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On 10th & 11th August 1996, Oasis played the legendary, era-defining and record-breaking shows at Knebworth Park. Noel’s guitar throughout the gigs was the Sunburst Epiphone Sheraton – which remained his main live guitar until the end of the Be Here Now tour in early 1998.

This instrument is undoubtedly among the most significant and iconic guitars ever played by Noel Gallagher. Knebworth aside, just think about G-MEX 1997 (when the famous Man City sticker appeared on the pickguard!) or the insanely long Champagne Supernova from Budokan 1998: it was this guitar – which sadly got lost or stolen years ago.

Finding a Sheraton with the same distinctive appointments of Noel’s one has always been challenging – until last year. Now, you can have one that looks exactly like it at a reasonable price – and it’s a fantastic guitar for the money. Keep reading for the details!

1993 VS 2023

Noel’s Sheraton is a USA-made “Nashville” model, which is something of a unicorn in the guitar world. Only 250 pieces were made in 1993 and they’re virtually impossible to find: I haven’t seen one for sale in years – and when one last surfaced, it fetched a price comparable to its Gibson equivalents. This ain’t one of those cheap Epiphones!

But in May 2023, Epiphone announced a new, more vintage-correct line of its semi-hollow guitars: among them was the Sheraton, which featured mini-humbucker pickups and the Frequensator tailpiece – just like the Nashville model! They didn’t give it a specific name, but to differentiate it from the regular Sheraton II, it is often advertised as “2023 Sheraton” or “Sheraton Frequensator“.

The Sheraton Frequensator is an almost perfect copy of the Nashville, except for a couple of obvious differences and a few minor details. Honestly, most guitar enthusiasts wouldn’t even notice or care. Can you tell which is which in the picture below?

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The most evident difference is the Sunburst finish: in the Nashville the yellow fade is teardrop-shaped, while in the 2023 model it extends to the horns too. The red seems heavier in this picture, but it doesn’t actually look that vibrant in real life (check the other photos of this post).

The other major difference is the headstock shape: ’60s style on the Nashville, slightly shorter and fatter on the 2023 model.

We could then mention f-hole binding, fretboard inlays size and truss rod cover – but that’s fussy even for a pixel-peeper like me.

So, the left one is the 2023 Frequensator and the right one is a 1993 Nashville!

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The thing is, if you’re looking for a Sheraton that looks like the Knebworth guitar, the 2023 Frequensator is the one to get while it’s still available. It is priced around €900 – which is not cheap for an Epiphone – but believe me when I say that it’s money well spent.

I picked mine up last August, and it’s probably been my most played guitar since. The fact that it’s a production Epiphone model rather than a rare, expensive Gibson makes me reach for it more often than any other guitar in the house.

And then there’s the sound and feel: honestly, when I play this Sheraton, I don’t even miss the ES-355 that stays tucked away in its case.

Playing the 2023 Sheraton

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The mini-humbucker pickups are just brilliant: they’re sharp and punchy without the dark, muddy undertones you can get from a regular humbucker. Stock Epiphone pickups used to be average at best, but these are just perfect. I was impressed from the very first strum out of the box.

The Frequensator tailpiece not only looks great but seems to add a unique harmonic content that is hard to describe: like a chimey, ringy overtone?

The neck feels good in my hands. It’s not as thin as the Epiphone Noel Gallagher Riviera: it is still on the thinner side, but it feels rounder and a bit chunkier.

Just get this guitar and blast out the chords of My Big Mouth like I did when I first plugged it into the amp!

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Everything was good as it came from the factory: I did swap the stock Epiphone bridge for a rattle-free Gotoh, but honestly, the original one was perfectly fine. I’ve also replaced the knobs for a more vintage-correct font. Did I mention that I’m fussy? I guess I did.

And of course, I had to add a homemade Man City sticker to the pickguard, G-MEX 1997 style!

Another addition were the extra inlays on the fretboard. This one will make purists shudder: Noel had them installed by a luthier, but they are actually stickers on my Sheraton. Can you tell? From a distance and while playing, I can’t. They look fine and they were cheap!

A final note about pricey Epiphones…

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Some might say (pun intended) that $1000 for a Made in China Epiphone is too steep. Heck, even the phone in your hand is made in China and might cost about the same! What’s the fuss?

Back in the seventies and eighties, guitar enthusiasts often looked down on Japanese-made guitars because the early models weren’t very good. Fast forward to today, and almost any guitar made in Japan is now considered a high-end instrument. Then, in the early nineties, the market was flooded with Korean guitars, and guess what? They were also snubbed by the usual critics. By the mid-2000s, Chinese guitars entered the scene, and suddenly, Korean guitars were seen as superior and sought after.
It’s a classic case of how things come full circle.

Here’s the thing: although recent top-of-the-line Epiphones have seen a noticeable price increase, the overall quality has improved significantly. I still have a black 2014 Sheraton II with regular humbuckers, which I’m keeping for sentimental reasons. Even though both guitars were made in the same factory in Qingdao, China, the difference between the 2014 and the 2023 models is huge. The newer one feels much more alive and resonant, even when played unplugged.

The 2023 Sheraton Frequensator is scary good – even better than the excellent Noel Gallagher Riviera that came out two years ago and sits in the same price range.

With these new Epiphones, it’s becoming harder to justify spending $4000 or more on a Gibson. But believe it or not, I did it anyway! That’s a story for another interesting post…