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Waaay off topic: Epiphone Sheraton in 1957?!

PostPosted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 11:54 am
by DickThomas
While viewing some you-tube links a friend had sent me about Arthur Smith, I came across one supposedly from a 1957 TV show, showing Arthur playing an Epiphone Sheraton. I had thought that the Sheraton was the Epiphone response to the Gibson ES-335, 345, 355 family, which I thought didn't come out until 1958. Was he playing a pre-production prototype; did Epiphone come out with the design before Gibson; or is the production date on the video misstated? This is hardly a burning issue, but it has sorta puzzled me a bit.

Thanks for any insights.

Dick

Re: Waaay off topic: Epiphone Sheraton in 1957?!

PostPosted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 3:19 pm
by thenorm
Broadly I'd say Gibson made the basic design and the Eppy's were step-children.
Epiphone was Gibson's bargain line...lesser version of the main company product

Could be wrong but that's what I always thought.

Final answer...Gibson guitars do not copy Ephiphone guitars

Re: Waaay off topic: Epiphone Sheraton in 1957?!

PostPosted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 4:28 pm
by DickThomas
That's what I always thought, too. I was just trying to figure out how he got his hands on an Epiphone version of a Gibson a year before the Gibson equivalent was released.

Dick

Re: Waaay off topic: Epiphone Sheraton in 1957?!

PostPosted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 5:32 pm
by Billy Anderson
For what its worth, this site shows the Sheraton to have 1958 introduction specs;however, as Sgt. Schultz used to say, "I know nothing!"

Re: Waaay off topic: Epiphone Sheraton in 1957?!

PostPosted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 5:36 pm
by Billy Anderson
For what its worth, this site shows the Sheraton to have 1958 introduction specs;however, as Sgt. Schultz used to say, "I know nothing!"


http://www.misterguitar.us/forhttp://ho ... 88cf&t=323

Told you I knew nothing! Hit the wrong key while trying to paste. Failed pasting in the First Grade, too. Billy

Re: Waaay off topic: Epiphone Sheraton in 1957?!

PostPosted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 6:00 pm
by Billy Anderson
In fact I failed everything in the first grade. http://home.provide.net/~cfh/epiphone.html

Re: Waaay off topic: Epiphone Sheraton in 1957?!

PostPosted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 2:32 pm
by tyguy
thenorm wrote:Broadly I'd say Gibson made the basic design and the Eppy's were step-children.
Epiphone was Gibson's bargain line...lesser version of the main company product

Could be wrong but that's what I always thought.

Final answer...Gibson guitars do not copy Ephiphone guitars

Epi's were a bargain because they were made in the Gibson Kalamazoo plant(they are a Gibson)and cost a little less but "not a lesser version at all" and in fact Gibson almost always added something extra to the Epi's.The Sheraton is "much fancier" than it's 355 counterpart.The Casino inlays were fancier than the 330.A lot of their gits had fancier binding and other trim extras fancier than Gibson's.There's no difference in the quality as they were made by the same Gibson people.I own a '63 Casino and the quality is as good as it gets for a Gibson.I've researched but never found the reason why they were less expensive than Gibsons.Some thought different sales commission and no buying and selling quota committment to the company as Gibson requires for their branded gits. The best, Ty M.

Re: Waaay off topic: Epiphone Sheraton in 1957?!

PostPosted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 4:58 am
by Jussi Huhtakangas
Here's a short Epiphone history:
http://www.epiphone.com/history.asp

I'd say the year in the clip is probably wrong since the whole Epiphone line wasn't introduced until summer of -58 and the Sheraton was purely a Gibson design. Pre-Gibson Epiphone never made thinline or double cutaway guitars.