New Epiphone '62 Sheraton re-issue (I have mine)

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

I made a trip to Guitar Center yesterday and came home with a re-issue of the '62 Epiphone Sheraton like the one Leon Rhodes and others used to play all the time in the sixties. The guitar repairman had called me about it as it came in damaged in shipping and needed repair for a couple of cracks and dents. He'd already done it and I couldn't find a flaw anywhere on the guitar. GC and Musician's Friend are going to sell these for $799 plus the price of a case. I got this one for $419 out the door including a plush hardshell case. It has the "Frequensator" tailpiece and a pair of mini humbuckers just like the originals did.... I have a Bigsby vibrato and also a Bigsby Palm Pedal which will work on this guitar but I'm not sure which I'll add to it or maybe just even leave it stock. The action is very low and it plays and sounds like a dream. If you've ever had the hots for one of those old Epi's... look into these, they're a very nice instrument..........Here's a couple of shots of it. You can see that the headstock has that old Gibson style instead of how the newer Epiphones are shaped.... I think they come in cherry red, natural, and sunburst..........JH in Va.

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Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

I have the Epiphone Anniversary Casino model.
This model was discontinued when Epiphone merged with Gibson and then re-issued a couple of years ago:

Barry Blackwood · Posted 18 Jan 2013 2:31 pm

Jerry, of course you know what a lucky dog you are …. Winking

Leslie Ehrlich · From: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Mini humbuckers and a Frequensator tailpiece... just like a Sheraton should have. Very Happy

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Sho-Bud Pro III + Marshall JMP 2204 half stack = good grind!

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

weird headstock. why is it called the 62 model?? should look like this. from an original 60s sheraton. much nicer.

Barbara Hennerman · From: ** R.I.P. **

Mark Eaton · Posted 19 Jan 2013 8:06 am

Since we're talking Epiphone historical minutiae, below is a link to a page from an alleged 1962 Epiphone catalog. I say "alleged" because I couldn't find "1962" on the cover page or anywhere else. If it is accurate however, the Sheraton's headstock does indeed look like Jerry's re-issue. What is weird is that there is no mention in the catalog of the guitar being available with the Frequensator tailpiece, it only shows the Tremotone. To its left is the Emperor with Frequensator. Of course the times being what they were, I've read where guitar manufacturers would do things throughout a given year to change specs for any number of reasons and perhaps there were times when Sheratons were constructed with the Frequensator.

http://www.vintageguitarandbass.com/epiphone/catalogues/1962_3.php

Apparently some of the 1960's Epi Sheratons were made at Gibson, and not at Epiphone, which might explain the headstock as shown by Bill and Barbara:

http://home.provide.net/~cfh/epiphon2.html#sher

Minutiae aside, good score Jerry, particularly for the price!
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Mark

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

I was looking at some You Tube videos of the old Ernest Tubb show and on the one where Leon Rhodes and Buddy Charleton do "Rhodes Bud Boogie, Leon's Sheraton has the headstock like Bill showed and also it had a frequensator tailpiece. On an older black and white video Leon was playing another Sheraton which looked to be sunburst with a Bigsby vibrato and it had the same headstock as mine. The shape on the red one must be a later model. I have a Casino which has that same shape as the red one minus the vine inlay. My Riviera P-93 also has that same headstock shape......JH in Va.
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Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

ok two styles of headstocks. i like the non gibsonish one.

nice guitars!

Peter Huggins · From: Van Nuys, California, USA

I'd like to clarify a few things. Epiphone was purchased by Gibson in 1957. Gibson bought them primarily for their stand-up basses, which had a well-deserved good reputation; they were surprised to find guitar necks, pickups, etc. in the parts shipped to them, had the lawyers check it out and realized thay could build guitars under the Epiphone name as well (at that time Gibson dealers had exclusive territories, but if the franchise was alreadey taken in your area it was possible to become an Epiphone dealer). The first models were out by 1959 and earlier examples used old stock items such as New York pickups and necks with a distinctive V-shape. Most of these had the metal T-logo like the Casino pictured above, which had been used on Epiphone Electar steel guitars at least as far back as 1938. By 1962 the supply of NOS parts was depleted and Gibson pickups and hardware were in use. Gibson continued to build Epiphones in the Kalamazoo factory right alongside the Gibson branded product up through 1970, when production was shipped overseas. The hollow and semi-hollow guitars and basses were similar to those in the Gibson line (Casino / ES-330, Century / ES-125, etc.) outside of inlays and the mini-humbucking, while the solid bodies had their own unique designs (the mini-humbucking was used on the Johnny Smith model but otherwise was unique to the Epiphone line up until the Les Paul Deluxe came out). The First semi-hollow models with Kalamazoo-made necks had the shorter headstock, the longer headstock was standard by '65 or '66. In the past I have owned a Professional, a Riviera and a Sheraton, all of which had the elongated headstock; currently I have a '62 Professional which has the shorter headstock.

I really miss my 1959 Coronet, with the slab body (like a Les Paul Junior), a double cutaway and a great V-neck. Somebody had fitted it with a Bigsby tailpiece and a pair of Carvin Joe Maphis-style pickups. Alan Rogan has it today and I'll probably never get it back.

Gibson never listed an Epiphone steel model in their catalogues but there were at least a couple of the Korina wood Skylark lap steels shipped with an Epiphone decal on the headstock in place of the Gibson logo.
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A big THANKS to all my friends, here and everywhere !

Joachim Kettner · From: Germany

Peter Huggins · From: Van Nuys, California, USA

Joachim Kettner · From: Germany

Thanks Peter. Smile

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Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube.

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

Well, so far I have three gigs under my belt with this Sheraton and I'll have to say that it can handle any situation or tone I've needed so far. I am used to having a string bender so I'll be adding a gold Bigsby Palm Pedal to it this week and maybe a banjo D-tuner on the low E string. My '92 Sheraton II (MIK) has all the goodies. Here's a shot of the '92....... I'll post another of the reissue when I get the "extras" added.........JH in Va.

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Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

Here's the Sheraton with the Bigsby Palm Pedal added....... It's really an "all around" guitar now......JH in Va.

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Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

Hey Ron, the Riviera P-93 by Epiphone is really a great guitar for the money. I got mine when they first came out a few years ago and they went for $499 but I think they've went up to about $550 or so now but they're definately worth it. I love low action and when I got mine it was really set up nice. All I had to do to it was lower the bridge a little, the nut slots didn't need filed or anything. I did remove the shim under the middle pickup to lower the overall profile of it a little as it was too close when I played and since I play with fingerpicks they'd hit the pole pieces when I had that pickup on... The P-90s on it sound very good and the electronics are nice... It's set up with four knobs and a toggle switch to work the pickups. The top knob in the front is for the neck pickup like a standard 335 and the knob behind it in the back is a master tone control. The knob directly below the neck volume is a control for the middle pickup volume and the one on the bottom in the rear is volume for the bridge pickup. The middle pickup is only hooked to it's volume knob and the tone control. When you have the middle volume off then the toggle switch works exactly like it would on a 335 or Les Paul, up neck pickup, middle neck and bridge together, down bridge pickup. You can add the middle pickup into any of the combinations. If you want it by itself you just move the toggle switch to either the bridge or neck pickup position and turn the volume off. Then you have the middle by itself and can use the volume control for that pickup. Here's a couple of shots of my Riviera... For the price you can't beat 'em...JH in Va.

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Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!