What epiphone to get?

Calum13

I'm thinking about an Epiphone sheraton II in wine red for about £480 from thomman. I also like the look of the epiphone ES335 pro in iced tea burst for like £400 off andertons. Will the sheraton play better or sound better? I think they both have the epiphone pro buckers. I probably like the looks of the ES better but I'm not sure about the separate burst on the sides. Do gibsons have that?

Funkfingers

Read the published specs. See whether the necks are made from maple or mahogany and how chunky their profiles are.

The other feature that would make a difference is the tailpiece but, in this instance, both instruments have a stopbar.

Snags

Unfortunately you don't know until you try.

A year or so back I really thought I wanted a Sheraton, after watching endless YouTube etc. and reading around.  Then I went and played one, and decided I really didn't. Which was annoying, as I ended up spending a lot more on  something else

However, that's me, and your mileage might well vary - loads of people have Sheratons and love them, and I still love the concept, I just didn't gel with the reality.

mark123

As above ,loved the sheraton, had 3(including union jack with usa mini humbuckers)  but always felt their was a paddle or oar at the end of the headstock and all felt as heavy as a les paul ,But the dot i got was superb ,light and well balanced and played great

darthed1981

I own two Epis at the mo...

A White Les Paul Custom Pro, that needs new strings and a proper clean up but it sounds great and is very nicely put together.

A Dot, which cost me a measly £240 brand new and is SO MUCH guitar for the money.  The pickups are the old alnico classics rather than Probuckers and they are a bit muddy.  Of all my guitars it's one I'd like to try a pickup swap on most.

Calum13

Snags said:

Unfortunately you don't know until you try.

A year or so back I really thought I wanted a Sheraton, after watching endless YouTube etc. and reading around.  Then I went and played one, and decided I really didn't. Which was annoying, as I ended up spending a lot more on  something else

However, that's me, and your mileage might well vary - loads of people have Sheratons and love them, and I still love the concept, I just didn't gel with the reality.

Yeah that's the way I was until a few weeks ago until I saw they had the 335 pro in the iced tea colour like some of the 60s Gibson 335s. I think the hardware will last longer on the epi 335 than the sheraton because the sheraton has gold.

Dontgiveupyourdayjob

I've never understood the premium on the  Sheraton. Just seems like a lot of extra money to pay for essentially a little bit of extra bling. As an instrument to play I've never felt or heard any discernable improvement over a Dot. 

If I were you and had your budget I'd try and find a well cared for Korean made Epi Dot from late 90s/early noughties. My Riviera is a 2001 MiK job and it feels a cut above any Chinese Epiphone I've tried.

stimpsonslostson

I liked the Dot I tried- it sounded and played great (if I recall correctly it had upgraded pickups etc- it belonged to a friend). 

The only Epiphone I have at the moment is a Century 66 (the non-signature version of the James Bay model) . It’s rather nice & really playable, it’s fully hollow so doubles up as an acoustic too!

Snags

Dontgiveupyourdayjob said:

I've never understood the premium on the  Sheraton. Just seems like a lot of extra money to pay for essentially a little bit of extra bling. As an instrument to play I've never felt or heard any discernable improvement over a Dot. 

If I were you and had your budget I'd try and find a well cared for Korean made Epi Dot from late 90s/early noughties. My Riviera is a 2001 MiK job and it feels a cut above any Chinese Epiphone I've tried.

IIRC the Sheraton has coil taps and possibly slightly posher pickups.

iain.reverb

Calum13 said:

I'm thinking about an Epiphone sheraton II in wine red for about £480 from thomman. I also like the look of the epiphone ES335 pro in iced tea burst for like £400 off andertons. Will the sheraton play better or sound better? I think they both have the epiphone pro buckers. I probably like the looks of the ES better but I'm not sure about the separate burst on the sides. Do gibsons have that?

Take a look for an older Korean one, from memory the fit and finish was better, This one has the potential to be a bit of a bargain
https://reverb.com/item/4359332-epiphone-by-gibson-korean-sheraton

Gerz6558

I think general consensus over the years has been:

• Korean Epiphone models woodwork better and nicer to play, mainly rubbish electrics and pickups (but not always, I had a Casino with nice sounding pickups.  My SG on the other hand was awful, new wiring loom and pickups and it was great).
• Chinese models woodwork not as good, electrics and pickups much better.

Take into account that if you do get a Korean model and the pickups/electrics are junk, it's more of a pain on a semi hollow to address that.

I've never had a Chinese Epiphone but I hear the fit and finish have improved massively since they first moved there.  I can only imagine as time goes by the gap will be negligible.  I remember that when the Korean Epiphones were originally in the shops nobody was talking them up as much as they do now.

Bridgehouse

Gerz6558 said:

I think general consensus over the years has been:

• Korean Epiphone models woodwork better and nicer to play, mainly rubbish electronics and pickups (but not always, I had a Casino with nice sounding pickups.  My SG on the other hand was awful, new wiring loom and pickups and it was great).
• Chinese models woodwork not as good, electronics and pickups much better.

I've never had a Chinese Epiphone but I hear the fit and finish have improved massively since they first moved there.  I can only imagine as time goes by the gap will be negligible.

I have a Chinese 336 and it’s fine. Pickups were muddy and it showed it more as they are p90s. I had them rewound and it’s really good now

thermionic

Don't take this Korean is better as gospel. I've had a Sheraton and a Dot, both from the Samick factory - the Sheraton from around 1991 and the Dot was 2001. The Sheraton was solidly built with excellent finish, and frets. The Dot was much lighter and felt amazingly lively (especially when played at any kind of volume - I could feel the air coming out of the f-holes on my forearm) but was let down by poorly installed frets. Both would have benefited from a pickup and wiring upgrade.

I would happily take a chance on a 1990s Korean Epi (especially a Sheraton) again though.

NelsonP

I have a Chinese Epi Casino (albeit with Gibson electrics and grovers).



I bought it second hand and had to get a couple of frets levelled and a good setup done, but its now a killer instrument.

alexmitchell17

That es335 looks awesome! I used to have a Sheraton II and it was great but I couldn't get on with the size of it, I guess it's be the same issue with both options you gave. I'd go ES335 just on the looks! 

robgilmo

Apparently the Chinese EPI's are pretty good, its a Gibson run factory, Gibson staff etc etc, that's what they were saying regarding the Chinese LP's on another forum.

blueskunk

Korean riviera or casino or newer sorrento with mini buckers

Nikc

I've got a Chinese epi dot studio, no upgrades just stock - its not bad at all. It Plays well, I use 11's on it and sounds pretty good through a decent amp. I have thought about a pick up upgrade but haven't got round to it as yet.

Fretwired

Get a Dot and upgrade the pickups - that's what I did. The Sheraton was a little too blingy for my tatses.

Check this out - Dot v Sheraton versus two other guitars.

Loaded1me

Hi,

1st post!

I bought an Epi ES 335 pro second hand for £270 about 6 weeks ago. Wanted to see if I could get on with a 335 style guitar. 

Lowered the neck pup fairly low and slanted lower on the 6th string higher on the 1st, cranked the bridge pup reasonably higher than the neck. New strings and clean of the fretboard and I can't put it down. Sounds fantastic. Has the clarity of gibby 57's I have in Gibby SG, and when I pick up a '17 Gibby Trad Lester I much prefer the Epi.

I also removed the heavy gloop on the neck with some light rubbing with a washing up scourer which has made a huge difference to the feel. 

Overall it's not as light as I imagined it might be, however it has fast become the go to. Some great BBK tones (even though I don't sound or play anything near his ability!!) I don't use the coil split/tap as such, however it does sound nice in the middle position with the neck in bucker and the bridge in split, gives an almost tele twang. Also sounds great in all positions with a timmy on low gain.

 I thought it was worth a punt for the money, and I didn't have any expectations either way. The only other Epi I've owned/played being a casino coupe, which just doesn't work for me, however the 335 pro is fantastic. I might well buy a full fat Gibby 335 some day, but it will be a while before I do as the Epi more than good enough!

HTH.

Ade.

Calum13

Thanks for all the feedback! The only doubt I'm having about the iced tea 335 is the colour. It looks very different in some pictures than others whereas the wine red sheraton looks basically the same in all the pictures. I think the sheraton may have slightly better pickups but if I got the 335 I'd have an extra £80 for a pedal or something.