 The Legacy Continues... Epiphone Sheraton An Upscale Version of a Gibson Classic GibsonPosted 2005-04-21 In 1957, Gibson purchased the Epiphone Company, which up until that time had been one of its fiercest rivals – particularly in the area of hollowbody archtop guitars. Prompted by a stern memo from Ted McCarty to hurry up and introduce some new Epiphone models at the upcoming NAMM show in 1958, Gibson introduced a completely new line of Epiphones, highlighted by the now-legendary Sheraton.
While some of the new Epis had familiar names, such as the Emperor and Deluxe, the Sheraton represented a first for Epi – not just in name but in its semi-hollowbody construction as well. Although Gibson’s ES-335 garnered more publicity from its 1958 debut, the Sheraton offered the same revolutionary body style but with a more stylish look, highlighted by its Emperor-style V-block fingerboard inlays and vine inlay on the peghead.
The Sheraton was an immediate hit, the unique voice of its mini-humbuckers soon made it the instrument of choice for many professional artists of the time, including blues legend John Lee Hooker. Today Epiphone continues the Sheraton legacy by offering three versions of this classic guitar icon.
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