Sheraton vs Casino

[jon reed]

Alright everyone. I'm gonna get myself either of the above in the next few weeks (assuming my credit card application is succesful

What are anyones vies on which is the better guitar?

From my experience the Sheraton has a higher build quality, i've played a friends on many occasions and the overall finish and feel of the guitar was very good. Lovely to look at and lovely to play, an expensive feel to it. Now visually I LOVE the casino. A natural John Lennon style finish is what i really want but i played a friends casino and the guitar felt cheap, didn't feel anything like as good a guitar as the sheraton - but they are priced similar so this doesn't add up. Did my friend just get a dodgy Casino?

Can anyone persuade me that the Casino is just as good a guitar as the Sheraton? Or should I follow my instinct and get the Sheraton??
It's either a tobacco sunburst Sheraton or Natural Casino. HELP!

All opinions much appreciated.

[irish_admiral]

Thought about a Rivera?

[jon reed]

Yeah i have but they're harder to come by. I'm probably gonna be buying from ebay, either new or second hand in near perfect condition. Riviera's are going for quite a bit more and have they not been discontinued?

Apparently Casino's are a fair bit lighter than Sheritons which is probably what makes me thing the Sheraton has a more expensive feel to it. I think the Casino is winning slightly just for the way it looks - plus i would rather have P90's than normal humbuckers. Having said that the Ebony Sheraton sure does look pretty too.

[_Craig_]

I used to own a Sheraton, and for the money they are very nicely built indeed, real solid feel to them. Mine was an early 90's model i believe. My only complaint is that they have a tendency to be a bit muddy with some setups.
As for the casino, id really recommend trying before you buy. I tried one a while back and the neck on it was awful...felt really cheap and nasty. However i've tried others since and they've played really nicely. I'm hoping to pick one up soon, as the P-90 sound is a lot more up my street.

[nmendoza]

Most of the weight difference you feel is due to the fact that the Casino is full-hollow vs. the Sheraton's 335-style construction with a solid center block to reduce feedback.

I believe the Sheraton also has two extra frets "exposed" in the cutaway (not over the body), which causes it to balance a bit different and gives it a bit longer reach to the first few frets for me.

The Sheraton is also available in natural, if you didn't know, and looks quite good.

Just some things to consider, good luck.

[blackcloud45]

My step-dad had the Sheraton Elitist. He bought it as didn't want to shell out for a 335. Really nice guitar either way. Be aware that the resale value on Epi's is ~1/2 what you pay for them. At least that was his experience. He has an American Standard Tele now...

[damienwatt_au]

i have a Sheraton and i think its great, with a pickup swap and a professional setup it plays and sounds like a dream! i threw in a tv jones TV-HT in the bridge to help it sparkle and a P-94 in the neck for the ballsy stuff

what music style are you?
if your into things that get heavier the casino will feedback due to the full hollow body design

have you considered the nick valensi riviera? its comes with P94's
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Epiphone-Nick-Va ... .m63.l1177

[chrisj1602]

The Nick Valensi Riviera is worth checking out, has Gibson P94s as standard.

[gogoPilot2]

I like my Sheraton, only things I'd note are:

1) Buy a used one, I have a Korean Made one. I went into a store to try out an amp picking up a Sheraton made in china and it just felt and sounded wrong.

2) very minor point. The fret markers end like at the 14th fret (if i remember correctly), If you rely on markers higher up, this might be a drawback.

[mysteron09]

Don't forget that there are several variants of Casino out there - the low end Chinese and Korean builds, the Elitist, and the John Lennon reissues. Further confusing the matter, Epiphone just announced an "Inspired By John Lennon" model. The Chinese and Korean production is hit or miss - I've played excellent ones, and I've played mediocre ones. The headstock angle on these is not correct to vintage specs. Gibson has pretty much shut down the Epiphone Elitist line (which were outsourced to builders like Terada in Japan), but the Elitist Casino is still available from Musician's Friend, so I'd suspect they're available from any Gibson dealer. The Lennon model is of course for the person who absolutely has to have his or her guitar exactly like Lennon's (and of course there's enough variations over time - for instance, when did the gold Grovers get put on Lennon's guitar?). I've got an Elitist, and love it. I am friendly with a well-known Beatles tribute band, and both their "John" and "George" prefer the Elitist to the Lennon spec (you can easily "Lennonize" the Elitist or the Chinese model).

The main quibble with the low-end Casinos is the poor quality of the switch and pots. Some folks prefer to replace the saddles with nylon saddles, as it gives a more Beatle-ish sound (flatwound strings are a given if you're going in that direction - I put 11s on mine and am very happy with the sound).

I can't speak to the Sheraton, but I do have an Elitist Riviera 12. Surprisingly heavy - I've played several mid 60s ES-335/12s (think John Phillips in "Monterey Pop") and they've been very similar to a similar vintage regular 335, but my Riviera is like a boat anchor