.

 

Just don't assume that there is anything inherently noble about doing business with China, or that you are doing workers in China (or, indeed, anywhere else in the world) some sort of magnanimous favour by purchasing Chinese made goods.

 

It all comes at a cost, you know...both social and economic...

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could you tell the difference if it was not written on the guitar :-k

Yep, even by just touching it, without looking at the guitar [smile] My MIK Sheraton has the fretboard binding wrapped around the fret ends, just like the Gibson custom shop ES type guitars. And the neck profile of the MIK Sheraton is more a D-shape (pretty close to the current Gibson 60s slim taper necks), as opposed to the more C-shaped MIC necks. I have both MIK and MIC (and even a MIJ) ES style Epiphones, so I can compare them directly.

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Yep, even by just touching it, without looking at the guitar [smile] My MIK Sheraton has the fretboard binding wrapped around the fret ends, just like the Gibson custom shop ES type guitars. And the neck profile of the MIK Sheraton is more a D-shape (pretty close to the current Gibson 60s slim taper necks), as opposed to the more C-shaped MIC necks. I have both MIK and MIC (and even a MIJ) ES style Epiphones, so I can compare them directly.

 

I tested a chinese dot today (not a Sheraton, ok..) and I hated the feel of the neck.. And if the neck that this Dot has, is called a "D-shape", I'm not so enthousiast about it.. Maybe I'll get used to it, but I like the feel of my Tele-neck now (but that might also be a matter of getting used to that)..

 

& could there be a difference between for instance a 1988 sheraton and a 2001? Because the 1988 is a 100 bucks more, but maybe it ain't worth it? Again, of course I'll have to try em out before being able to have an opinion on this but maybe I could find something out before testing them..

 

Anyway, here are the two guitars which I'm interested in..

 

The 2001 Sheraton (€370) http://www.2dehands.be/muziek/muziekinstrumenten/elektrische-gitaar/epiphone-sheraton-by-gibson-2001-case-111486988.html?qq=epiphone+sheraton&pcpl=&pc_id=&afd=

 

The 1988 Sheraton (€500) http://www.2dehands.be/muziek/muziekinstrumenten/elektrische-gitaar/epiphone-sheraton-1988-110831254.html?qq=epiphone+sheraton&pcpl=&pc_id=&afd=

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Yep, even by just touching it, without looking at the guitar [smile] My MIK Sheraton has the fretboard binding wrapped around the fret ends, just like the Gibson custom shop ES type guitars. And the neck profile of the MIK Sheraton is more a D-shape (pretty close to the current Gibson 60s slim taper necks), as opposed to the more C-shaped MIC necks. I have both MIK and MIC (and even a MIJ) ES style Epiphones, so I can compare them directly.

 

I tested a chinese dot today (not a Sheraton, ok..) and I hated the feel of the neck.. And if the neck that this Dot has, is called a "D-shape", I'm not so enthousiast about it.. Maybe I'll get used to it, but I like the feel of my Tele-neck now (but that might also be a matter of getting used to that)..

 

& could there be a difference between for instance a 1988 sheraton and a 2001? Because the 1988 is a 100 bucks more, but maybe it ain't worth it? Again, of course I'll have to try em out before being able to have an opinion on this but maybe I could find something out before testing them..

 

Anyway, here are the two guitars which I'm interested in..

 

The 2001 Sheraton (€370) http://www.2dehands.be/muziek/muziekinstrumenten/elektrische-gitaar/epiphone-sheraton-by-gibson-2001-case-111486988.html?qq=epiphone+sheraton&pcpl=&pc_id=&afd=

 

The 1988 Sheraton (€500) http://www.2dehands.be/muziek/muziekinstrumenten/elektrische-gitaar/epiphone-sheraton-1988-110831254.html?qq=epiphone+sheraton&pcpl=&pc_id=&afd=

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Oh, cool, I didn't realize that the Chinese government just stepped in one day and starting paying down US federal debt. That was nice of them. When did that happen?

 

Selling US Treasury Securities to the tune of $1150,000,000,000 to Beijing doesn't offset bankruptcy. It simply increases indebtedness, unless that money can be used as some sort of pump-primer for the domestic economy. There's slight evidence of that.

 

Criticizing the Chinese government doesn't equate to being unkind to the Chinese people. By the way, the Chinese government needs no help from outside in that department. Maybe you should read Amnesty International's human rights report on China for 2011: http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/china/report-2011

 

"Most things are made in China" because companies selling their goods in the west see an opportunity to increase profits by manufacturing products in a country where labour costs are cheap. Additionally, a huge sector of the retail market in the west is focused upon cheap consumer goods. Things have to be priced very cheap to sell, and therefore have to be made very, very cheaply for companies' profit expectations to be realized. Such is the nature of capitalism today.

 

A short, amusing, but illustrative video:

 

[YOUTUBE]

[/YOUTUBE]

 

Back to the original question?

 

As regards Sheratons, I have no idea (having owned neither a Korean nor a Chinese example). I have owned a Korean Epiphone (a Firebird V), which was total and utter crap. I have also owned a Chinese Epiphone (a G-400 from Unsung, China) that was a nice guitar. I'm not sure that is a particularly scientific test, however.

 

None of this is intended to be "holier than thou" or some sort of pious homily. I, too, have a house full of Chinese products bought from big box stores, because: ( a ) As a consumer I like to have things, and ( b ) I have a modest income. ( a ) + ( b ) therefore means that if I desire a flat-screen TV or a guitar, then chances are that in today's retail environment those items will originate with low-cost labour in China.

 

Would I like a handmade guitar, crafted by a luthier/artisan in the US or Europe? Absolutely! Can I afford that? No. So I head down to Guitar Center or similar and what do I find in my price range? Chinese-made guitars. So I buy one. Many of them seem very good for the price. C'est la vie.

 

Just don't assume that there is anything inherently noble about doing business with China, or that you are doing workers in China (or, indeed, anywhere else in the world) some sort of magnanimous favour by purchasing Chinese made goods.

 

It all comes at a cost, you know...both social and economic...

 

Totally agree on your "China-analysis" if I may call it like that..

 

About the chine epiphones.. I don't know, haven't played enough on them.. I played on an SG (not sure which serie) of a friend, it wasn't that great.. His Les Paul Standard was a bit better but not that good neither.. And today, the Epiphone Dot was ok on a few levels, but some things quite sucked about that guitar..

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