Epiphone Sheraton II Archtop Electric Guitar: Is the Body as Hollow as Its Performance?

June 22, 2011

Continually used by world-renowned legends and musicians like Noel Gallagher of Oasis on “D’You Know What I Mean,” and by John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on “Califronication,” the Epiphone Sheraton II Archtop Electric Guitar is a semi-hollow, laminated maple-bodied guitar. It is fitted with a fixed neck made of three-piece maple and a fretboard made of rosewood that is designed for blues, jazz, and funk artists alike. The tone of this classic guitar is ideal for smooth and melodic songs and passages that require clear and concise notes and sounds.

Based from the first Sheraton model, the Epiphone Sheraton II differs with the first model by the replacement of its Frequensator tailpiece with a fixed stop bar. As the company was bought by the Gibson Guitar Corporation, the guitar was fitted during production with two novel New York mini humbuckers, compared to its original brother that had two full-sized ones. The guitar is available for purchase in natural, ebony and vintage sunburst colors.

Pro 1: Perfect Mellow Tone

This guitar is absolutely the quintessential guitar for jazz, blues, and funk guitar players for its coveted features. The neck pickup has a noticeably mellow and deep tone while the bridge pickup has clear highs; when they are properly combined together they can produce a versatile tone that can even fit in songs that require huge amounts of distortion.

Pro 2: Solid Humbucker Sound

The tone of the guitar is absolutely gorgeous because of its ability to deliver a wide range of very smooth, round and warm sounds without any sacrifice in clarity due to the function of the humbucker pickups. With these additions, the guitar can effectively reduce feedback and external noise.

Pro 3: Ease of Use

The guitar is also incredibly easy to use because of the lightness of the rosewood finish and the width of the fretbroad. The design is classy and appropriate suitable for blues, funk, and jazz setups. Beginners who want to practice hard and surpass their idols could immediately use the Epiphone Sheraton II.

Pro 4: Durability

Another very interesting quality of the product is its durable body suitable for live situations. The cost of the guitar is also surprisingly appropriate to vast array of features and the exceptional quality that it exhibits. This guitar promises any user that it could last in any gig or live situation at any time.

Con: Bulky Design

Even with the apparent perfection that this product displays, there is still a minor flaw in its intricate design. Its very heavy and bulky build actually proves to be a relative hassle for people who would want to bring it in live gigs. A soft case would have to be a good way to compensate for the heavy body of the guitar despite its hollow body. However, this method of compensation would only leave the guitar prone to damage and trauma.

What Others Are Saying About The Epiphone Sheraton II Archtop Electric Guitar

After conducting extensive online product research I found dozens of satisfied reviewers for the Epiphone Sheraton II. The majority of reviewers gave this product a 5 star rating, indicating the highest rating. Here are some of the comments I found:

“You’d be hard pressed to find a better guitar at $500. Go to a store and play a Sheraton if you don’t believe me!”

“I’ve owned it for about 5 months, playing it through Fender and Vox amps. The action is smooth, holds tuning perfectly, and gives an amazing range of tonal variations. I did compare it to the Epiphone Casino, and I preferred the sound of the humbuckers over the P90 style pickups. Highly recommended.”

“Beautiful and well made, this guitar is very playable and has sweet sound. Its everything a Gibson ES335 should be at 1/3 the cost.”

“Just received my new epiphone sheraton II yesterday and it is definitely one of the most beautiful guitars i have ever seen. the vintage sunburst finish is really spectacular along with all the nice details like the “tree of life” inlay in the headstock.”

Final Thoughts: Legendary Guitar Tone

As John Frusciante specifically used this product to deliver the warmest and smoothest sound possible for their live rendition of “Californication” during their historical concert at Slane Castle, this legendary masterpiece truly produces the absolute best sound that can be used on any kind of genre, with particularly more emphasis on jazz, blues, and funk influences and records. With all of the wonderful features that Epiphone Sheraton II Archtop Electric Guitar possesses, the overall performance of this hollow guitar is actually filled with quality and efficiency for its reasonable price.