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1960 Epiphone Sheraton

TomGuitar

Active member
Joined
Apr 28, 2005
Messages
3,700
Picked up this guitar a while back not knowing exactly what to do with it. It had already been drilled for a stoptail (strange metric bushings) and the original New York pickups (which I have) had been replaced with the mini-humbuckers. It had the original Bigsby but as I said, it was already drilled for a stoptail. Putting the NY pickups back would require routing out the wood that was added to mount the humbuckers so I figured I wouldn't do that yet. I'd see how I like the minis. Sent it to Terry Mueller to replace the metric bushings with Pigtail, fix the nut on the truss rod, and wire it correctly. It had been wired poorly when the minis were put in.

I am stunned at how great this thing sounds. I never liked mini-humbuckers before, but man, these really sound good. Almost Tele-like. Great feel to the neck. And those knobs with the little brads for pointers are too cool.

SheratonFace.jpg


SheratonFull.jpg
 

davey

Gimme a dollar dummie!
Joined
Jul 17, 2001
Messages
1,605
That is pretty slick.

I've *heard* the minis sound better than the New York pickups.
 

j45

Active member
Joined
Jun 14, 2002
Messages
9,081
Jeez Tom, I had one EXCACTLY like that back in 1972. I was still 17, about to turn 18 and would sneak into a late night Country Western bar "across the river" and jam with the "old" guys. I had a brand new Tele thinline with "F" holes, two Fender humbuckers in natural ash and the guitar player in the house band loved it. I traded the tele for his natural Sheraton and it was a dead ringer for that one. I'm sure it's way too much a coincidence but I wouldn't be too shocked if that was it. Beautiful!!
 

TomGuitar

Active member
Joined
Apr 28, 2005
Messages
3,700
Wow, Kerry. Bigsby? And stoptail drilled? Could be, although the guy I got it from, retired professor in Kansas City claims to have had it since the early 60s. Claims the changes were done before he got it. How much true and how much fable is anyones guess though. But there are not many of them so it's an amazing coincidence either way.

By the way, Joe D., yes, a center block.
 

j45

Active member
Joined
Jun 14, 2002
Messages
9,081
Wow, Kerry. Bigsby? And stoptail drilled? Could be, although the guy I got it from, retired professor in Kansas City claims to have had it since the early 60s. Claims the changes were done before he got it. How much true and how much fable is anyones guess though. But there are not many of them so it's an amazing coincidence either way.

By the way, Joe D., yes, a center block.


No, it was a Bigsby. I agree it is highly unlikey but if it was a possibility the mods would have been done afterward. It left my possession a few weeks after I got it IIRC. I find it strange that someone would have forsaken the Bigsby for a stop in the 60's like he said. Bigsbys were in high demand and much more desirable at that time. At any rate, it sure brings back memories of how many guitars I would whizz through back then. I never kept anything long.
 

LususNaturae

Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2003
Messages
271
Wow, what a beautiful guitar. I have a '64 RI John Lee Hooker Sheraton that I absolutely adore and has been my main gigging/teaching guitar for years. I wish I could get my hands on a real vintage example.
epijlhooker002.jpg
 

ES345

New member
Joined
Aug 13, 2006
Messages
705
Very cool Tom and after the work it will be totally gig worthy, heavy duty mojo and the controls give it a little broadway vibe to boot.

peace
 

Michael Minnis

Active member
Joined
Feb 12, 2004
Messages
1,597
Hey, Tom. That's a cool looking guitar. Glad you're digging it. Another blonde for your arsenal. :) Enjoy!
 

Tom Wittrock

Les Paul Forum Co-Owner
Joined
Aug 2, 2001
Messages
42,567
Tom, does that one have the early style multi-laminate neck? :hmm

I've had several Sheratons and can't remember a bad one. But the early ones had neck shaes I prefered. Epi necks by the mid 60s were notoriously thin in width.
 

TomGuitar

Active member
Joined
Apr 28, 2005
Messages
3,700
TW, yes, early multi-laminated neck. The shape is very nice. Slight V to it. Nice and wide at the fingerboard, and plenty deep. Different than the Gibsons of the era, but very nice,
 

plaintop60

New member
Joined
Nov 20, 2006
Messages
2,210
Those Sheratons are very cool. I had one of those for a beater to go to band practice with. I stupidly thought the Epi was third rate Gibson made product. Boy was I soooo wrong. Of course at that time I thought the only "real" electric guitar was either a Gibson L-5CES or a D'Angelico(or L-5C acoustic) with a D'Armond floating pup clamped on. I was so ignorant about guitars in those days, I didnt appreciated semi-acoustics and I thought solid bodies were tinny unmusical sounding junk. I was wrong. I still love archtops with no center block though. I've also found my best jazz tones come from my Advanced Jumbo, although I've found(as we all have) that pretty decent sounds can be made on any instrument. Sheratons are under-appreciated IMHO.
 

TomGuitar

Active member
Joined
Apr 28, 2005
Messages
3,700
Re: TW's question about the neck. Here is a shot...
EpiNeck.jpg


And for the detail freaks among us...
The inlays...
EpiHeadstock.jpg


And the unique to Epiphone knobs...
EpiKnobs.jpg
 
T

Troels

Guest
Those Sheratons are very cool. I had one of those for a beater to go to band practice with. I stupidly thought the Epi was third rate Gibson made product. Boy was I soooo wrong. Of course at that time I thought the only "real" electric guitar was either a Gibson L-5CES or a D'Angelico(or L-5C acoustic) with a D'Armond floating pup clamped on. I was so ignorant about guitars in those days, I didnt appreciated semi-acoustics and I thought solid bodies were tinny unmusical sounding junk. I was wrong. I still love archtops with no center block though. I've also found my best jazz tones come from my Advanced Jumbo, although I've found(as we all have) that pretty decent sounds can be made on any instrument. Sheratons are under-appreciated IMHO.

Don't be too mad at yourself, Plaintop... we all made mistakes and giot rid of guitars we shouldn't :) From this catalog I can mention in a split secund: 1965 blond telecaster, 1964 sunburst Strat, a couple of FINE SGs and... argghhhhhhhh...

Vintage Sheratons are the way go if you madly want an old 335 and don't have the money for that kind of stuff; quite opposite of Casinos that reach much higher prices than ES-330s... but that's another story.
 

Chaz W

New member
Joined
Mar 15, 2020
Messages
1
I'm trying to locate the carousel knobs that are on your guitar. Would it possible for you to provide the measurements?
Thanks in advance for your help.


Picked up this guitar a while back not knowing exactly what to do with it. It had already been drilled for a stoptail (strange metric bushings) and the original New York pickups (which I have) had been replaced with the mini-humbuckers. It had the original Bigsby but as I said, it was already drilled for a stoptail. Putting the NY pickups back would require routing out the wood that was added to mount the humbuckers so I figured I wouldn't do that yet. I'd see how I like the minis. Sent it to Terry Mueller to replace the metric bushings with Pigtail, fix the nut on the truss rod, and wire it correctly. It had been wired poorly when the minis were put in.

I am stunned at how great this thing sounds. I never liked mini-humbuckers before, but man, these really sound good. Almost Tele-like. Great feel to the neck. And those knobs with the little brads for pointers are too cool.



SheratonFace.jpg


SheratonFull.jpg
 
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