RARE Epiphone 1964 Sheraton John Lee Hooker Signature Model

This instrument is a rare 1964 Sheraton John Lee Hooker signature limited model, The truss rod cover has the word "John Lee Hooker" printed on it, and the words "The Boogie Man" are printed on the pickguard.  The serial number on the blue JLH signed sticker inside the F-hole is JLH0099.

This Sheraton John Lee Hooker limited edition guitar is in very good condition. It is not sold as a collectible – it is a player’s guitar. I have played it for years; it is the best sounding guitar I have ever played. It was originally listed for $2999. That is what I am selling it for. I am not the original owner, I have owned it for 15 years. Much of the gold plated hardware has aged, dulled and pitted in places. There are a few dings and scratches, and one of the knobs has a small chip. See pictures for description. Comes with original case.

The body was made in Japan, and all assembly and parts were done in the United States, at the Gibson Nashville custom shop.

I found this quote online that is pretty informative. This guy was proud of his work.

“I can proudly say that I was 1 of 5 builders that worked on the JLH's, as well as the John Lennon Casinos, USA Steinbergers and USA Kramers while those lines were in production. I left Gibson a short time before the end of the Hookers and Lennons.

The finishes were nitro and done at Terada in Japan. Any blemishes, flaws or dings were repaired by us in house with nitro.

The build qualifications were very, very tight. They HAD to match JLH's as if his were brand new. No exceptions. If the Epi "E" was minutely off, the unit failed and that had to be fixed. If a screw hole was improperly located, it failed and the guitar would be a scrapped. We were that strict with all of our USA lines.

The hardware was all Gibson. The mini humbuckers were old stock that dated back to Michigan....we had tons of those babies (that didn't exist with any P90's or full size humbuckers).

No other Sheratons (or Casinos for that matter) could come close to ours...Elites and Elitists included.”

Sheraton JLH

Model Name : Epiphone '64 Sheraton Reissue (AIUSA Series)

Production Years : 2000-2005

Country of Origin :

Body & Neck : Terada, Japan

Final Assembly : Gibson USA (Nashville)

Type : Semi-hollow electric

Body

 Construction : Laminated maple back and sides with spruce top

Center Block : Solid maple for feedback resistance

Finish : Nitrocellulose lacquer

Colors : Vintage Sunburst

Neck

Material : One-piece mahogany

Joint : Set neck at 19th fret

Profile : Mid-'60s rounded C

Scale Length : 24.75"

Fingerboard : Rosewood

Inlays : Mother-of-pearl block with abalone triangle

Nut Width : 1.68"

Frets : 22 medium jumbo

Electronics

Pickups : Dual Gibson USA NY Mini-Humbuckers

Magnets : Alnico V

Controls : 2 x Volume, 2 x Tone

Switching : 3-way toggle switch

Hardware

Tuners : Grover Rotomatics (gold)

Bridge : Tune-O-Matic

Tailpiece : Frequensator Split Trapeze

Finish : Gold-plated hardware

Miscellaneous

Case : Original Deluxe hardshell case (included with most models)

Label : Blue Epiphone USA label inside body (Signed by John Lee)