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It was a sad day to part with my Epiphone Sheraton. To be fair, it’s always a sad day to part with an instrument you have cared for and enjoyed, but this one had been subjected to ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from all who played her. Yes, I said ‘her’…I’ve never viewed a guitar as a ‘he’ or ‘she’, so yes what can I say I’m guilty on this only occasion.

Looking back, it still surprises me that 30 years have passed since I first bought my first electric guitar and in all that time I have never taken pen to paper…or fingers to keys, to share my inner most thoughts with anyone, let alone all of you who read this post.

Finding the Sheraton came about purely by chance following years of searching for ‘the one’…haha this is starting to sound like The Pick of Destiny! I have played vintage Gibson 335′s (never owned but played) yet somehow nothing ever felt quite right. Was it string tension, the size, weight? Do all musicians experience this when looking to invest in an instrument? Cleary entering the vintage market is an expensive investment and I had considered it.

Then I spotted a rare late 80′s Korean built Epiphone by Gibson Sheraton II, with case. The seller had pointed out the pickups were possibly not original and certainly the stop tail piece wasn’t. I apologise in advance if this post becomes a little geeky…I’ll do my best to avoid venturing into written muso clichés such as ‘cathedrals of sound’. But there was something about this guitar that showed a hidden history. Both from its well played appearance to the aroma which emanated from the case the moment you opened it up. Subtle hint of cigar, with a dash of musty jazz club perhaps.

If the pickups weren’t original, they had been a professional installation many years ago and I discovered the hidden DiMarzio branding. The sound amplified…sublime. The neck pick up was incredibly smooth! The action was so low with no buzzing. What had I found here? I just loved the rock and jazz tones this guitar produced and it was so easy to play. Then I set about finding a Gibson TP-6 fine tune tail piece, to replace the chrome example which stood out like a Baboons arse on heat.

Fantastic. A used TP-6 appeared on eBay and at a bargain price. Once installed, it looked as though it had always been there. What I hadn’t counted on was the increase in tone from the guitar. In the early 90′s I had owned a Gibson E2 Explorer which had a TP-6 as standard and I loved it, hence the need to find one for the Sheraton. I had no idea what a difference this small addition could make to an instruments tone. I loved it.

Close inspection of the Sheraton thereafter, showed where previous capo use had been on the aged binding. Two of the frets had been skillfully replaced. The case showed evidence of Canadian origins. Where had this guitar been? Who had owned it? Sadly only the serial number would date the guitars build. But it didn’t matter. It was a joy to play, every time.

So why part with it you ask? Are you crazy? Possibly, but sometimes your head has to overrule your heart. My collection of guitars had reached its limit. The house was getting smaller since becoming a father, which I have to add, is a joy. Setting up in business for myself and sharing child care duties, has all contributed to the fact that I was only ever going to find time to play one guitar. ‘Keep it under the bed’ I hear you cry! If only there was room!

Going back to the start of this post, I mentioned how sad it is to part with a guitar…any guitar I guess. It’s an instrument which in the right hands (not saying mine are of course) can produce such emotion, beauty and power. With so many genres of music, of which I enjoy playing many, I could never find one guitar for all reasons. Yes you have guitar modeling now, but it’s not the same to experience different makes of guitars in your hand. It’s quite addictive and then it becomes a problem unless you are fortunate to have a music room. One day…one day I keep telling myself.

The guitar now resides south of London and is being enjoyed and regularly played in a Jazz band. This really pleases me. It shouldn’t stay under a bed only to see daylight for 5mins once or twice a week. As with all instruments that age and are gigged, their tone simply gets better. Needless to say, the new owner is delighted.