Reference site (guitarhq.com)
Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 6:03 pm
It kind of drives me nuts these days how a lot of people post erroneous info in forums (in general that is, not here) that they got from bad sources like blue books or unreliable websites like "the guitar dater project" (which seems to provide incorrect data almost every time somebody mentions it as their source).
So, I've always tried to steer people (especially on the Gibson forums, where I've spent quite a bit of time) to good sources on the web as well as recommending certain guitar reference books.
In terms of web sources, I've always recommended this site as one of the best: http://www.guitarhq.com/ (formerly at a different domain, "provide.net")
It's been especially useful to me for looking up Gibson serial numbers. Anyway, I was just looking at the Epiphone section recently, and had forgotten about some things that I don't like about it. For example, the info provided on Sheratons and Rivieras is incomplete, flawed, and misleading...
Epiphone Sheraton thinline semi-hollow electric archtop.
Collectibility Rating: NY parts models: B+, Gibson parts models: C.
With NY pickups, knobs and neck, this is a very elegant model on par with Gibson's ES-355. However, with Gibson parts it's way less collectible.
16" wide, double round cutaways, thin semi-hollow body with solid maple block down center (like an ES-355), sunburst or blond finish, 7 layer top body binding, multiple bound neck, back, headstock, pickguard, flower headstock inlay, V-block pearl/abalone fingerboard inlay, 24 3/4" scale, Frequensator tailpiece (optional Bigsby), gold plated parts.
1958 Sheraton introduction specs:
2 New York pickups.
1961 Sheraton specs:
2 mini-humbucking pickups.
Vibrato standard.
1965 Sheraton specs:
Cherry finish optional.
It's bad enough that they suggest that the cherry finish became available in 1965, but the "collectability rating" thing is kind of a joke. No offense to owners of the earlier examples with NY parts, but I've never found those to be more desirable among collectors than the ones with Gibson parts.
Anyway, for the Riviera, they include this:
Collectibility Rating: C-.
Epi's version of the ES-335, but uglier.
Wow. Does anybody happen to know who operates that site? I thought about contacting him via the provided e-mail address, but knowing how temperamental some guys can be about things like this, I haven't tried it.
So, I've always tried to steer people (especially on the Gibson forums, where I've spent quite a bit of time) to good sources on the web as well as recommending certain guitar reference books.
In terms of web sources, I've always recommended this site as one of the best: http://www.guitarhq.com/ (formerly at a different domain, "provide.net")
It's been especially useful to me for looking up Gibson serial numbers. Anyway, I was just looking at the Epiphone section recently, and had forgotten about some things that I don't like about it. For example, the info provided on Sheratons and Rivieras is incomplete, flawed, and misleading...
Epiphone Sheraton thinline semi-hollow electric archtop.
Collectibility Rating: NY parts models: B+, Gibson parts models: C.
With NY pickups, knobs and neck, this is a very elegant model on par with Gibson's ES-355. However, with Gibson parts it's way less collectible.
16" wide, double round cutaways, thin semi-hollow body with solid maple block down center (like an ES-355), sunburst or blond finish, 7 layer top body binding, multiple bound neck, back, headstock, pickguard, flower headstock inlay, V-block pearl/abalone fingerboard inlay, 24 3/4" scale, Frequensator tailpiece (optional Bigsby), gold plated parts.
1958 Sheraton introduction specs:
2 New York pickups.
1961 Sheraton specs:
2 mini-humbucking pickups.
Vibrato standard.
1965 Sheraton specs:
Cherry finish optional.
It's bad enough that they suggest that the cherry finish became available in 1965, but the "collectability rating" thing is kind of a joke. No offense to owners of the earlier examples with NY parts, but I've never found those to be more desirable among collectors than the ones with Gibson parts.
Anyway, for the Riviera, they include this:
Collectibility Rating: C-.
Epi's version of the ES-335, but uglier.
Wow. Does anybody happen to know who operates that site? I thought about contacting him via the provided e-mail address, but knowing how temperamental some guys can be about things like this, I haven't tried it.
