GolfingPlowboy

After a day or two and after a few more brain cells kicked in it hit me...post my guitar pic as my profile avatar!!!! Wow, can I get any dumber (that's a rhetorical question)?!?!?!? So here's my new Swingster! Don't know what the shiny line down the middle of the pic is, maybe a reflection off the lens?

Well, I got my new Emperor Swingster yesterday along with my new VOX VT-15 amp and I love them both! The different sounds and tones I can generate are amazing and I know I will get many hours of pleasure form this guitar. Unfortunately, after reading the "How-to-post-a-photo" tutorial I won't be able to show my Swingster off as I'm simply not a computer whiz. Just getting to my e-mail is a chore! I thought it would be as easy as posting my profile pic but it's not. Soooo, I'm sorry about not posting pics but you can see it at the Epiphone website or many retail sites like Sweetwater, etc.

Hey Fellas! Well it only took me 2 months but I finally made up my mind! After coming this close to pulling the trigger in a music shop on a new Sheraton II natural finish, I got attracted by the sound of the WildKat, Emperor II & the new Emperor Swingsters. Then I got in a mind-numbing battle with myself between the Swingster and the Gretsch 5120! I know, I know, it sounds pitiful but after 20 years in the USN where I had to make decisions at the drop of a hat (or anchor) it's nice to let myself be distracted by all the possibilities and fun to do all the research and listen to demos of all the guitars. Well....IT'S A SWINGSTER!!!! I bought it today from Sweetwater Music (though I won't get it until next week) along with a VOX Valvetronix VT15 amp, though I almost jumped on a demo Epi Blues Custom 30W amp they had for $430 (usually goes for around $600). I watched a lot of videos on YouTube of folks playing the WildKat, Swingster & Gretsch and that twangy, rock-a-billy but also jazzy kind of sound is what I was looking for. But after watching them all and looking at all the websites info I decided I could just do more with the Swingster. That doesn't mean the others aren't any good but the controls for the WildKat & Gretsch 5120 are almost exactly the same (3-way selector switch, 2 volume pots, 1 Master Tone and 1 Master Volume pot) whereas the Swingster has the 3-way plus 2 push-pull tone pots (series or parallel) and 2 volume pots which gives it lots of different tonal possibilities, at least in my mind. I guess we'll see how these new "SwingBucker" pickups are but I'll play it awhile then see about replacing the internal electronics if necessary though it will be harder than on my LP Studio what with having to go through the f-holes and all. Sorry it took me so long to come back up on the radar but I didn't want to bother you guys with my girlish indecision...lol! Anyway, as soon as I get my Swingster I'll post some pics for all to see. If you're curious about the sound I suggest going to the Epi website and listening to the demo there.

Wow! You guys have just been great with all the info you've come forward with for a newbie like me and I truly appreciate it. Not understanding about the neck is a prime example of how little I know about guitars but I'm willing to learn! I have noticed that it's easier to play my LS Studio or my wifes EL-00 than my Hummingbird. On the website I notice the neck width (nut width actually, is there a difference between the two?) is the same for the Studio and H'bird (1.68") while the EL-00 is 1.65" so it must be the thickness of the neck itself which makes the difference (might be a fancy guitar lingo name for that, I don't know). So a neck has length, obviously, and width and thickness. What you guys are saying is the Sheraton (and Casino?) has a thinner neck which makes it easier to reach around to fret the strings, right? Brian, those are some nice guitars you got there, nice amps too! Smips, I do appreciate what you're saying about the other semi and full hollow bodies and I have looked at them but they seem geared more towards blues & jazz, which I love, but I want to get rock & roll down first. Don't be surprised if, in 3 or 4 years you see me on here bragging about my new Regent or Swingster! Thanks again for all the patience you've shown me and sorry for my ignorance but ya gotta start somewhere, right?

Thanks for your input Brian. Unfortunately I live out in the sticks of west Texas and a real city of any size is 2-3 hours drive so I don't have a "local" guitar center which is why I do LOTS of research on the net. Also, as I mentioned, I am new to guitar, literally a beginner so I would feel a little uncomfortable in a guitar shop trying out guitars with the 2 whole chords that I know...lol! Well, it's not quite that bad but I just don't know enough about guitars or amps to ask the right questions let alone judge them by anything I can play at the level I am at right now. As far as my playing environment, I have no plans for anything more than playing for personal pleasure. Hopefully the wife will progress along with me and we can have fun strumming together for the next 50 years, assuming we live to be 100! It does sound like making upgrades to the electronics will be a snap so it seems a fellow could buy a Dot or Sheraton, upgrade the electronics, maybe the tuners as well and end up with a guitar that has the guts of a Gibson for the price of an Epiphone + the cost of the upgraded parts. It looks to me like the Sheraton is just a glorified Dot with gold hardware and a fancy headstock and neck. I can't tell them apart otherwise. I guess the bottom line of all this is I don't want to buy a Dot and then wish I had bought a Sheraton or Casino. Or buy a Casino and find that a Dot would have been just as good. BUT I guess I'll never know unless I actually pick one up and play it! I was just wanting a little insight from more experienced folks like yourself such as if there was anything inherently wrong with the Dot or Sheraton, etc.

I thank everyone for all their inputs. I have been to the Epiphone website (obviously) and have looked at the specs of each guitar but, other than the pickups/humbuckers the only big difference I see is the tailpiece and the so-called "bling". Does the type of tailpiece really matter when it comes to sound (no Bigsby involved)? Also what I am getting from you folks is the later models of all the guitars are made in China and the internal electronics are not necessarily of the highest quality. I was an aviation electronics tech for 20 years in the US Navy and a qualified micro-miniature component repair tech (solder tech) as well so I would think it would be easy enough to get the Gibson pots & switches and replace the stock ones. True or no? Also I get that the Dot & Sheraton are semi-hollow while the Casino is a full hollow construction. What would be the pros and cons of each type? The price difference between the Sheraton & regular Casino is negligible but the Dot is $200 cheaper which is significant. That's the new price by the way. Once again I am befuddled by 3-5 year old similar guitars selling on auction sites for near new prices. I can't understand why anyone would spend $500 on a used, made in China Casino when they could get a brand new one for $600 and know they could always return it without any problems and not worry about transferring a warranty or anything. Anyway, thanks again for all your inputs, I do appreciate them all.

New to guitar and new to this forum. I have 3 Epiphones, a Les Paul Studio, a Hummingbird and an EL-00 which my wife plays. We are learning guitar together which is fun. I am looking hard at an archtop but, other than the price which really isn't an issue, I wonder what the real difference is between the Dot, Sheraton II, Casino & the Riviera. Being a big Beatles fan I naturally lean towards the Casino but, except for the IBJL versions, the price range of the Sheraton, Casino & Riviera are pretty close. The Dot's are noticeably cheaper but I'm not sure why. My guess is the electronics, i.e. pick-ups & humbuckers. So I have 2 questions for you more experienced folks: 1) What are the real differences in the above mentioned guitars and 2) I have noticed on ebay and other similar sites that many used guitars I've looked at (mostly of the above mentioned models) are selling for not a whole lot less than what you could get a brand new one for. As an example I have been following used Casinos pretty closely and they tend to go for around $500 when I could get a brand new one for $600! Same goes for Sheratons and Dots, most of them selling for only $50-100 less than the cost of a brand new one. It doesn't make sense to me but, like I said I'm new to guitars and guitar stuff. So what's up with that? Why would a 5-10 year old guitar still be worth so close to a new one? I wish my cars would hold their value like that!