jerrymac

Like this???

Does it have all the caps and resistors on it or is it just a switch??? How about the choke??? There should be 5 caps of various values, maybe resistors depending on the design, and a choke. When you're done, you end up with two wires, one goes to ground one to hot. The one I linked to is self contained, it has all the caps & choke included.

Pickups don't matter. Just 2 wires, one to hot, one to ground. Check this out.

There's 13 months in Korea, one for each Zodiac sign!!! Actually, if I'm not mistaken, the letter I is skipped so it's not confused with 1 or L.

15 is the Epiphone factory in QingDao China. What's not right is the 03, it can't be. In 2003, serial numbers began with a letter(s). In 2008, the letters were dropped and replaced with numbers in the 5th & 6th digits. So you're right that 15 means your guitar was made in QingDao China, but it couldn't have been made in 2003. The number you posted conflicts with itself. It's not a legitimate serial number. Are you sure 03 isn't 08??? Can you post a photo???

Nope, can't be. That serial # system only began in 2008. A 2003 serial number would be EE03120001

The serial # shows it is was made by Samick in Korea in June 2002. Probably one of the last ones out of Korea, I think they had pretty much shut down the Korean factory by the end of 2002. That's why 2004 didn't seem right to me. Actually, Samick started construction of the Indonesian factory in the early 1990s. Like Cort and other Korean corporations, the Korean economy in the 1990s was devastating. Cort also moved their factory to Indonesia, and AFAIK the only guitars Cort still makes in Korea are high end acoustics under their Parkwood brand as well as some acoustics for other companies like Carvin. Samick was purchased in June 2002 and the new management made moves to make the company more profitable. By 2005, Samick was once again profitable. Like all the great Samick Sheratons, your's has the highly desirable 5 piece neck. But here's the bottom line, you have the guitar, you know how good it is, would that change if I told you it was made in Krapsville??? It is what it is, enjoy it.

I doubt it. Are you sure it's a 2004??? S = Samick, but Samick went bankrupt in the late 1990s, when they reorganized around 2002, they closed the factory in Korea. All of the current Samicks are made in their Indonesian factory which would be SI for Samick Indonesia. There's no Samick China. Why don't you post the serial # (you can skip the last 4 digits if you're paranoid) and I'll tell you the when & wheres.

What's a Sheraton 1??? There were the original Sheratons, mini humbuckers and Frequensator tailpiece, and there were the Asian Sheraton II with full sized 'buckers and stop tailpiece. AFAIK, no Samick made Sheraton came with minis or a freakin' sator. And it can't be a 1986, because those serial #s that started with the factory codes weren't used until the early '90s. Without seeing it, I would say it's a 1996 Samick made Sheraton II.