Epiphone Casino

[Jimmy Mack]

I don't seem to see much said about Epiphone Casinos here...

I know their connections to the ES 330, Epiphone, Korea, Japan, and now China.

But what are the opinions on them? I know there are many incarnations!

I need a light guitar, I want a total hollow body, like my Guild Starfire and L5CES. Thinlines are the way I want to go. I have two Chinese Epi's now, but one is heavy (a semi-hollow) and the ES339 is almost ideal. I like the P90's on it. I have no problems with the current Chinese made models.

Easiest is to buy a new one. Priced reasonably, and returnable. Full size, and the Casino Coupe - seems like great options.

Any experiences?

[Headshot]

I just got rid of the one I had...I just didn't bond with it, but no fault of the guitar. It seems my preference is for semi-hollow over fully hollow...at least in 335-sized guitars.

[GNAPPI]

I have an older Korean model and a 330 (a CS) , playability on both is identical. One of the pups on the Casino was weak but considering the price differential its a great git.

[Doctor Jeff]

I have not played a Casino or Casino Coupe--they seem like nice guitars, but not really configured for jazz, especially with the P90's. I know there's a lot of affection for the 335-styled guitars around here--I could be wrong.

Perfect for alt country.

Personally I think a thinline modeled after a real jazzbox is ideal. The new Gibson 275 for instance. Or, the Peerless Sunset--super light, mellow, great ergonomics. And can be got without breaking the bank.

Peerless Sunset | Guitars 'n Jazz

[mr. beaumont]

P90's are great jazz pickups.

[jbucklin]

P90's are great jazz pickups.

I concur! Grant Green certainly achieved a stunning tone from his ES330.

[Greentone]

Hi,

I have had many semi-acoustic and fully acoustic thinline guitars through the many years that I have played. (I started playing guitar as a pre-teen 50 years ago).

I played a Gibson ES-335 for close to 20 years. I also played a Gibson 125T and a couple of Gretsch CA6120 Nashville guitars for about a 20 year period. In between, I played different thinline guitars, including the Ibanez GB-10 and Ibanez AS200 that Sco used to play. I have also played many Matsumoku-made copies of Gibson 335 guitars, including some Epiphones.

Overall, I would say that I developed a marked preference for fully hollow thinline guitars, relative to guitars with a center block, or relative to guitars with chambered-out bodies. (I played a Telecaster Thinline for a while.) Don't get me wrong, my 335 was a marvelous guitar, capable of covering any scene--much the way my Telecasters could.

In terms of pure soul-satisfying tone, however, my 335 could not compare favorably with even the much less expensive ES-125T. Those hollow body guitars are real winners. Either the Gibson ES-330 (that Grant Green favored) or the Epiphone Casino are super guitars for covering rock, blues, country, and--of course--jazz.

I like the old ones the best and the ones made in Japan next best. Still, the Korean and Chinese guitars are well made and are fun to play.

[kris]

This Epi is after some mods and sounds very interesting.

[mr. beaumont]

I hear a lot about what's "good for jazz," or "appropriate for jazz" Lately. Silliness. I could get you a good jazz tone out of a Casino, I guarantee it.

[rabbit]

Guild Guitars | T-50 Slim

Twice the price & likely twice the guitar of a Casino Coupe; I own it's cousin, a modern Savoy A-150
and I'm very happy with its neck & frets. The T-50 does not have the solid pressed top of my Savoy.

Needless to say I am interested in this Guild which I Can Not Buy (reminder to Self.)
If you've got the resources the T-50 is half-way to the price of an ES-125T, an ES-120T or similar.
Remember, this Great Nation is built on Debt!

I agree with Greentone & the others here who like a thin line, fully hollow (and good P90's don't hurt.)

I've been thru many of the type and own an excellent ES-125T today. It is very important to me.

I held a Casino Coupe in a store can't remember exactly why I was not excited.
A bad sign since I really like the type. Sorry I can't do better. Good luck with your pursuit!

[roegtr]

Here's the Gibson es390 with p90 pups through a Roland cube 60. This guitar is the same size as the es339 but fully hollow like the es330
It can do jazz if you want it to.

[Doctor Jeff]

I'm not saying the Casino or baby Casino can't do jazz, or that P90's are not a good pickup--I had one in my Godin Kingpin, which was a great guitar for jazz. (I used to have an Epi Dot too, but that's another story.)

However...I will say that the Casino and its partners are not made and marketed for jazzers, and versatile as the P90 is, it's main distinction is (IMO) not mellowness but growliness and bite. Moreover, a lot of people seem to think they can get a 330 or 335-style guitar and sound like Grant Green, but he and his guitar were something special, and it's hard to replicate. That's why you see a lot of 335's etc. in alt-rock and alt-country bands, but not too many in jazz groups.

Anyway, like I said, it's always your preference, but from my perspective if you want a traditional jazz sound in an ergonomic package a fully hollow (or certain semis) thinline single cutaway with humbuckers is the *easiest* way to get there. Among guitars I have experience with, the top contenders would be the Peerless Sunset, Gibson ES-135 (heavy) and Godin Premiere, all without mods or much fiddling around.

[oldane]

.... Moreover, a lot of people seem to think they can get a 330 or 335-style guitar and sound like Grant Green, but he and his guitar were something special, and it's hard to replicate.

This made me think a bit OT. Green was a married man with kids and in addition at times also had a drug habit to support. Considering the income of a profesional jazz player, he most likely couldn't choose freely as far as instrument goes. He would likely have to get the best he could for his money, (from a friend, from a pawn shop, who knows) when he needed it and then make the best out of it. And maybe the rest of us should do the same. After all, it's us playing the guitar, not the opposite.

From the photography world, the late Life photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt said: "Good photos are not about fancy gear but about seeing as a photographer and being ressourceful with whatvever gear you have." Than can be applied to music as well.



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[Little Jay]

When I hear recordings of myself I am always surprised how remarkably similar I sound on all my guitars, be it my ES-333, ES-125 or even my thinline Tele....

Wouldn't mind owning a nice 330 or Casino though......

[Headshot]

Little Jay, I think it is because we all have an idea of how we want our sound to be, thus we make everything sound that way. That is probably why I will sometimes use a Strat on the neck or middle pup with the tone just slightly rolled down to about 7 for my jazz sound, just to be different from my 335 or Wildkat.

[Doctor Jeff]

This made me think a bit OT. Green was a married man with kids and in addition at times also had a drug habit to support. Considering the income of a profesional jazz player, he most likely couldn't choose freely as far as instrument goes. He would likely have to get the best he could for his money, (from a friend, from a pawn shop, who knows) when he needed it and then make the best out of it. And maybe the rest of us should do the same. After all, it's us playing the guitar, not the opposite.

From the photography world, the late Life photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt said: "Good photos are not about fancy gear but about seeing as a photographer and being ressourceful with whatvever gear you have." Than can be applied to music as well.

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That may be, but I think the 330 was designed to appeal to a different group than the 335--its construction, neck joint, and trapeze all create a different sound than the 335. I imagine Grant was as keen as any of us to play the latest cool thing. He did have access to quite a few guitars in his career, including full-size archtops, but he made the 330 his own. Like Carlton and Scofield did with their guitars.

[feet]

I quite like mine and feel that it can be successfully appropriated for jazz noises, amongst other things. I did swap out a bunch of crap though, as is my wont.

In fact, I often contemplate picking up a second (or one of the new baby ones) and putting some filters in there. Or mini humbuckers. Or just regular humbuckers. It's a neat platform.

[Naquat]

For you Epi Casino specialists, this one puzzles me a bit.

I recently purchased what I thought was a 2006 Casino Natural. The pups were changed to Fralins (-15 % neck) by a previous owner, no pickguard but it does have the screw holes.

The knobs, tuners(marked "E"), and tailpiece look stock for a Std Casino. I'm not sure how to tell the dif between a std. TOM bridge and a LockTone TOM if there is one.

Here's the rub: The nut width is NOT 1.68" but 1.625 (1 5/8") and the neck IS one piece except for a small 1/4" cap on the heel, no wing pieces no other pieces near the heel.

The neck also meets the body at the 17th fret NOT the 16th fret as mentioned on a number of sites. The S/N starts I06 (back of the headstock) which means it should be a 2006 but the nut width and neck joining the body don't match up to that date. The sites I've read say the 17th fret neck joint went from '95-2004. No markings on the headstock other than "Epiphone" and "E" truss rod cover.

Also, is it possible to tell the difference between a "set neck" and "dove tail" by just looking at the guitar?

The "F" holes are painted Black.

Yes the nut is a bit narrow. I removed spacers from under the Fralins because the pups were too close to the strings and after a quick setup (I'll do another after it settles in) the guitar plays very well, sounds great clean and dirty, and is in excellent shape.

Any ideas other than a possible 2006 model made with 2004 or older parts?

Thanks

[BigMikeinNJ]

It's not uncommon for Fender, Gibson, Ibanez and other companies to use up NOS parts and necks and bodies when making something with a more current date. They're sure not gonna throw out those perfectly good parts. I've seen some pretty neat guitars where a factory used up inventory to do a build. Why not ??

Hope you enjoy the heck out of it and play it in good health.

Big

[Naquat]

Yes, but what are you looking for?

I looked inside the guitar. There's a neck block, looks like maple, about 4" wide and top to bottom with a cutout at the top and mahogany rectangle I'd say 3/4" X 1 1/2" set it about a 1/2" or so.

[Naquat]

Thanks Mike. We'll see. I haven't played it at length or with a band yet. I'm more partial to 1 11/16" nut widths. They seem to fit my playing best. 1 3/4" it usually too wide and depending on chording 1 5/8" can be tight and I haven't played this one enough yet to make a determination.

[Naquat]

OK, if I did this correctly here are some pics of the guitar.

[neatomic]

nice lookin casino..and the fralins are huge improvement over the stock epi metal covered p90's (they are wound wrong!)


full hollow casinos are tone machines... with a few tweaks

enjoy


cheers

[Naquat]

Yes, the Fralins do sound great. I have his humbuckers in another guitar.

The thing that puzzles me the most is the 1.625" nut as the Elitist, Revolution, and JL 1965 all have the 1.625" or 1.62" nut and a 1 piece neck, but do not join the body at the 17th fret like mine. But the Korean make Casino std's are supposed to have the wider nut, so then one would ask what was a 1.625" nut width doing at a factory where the Casinos were built with a 1.68" nut? Special order? I know, strange. I sometimes focus too much on the details. LOL

[neatomic]

can't go for certain with what epi wiki says..epi was/is all over the place..that's a saein korea 2006...most of the korean mades were 17 fret joins..they also had slim necks...a friend had one and then got the inspired by lennon...it joined at the 16th fret and had a wider neck...

just enjoy!

cheers