Epiphone Recreates Classic Semi-Hollow Body Guitars

- Press Release

In 1957, Gibson purchased the Epiphone Company, which up until that time had been one of its strongest rivals – particularly in the area of hollowbody archtop guitars. Prompted by a stern memo from Ted McCarty to hurry up and introduce some new Epiphone models at the upcoming NAMM show in 1958, Gibson introduced a completely new line of Epiphones, highlighted by the now-legendary Sheraton.

The Gibson ES-335, and its sibling the Epiphone Sheraton, were the world's first commercial semi-hollowbody electric guitars. Both released in 1958, they are neither hollow nor solid. Instead, a solid wood block runs through the center of the body while the sides are hollow and adorned with violin-style “f” holes.

Its origins may lie in the one of the world's first solid-body electrics - Les Paul's experimental "The Log," which was simply a block of wood with a neck, electronics, and the sides of an Epiphone archtop guitar attached. The concept behind this revolutionary design was to combine the tone of an acoustic (hollow) with the power and sustain of a solid-body electric hence the name “semi-hollow.”

The ES-335 and other semi-hollowbody guitars have a distinctive, "woody" sound that is mellower than solid-bodies while still retaining high sustain with low feedback characteristics. Due to their sonic flexibility, they have found popularity in nearly all genres of popular music including jazz, blues, and rock.

Now, almost 50 years later, Epiphone offers a wide-range of semi-hollow body guitars based upon the legendary ES-335 design and our initial offering of the Sheraton way back in 1958.

Visit your authorized Epiphone dealer today and get your hands on an original semi-hollow body guitar. To find your nearest Epiphone retailers, click here.

Full line:

“Faded” Dot Studio - MSRP $415:

Dot Studio - MSRP $499:

Sheraton-Il - MSRP $999:

Nick Valensi Riviera P-94 - MSRP $1,165:

B. B. King Lucille - MSRP $1,165:

Elitist Sheraton - MSRP $2,460 including hard case

Website: www.epiphone.com

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