Seeking info on this possible vintage Epiphone

[Adwex]

Hung out at my drummer's house last night, and he showed me this old Epiphone 335 style guitar he had. Any ideas of it's year, and value?

 

[Troels]

It's an Epiphone Sheraton. It's worth a few 100 $$$ (app. $ 500 new) The S in the serial number means that it's made by Samick.
Since 1970, the Epiphone name has been applied to instruments that are manufactured outside of the United States, to the specifications of the Gibson Musical Instruments Corporation. This particular instrument, like other instruments having serial numbers beginning with an S, was manufactured by Samick - as mentioned. Other Sheratons, with serial numbers that begin with an R, are made by Aria. In the case of most Epiphones that were made in Korea in the 1990s, the first numeric digit corresponds to the last digit of the year of manufacture. This instrument, for example, was made in 1995.

 

[Wilko]

yep.

worth maybe 200-300 on a good day.

 

[plaintop60]

These cheesy Korean made guitars from the mid nineties while worth nothing monetarily are pretty decent student guitars and with some mods like pick-up changes, fretwork and pots and caps can even be used for low end gigs such as Dives or weddings where you dont want to jeopardize a good axe.

 

[Ad_02Std]

I know somebody that's got a blonde one. They're good guitars. Worth about £250 - £300 over here.

The guitarist in Kings Of Leon uses one very effectively:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrRKT6yUljI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPMCJG5qrWA&feature=related

Is it too much to expect that the 70's 335 and Thunderbird in those vids will stop this thread from going backstage never to be seen by the original poster again?

Thought as much.

 

[Troels]

These cheesy Korean made guitars from the mid nineties while worth nothing monetarily are pretty decent student guitars and with some mods like pick-up changes, fretwork and pots and caps can even be used for low end gigs such as Dives or weddings where you dont want to jeopardize a good axe.

What exactly could happened to a 1959 LP used for a wedding??? (maybe used as a weapon in a sudden divorce...). I believe that people who hire a band for a wedding or other "low end gigs" have the same expectations as 50.000 people on a stadium... I play with the same professionalism and instruments both places. That's called musicianship, I guess.

Funnily enough I have a Sheraton exactly like the one showed - mine is from 1996. I never use it, but it actually has an excellent neck and are very well made (I also do have a USA 335 - and only the picks ups (and maybe the pots) in this one are better than in the Sheraton). There's no poplar in the Sheraton lamination and no delaminations either. The neck and frets are absolutely fine - and there's no file marks all over the fretboard like on the 335 which is from 2001...). So I wouldn't say too much too fast about these cheap Sheratons, actually.

These Sheratons (actually named Sheraton II) are sometimes called "335s" - but there are significant diffrences in construction... for instance there are no kerfed linings to keep top back and sides together and no pieces of spruce between top and center block/back and center block. Also the hardware is of a lesser quality - but it works - and - they are sold without case.

 

[plaintop60]

Ha HA Troels. It's been twenty years since I was a gigging musician but I've played some pretty wild weddings! I dont think I'd bring a guitar that I loved to a gig like that, especially if there was a chance that roadies might touch it.

 

[Adwex]

...
Is it too much to expect that the 70's 335 and Thunderbird in those vids will stop this thread from going backstage never to be seen by the original poster again?

Thought as much.

The truss rod says "GIBSON", but before I created the thread, I checked the forum descriptions anyway:

"The Other Gibsons: The Topic area for discussions about other Gibsons... The ES Series, Carved Tops, Explorers, Flying Vs, Firebirds, Futuras, Acoustics, SGs and Epiphones that were made in the Gibson factory [c. 1958-1968]"

Unfortunately, I didn't know what year the guitar was made, it appeared "vintage", but I didn't know for sure if it was "made in the Gibson factory [c. 1958-1968].

Anyway, thanks for the info Troels, I figured someone around here would know. Now the thread can be killed.

 

[Ad_02Std]

I'm just glad you got back here in time to get your info.

I'm pretty sure those little silvery-gold labels on the back of Epi necks say "made in Korea", but it may have rubbed off. Like I say though, nice guitars. I'd stick a pair Duncans in it and change the switch, then I'd feel comfortable playing that guitar at pretty much any gig. From the basement to Wembley, you can get a lot of mileage out of those Epi semis.

 

[Troels]

Ha HA Troels. It's been twenty years since I was a gigging musician but I've played some pretty wild weddings! I dont think I'd bring a guitar that I loved to a gig like that, especially if there was a chance that roadies might touch it.

I don't play many weddings either these days ... but I remember ALL of them ending up lastíng till VERY late (not a single note palyed until hours after midnight...)

I actually have a Frontline Fender amp for outdoor gigs under bad weather conditions - I do not bring my old Super Reverb

 

[Litcrit]

What exactly could happened to a 1959 LP used for a wedding??? (maybe used as a weapon in a sudden divorce...). I believe that people who hire a band for a wedding or other "low end gigs" have the same expectations as 50.000 people on a stadium... I play with the same professionalism and instruments both places. That's called musicianship, I guess.

Well, as someone whose later musical career gravitated towards weddings and club dates (towards the late 80's), I have seen some REALLY WILD shit at weddings (in NYC). I used to play 100-150 a year (hey, the money was good, even if the gigs sucked), and I've seen LOTS drunken fights (we're talking OPEN bar here), deaths, fornication, you name it. Not as wild as bar gigs, but surprisingly entertaining at times.
The main thing you want out of a wedding axe? LIGHTWEIGHT!!!! Play a 6 hour "continuous" gig (5 minute breaks each hour) with an 11 pound LP and You'll be one shoulder-aching sorry-ass guitar player. Remember these gigs are back to back in the summer: Friday eve, Saturday day, Saturday night, Sunday day, Sunday night. You're wearing the guitar for hours and hours and hours. SGs, fully hollow ES guitars, or really light weight strats are what you need. After the 4th hour believe me, your guitar TONE is the FURTHEST thing from your mind..

 

[Troels]

Well, as someone whose later musical career gravitated towards weddings and club dates (towards the late 80's), I have seen some REALLY WILD shit at weddings (in NYC). I used to play 100-150 a year (hey, the money was good, even if the gigs sucked), and I've seen LOTS drunken fights (we're talking OPEN bar here), deaths, fornication, you name it. Not as wild as bar gigs, but surprisingly entertaining at times.
The main thing you want out of a wedding axe? LIGHTWEIGHT!!!! Play a 6 hour "continuous" gig (5 minute breaks each hour) with an 11 pound LP and You'll be one shoulder-aching sorry-ass guitar player. Remember these gigs are back to back in the summer: Friday eve, Saturday day, Saturday night, Sunday day, Sunday night. You're wearing the guitar for hours and hours and hours. SGs, fully hollow ES guitars, or really light weight strats are what you need. After the 4th hour believe me, your guitar TONE is the FURTHEST thing from your mind..

I've played MANY of them too... and I do know what you are talking about - six hours with a 70s Strat or LP on the strap... I think the main problem about playing weddings is, that there are always two families who more often than not don't know each other and ages reach from children to grandma at 90... that means either total silence, gossip or even family war and they are long lasting no matter the type

Due to the pains from set 3 and forward maybe we should refer to the new chambered Les Pauls as The Wedding Guitars constructed for six hour+ playing...

BTW For the last 10 years or so I haven't played more than 3 x 45 minutes with 15 minutes in between the sets. Concerts, festivals and stuff like that is now 2 x 20 minutes and three extras and good night!

 

[Hamish5178]

These cheesy Korean made guitars from the mid nineties while worth nothing monetarily are pretty decent student guitars and with some mods like pick-up changes, fretwork and pots and caps can even be used for low end gigs such as Dives or weddings where you dont want to jeopardize a good axe.

This comment seems a bit elitist.

 

[plaintop60]

This comment seems a bit elitist.

It's not elitist at all. I own a few of these guitars. I have Korean and Chinese made guitars. In fact the best archtop I've ever owned(and I've owned alot of Gibsons over the years) is a Chinese made Eastman. I made my living in the 70's and 80's primarily with a cheesy Cort Les Paul Custom copy that was easily as good as any Gibson of that period. If you read my post I stated that these guitars, make decent low end gigging instruments with a few mods. Most Gibsons need mods to be usable too. My point was that for a few hundred bucks you can have a decent quality instrument that doesent cost a fortune, and therefore you can take it to a dive or a wedding without worrying about it get stolen or broken. Don't read things into a post that simply arent there.:2zone