3stepbend Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Hi guys...been wanting a 335 style guitar for awhile, but don't want to spend Gibson 335 dollars right now. Was thinking of getting an Epi Sheraton II. It looks like the current ones are made in China - I've had mixed success with chinese made products. When did they stop producing them in Korea? I searched, but can't find my answer...thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefty Bill Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Hi.. yep, the recent Sheraton II models have been made in China. I bought a 2011 bare body recently which is made in China. I believe the new ones all have a green abalone first blossom in the headstock vine, at least all the new ones I've looked at have it. Maybe someone else can add more info about the Korea models.. they may have a letter prefix in the serial number (the China versions just start with YYMM year/month numbers), and sellers are typically asking for higher prices for the Korean models (and the Japan models, too). Here's a history/timeline for all Sheraton models, the dedicated effort of a couple of forum members.. Epiphone wiki Sheraton link Bill Hi guys...been wanting a 335 style guitar for awhile, but don't want to spend Gibson 335 dollars right now. Was thinking of getting an Epi Sheraton II. It looks like the current ones are made in China - I've had mixed success with chinese made products. When did they stop producing them in Korea? I searched, but can't find my answer...thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Epiphone never stopped making guitars in Korea ! there have been korean SG-400 models lately at sweetwater AFAIK there is no 'rule' where a model is built search for Sheratons with 21 as fifth/sixth digit in the serial# if you want to buy new or serial starting with U or S for older models That's about as solid answer as anyone could get. I might add that as recently as the past 6 months or so, I have seen in at least one online catalog of having new Korean and Chinese made ones side by side of the Sheraton II. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 I might add that as recently as the past 6 months or so, I have seen in at least one online catalog of having new Korean and Chinese made ones side by side of the Sheraton II. Yes, I have seen Sheratons recently made by the Unsung factory in Korea (code #21), and also have recently seen Chinese made Sheratons with the non-scarfed 5-piece neck. As for frequently seen serial numbers (actually a letter in front of the number) that would indicate a Korean made Sheraton: I=Saein, S=Samick, U=Unsung, and R or P=Peerless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anfontan Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 My Sheraton II is a Korean built from 1992-I found it when I was looking for an Epi Dot, its a great guitar! Only things I can find to fault is that the F holes are bound and a small gain and tone pot are the only size that will fit through the F holes and that the block fret markers stop at the 15th fret. I don't usually do a lot of soloing past the 15th fret but it would be nice if the markers were there, just the same.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dylanseeger Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 All of the ones that I've run into have been from China. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 ...and that the block fret markers stop at the 15th fret. I don't usually do a lot of soloing past the 15th fret but it would be nice if the markers were there, just the same.......... All of the Sheraton fret markers stop at the 15th fret. They have always been like this with the one exception being the Japanese Domestic Market, Terada-made Sheratons from 1987-1994. The Terada Sheraton fretboard inlays went to the 21st fret and were pearloid block inlays instead of the Pearloid/Abalone V-block inlays like the rest of the Sheratons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3stepbend Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 Well, I had a chance to try an Ebony Sheraton ii at GC yesterday. It was chinese made. It did feel sort of cheaply made, especially the controls - sound was good, playability was only ok as the action was way too high, I couldn't find any real defects in the body/neck/headstock. I had to keep retuning it, which worried me. Overall, for the money, not a bad instrument - assuming I could adjust the action without developing fret buzz, but that's a big assumption depending on how carefully the frets were set up. Even my LP (2009 Traditional) needed some setup work. So I'm ok with that. Wondering how better pickups and controls would affect the tone. Still, it had that mellow-ish jazz sound off the neck pickup and some nice growl from the bridge. Played through a clean Mesa amp. I may spring for one, used probably, we'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefty Bill Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I would suggest having the dealer do a proper setup as a condition of the sale, for any model.. and maybe particularly for the Chinese Sheraton II models. If a guitar can't be set up to a reasonable/comfortable playing condition, there isn't much point in buying the guitar, IMO. I wouldn't want to have to return a guitar after finding that it can't be set up properly (at my expense/time), that's the responsibility of the manufacturer. The 2011 I bought recently had serious manufacturing defects (disclosed by the seller so that was understood), but that same seller has sold 6 or more Sheraton II models with serious neck issues within the last 2 months. Unless this seller has exclusive purchasing rights for models that are too messed up to be refurbished, there may have been some bad assembly procedures implemented in a batch of Sheratons from China. I'm not suffering any remorse over my purchase, or trying to raise undo concern.. just making an observation. Back bowed necks and/or broken truss rods are serious defects, not just a minor cosmetic flaw. Since the above mentioned models are marked USED, I assume that they had been sold to buyers, then returned. The one I bought as a project is still on "the rack" (a beam being used to clamp the neck into a more suitable shape), more info to follow. The F-holes in the newer models are large enough to pass full-sized pots through, for those players who routinely replace the factory controls and wiring. The neck on the 2011 Chinese model with a black finish isn't 3-piece construction, doesn't have a scarf joint and appears to be mahogany, not maple. 2011 Shearaton II Neck Pics link Bill Well, I had a chance to try an Ebony Sheraton ii at GC yesterday. It was chinese made. It did feel sort of cheaply made, especially the controls - sound was good, playability was only ok as the action was way too high, I couldn't find any real defects in the body/neck/headstock. I had to keep retuning it, which worried me. Overall, for the money, not a bad instrument - assuming I could adjust the action without developing fret buzz, but that's a big assumption depending on how carefully the frets were set up. Even my LP (2009 Traditional) needed some setup work. So I'm ok with that. Wondering how better pickups and controls would affect the tone. Still, it had that mellow-ish jazz sound off the neck pickup and some nice growl from the bridge. Played through a clean Mesa amp. I may spring for one, used probably, we'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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