Question concerning Sheraton Reissues

[dbirchett]

I am trying to understand the history of the Sheraton Reissues. Let me tell you what I have gleaned and then the experts on the forum can tell me what I have missed.

 

As I understand it, the first Sheraton reissues were just called Sheratons and were made in Japan by Matsumoku. They were fairly close to the old US Sheratons from the '60s (beautiful guitars) but used large humbuckers and a stop tailpiece. They also had a darker sunburst than the old US Sheraton. Then about '86 or '87, Epiphone moved production to Samick and came out with the Sheraton labelled Epiphone by Gibson. Again they used the stop tailpiece rather than a vibrato or the frequensator. Then they took Gibson off the Peghead, called it the Sheraton II and began to move production around to several companies including Samick, Saen, Peerless and others. Then, they opened up a factory (or borrowed one) in China where they are currently made. Along the way, they had (not in order) the Elitist which used mini humbuckers, the John Lee Hooker Sheraton and Sheraton II (made in US ?) that had mini humbuckers, some unamed JLHooker leftovers that also used the mini humbuckers but did not have the Boogie Man ID in them and some other Sheratons that were assembled in the US from parts made overseas. Is there something I missed?

 

How do the Matsumoku Sheratons compare to the later ones?

 

Were there other Japanese Sheratons other than the Matsumokus and the Elitist Sheratons?

 

Is there any reason that the schizophrenic (Epiphone by Gibson) Sheratons should be avoided or preferred?

 

Of the various Korean makers is there any consensus as to which would be better or which should be avoided?

 

How do the new Chinese guitars compare to the others?

 

Other than better electronics, mini humbuckers and hopefully a higher resale, what would be gained by the later US or Elitist models?

 

Are the bodies made of laminated maple or is just the layer maple and the rest mystery wood (e.g. luan)?

 

Thanks for helping me out.

 

Don

[Vic Flick]

I am trying to understand the history of the Sheraton Reissues. Let me tell you what I have gleaned and then the experts on the forum can tell me what I have missed.

 

As I understand it' date=' the first Sheraton reissues were just called Sheratons and were made in Japan by Matsumoku. They were fairly close to the old US Sheratons from the '60s (beautiful guitars) but used large humbuckers and a stop tailpiece. They also had a darker sunburst than the old US Sheraton. Then about '86 or '87, Epiphone moved production to Samick and came out with the Sheraton labelled Epiphone by Gibson. Again they used the stop tailpiece rather than a vibrato or the frequensator. Then they took Gibson off the Peghead, called it the Sheraton II and began to move production around to several companies including Samick, Saen, Peerless and others. Then, they opened up a factory (or borrowed one) in China where they are currently made. Along the way, they had (not in order) the Elitist which used mini humbuckers, the John Lee Hooker Sheraton and Sheraton II (made in US ?) that had mini humbuckers, some unamed JLHooker leftovers that also used the mini humbuckers but did not have the Boogie Man ID in them and some other Sheratons that were assembled in the US from parts made overseas. Is there something I missed?

 

How do the Matsumoku Sheratons compare to the later ones?

 

Were there other Japanese Sheratons other than the Matsumokus and the Elitist Sheratons?

 

Is there any reason that the schizophrenic (Epiphone by Gibson) Sheratons should be avoided or preferred?

 

Of the various Korean makers is there any consensus as to which would be better or which should be avoided?

 

How do the new Chinese guitars compare to the others?

 

Other than better electronics, mini humbuckers and hopefully a higher resale, what would be gained by the later US or Elitist models?

 

Are the bodies made of laminated maple or is just the layer maple and the rest mystery wood (e.g. luan)?

 

Thanks for helping me out.

 

Don[/quote']

 

First things first, here's my Matsumoku (heavily modded):

 

 

Tremendous guitar, one of my favorites. The early Samicks are nice, I've had one by Gibson and two made in the 90s. They had the 5 piece necks like the Matsumoku, and a nice, thin profile. I've played one recently made one, the neck was thicker. I don't remember where it was made, but I preferred the older Samicks.

 

The USA ones are actually made in Japan by Terada and shipped to the US for assembly. There are a few Chinese factories manufacturing Epiphones, the Gibson owned factory has EE serial #s. As I understand it, the Matsumokus were primarily made for the Japanese market, and continued to be made after the Korean ones started production in 1986. Eventually, Epiphone switched Japanese production from Matsumoku to Terada.

 

Hope that helps.

[dbirchett]

Thanks, Jerry.

 

Nice guitar! Looks like you have changed the pickups (TV Jones?) added what appears to be a varitone and changed out the pickguard. Probably replaced all of the components. Am I close? Is the hardware gold or nickel?

[Vic Flick]

Thanks' date=' Jerry.

 

Nice guitar! Looks like you have changed the pickups (TV Jones?) added what appears to be a varitone and changed out the pickguard. Probably replaced all of the components. Am I close? Is the hardware gold or nickel?[/quote']

 

The pickups are Kent Armstrong Kentrons, the hardware is TonePros, and it now has Grover tuners. The original hardware was well-worn gold, now it's chrome/nickel. The pickguard is the one that was on the guitar when I got it. I have a thing for ES-345s, so I added a vari-tone. If you look carefully, there are two holes on the top where someone mounted a Bigsby (removed by the time I got it). I plugged the holes with a couple of small black screws.

 

The neck feels like it was custom made for me, so I decided to personalize the guitar to my liking.

 

PS - I also have a Matsumoku Casino & Emperor, they are equally good.

[smokestack]

I've played plenty of nice modern Epi Sherries but never really understood the product.

They're not really Sheratons at all are they ?

For me the Sheraton has mini buckers and a trapeze or "Frequensator tail" piece. So equipped they have a specific vibe and sound which is "Sheraton".

The modern Korean models are essentially ES-alikes with a laminated neck.

Nothing wrong with them [and they're nice looking] but I kind of view the modern Epi Sheraton as a kind of "Posh Dot ".

 

Plenty are vey nice guitars though. ;^)

[jamescropley1281734044]

One thing ive never known is ive seen sheratons that have the block inlays right to the top of the neck and then some (like mine) that stop before.

 

One is Noel Gallaghers Union Jack Sheraton.

 

Can anyone enlighten me?

[TWANG]

 

The pickups are Kent Armstrong Kentrons' date=' the hardware is TonePros, and it now has Grover tuners. The original hardware was well-worn gold, now it's chrome/nickel. The pickguard is the one that was on the guitar when I got it. I have a thing for ES-345s, so I added a vari-tone. If you look carefully, there are two holes on the top where someone mounted a Bigsby (removed by the time I got it). I plugged the holes with a couple of small black screws.

 

The neck feels like it was custom made for me, so I decided to personalize the guitar to my liking.

 

PS - I also have a Matsumoku Casino & Emperor, they are equally good.[/quote']

 

tell me about your kentrons again.. you did a while back I think.. but I'm still wanting to try a set..

 

 

[jfalkens]

.

 

One is Noel Gallaghers Union Jack Sheraton.

 

 

[JefferySmith]

I am trying to understand the history of the Sheraton Reissues. [snip]

Don

 

The history of Epiphones has been difficult for me to nail down' date=' so I have gotten most of my information from the people on this forum. In the absence of a book, a group of fanatics is a fairly good substitute. :-

 

When I was in my teens (45 years ago), I took a bus to Apex Music on 5th Avenue in San Diego about once a month, and looked at the line of beautiful Gibsons and Epiphones hanging on the wall. In my recollection, the Riviera had the tiny humbuckers, and the Sheraton was more like a 335. It seems to me that the Riviera has always had the small (N.Y.?) pickups, and the Sheraton has had either full size or maybe 3/4 size humbucking pickups. And, like the ES 335, whether there was a tailpiece or not was not a given. The ES 335 I bought in 1965 had a tailpiece like this:

[img']http://vintageguitars.org.uk/graphics/ES-335TD.jpg[/img]

when I expected it to have no tailpiece at all. The recent Sheraton II Reissue from MF had two varieties, one with a frequensator tailpiece and one without.

 

Bottom line? Nailing down what a Sheraton is/was is about as difficult as nailing down what a Gibson ES 335 is/was. My 335 also had trapezoid block inlays on the neck rather than dots. I liked both the tailpiece and the block inlays on the 335. Instead of so many Les Paul models, I wish that Epiphone would make an elitist "block" instead of "dot", and make it look like my 335 of the mid-60's. Block inlays and that tailpiece. That would really take me back......

[Guest]

 

The history of Epiphones has been difficult for me to nail down' date=' so I have gotten most of my information from the people on this forum. In the absence of a book, a group of fanatics is a fairly good substitute.

 

When I was in my teens (45 years ago), I took a bus to Apex Music on 5th Avenue in San Diego about once a month, and looked at the line of beautiful Gibsons and Epiphones hanging on the wall. In my recollection, the Riviera had the tiny humbuckers, and the Sheraton was more like a 335. It seems to me that the Riviera has always had the small (N.Y.?) pickups, and the Sheraton has had either full size or maybe 3/4 size humbucking pickups. And, like the ES 335, whether there was a tailpiece or not was not a given. The ES 335 I bought in 1965 had a tailpiece like this:

[img']http://vintageguitars.org.uk/graphics/ES-335TD.jpg[/img]

when I expected it to have no tailpiece at all. The recent Sheraton II Reissue from MF had two varieties, one with a frequensator tailpiece and one without.

 

Bottom line? Nailing down what a Sheraton is/was is about as difficult as nailing down what a Gibson ES 335 is/was. My 335 also had trapezoid block inlays on the neck rather than dots. I liked both the tailpiece and the block inlays on the 335. Instead of so many Les Paul models, I wish that Epiphone would make an elitist "block" instead of "dot", and make it look like my 335 of the mid-60's. Block inlays and that tailpiece. That would really take me back......

 

Actually the history of Epiphone since the arrival of the Sheraton is pretty easy to nail down. On May 10, 1957 CMI (Chicago Musical Instrument) the parent company of Gibson, purchased the Epiphone Guitar Company and its completed inventory of instruments, held rights and production stock for about $20,000. CMI's original intent was to use the company to market a line of acoustic and electric basses but upon discovery of the magnitude of the parts inventory it was decided to manufacture and market a side line of instruments that would be of Gibson instrument quality but sold outside of the protected territories of the Gibson dealers.

 

About a year after the acquisition of Epiphone, in the spring of 1958, Gibson unveiled the ES-335, a Ted McCarty creation which was originally offered with a stop tail piece and made use of Gibson's then-new fangled PAF (full-sized) humbucking pickups. A few months later an upscale version of this guitar was offered though this time it was introduced with the Epiphone headstock and logo and made use of the acquired stock of Epiphone parts including the New York single coil pickups and the Frequensator tail pieces. This was the Sheraton. Soon after the Sheraton other models in the Gibson ES thin line line were offered as well as the commencement of the production of some of the previous Epiphone models though this time with a Gibson slant.

 

In 1961 the next Epiphone thin line semi was offered and this time it was on a more equal marketing footing and niche with the ES-335 and this new Epiphone model, the Riviera, made use of the pickup Gibson had designed to replace its dwindling supply of New York singles coils and what was now the standard Epiphone pickup, the PAF Mini Humbucker-NEVER then called the "New York Mini Humbucker" These Epiphone thin lines were offered with either the Frequensator or with a variety of different vibrato tail pieces such as the Bigsbys and Vibratones but never with a stop tail piece.

 

In 1965 the ES-335 which had also been offered with various vibrato tail pieces as well as a stop tail piece was no longer offered with a stop tail piece and the trapeze tail piece became the standard. This changed the tone and sustain qualities of the ES-335 but remained the only tail piece option other than a vibrato until the stop tail piece was again offered in 1979. The ES-335 upon its introduction in 1958 had dot fret board markers. In 1962 at about the same time the pickups changed from having "PAF" stickers to patent number stickers the fret board markers were changed to the small blocks. In the late 1970's when the search was on for models with the PAF sticker pickups someone realized this correlation between dot markers and PAF's and the PAF-equipped models were dubbed "Dot Necks". The dot markers returned along with the stop tail pieces in about 1979 and in 1982 there was an actual "Dot Reissue " model created to capitalize on the model's popularity..

 

In 1970 domestic Epiphone production ceased but about five years later a line of instruments made by Matsumoku in Japan began with initial marketing only in Japan. This line featured some previous Epiphone model names but they weren't really continuations of the actual previous models and featured full sized humbucker pickups and stop tail pieces. By the early 1980's a Frequnsator tail piece was offered on some of these models but they continued to have full-sized humbuckers which were never a feature of domestically-made Epiphones. The Sheraton model of this line was one of the first models offered when Epiphone semi acoustic electric guitar production began in Korea in 1986. Since there was still a Japanese model being offered as the Sheraton this model was dubbed the "Sheraton II" to differentiate it from the Japanese made Matsumoku line which ceased production about a year later. This model continues to this day and is now made in China. In 1987 Japanese Epiphone production resumed with the guitars now being made by Terada though as originally the marketing was at first limited to the Japanese domestic market but these models eventually evolved into "Epiphone Japan and then into the Elite line of instruments and continues today as the Elitist line of Epiphones.

 

Beginning in 1971 and continuing until the early 80's there was a line of low end, low quality instruments marketed with the Epiphone name to compete with the influx of low-priced imports from Japan. These were for the most part Aria models (also made by Matsumoku) that were re-labeled and had cosmetic design changes from those Aria models. This model line had acoustics with all laminated woods and bolt-on necks and bolt-on neck electrics which only very remotely resembled anything Epiphone had ever marketed though previous Epiphone models names were used such as Riviera, Casino, Sheraton, Texan, Bard, Caballero and Excellente. For the most part these instruments were less than stellar.

 

In 1993/1994 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Epiphone the recently-new (1986) Gibson Musical instrument company offered a limited (250) edition line of some of the original Gibson-made Epiphone models including the Riviera, Sheraton and Emperor. These Epiphones were made in Nashville and Bozeman, Montana and for the first time since the previous domestic production ceased in 1970 offered mini humbuckers though these new mini humbuckers weren't of the same quality as had been on previous Gibson and Epiphone models (now with plastic covers and were presumably Asian-made). These were the last of the actually made in the USA Epiphones until the 2005 McCartney Texan limited edition USA-made acoustic. About this same time (1993) Epiphone entered into an endorsement deal with John Lee Hooker for a signature model based upon the Sheraton II. This was followed in about 1998 by the unveiling of a Japanese-made (though called the "USA" series) two guitar line of extended quality Sheratons now offered with Mini humbuckers and a choice of either a stop tail piece or a Frequensator. This was then followed about a year later by the John Lennon Casinos which were also made in Japan (by Terada). These were arguably the best Epiphones made since 1970 with the possible exception of the limited 1993 lines. In 2000 the Epiphone Elite (later Elitist) line of extended quality guitars, made by Terada and Fuji-gen was conceived and the Sheraton, Riviera and Casino models were offered though with substantial differences in finishes (using a polyurethane finish) and electronics (USA OEM-level electronics) and enough design differences from and to prevent confusion with either previous domestic or then-current other Asian-made models.

 

The oft-mentioned Gallagher SuperNova and Union flag models originally were the aforementioned Matsumoku-made Sheratons made in 1980's but a lower end Korean-made model that substantially differed from the originals was offered to capitalize on the group's popularity. The reissue Gallagher models had full-sized humbucker as did the original Gallagher models but with different fret board markers, switch placements ... to say nothing of a tacky mother of toilet seat pickguard and were more based upon a Dot or Riviera in trim and quality level rather than on the Matsumoku Sheraton original which like the Kalamazoo Sheraton had split block fret board markers which continued beyond the fifteenth fret....

 

...and Al's your uncle

[JefferySmith]

Yikes, I couldn't ask for more detail than that. YOU need to write a book. I haven't been able to find much other than those encyclpedias of the electric guitar, with about 2 pages per model.

[jamescropley1281734044]

So the Sheraton Noel Gallagher used was a Matsumoku-made Sheraton made in 1980's then.

 

Jerrymac has a Matsumoko Sheraton (previous post) but his inlays stop at the 15th fret.

 

Was it only a few Sheratons that were made like this and NG is lucky enough to have one?

 

Sorry for being a bit thick and all that.

 

J