delek 99 Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 Hey, instead of forking out over 3,000 big ones for a Gibson ES335 is there a way of customizing a Sheraton to sound close to it??? what would have to be changed what pickups would be the best??? Thanks, Derek:-k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDKowalski Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 Gibson 57 Classic's would suit. the neck wood is different in the Sheraton, the maple makes the tone a little bit brighter. You should still be very close. Another forum member may be able to speak to capaictors and tone pots...The Sheraton is a good guitar all on its own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delek 99 Posted July 19, 2010 Author Share Posted July 19, 2010 thanks KDKowalski, i think i have 57 classics in there already but maybe theyre' cheap 57 classics? is there expensive and cheap 57 classics out there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 What AMP are you using? Have you plugged a 335 into your amp, and compared the two, that way? Lots of folks use Gibson '57's as replacements for their stock pickups, and a Gibson or like, wiring harness....pots, Switchcraft switch and input jack. However, the biggest difference, may be your amp? So, IF you haven't done that comparison, side by side, in your own amp...try that first. Cheers, CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delek 99 Posted July 19, 2010 Author Share Posted July 19, 2010 cheers charlie brown, yeah that would be good to see the comparison that way my amp is a marshall 100 mg series newish its loud but the tone just isnt right with the guitar im looking a clapton in cream sort of sound. im sure if i did hav someones 335 to plug into my amp it would sound good compared.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDKowalski Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 thanks KDKowalski' date=' i think i have 57 classics in there already but maybe theyre' cheap 57 classics? is there expensive and cheap 57 classics out there?[/quote'] I am not aware of different grades? I would want to confirm the pick ups are Gibsons before making any changes. The other point about the amp is crucial. I chased my tone for a few years on guitar only, and cannot agree more that tone is colored by the amp. After many years of buying and selling I have found my ideal tone in a Vox AC15, however everyone likes what they like. You may find a big difference plugging into another amp for comparison. I do like the tone of tube amps, but am not a tube snob, there are many great Solid state amps available on the market....however I rarely have found the bluesy tone through anything else other than pure tube. Again the Sheraton as sold is a wonderful slim semi hollow guitar with tons of 335 semi hollow tone.:- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i Can Tuna Guitar Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 There's probably some confusion because of similarities of pickup names: Epiphone - Alnico Classic Asian-made Gibson - '57 Classic USA-made OEM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Summerisle Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 cheers charlie brown' date=' yeah that would be good to see the comparison that way my amp is a marshall 100 mg series newish its loud but the tone just isnt right with the guitar im looking a clapton in cream sort of sound. im sure if i did hav someones 335 to plug into my amp it would sound good compared....[/quote'] No offence mate, but I reckon the Marshall mg100 may be the culprit here. Before you start taking the Sheraton apart, try a little experiment. Bringing your guitar with you, go to a decent guitar shop. Tell them you're in the market for a new amp and want to try out some amps using your own Sheraton. Try some of the more reasonably priced tube amps - Fender Blues Jr, Peavey Valveking, that kind of thing. Set the guitar's volume and tone controls for the Clapton "woman" tone you're after. See: http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/article/2970-how-to-get-clapton-s-classic-woman-tone-.html for further advice in this regard. Play for awhile. Then decide whether you want to put the money into the Sheraton, or just trade in your amp.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bynapkinart Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 cheers charlie brown' date=' yeah that would be good to see the comparison that way my amp is a marshall 100 mg series newish its loud but the tone just isnt right with the guitar im looking a clapton in cream sort of sound. im sure if i did hav someones 335 to plug into my amp it would sound good compared....[/quote'] Do yourself a huge favor and pick up an amp. I had a MG100 for about 2 years and I hated it. Too loud for room, too loud for club, sounded horrible...just a bad amp all around. I just replaced it with the Vox AC4TV8 and got the matching cab with the 12" speaker...for $275 total. New. I sold my Marshall a few days ago on craigslist and managed to get $250 for it! Basically, for $25 more than I sold my Marshall for I got 25 times the amp that the Marshall was. This little guy is almost perfect, sounds great for leads as a combo and then really opens up and sounds phenomenal for everything I play (blues, jazz, rock, indie stuff...all relatively low-gain). I don't play metal or hard rock or anything but it does have plenty of overdrive for those kinds of things. For what I've used it for, though, it is night and day compared to the Marshall. Sheratons are fantastic guitars. I personally don't own one, but I have attempted a clone 335 myself and felt like I was missing something until I got this fantastic amp. My 335 (an Arbor at one point) has a 57 Classic in the neck and a Dimarzio PAF in the bridge, CTS pots, 50's wiring, Switchcraft switch and jack, Orange drops, Aluminium tailpiece, Tusq nut and saddles...it sounds great. Just like a 335. Might be the wood though, mine has a mahogany neck and agathis ply body. I need a new pic of that thing, jeez...check out that wiring. That was pre Switchcraft. I'll make sure to get some beauty shots of the 335, Casino, and amp together in the next few days.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwhi2001 Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 I can't resist joining in. Those MG100s are crap. I used to have one. Marshall really de-valued their brand by bringing them out. The MG series are Asian-made, solid state, with cheap low grade speakers. The only similarity with the ones Clapton used are the fact that it's black and has a Marshall logo on it. Tone-wise, it won't get you there. Mine even made my Gibsons sound poor. I tried numerous pedals to compensate before I realised I picked a poor amp. You need an all-valve (tube) amp, with a decent speaker. There are loads to choose from. An all-valve 30W amp will sound just as loud as your 100w solid state, so you don't necessarily need 100w. A secondhand 30w valve amp beats a new 100w solid state amp, for about the same outlay. FWIW, I put a pair of Gibson Burstbuckers in a Sheraton and didn't notice a huge difference. I find the stock Epi pups to be ok in semi-hollows. If you're serious about that Clapton 60s tone, get a better amp before modding the Sheraton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Webb Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 Mmm....don't want to Marshall bash but maybe they've taken their eye off the ball. Our bass player has had lots of trouble with his Hybrid Marshall head he bought around 9 months ago. His confidence is now waning: he brought his old Peavey head along to the last gig we did. Here in the UK it seems a lot of people are moving over to Blackstar. Great advice in above posts, it's often overlooked how important a good amp is. PS: Sorry if this somewhat hijacks the original thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caramello Koala Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 If money isn't an issue then you'll want to replace your pickups with Gibson 57 Classics, and you'll want to replace your amp to an all tube Marshall amp loaded with Celestion G12H speakers, that is if you are chasing the Clapton tone. But considering you have an Epiphone and a really crappy amp, I'm assuming money is an issue. (Not bashing Epiphone, they're very good guitars) Don't bother changing your pickups, I'm very certain that your Sheraton doesn't have Gibson 57 Classics in them because no Epiphone guitar (that I know of?) comes with them stock, only the Epiphone 57 equivalent (muddy in comparison, but still does the job). The reason why I highly suggest you don't change your pickups is because with your current amp it will be a complete waste of time and money, you need an amp with a really nice speaker that will deliver plenty of dynamics to articulate the tone of the pickups, your current amp will make even Eric Claptons 64' Gibson ES 335 sound like a Squire Stratocaster, a bit of an exaggeration I know but you can see the picture I'm painting.. I own quite a few amps and two of them have been mentioned in this thread, the Vox AC15 and the Vox AC4TV, both of these amps deliver the Clapton tone and more for a very reasonable price. Tube all the way! TL/DR: 1. Buy a nice tube amp, and sell your Marshall MG100. 2. Enjoy your sweet tone! 3. If you're still not satisfied, replace your speaker with a Celestion G12M Greenback, or the more expensive G12H Heritage (these are the speakers that Clapton and Hendrix used almost exclusively in their Marshall amps.) 4. Finally if that doesn't get you the clapton tone you're after, you can then change the pickups to Gibson 57 Classics (Classic Plus in the bridge position if you like) 5. I suggest you do it in this order, because that's the order of most tone for money to least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 Hey, instead of forking out over 3,000 big ones for a Gibson ES335 is there a way of customizing a Sheraton to sound close to it??? what would have to be changed what pickups would be the best??? Thanks, Derek:-k Hi, interesting thread, agree with all comments, recent forum member, but I've had my Sheraton for a while and recently getting back into it. Had a Marshall solid state combo to start with, then a vox ad30 valvetronix to try to get that 'creamy tone' I hear, but in the end I've just recently decided its gotta be a valve amp. So sales were on and after a good try out, got myself a Vox night train plus 12 inch cabinet, 15w switchable to 7w output. It's the first valve amp I've owned and soooooo gooood!!!, See they're also bringing out a little night train, plus the orange tiny terror and blackstar small valve amps have good reviews. I'm still going to upgrade pups and wiring, but reckon that would have been less effective without the change to a valve amp. Will recoup some costs from sale of amp + bits etc. PS. i'm a 'baby boomer' so now getting a bit more time to get back into guitar (from teenage years - sad to say) and kids grown up so a bit more $ available, as long as the wife doesn't 'twig' I'm buying more guitar stuff !! I'll post in the future the upgrade and some photos, and any difficulties come across/solved. all the best, mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoBoBlues Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 Derek, I went overboard, maybe, but I changed everything on my Sheraton that touches the strings (tuners, nut, bridge, and tailpiece). Then I changed everything in the signal path: SD Antiquities pups, selector switch, jack, pots, and caps. I don't know if it now sounds like an ES335, but it certainly sounds MUCH better than stock. As mentioned by others, the amp also contributes to the tone of the instrument. What I wanted was an all-tube head with a full tone stack, less than 5 watts of power (home player only), and a single 12" celestion clone speaker. I refused to spend the bucks for one of those "boutique" tube amps that cost thousands, so I built a Hi-Octane from a kit (more info at ax84.com) Here's a pic of my Sheraton when I first got it: Here's another shot after all the mods, with my tube amp and tube reverb on top: I'm completely satisfied with the tone now, and absolutely NO PEDALS required! I can go clean, mild crunch, full distortion, or anywhere in between using only the volume and gain controls. Sorry for the long post without providing a definitive answer to your question. If desired, I can provide mp3 files of the guitar's sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amx05462 Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 the quickest and least expensive thing to try is capacitors. to go brighter use a lesser value to go darker use a greater value. i personally like mine at 033. with p90s or humbuckers. thats with either an ac 30 or fender twin reverb amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill67 Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 Will a bigsby change the tone on a sheraton or dot very much, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 Derek, I went overboard, maybe, but I changed everything on my Sheraton that touches the strings (tuners, nut, bridge, and tailpiece). Then I changed everything in the signal path: SD Antiquities pups, selector switch, jack, pots, and caps. I don't know if it now sounds like an ES335, but it certainly sounds MUCH better than stock. As mentioned by others, the amp also contributes to the tone of the instrument. What I wanted was an all-tube head with a full tone stack, less than 5 watts of power (home player only), and a single 12" celestion clone speaker. I refused to spend the bucks for one of those "boutique" tube amps that cost thousands, so I built a Hi-Octane from a kit (more info at ax84.com) Here's a pic of my Sheraton when I first got it: Here's another shot after all the mods, with my tube amp and tube reverb on top: I'm completely satisfied with the tone now, and absolutely NO PEDALS required! I can go clean, mild crunch, full distortion, or anywhere in between using only the volume and gain controls. Sorry for the long post without providing a definitive answer to your question. If desired, I can provide mp3 files of the guitar's sound. Hi, Very nice upgrade. I'm in the process up upgrading electrics on my 1996 Sheraton, Samick made in Korea model. Problem I have is with replacing the Bridge. Seems its not a stock size. Did you come across this problem with your upgrade, or does anyone else have some guidance. My thought is to get my guitar tech to retro fit a new ABR-1 bridge. Regards, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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