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6,006 registered members on this forum and this thread has had 162 views and to date the list of owners of Sheratons with the "Epiphone by Gibson" headstock is two people Musikron JoeSamick come on there must be more people out there who have this headstock on their Sherri's

Wow That is surprising of all the thousands of Epiphone owners on this site only two other people Jerrymac who once owned one, and Musikron who has one. So few peopled who own or have owned, a "Epiphone by Gibson" headstock Sheraton. I have seen one on e-bay, Wonder how many of these were made. Would like to get a list of owners just to try and sort the riddle of these serials.

Jerrymac wrote: Thanks JM Just hoping there might be a few out there that still have the serial sticker to see if there is any rhyme or reason to those 8 digits.

Hi leicester35 It will cost me £230 and I quite like the weather beaten look and some forum members have let it be know the "Epiphone by Gibson" are often quite well put together. It has taken a few knocks over the past 23 years, but as long as it is in good playing order. I think it has "character" it will do me fine. I am hoping to have it as my "ready to hand" guitar. Some would say "beater" but feels a bit luxurious talking about a Sheraton that way. But that is what it is for.

So my questions to all owners of "Epiphone by Gibson" headstock Sheratons.. Do your serial stickers look like the one in the photo below? Do you have an 8 digit serial? The TRC is plain black on the one I am buying did they come like that? Last question which I suspect should this mean My guitar was made in Korea January c.1987 Production Number: 05418

I thought there were quite a few owners of these Samick built Epiphone Sheratons with the headstock on this site. I was wrong. We have 6,677 registered forum members and have had 5,389 visits to this thread. Astounding........still only have 9 proven owners of "Epiphone by Gibson" Sheratons on this forum. 1986 E-by-G's NaturalScience2112 (E-by-G Sheraton owners club # 2 (tobacco, sn:6066698)) Musikron (E-by-G Sheraton owners club # 1 (natural, sn:6094580)) 1987 E-by-G's JoeSamick (E-by-G Sheraton owners club # 3 (tobacco, sn:70105418)) StevieD (E-by-G Sheraton owners club # 8 (tobacco, sn:71107775)) Albannach (E-by-G Sheraton owners club # 6 (tobacco, sn:71108446)) 1988 E-by-G's Toredown (E-by-G Sheraton owners club # 5 (tobacco, sn:80202658)) hilleri(2) (E-by-G Sheraton owners club # 9 (natural, sn:880603292) slawek (E-by-G Sheraton owners club # 4 (tobacco, sn:880802010)) missing serial therefore 1986 to 1988 E-by-G's hilleri (E-by-G Sheraton owners club # 7 (natural (yellowed), sn:XXXXXXXX)...probably 1988 who own "Epiphone by Gibson" Sheratons (samick build 1986-1988) with the Headstock Please if anyone else knows of anyone else who owns one, or sees one for sale, drop me a line. to be included in this list we need photographs of your guitar especially the headstock back and front

Thanks for confirming what I always knew: that fake Epi makers do stamp "Epiphone" on the pickups.

Don't they look just so damn cool!!??

it's a giant leaf spring. The more you push down the more resistance you get. it's much more "solid" than any other type of tremolo system.

Here, for example, is a 1998 EC BKE-30: You'll note the lack of bookmatched halves, and the discernible arch in the back, attesting to the use of a laminated, pressed back. Nice stage guitar though. Fred

The initial production of the Blues King Electro was produced with laminated maple back, produced in Nashville and shipped to Bozeman for production. Later on, I believe possibly coinciding with the period when they rebadged the model the J-185EC (?), the backs that they used became solid maple. I think that change might have been about 1998-9. That's just a guess, though. (Hopefully this isn't a fifth grade Music question on which a lot of money is riding....) Fred

Oh, yeahhh. I like it. Looks like a very near-post war LG-1 or LG-2. Nice! Also, love the gloobery messy glue bits inside old Gibsons, because the "untidy" interiors are SO not right with today's guitar aficionados!

Those were "the J-45" for a few years from Bozeman, about 1994-5, IIRC. They had silkscreened Block logo, and the Banner, also silkscreen. The J-30 of that time was similarly adorned, although I can't remember if they called them "Western" per se. They came both natural and sunburst. I still have the promo folders from the dealer with those two models on 'em. Fred

It used to be that Gibson would, as a matter of routine, stamp ser #s in the back of the headstock. I believe that the practice of NOT stamping the ser #s in the back of the headstock was in homage to the vintage instruments, which also did not have serial numbers stamped on the headstock. Typically, in the original vintage-year Gibsons, the numbers (FON or serial) were stamped in ink and/or handwritten on the neck block and/or on the label (if there was a label). So, the lack of a serial number stamped into the headstock back face would simply be a "truer" aesthetic, in terms of the originals. Fred

Based upon the serial number and the paper label it's on it's Korean... It's also lacking a digit to be a Gibson format serial number. There was in deed a USA-made Epiphone but those say "Epiphone USA" on the headstock if I recall. I call it: a Korean-made (probably by Samick) Epiphone Strat Thingy from January 1989. ...and Al's your uncle.

MadeinUSA: Nice 347!! And I know -- they made them afetr the 'offical' end date of 1988-89; I think I've seen some from as late as the mid-1990s. I may be wrong on this, but from what I recall I think they made a lot of these with the blonde or the black finish, but perhaps a few less in sunburst. I believe I've seen a few in trans cherry too. The neck on mine is great, very comfy and fast. Fred

Hey Brian. Yeah, I think the earlier 347s came with the brass nut. Mine is all-original, and it's got either a bone or a gen-you-whine plastic nut. I love the TP-6 tailpiece though -- that is a nice Gibson creation! Fred