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Nelson

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  1. Everything here depends upon the the serial number and is "made in the USA" actually stamped into the back of the headstock or is it a sticker that says "assembled in the USA" In 1993/1994 Gibson made a very limited run (250 of each) of some models like the Riviera, Sheraton and Emperors in Nashville and Bozeman. These were pretty good guitars (I own two of the Rivieras) but in my opinion the mini humbuckers used were less than stellar. Otherwise, they were at the level of the Kalamazoo-made guitars. Incredibly these guitars haven't attained a high premium considering their rarity and custom shop quality. The Sheraton is probably in the range of $2250 but rarely do they come up for sale. In 1999 or so Gibson contracted with Terada in Japan to build the bodies for a line of guitars they then assembled here, probably meaning they added USA electronics and possibly even finishing them here. These Sheratons were part of a John Lee Hooker signature model run and it lasted until about 2005 or so. About 2006 the over-runs started showing up at places like Musician's Friend without any of the JL Hooker signature stuff for as low as $900 which is incredible because these are equal to the Elitist line and have the advantage of a nitro-cellulose finish(an absolute must-have for me personally). These now go for around $1200 on E Bay and are fantastic guitars and can usually be found at any given time on E Bay. The John Lennon Casinos were similarly made in Japan and assembled here. The question is, which one do you have? If you have "Made In The USA" stamped into the back of the headstock it's a limited Nashville run. If it's "Assembled in The USA" on a sticker it's a Japanese/assembled in the USA model. Both are pretty damn good guitars but the "Made In" certainly is a far better bet as a future collectible. Nelson
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