In 1957, Gibson acquired what it believed to be Epiphone’s bass line, along with all the tools and machinery used to build them. Imagine their surprise when the trucks rolled in and they discovered that Epiphone had sent them all the machinery and tooling to not only build basses, but their full line of electric guitars, as well, along with all the work in progress! Talk about a bargain….
Among the Epiphone guitars that were built by Gibson during the next decade or so was the Sheraton. From 1961 to 1970, Gibson made no less than six variations of the model, and during that time, only about 60 were produced in a natural finish like this 1964 Epiphone Sheraton II Reissue. These guitars were pretty high up in the Epiphone line along with the Casino (which all three Beatles played in the 1960s), both of which were very much influenced by the ES-335. The Sheraton II boasts the sustain of a solidbody with the rich tone of a jazz guitar. This beauty includes a 5-layer bound maple and birch body with 24.75″ scale, a 3-piece maple set-neck (glued in, not bolted on) and a rosewood fingerboard with upscale inlays of pearl and abalone. The Sheraton II comes with those distinctive Gibson mini-humbuckers, a tortoiseshell pickguard and gold-plated hardware. This guitar is an astonishing value and includes free shipping right to your door!