Product: Epiphone Casino Elite
Price Paid: US $1149
Submitted
02/28/2003
at
04:36pm
by
jayt
Features
:
10
2003 Epiphone Elite Casino
Masde in Japan, Grover Tuners Gibson P-90 pickups, Maple body, Tune-O-Matic bridge with premium case
Sound
:
10
The sound is incredible. The P-90's are quiet and are strong and sweet at the same time. The guitar literally 'rings like a bell'. The volume and tones controls are very responsive giving a whole myriad of sounds.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
10
Action, fit/finish setup were all impeccable. Right down to the 'aged' yellowed binding. It looks as if it were bought in 1965 (it's a '65 reissue) and put in suspended animation for 38 years. I can't find ANY flaws. It came with Gibson Brite Wires .10 gauge strings.
Reliability/Durability
:
9
The guitar is very lite (hollow body). It has a polyurethane finish rather than nitro-cellulose, but it is done very well - it looks as if it is a mile deep. It is meant to be played.
Customer Support
:
10
I've never had anything but complete satisfaction dealing with Gibson/Epiphone. They are responsive and they stand behind their products. One guitar I bought last year (a different model) had a slightly twisted neck that produced just a small buzz on one area of frets - Gibson/Epiphone replaced the guitar with a perfect playing/looking brand new one. No questions asked.
Overall Rating
:
10
Playing for over 30 years and have many good guitars - the Elite Casino is now at the top of my list. Would replace it if lost in a heartbeat.
Product: Epiphone Casino Elite
Price Paid: US $600 (2nd)
Submitted
12/31/2002
at
07:31am
by
Anonymous
Features
:
7
This is a made in Japan Epiphone. It is better than the Korean Casino but not as good as a gibson. The body seems a little nicer, and the hardware is nicer too. But I'm not sure it is worth the extra cost.
Sound
:
6
These are not Gibson p-90's. They are not built the same (e.g. the wires are not braided, and the base plate looks different). And they also sound much brighter than p-90's. But they are not noisy at all.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
8
These guitars are well put together. Again, I would describe it as nicer than the Korean casino, but not as nice as the real thing.
Reliability/Durability
:
7
The guitar is very light, since it is a hollowbody. But I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be reliable. It seems solid.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
N/A.
Overall Rating
:
7
I would say buy this guitar if you can get a good deal on it. But if you really want a p-90 sound, you will likely end up swapping the pickups. So, although it is nicer than the Korean Casino, I don't think it is worth twice the cost.
