AL1132 Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Hi there I have decided to buy Epiphone Sheraton Natural Colour and retain it for the rest of my life first, I know that authentic Sheraton has leaves image on its head and coloured blue (or green?) on the second row of the leaves second, Instead of GIBSON sign... they put like a big E (Epiphone Sign) on the head (I don't know how to call that thing that attached on the head above the nut) and is 3 screws on that thing is authentic or fake? because I saw on the internet that Gibson which has 3 screws on that thing is undoubtedly fake. is it? that's what I know so far is that true? So... I need you guys to tell me what to notice when buying the Sheraton such as the serial number? anything because I don't want to end up buying a fake guitar thank you very much for your help guys I really appreciate it Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinlander Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Hello. I am not aware of any fake Epi Sheraton, but since fake Epi Les Paul do exist we never know. The thing you refer to is called the truss rod cover and some earlier korean made had that GIBSON on it and they switch to the epiphone "E" around late 90 early 2000. The truss rod cover has 3 screws like most Epiphones and import guitars while Gibson and some elitist have 2. For more infos on Sheratons Sheraton Unofficial Wiki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSAR Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 The best way is to post some pics up here, and we can tell you if it's good or not. Otherwise, a thing to watch out for if the serial number starts with EE is that if the letter are bigger than the rest of the serial number, that's not right. Post some pics beforehand if you can, though. Sheraton fakes aren't as common, but I think they do exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL1132 Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 well... I think I won't be able to post the pics in advance because I will buy it in guitar store nearby, ebay or in retailer so... the serial number should be started with EE and how many numbers? is it correct about the leaves that I talked about? Thank you guys cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL1132 Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 Also I noticed that some Sheraton has two little lines on the back and some has not and some has the serial number on the back top of the head and some has not so I'm confused haha cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinlander Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 I don't really know what you mean with the vineleaves being green or blue on the second row, in my case the whole vine is more or less bluish/greenish/whitish shades of abalone. In doubt regarding the serial number you may check here: Epiphone Guitar Dater Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL1132 Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 hey Vin do you see the pic? you see this sheraton has like blue colour on the second row of the leaves thank you for your help though I appreciate it Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinlander Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 hey Vin do you see the pic? you see this sheraton has like blue colour on the second row of the leaves thank you for your help though I appreciate it Cheers Ah ok yeah I see what you mean. Actually I have that green leaf on the second row with a whitish vineleaves overall pattern on my Peerless 2003 Emperor Regent. I don't think it can be any help in deciding whether it is fake or not since it is not this way on my Saein 2004 Natural Sheraton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL1132 Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 this would be a 5-piece neck so is it fake? no right? it's the same right? and some of them has no serial number and has a plain natural colour on the back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL1132 Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 Ah ok yeah I see what you mean. Actually I have that green leaf on the second row with a whitish vineleaves overall pattern on my Peerless 2003 Emperor Regent. I don't think it can be any help in deciding whether it is fake or not since it is not this way on my Saein 2004 Natural Sheraton. so that green or blue colour on the leaves doesn't matter eh? alright thank you very much god bless :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL1132 Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 Guitardater is useless for Epi serials newer than mid 2008.......... Guitardater never could - and never will be able to 'verify' an Epi so what is the common serial number of the Sheraton? EE? and how many numbers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL1132 Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 No, it's not fake...... there have been legit ones with 5-piece necks - and others... specs have changed over the years......... If you can't spot fakes you should never buy at other places than authorized dealers so I should buy at a guitar store eh? but I sometimes doubt Chinese made Epi :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL1132 Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 By the way what's the common price? $500 ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinlander Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 so I should buy at a guitar store eh? but I sometimes doubt Chinese made Epi :( I used guitar dater for all my used Epiphone I bought since they are all Korean and pre 2008. Like said before by Pete if you wanna play safe you buy from an authorized Epiphone store. In any case always play it before buying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL1132 Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 I used guitar dater for all my used Epiphone I bought since they are all Korean and pre 2008. Like said before by Pete if you wanna play safe you buy from an authorized Epiphone store. In any case always play it before buying. is there any difference between the fake and the authentic when I play or try it? for instance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinlander Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 By the way what's the common price? $500 ? Paid mine more or less 450$ canadian used as I wanted a korean one. New they are more or less 600$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL1132 Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 I guess there is no US made or Canada made Sheraton eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinlander Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 is there any difference between the fake and the authentic when I play or try it? for instance? The intent of my comment was more as way to tell to be careful with workmanship, playability of these budget guitars. It was not to imply that you could easily spot a fake by playing it. When they switch production to China in the late 2000 consistency became an issue at the time and anyway, for any mass produced cheap guitar, playing before buying is a must. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabar Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 AL1132 --- Since it appears you are new to guitars, the best advice I can give you is to buy from an authorized Epiphone dealer, either online or in person. That will be the best assurance of your getting a genuine Sheraton and not a fake, whether you buy a new or used guitar. As others have pointed out, the specs have changed over the years, and different players have preferences for different versions. My own preference would be for the 5-piece neck, and a used Korean model in good condition over a newer Chinese made one, but that's based on my playing many examples over time and knowing what I prefer. As others have mentioned, the mother-of-pearl headstock inlay will be different on every guitar --- some may have bluish or greenish tinges in different places, others may be more yellowish or pinkish --- so it's not a reliable indicator of anything. Good luck in your quest! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL1132 Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 AL1132 --- Since it appears you are new to guitars, the best advice I can give you is to buy from an authorized Epiphone dealer, either online or in person. That will be the best assurance of your getting a genuine Sheraton and not a fake, whether you buy a new or used guitar. As others have pointed out, the specs have changed over the years, and different players have preferences for different versions. My own preference would be for the 5-piece neck, and a used Korean model in good condition over a newer Chinese made one, but that's based on my playing many examples over time and knowing what I prefer. As others have mentioned, the mother-of-pearl headstock inlay will be different on every guitar --- some may have bluish or greenish tinges in different places, others may be more yellowish or pinkish --- so it's not a reliable indicator of anything. Good luck in your quest! thank you very much you inspire me a lot so... I guess my pick will be the same as you Korean and 5 piece neck that has 2 lines on the back but does the Korean has the big E sign on the rod thrus? serial number on the back top of the head? and green or blue leaves on the head? cause I prefer that thank you cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinlander Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 thank you very much you inspire me a lot so... I guess my pick will be the same as you Korean and 5 piece neck that has 2 lines on the back but does the Korean has the big E sign on the rod thrus? serial number on the back top of the head? and green or blue leaves on the head? cause I prefer that thank you cheers The "e" on the truss rod is something that happened at some point in the early 2000, before the korean ones had the "Gibson" which did not make them more Gibson for that. Regarding the serial number, all my Epis had or have it on the back of the headstock. Regarding the color of the leaves, I can't help mine are all different one from to another and I have a Samick, a Peerless and a Saein. What is different with the latest chinese Sheraton and Dot is the shape of the body which is a bit closer to the 335 shape with more curvy ears; that is the one thing I personally like over the Korean ones... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 The 5-piece neck is a good thing to have in terms of stability & strength. Korean made Sheratons have this, and now recently the Chinese versions are also being made with 5-piece necks (first one I saw in a store was about two months ago). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL1132 Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 hey there so if Korean Sheraton with the 5-piece neck will have the serial number started with EE right? and blue green leaves ? correct? cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefty Bill Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Hi Al, some non-expert observations regarding recent/newer Sheraton II models.. the Natural finish models usually have the 5-piece necks, as far as I've seen (looking at online dealer ads and auction pictures). I got a 2011 from China model recently with the VS Vintage Sunburst finish which has the neck painted black. The guitar had faults which were known about when I purchased it, and the fretboard needed to be removed.. which revealed that the neck is one piece (actually 3-piece counting the likelihood of wings added to the headstock, or 4-piece if the small block added to the thickness of the heel is counted), and doesn't have a scarf joint. The headstock inlay includes a green abalone "blossom", which none of the older Sheraton II models seem to have. The vine-type inlay looks like alternating leaves, blossom, leaves, blossom etc.. and the first blossom on the 2011 model is green. The vine features of previous models were all MOP/pearl with no green, as far as I know. The 2011 and 2012 models that I've seen have all had a green blossom (not sure about the Natural finish models), although it's uncertain that the green blossom indicates models made in China. The serial number doesn't appear on the back of the headstock, only on the Epiphone light-brown/tan paper label inside the f-hole. The serial numbering sequence is YYMMFFnnnnn. I believe that a U or S prefix of the serial, or the FF 21 factory code number, would indicate that the guitar was made in Korea. BTW.. the 2011 Sheraton II tailpiece studs are closer than the more common Epiphone spacing (80mm instead of the more common 82mm). Bill hey there so if Korean Sheraton with the 5-piece neck will have the serial number started with EE right? and blue green leaves ? correct? cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinlander Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 ... The headstock inlay includes a green abalone "blossom", which none of the older Sheraton II models seem to have. The vine-type inlay looks like alternating leaves, blossom, leaves, blossom etc.. and the first blossom on the 2011 model is green. The vine features of previous models were all MOP/pearl with no green, as far as I know. The 2011 and 2012 models that I've seen have all had a green blossom (not sure about the Natural finish models), although it's uncertain that the green blossom indicates models made in China. ... That 1st green blossom is present on my Peerless Korean Emperor Regent from 2003 so it is not a recent or chinese thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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